Mid morning, in an unknown location, Ben Jordan sits in a coffee house, his hand wrapped around a mug of black coffee. Ben is wearing a silver suit and black shirt, on his feet are expensive looking shiny black shoes. A tired yet relaxed look crosses his face as he looks towards the door, as it opens, his eyes watching a young woman join the busy building. Ben drops his head low, staring in to the black steaming liquid in the mug. The bell signals another customer walking through the door and Ben looks up to see the person he is waiting for. Drake Green gives Ben a nod before walking over towards the counter, speaking to the young lady behind the counter before turning towards Ben and moving through the crowd, pulling out the seat opposite his long time friend and reaching out his hand to shake. Ben smiles and shakes Drake's hand, giving his friend a warm smile and nod of his head. Drake sits down opposite him, looking around at the setting.
Drake: Well this is the first time you wanted to meet for a drink and not started with the words "meet me in the pub".
Ben tilts his head lightly before nodding in agreement.
Ben: Well it is only eleven and well, boozers are loud places, you wouldn't be able to hear me rabbit.
Drake's head jolts back as he looks at Ben.
Drake: You brought a talking rabbit?
Ben curls the left side of his lip down, looking at Drake.
Ben: Ha ha, very funny, me sides are splitting under me shirt.
The sarcastic tones from Ben, bring a smile on Drake's face.
Drake: So what did you drag me here for?
Ben: Remember on the cruise when I told you about me and Emz not being together? I kinda cut it off shot and such. Feel a bit of a tit that I never explained it all to ya, so figured fuck it, coffee, catch up and fill you in on what the bloody hell happened.
A waitress moves towards Drake, placing a cup of coffee in front of him. He nods politely at the waitress who moves away from them and Drake puts his hand around the mug. Drake turns his attention back to Ben.
Drake: Yeah, what the fuck did happen there? I thought you two were in it for the long haul.
Ben: So did I mate. Proper long haul but...
Ben sighs and breathes deeply as he lifts his mug off the table.
Ben: She must have had other ideas. I woke up one morning, she wasn't there, not unusual for me to wake up after her, looked around the place, she wasn't there, again, not unusual for her to nip out. Then I walked in to the kitchen, there was a note and she had had it away on her toes.
Ben takes a sip of the steaming liquid as Drake looks at Ben with raised eyebrows.
Drake: That's it? Nothing else? Just a fucking note?
Ben places the mug down on to the table.
Ben: Just a fucking note. Saying that she was off and not to try and contact her, that she'd be off the grid and fine and not to worry. So my detective mind lead me to her closet and pretty much everything was gone. The woman even took the dog... By that I mean the yappie four legged thing called Brutus, not slang for me dog.
Ben holds up his fingers to his ears, in the sign of a phone as Drake looks at him confused.
Ben: Dog and bone.... Phone mate, phone. Anyway, yeah, she was gone, I still don't know what the fuck I did wrong with her to be fair.
Drake slowly shakes his head, a sympathetic look on his face.
Drake: She didn't seem that kinda person.
Ben: Gotta be honest with ya mate, there was the Emma that people saw on tele, like in ASW and SCW and there was the Emma that was there when the cameras stopped and she didn't have to impress anyone. Yeah, we was the perfect couple for a long time, loved the woman to bits, and even though she upped and left me standing there like a lemon, after all I did for her, part of me still does. That's what gets me, I actually did all she wanted, lost friends because she meant more to me, had to spend the last few months building bridges that she indirectly helped to burn. I done all I could for her, and ended up feeling bloody used and like no matter what I did, just wasn't good enough for her that she can just cut me off like that without a care.
Ben turns his head, shaking it in disappointment.
Ben: And me like a right prick fell for the lot of it. Must have had mug written on me forehead from day one.
Ben tries to keep his calm, taking deep breaths and closing his eyes before looking back at Drake.
Drake: That's pretty fucked up man. You haven't seen or heard from her since?
Ben quickly shakes his head.
Ben: Not in person, or heard from her, but I'm pretty sure she's haunting my dreams. The last few nights, she's been in my dreams and not even in a good way. Like she'll act all sweet and then do something to like intentionally piss on me cornflakes and hurt me. It's like I'm constantly being mocked.
Drake: Mocked about what?
Ben: Well, it's like in the dreams, she brings up shit she never got to see cause it's embarrassing for me. I wasn't exactly in the best shape of my life, both in me dome and literary, and in the dreams, she mocked the act that I looked like I ate all the pies.
Drake puts his hands out flat in front of him, confused by the last comment.
Ben: It means I became a bit of a chunky monkey, a chubby lad, a dough boy, a lard arse....
Drake puts his hand up, stopping Ben.
Drake: Are you trying to say you became fat?
Ben: Amongst other things...
Ben tilts his head, thinking back to a few months ago....
***Flashback***
Beer cans and tall empty bottles cover the floor of what looks like a house as the camera focuses on a man lying on a sofa face down. Next to the sofa, sits a stack of pizza boxes, piled five high. A groan comes from the general direction of the shirtless man on the sofa, only wearing grey sweat pants on his lower half as he rolls from the sofa, falling off and crashing to the floor, sending beer cans flying around on impact. The man stands up, his back to the camera, only showing long hair past his shoulders, scruffy and ungroomed. He shakes his head, shaking off the fall before reaching down beside him and picking up a bottle of what looks to be vodka. He unscrews the cap before turning around towards the camera, lifting the bottle to his lips and drinking to show the man as Ben Jordan, sporting a long Jesus style beard, clearly also as ungroomed as his hair, hanging inches below his chin. His bloodshot eyes look down at the bottle, now empty and he removes it from his lips, throwing it over his shoulder, and a crash is heard in the background. The camera moves down Ben's topless body to show all muscle definition on his stomach now gone and replaced with a roll of fat hanging over the top of his sweat pants. Ben collapsed back on the sofa, his head tilted back and looking up as he groans....
***Present***
Ben: Yeah, I looked like a homeless guy.
Drake shakes his head in disbelief at Ben.
Drake: You should have told me and I woulda stopped you getting in that mess.
Ben: Mate, I was embarrassed that it all went wonky. No one knew, I hide myself away drinking myself in to an early grave and not giving a flying fuck about it. In me dome, all I could think about was losing the one bird that I'da happily had me nuts chewed off by angry mutts then to ever see her sad, but ya know, I got dropped in the tom tit and ended up borderline pisshead.
Drake looks Ben up and down.
Drake: You don't look in bad shape now.
Ben: I'm not, back in shape. Took me months of work to do it but I'm looking pretty decent now. Pretty much all down to Christian Underwood. See me coming back to SCW has been in the pipeline for months. Christian contacted me about four months ago when I was lower than a snakes bollocks....
***Flashback***
The familiar sound of Skype calling can be heard in the background as Ben sits with a beer in his hand at the kitchen table, still sitting with his long hair down his back and his unkempt beard, with his shirt off. Ben looks around the room curiously for the noise. He stands up, stumbling around the kitchen, listening for the sound to get louder before stopping in front of the microwave. He opens it up to see his laptop sitting in there. He scratches his head and takes it out.
Ben: One, how did you get in there you sneaky little laptop. Two, how are you still on? And three, how the fuck did you stay charged?
Ben looks at the laptop for answers but quickly opens the top of it as he walks towards the kitchen table and places the laptop down. He sees the name Christian Underwood lit up and hits accept as he takes a seat. He picks up the beer as the screen loads up to show Christian sitting in an office type setting. As the screen loads up, Christian jumps backwards in surprise at seeing Ben in the way he is.
Christian: Ben...?
Ben: Alright mate, how's it going?
Christian: Clearly better than you...
Ben takes a mouthful of beer as Christian slowly shakes his head.
Christian: What the hell happened to you?
Ben: Long ol' story for another day.
Christian eyes up the beer Ben has in his hand.
Christian: You're drinking? Isn't it about 9am where you are?
Ben glances at a nearby clock on the wall.
Ben: Almost, and I haven't stopped drinking.
Christian: Since last night?
Ben: Yeah, let's go with that.... What can I do ya for mate?
Christian: Well Mark has opened the purse strings, freeing up some cash to hire a few again. We have a place where everyone wants to be the heel, and could do with a few more good guys here. I'm contacting a few people and wanted to see if I could tempt you back till at least the end of the tour, but you look a little.... different.
Ben: I wanna come back! I got nothing keeping me here right now, I wanna come back. What's the pay like?
Christian shifts uneasily in his chair.
Christian: Ten percent up from your last contract.
Ben: I'll take half of it!
Christian moves his head closer to the camera, looking closer at Ben.
Christian: Are you drunk? You want half the money on the table.
Ben: Yeah.... Well, to the half the money thing. The other half, give to a local charity on the tour, and Bob's your uncle! Sorted.
Christian looks closely at Ben.
Christian: Thing is Ben, it's obvious that there's a few extra pounds there and that look just isn't you. Maybe, I should come back with this offer another time when ya in a better place.
Ben: No no no no noooooooo. You'd be doing me a favor by getting me a deal there.
Christian sighs.
Christian: Three months to get yourself back to who you used to be Ben. I'll even set you up some sessions with personal trainers to get yourself back in shape.
Ben: You will not regret it.
Christian: I hope not.... and Ben?
Ben: Yesssssss
Christian: Lose the beard, you look like you have a birds nest under your chin.
Ben gives Christian a thumbs up
***Present***
Ben: Christian's call came at the right time man, if not, who knows what would have happened to me. Without it, I wouldn't have had the motivation to get back in to decent shape, I wouldn't have been able to focus anywhere else. It could have saved me from a stint in rehab. I basically got straight up from there, lost the beard, cleaned up, knocked the booze on the head and worked my bollocks off for three months straight.
Drake nods at Ben, listening to his every word.
Ben: It's like a second chance now, everything is changing. Me gaff is being sold, cause I don't wanna be there and apparently it's worth more now my arse has lived there. I'll just stay where ever the tour takes me, then buy a place either on the river or on an island.
Drake: You're selling the underground house?
Ben: Yeah, I don't need all that space to knock around in on my own. Couple of bedrooms and a decent view and I'm sorted.
Drake: The women will love it.
Ben shakes his head sharply, looking at Drake pick up his mug.
Ben: Turn it in son. I'm not interested in birds, I was tied down long enough.
Drake: Watered down. Bout fucking time we might get the old Ben back. The Ben that used to be in ACW before he became a bitch.
Ben smiles at Drake.
Ben: Bitch no... Loved up tit maybe.
Drake: Anyway, don't play innocent with me, I've seen you with that Sam Marlowe.
Ben: Nothing in it son, just a nice girl who's pretty cool to hang around with but nothing in that at all. She's just a nice bird, fun to hang with, polite...
Drake: Redhead... And we know you seem to go for those.
Ben: Still nothing in it me ol' son. I'm so focused on this match coming up, kicking Mr TNA in the bollocks at some point. All focused on the wrestling and the match in New Zealand.... In fact, bout time I cut a promo on that thing.
Drake's eyes widen.
Drake: Don't you do it...
Ben: I'm sorry mate, but it's kinda my thing.
Drake: Don't...
Ben: Sorry mate.
Ben smiles at Drake.
Ben: Talking about this wrestling stuff has got me wanting to do my little promo thing for the match.
Drake puts his finger out, pointed towards Ben
Drake: Don't you dare do that fre-
Ben clicks his fingers, causing Drake to freeze, his finger still pointed towards Ben. The entire coffee shop around the duo freeze complete. Ben leans over the table taps Drake on the head and turns to the camera.
Ben: He's gonna be well pissed off when he does the unfreezy thing, but him going on about me match coming up got me excited to talk to you lovely lot. How ya doing people?
Ben turns his ear to the camera, nodding as if he's listening and smiles.
Ben: Blinding to hear people, absolutely blinding. Now ya know who I am and all that, so don't need to do the ol' intro stuff again. Right now, let's get away from the bleeding heart stuff you've sat through and have a little rabbit about me match with Joshua Acquin, a geezer I don't half mind.
Ben rolls his shoulders backwards and smiles.
Ben: This people is a brilliant little challenge for me to come back to, this is actually like a hot beer on a cold day, perfect, ya know? The guy is a former champion on a couple of levels, which is pretty decent, got himself a little bit mixed up with these Nobodies lads and lady, if ya can call her that, foul mouth that one, but anyways, we all know the fella needs to bounce back. He could be sitting there thinking I'm the perfect one to come back and get back on track with, I dunno what goes through his mind, but the fella has a big pair of bollocks to be going up against the people he's been dealing with lately, ultimate credit there. He could be thinking I could be a little bit rusty or something...
Ben quickly shakes his head.
Ben: Don't be a mong, I ain't the tin man or anything. Ever since Christian called me on the dog, I've been working my way back to being at a decent level to be able to get my arse back in to the ring. I've been busting me gooleys to be in decent enough shape to be considered good enough for a return to the action and trust me, the excitement is well and truly building in this bloke. I'm like a kid at Christmas bouncing around to get in the ring with ya. Rust is the last thing on me mind.
Ben taps the side of his head with his finger.
Ben: All me hassles I've had lately, looking at the in the rear view and giving 'em a little wave because what's first and foremost on me melon is putting on a good performance for the people of New Zealand, just for putting their wonga on the table, getting a ticket to come see blokes like me put on the best show I can. I'm in the ring with a decent opponent too, and I know Joshua thinks he has a bit of a chance against me and maybe the fellas right, maybe he does have a shot, but I don't wanna be a limp todger on a wedding night here, I don't wanna, you know...
Ben looks down at his groin area before snapping his head back up.
Ben: Flop at the wrong time. That wrong time would be in the ring,and trust me, I ain't flopped before, no intention to flop in the future. I am gonna surprise you all with my return cause this bloke is coming back better than ever. Might of just up and left just like that, so that makes me think I need to make it up to you all and that is something I can and will do by beating Joshua Acquin.
An firm affirmative nod comes from Ben's direction.
Ben: Joshua mate, I'm not taking you lightly at all, far from it. In fact I'm looking at you as if I was in the ring with Kain, Sean Jackson, Gabriel or any other great world champion there's been in this gaff. I'm treating this match like I'm going out and taking down The Don. I'm looking at you as if you are the best wrestler in the world, holding gold all over, like an international superstar. I won't be complacent like Chelsea's back four most of the time, I won't insult ya by thinking you're below me at all, to me, you're the man! The top man! The guy everyone wants to beat. Now think about it for just a second, ok mate?
Ben raises one finger up.
Ben: If I'm taking ya that seriously, you gotta ask yourself how you plan on dealing with that. How do ya take down the mindset of a geezer who is gonna fire at ya like ya the world champ? Your record makes people think less of ya and they get lazy, that gives you the oppo to take them down that quickly, but me mate, I'm seeing ya through a whole different set of minces.
Ben turns his head to the frozen in place Drake.
Ben: When ya watch this back, minces means eyes, mince pies is the slang, alright mate?
Ben gives the frozen Drake a thumbs up and looks down the camera again.
Ben: Yeah, I'm seeing ya in a whole different way and that my friend is gonna be a tough one to deal with. It's gonna be more of a struggle then ya had against little Tim. No offense to Tim, the boy is family but he's got a long way to go and will someday be better than me, but right now, this is a bit of a step up to you, Joshua. Don't worry about it too much mate, just relax, give it the best you can, I'll do the same and everyone will go home with a grin on there mushes talking about the show that me and you put on for everyone.
Ben puts two thumbs up for the camera.
Ben: It's why we do this mate, to entertain these people because they work their nuts off to afford to watch us, or two fellas fighting over a belt when neither of them are wearing strides.... Ummmm trousers. People pay to see action, they pay to see these big ol' glorious returns, bit like me returning. They're proper interested in seeing if returning people are the same, or better, or worse and all that malarky. That returning guy, he tends to come back and throw in a little extra and that my friends is what I plan on doing, coming back and showing ya all what you've been missing, even you Travis. You keep a close peeper on this one son.
Ben stands up and moves around the table, moving behind Drake and standing there, his hand resting on Drake's shoulder.
Ben: Anyway people, I've taken up enough of your time. Get away from ya TVs, mobile devices, or laptops, whatever ya watching this thing on and go get some air in ya lungs. I'll see you all on Sunday. Laters people.
Ben walks away from Drake and off camera. His arm appears on camera once more and he clicks his fingers, the scene starting to go back to normal, with people in the coffee shop moving around.
Drake: -Eze thing or....
Drake looks around the table, seeing Ben isn't there.
Drake: Son of a bitch!
Drake shakes his head as the camera fades out.
