2022.
So I made this promise. More to myself and a small one to a few others.
I need to be a better version of myself.
Let’s call it for what it was, 2021 was a complete shitshow and I flubbed a lot of things up royally. I’ll call that one on me but what could I do?
If you say “Try Harder '' I'm going to Gibbs slap you, cause believe me...I DID. In the span of my career I had never been so focused on becoming better.
Better wrestler, better person, better brother...hell even a better son.
I say this because the past couple of weeks I have been treated to a wonderful surprise. Since I left Manchester back in 2018, I was home one time in 2019 when I was coming back from Japan to the states and after that I hadn’t been home. It wasn’t intentional at first. My twin sister, Brianna came across once but when the world went to shit, all the intentions of going back went to hell.
Now, I want to explain something to you guys, my mother has always been an extremely hardworking woman. She raised myself and Bri as much as she could after my father fell into a horrible cycle and eventually ended his life. She would be there for us before even herself sometimes, so to see her magically show up a couple weeks ago was quite surprising.
All thanks to Becca.
Homesickness can be real, ya’ll.
One minute you are wishing for your mom’s homemade meals, walking your old streets and it will derail you on everything you have been working hard for.
Wolfslair Gym
New York
3 weeks ago
“Man, what the fuck is up with you lately?” That came from Austin James Mercer as they were wrapping up their session on that day.
Milo had shown up...phoning it the fuck in and being very non-chalaunt about the whole thing. It was very evident by the look in his eyes that he was there physically but mentally Miles was 3,334 miles away as the crow flies.
All he could do was stare at Austin. When in fact all he wanted to do was have Austin punch him in his big empty head, “You have been working like a dry mop all week.”
“Mate, if I knew, I’d tell you.” that was followed by a deep breath and a quick release of that. He couldn’t even begin to make it make sense. He had his weekly check-in with his sister, who was rather moody for some reason and his mom was rushing out the door enough to send her love. He would give anything to see her and tell her she could stop working so damn hard but she wouldn’t be around long enough for him to get out a full sentence.
“You’ve been pretty damn quiet lately. Things are alright between you and the lady?”
Miles sits back and thinks, “Yeah, we’re good. I come here, train, go home. She goes to work, codes video games, and goes home. We occasionally go out but other than that it’s all rather a strange cycle.”
“Boring?”
Not exactly the word I would use. Especially when it came to a life with Becca Larkin. The woman moves a mile a minute and talks just as fast. She must have had the good sense of what was really going on with him. What he wouldn’t let anyone else know about because low and behold...
“Mate, I swear to God, it was one of the strangest damn things.” Miles says to Austin a week and a half later and suddenly he found himself with a little bit of a pep in his step, “I went down to go get our food and ma was staring a whole ass hole through her. I was waiting to come back and find my stuff on fire and I came back and they were both laughing and making lists for shit to buy for my place. Since then they’ve been out shopping almost every day. I got told to come here today and that they were hanging out.”
“Be afraid man.” Austin says racking a weight.
Miles laughs, “Should I be though? I asked about it and apparently they had a whole heart to heart. I know I’m the technical baby of the family...”
“Man, mom’s will protect no matter what. I can only imagine what yours is doing now that she’s getting to know her.”
“Probably planning my ultimate demise.”
“Before you know it, we’re gonna be planning your stag.”
“Sweet christ...” Miles laughs before standing in front of the mirror to do a quick pose, “Think I’ve recovered nicely.”
“Take the thot shot already! I know you’re battling it.”
Miles shrugs and pulls his phone from his pocket and poses up and just as he snaps the pic, Alicia appears behind him and gives him the bunny ears.
“GOT EM!” she yells running.
“Oi get back here you!”
I guess I do have a bit of my own family here. Even if they’re not blood.
“Family is a funny word. We have all kinds now-a-days, and the fact that I have found a few different styles has made me realize that I am not alone.” Miles says sitting back inside the Wolfslair men’s locker room. “You know, when I signed up for Blast From the Past, I never imagined that my own partner would legit be a blast from my past. When I came to the states, I joined up with the Russow gym and one of my original trainers was my tag partner. Audrey Russow has an amazing fighting spirit about her to the point where I feel very bad for Myra Rivers.”
“I wasn’t exactly sure what I was hoping for here, but I find myself sorta snickering at the whole situation because Max Burke has returned to SCW and like me is looking for almost a leaping point to get himself going once again.” Miles shifts rather uncomfortably, “I gotta admit, I found myself on the outside looking in towards the end of the 2021 and I really did not like it. Is it the same for Max? I mean he’s been over and cleaning up in SCU with GRIME and everything but man, you were here once right? I mean that’s pretty damn obvious but the fact that you decided to use this tournament, here and now to make that return.”
“All for what? A chance to reach for glory?” Miles looks up and his blue-green eyes shine, “Looks like we have ourselves a parallel universe kicking here. Only difference is, mate, I refuse to let myself fuck off to SCU in hopes to stay relevant. Whether or not, I will keep fighting like hell to make sure that I make this work.”
Miles stands up and stretches his neck out, “Look, I don’t plan on letting my partner and former trainer down in this. I have fucked around long enough to figure out that while I am a huge screw up, I am done not taking advantage of what I can. I plan on using BFTP as a huge leaping point, getting back to where I was before I slipped.”
“Max, I can’t wait to see if you feel the exact same way I do. Ready to go tooth and fucking nail for what you feel you are deserving of.” Miles steps in front of the mirror and smirks, “Me? Look I know a lot of people think of me as a muscle bound airhead that has no problem in showing off. BUT, I plan on taking my advantages for everything they have and enjoying every minute of proving a lot of people wrong.”
“Well...that and mum deserves to see her lil boy finally get his shit together.” he looks behind him and an older woman with the same blonde curly hair like his appears behind him, “Ain’t that right ma?”
And she smiles, “Come on you show off. We got a plane to catch.”
