Where has the year gone? That is a question on the mind of many as it seems only yesterday that the New Year of 2014 had been rung in with much fanfare, drinking of champagne and the dropping of the fabled Ball in Times Square. Streamers were thrown. Midnight kisses were stolen. Everyone was looking forward to beginning 2014 with a fresh start, to begin their lives anew with resolutions to better improve oneself, and not fail at within days of the first attempt. After all, is that not what a new year is all about? To leave the past of the old behind and kick things off with a fresh start, the proverbial slate wiped clean?
Then, what did you notice happening next? We were sitting around the grandly decorated tables for a Thanksgiving feast with family, friends, and even a few loved ones (I kid! I kid!). Some were looking forward to the 'official' start of the shopping season on the next day, Black Friday, while many others were content to wait it out, to begin their own shopping online during the Cyber Monday craze. After all, why risk being trampled to death or maced with pepper spray, or worse, all in the name of getting a flat screen or the latest video game, all for a few dollars cheaper? I tell you, people are bonkers! Yet once you proudly proclaim that your Christmas shopping is complete, it hits you right square in the mush! The end of 2014 is just weeks away!
Once the Thanksgiving traditions are complete, parade watched and turkey devoured, and the shopping is over, you start to truly realize something; Christmas is right around the corner. (Don't ask me which corner, because I've checked `em all and I haven't seen it!) Eggnog could now be bought up in bulk from the grocery store, and while we're at it, we can also toss in a bottle or two (or three) of that special holiday cheer that goes with it, although not everybody likes the flavor of that holiday cheer. Then there's the cookies! Oh those glorious homemade sugar cookies fresh and warm from the oven, the mouth watering scent wafting through the house as they slowly cool off, just waiting to be decorated with gobs of frosting and sprinkles! It would also soon be time for the lights to be hung up, and the festive tree decorated so outlandishly that it hurts the eyes once you ignite the colorful lights. Heck, decorate the outside of your home just right, and you just might get a visit from the lady in charge of the Neighborhood Association, asking you to tone it down. That's where you get to tell her to go blow it out her diddy bag.
Hey! It's Christmas!
Of course, by now you understand that the star of this promo will be making his grand entrance soon -- very soon! Well, 'stars' as it were if you count Angel, oh and by the way, you should always count Angel!
The front entrance doors to the Petsmart store automatically slid open and into it raced Despayre pushing a shopping cart, with Angel perched safe and secure in the child's seat with the 'belt' fastened securely around the teddy bear's waist! (Soon enough for you?) Despayre raced right past a clerk behind the cash register before she could even greet him, and her eyes instead fell to the man who next set foot inside of the store, Synn himself.
"Welcome to Petsmart, sir." She said with an amicable smile. "Can I help you with anything?"
"No." Synn sighed as he simply walked towards the last place Despayre had vanished around a corner aisle in his haste. "I'm just here with the little hurricane that just blew past."
The cashier smiled at Synn's dry wit, then turned and resumed her duties as a new customer pulled up to her register with an arm load of items to purchase.
Synn was in no real hurry, as he knew immediately where his son had headed. It was the point behind this entire trip to the pet store, after all. Despayre had come to his office just that morning and asked if they could come here to Petsmart in order to get some surprises for his pet cat, Sebastian. Synn had proclaimed that he had a rather busy day ahead of him but it didn't take much on Despayre's part in order to get his father to clear his schedule just enough to help him do some Christmas shopping for the household cat.
Hearing the sound of tell-tale thumps in the appropriate aisle, Synn turned and found Despayre looking over all the shelves in the cat toy and accessory aisle and whatever he didn't think Sebastian had already, he grabbed and tossed it into the small cart wedged into the narrow aisle. A quick inspection in the cart and Synn saw a drinking fountain, several bags of catnip toys, teaser wands and some kind of battery operated toy in a flat canvas sack that spun in circles for the cat to chase. And still Despayre was wanting more, as he grabbed a brand new kitty bed that was in Christmas colors and threw it, too, onto the pileup of holiday prezzies for Sebastian.
Synn asked, "Don't you think you might be over doing it just a bit?"
Despayre held another large bag of cat toys over his head, ready to drop them onto the cart when his father's question brought him to a halt. He cocked his head slightly to the right in wonderment, casting a glance down into the cart's contents before he shook his head and answered with a firm, "Nope!" And he promptly dropped the toys onto the already high mountain of goods. It threatened to topple over but Synn himself managed to catch it, bating Despayre by just a fraction. Synn shook his head and gave his boy a faux sigh of exasperation.
"You're going to put me in the poor house over this cat, aren't you?" Synn asked.
"I am? How?" Despayre blinked. "I'm paying for this. Me, myself and I!"
"Are you now?"
Despayre nodded and quick as a wink, whipped out his red Build-A-Bear wallet and showed Synn his bank card, the one he kept in a desk drawer all by itself. "Never leave home without it!" He proudly proclaimed. "Unless I don't need it. Then it's alright to leave it home."
"I see." Synn observed, knowing that Despayre had quite a respectable amount of money earned from his wrestling over the past few years, as Synn preferred to indulge the lad by paying for everything every chance he got. It was his own way of making up for all the lost time he missed with Despayre as a child. Synn glanced around and shrugged, "Well then on that note, why not add one of those cat towers on? I've heard you talking to Gabriel about wanting Sebastian to have one of his own."
Despayre's eyes lit up and he shook his finger toward his dad, "Oo! Good idea!" And before Synn could stop him, Despayre grabbed the cart and wheeled it around to go hunting for the perfect cat tower for the perfect kitty. Synn was about to set out after him, hopefully yo prevent him from spending too much more of his own money, when a voice emanated from behind him.
"Christmas shopping?"
Not one for idle chit chat, especially with strangers, Synn was about to turn about and say something possibly (definitely) caustic remark but found that he was facing another in probably a long line of employees who were only seeking to do their jobs and hopefully up sales for this, the holiday season.
The employee, an older woman in perhaps her middle years, asked, "Was there perhaps something I could help you find?"
"Unlikely." Synn sighed. "I'm afraid my son is just grabbing whatever he fancies for his cat." He cast a brief glance behind him in the direction Despayre had vanished to, then added, "He apparently believes his cat is in need of its own Christmas presents."
"Well, why not?" The woman smiled. "They may have four legs but they're no less a part of our families."
"Little help!?" Came a call from somewhere off in the store, and a voice Synn knew all too well. he jetted a thumb back and said to the employee, "That would be him now." And Synn calmly turned around and walked as quickly as he could to see what form of mischief Despayre had already found himself into, with the employee following in the belief she might be of some assistance. Curiosity helped a bit as well.
They turned the corner where a large display of cat towers of varied styles and sizes were on display, and found Despayre balancing one of grand stature halfway on the shelf, and half over his head with his hands holding it up. The fact that this cat tower in particular was larger than Despayre himself would have lent a touch of humor to the sight if Synn couldn't see Despayre's arms wavering a bit under the weight.
"Joshua, what do you think you're doing?" Synn asked as he hurried up to lend his boy a hand, grabbing the structure and shifting it from Despayre's grasp and balancing it back onto its perch on the shelf.
Despayre wiped his hands and looked somewhat bashful at having been caught in such a position, and he cast a quick glance to the employee before shrugging his shoulders, "I wanted that one for Sebastian. It's the best."
"Because it's the largest?" Synn asked with amused scorn.
"Uh huh!" Despayre smiled and he pointed at the carpeting that lined the vast majority of the towers many levels. "Plus it has catnip everywhere! Sebastian'll love it!"
"It's also two hundred dollars. Synn quietly observed, picking the dangling price tag in his hand.
Despayre blinked, "Don't I have enough in the bank?"
"Joshua, you have more than enough."
"Then what's the problem?" Despayre wondered loudly with his arms held wide.
"The problem is..." Synn started to say, but found himself staring at his boy's smiling face. Synn looked quickly to the employee who seemed as amused by the antics displayed as she was pleased at the potential sale. Synn shook his head, "I know when I'm beat." He muttered as he reached down to the lower shelf to grab the appropriate box...
En route to the front of the store to check out, Despayre happily pushed the cart of cat presents and treats with Angel closely inspecting all of the bags and boxes with a critical eye, to ensure nothing was forgotten. Synn carefully accompanied him, his own hands making certain that the boxed cat tower remained where it was, laying across the basket of the cart. They had almost reached the cash registers when something caught Despayre's eyes and he lit up with excitement.
"Look!" He cooed. "Kitties!" And he promptly forgot all about the cart load of goods, grabbing Angel from his child's seat and hurried over to the adoption center where the local Humane Society had set up operations for the day to hopefully get some of their cats adopted out for the upcoming Christmas holidays. One man was filling out an adoption application at a table, while another family was inside of the room with the cages, looking at one of the three cats that were present for the day. One was a fully grown calico cat, its fur a colorful blend of white, black and orange. Another was a kitten with fur the color of cocoa powder. The other cat was another adult, a female with ebony fur. While the family was busying themselves looking over the calico and the brown kitten, Despayre somehow instinctively found himself gravitating towards the cage tat the black cat was inside of. Her green eyes looked up as he looked in through the doors and her whiskers twitched, taking in his scent.
Despayre pressed his face close up towards the grating of the plastic cage door and he wiggled his forefinger toward the cat as she slowly stood up and moved toward him for a closer look. He offered his finger closer toward the cage door and she sniffed at it through the holes and she promptly butted her head against the tip of his finger, prompting Despayre to laugh merrily.
"I haven't seen Aggie show anyone that much attention since we brought her yesterday." Despayre looked aside at a young woman in a white jacket and matching slacks who watched the black cat with the loving eye of anyone who adored animals would come to understand.
"Not much of a people cat, is she?" Synn observed in question as he stepped through the door while the family had made their exit, only having wanted to play with the cats and little interest in adding one to their own family.
"Oh no. Not at all." The volunteer answered. She's actually a very loving cat. It's just after people get to know her information, they don't pay very much attention to her."
"Her information?" Synn asked, reaching over to pick up the tag hanging from her cage and looked it over while Despayre leaned up on his tip toes to see over his dad's arm so he could read as well.
The volunteer answered, "Well, the fact that she's eight years old keeps a lot of people from wanting to adopt. Everybody has their hearts set on a kitten or at least a younger cat, but an older cat like Aggie? Not so much. Plus her medical conditions..."
"What's wrong with her?" Despayre looked away from the tag in his father's hand, and back to the cage where the cat seemed to be watching him carefully.
The volunteer said, "She was rescued a few months ago from a pretty bad home. Her owner had several cats, and wasn't kind to any of them. Her one hind leg was broken and didn't repair properly since she wasn't taken too a vet to get it fixed. Plus the house was in squalor and she has some respiratory problems that have to be monitored and treated routinely."
"Poor kitty." Despayre almost whined as he leaned in close to keep an eye on the same cat that was keeping an eye on him.
The volunteer said, "We've had hopes that she would get adopted out for the holidays but few have expressed any interest."
"What'll happen to her if she doesn't get a home?" Despayre asked, and immediately Synn had wished he hadn't as he himself knew what the forthcoming answer would be.
Sadly, the volunteer confirmed this fear as she said, "It hurts to admit this, but if we can't get her a proper home, she'll have to be put down."
"You'll insult her for being homeless?" Despayre frowned. "That's rude!"
"No, Joshua." Synn took up the mantle to try and ease his son into this sad fact. "Because of her age and medical issues, they'll have to put her to sleep."
Despayre looked at his dad for understanding, and it slowly dawned on him what was being said. He looked at the volunteer whose eyes brimmed with tears as she looked lovingly at the cat who was watching everything around her. It was obvious why this young woman was a volunteer at an animal shelter. She truly did love animals and it broke her heart when one couldn't be rescued or saved.
"No..." Despayre mumbled as he looked again to Aggie the cat's cage and saw her looking right back at him. Despayre then said from out of nowhere. "I'll take her."
"What?" The volunteer asked at the same time Synn stated, "Excuse me?"
"She needs a home." Despayre proclaimed. "I can give her one!"
Synn looked back and forth between his son and the volunteer, and before this could go any further, Synn found himself uttering the one word that he could not having ever recalled saying to his son ever before.
"No."
Despayre blinked, "No?"
"No." He reiterated.
Clearly not understanding, Despayre held his hands out and shook his head, "What does that even mean?"
Synn said, "It means that we already have a cat."
"Right! One cat!" Despayre argued. "So what's one more?"
Synn sighed and rubbed a hand down along his face, glancing at the volunteer who suddenly had that 'deer in headlights' look as she found herself in the middle of a family debate. Synn then looked at his son with a firm eye and said, "Joshua. You are on the road on a semi-regular basis. Theresa taking care of a healthy cat while you're away is enough of an added chore for her. A cat that needs regular medical attention is simply asking too much."
"Then I'll quit..."
"You are NOT quitting for the sole reason that you can adopt a cat!" Synn said with perhaps more force than he intended, and it showed in the result as Despayre's eyes blinked with the sting of tears at having his dad raise his voice at him, especially over something that meant so very much to him.
"But..." Despayre started to plead but Synn held up a hand, silencing his protest and shook his head. "I am sorry Joshua, but the answer is no."
Despayre looked absolutely devastated, the tears leaking from his gray eyes and trickling down his cheeks, pooling at the slight cleft in his chin. His face flushed a healthy pink in embarrassment. Then something in his gray orbs flashed in anger and his lips pursed together and he simply turned and stomped out of the adoption center. Synn exhaled sharply through his lips and turned to the volunteer.
"Sorry." And he turned to head off after Despayre...
"It's not FAIR!" The front door swung open with a hard 'bang', startling the three in the kitchen of the Sins, Theresa, Rage and Rage's younger brother, Philip. The heated exchange drew the trio from the kitchen and as they made their way into the main hall of the household, they witnessed Despayre throw and armload of Petsmart bags to the floor without a care and face off against his own father. He stomped his foot and said again, "Not fair!"
"How is it not fair, Joshua?" Synn stressed. "I have tried to give you everything that I possibly can. This is simply too much."
"Helping me save a kitty's life is too much!?" Despayre wailed. "How!"
"I already explained that to you, Joshua." Synn answered, his tones much smoother now than they had been in the store. "She needs a lot of care and she's old... her medical issues alone are..."
Despayre interrupted hotly. "You gave ME a home!"
"Yes, Joshua. I did." Synn said. "But there is a world of differe..."
"And I have medical issues!" Despayre practically hollered. "But you didn't let ME die!"
These harsh words, true though they may be, had the effect of nearly knocking Synn back on his heels as the truth of them hit him full on.
Despayre shook his head, the tears flowing freely down his face, "But you're gonna let Aggie die just because she's too much trouble?" he sniffled back a fresh wave of emotion before he, and Angel, turned and ran up the stairs. Only a moment later, they heard the sound of his bedroom door being slammed shut behind him, making Phillip flinch.
"What the hell was that all about?"Rage asked the question on all three of their minds.
Synn sighed and moved over to straighten up the bags that Despayre had thrown against the foyer's wall and floor, and as Phillip stepped in to pick up the random item that flew out, he answered, "The pet store had some cats up for adoption, and one, you might say, captured his affections."
"Oh no..." Theresa mumbled.
"The cat was older, I believe the volunteer said about eight years?" Synn said. "She also has a handful of medical issues that would need regular treatments, and with us being on the road every few weeks if we're lucky, there is just no way..." Synn shook his head. "Then the volunteer informed us that the cat would have to be put down if she didn't get a home by Christmas. It just broke the kid's heart but I don't see what else I could do."
"You did right." Theresa nodded, trying to reaffirm Synn's decision.
"Then why do I feel like such an asshole?" Synn whispered more so to himself than to any of the three standing there.
Later that evening at the same Petsmart, less than two hours before closing, the Humane Society volunteers were getting ready to place the only cat left that did not get adopted for the day, Aggie, back into her carrier, when a deep voice gave them cause to turn around.
"`Scuse me." Rage said, drawing their attention.
"Yes sir?" The same volunteer from earlier answered, stepping forward.
"Not sure if I got the right place or not." Rage started to speak. "Been to three pet stores already with no luck. Did a little guy with a teddy bear come in here earlier today? Big guy with them?"
"Oh yes sir." She answered with a nod. "Was there something I could help you with?"
"I think so." Rage nodded and looked at the cat in her arms, about to be deposited in the pet carrier. "That the cat the kid was having the fit over?"
"Yes." She said, stroking the top of Aggie's head before getting set to shut the door. Rage stopped her by saying,
"Don't bother doing that." The woman looked up, unsure if she heard right. Rage stared at her and followed his words up with, "I'll take her."
Synn knocked on his son's bedroom door and called in, "Joshua. Rage just called. He and his brother asked us over to their house for dinner. Get ready."
"I'm not hungry!" Came the protesting statement from the other side of the door.
"I'm certain that you will be soon." Synn said. Now come on. Get ready. Theresa deserves the evening off and Rage said he wanted you there specifically."
"Well boo hoo for Rage, then!"
Synn stared hard at the door and huffed. Rage had called earlier and explained what he had done, much to Synn's surprise. Thus, the need for Despayre to be present for this particular surprise so Synn could not code him to this tantrum, justified though perhaps it may be. Synn slammed a fist against the door, rattling it.
"Joshua!" Synn barked. "Enough of your tantrum! Rage asked us over and has a surprise for you so. Get. Ready!"
Synn waited and soon enough heard the sound of the fidgeting, fussing whine of his son behind the door and knew that his demand was being met. Despayre was quite angry with him right now, and Synn wondered if he was right to be so. Hopefully this would help soothe the issues that had arisen...
"About time you got here!" Rage said as he answered the door of the house he had bought many months ago with Despayre's expert (!?) assistance, and now was sharing with his brother to better ensure his care. "Thought you guys were going to snub us."
"I was." Despayre muttered, his hands jammed into his coat pockets with Angel tucked snugly in the crook of his arm. "But someone wouldn't let me be."
Synn shook his head and started to rest a hand on his son's shoulders, but felt the sting of Despayre shrugging it off. Rage shared a knowing look with the man that was both friend and mentor to him for the last several years, and although it was left unsaid, Rage had don this as much for him, as he did for Despayre's own mental well being. The man had a reputation to maintain, after all.
He opted for a slight change of subject and asked, "Theresa didn't come?"
"No." Synn answered. "She thanks you for the invitation but wanted to call it an early night as she didn't sleep very well..."
"Theresa didn't have to come..." Despayre mumbled again, just loud enough to be overheard. ""But me..."
"Joshua." Synn corrected. "Let's not be rude?"
Despayre frowned and looked back over his shoulder and gave Synn such a withering glare that even Rage noticed it and muttered, "Ouch!" But rage then tapped the little guy on the arm and when he turned his attention to the Sin of Wrath', Rage said, "C'mon into the front room, Despy. Got a surprise for you."
Despayre looked at the much larger man for a brief moment, before the invitation was silently accepted. Despayre stepped past him and through the door, setting foot inside of the house with Synn following in after him. As they walked through the house and toward the front room, Rage said casually,
"Realized earlier today that I can't drag Phil everywhere. He can come on the road when I have a match, but everything in between... got to start trusting him sometime. Still, I thought he might need a little company when I'm not here so I..."
"Aggie!" Despayre's sharp, happy cry cut off whatever else rage had planned to say and the little guy raced past Rage and into the front room, where the older black cat was curled up on Phillip's lap, a soft and content purring sound heard coming from her as Phil idly stroked her along the back of her neck. Despayre dropped to his knees in front of Phil and his face was awash with a bright joy that defied description, as if all his anger had suddenly ceased tone exist.
"Why did you do it?" Synn quietly asked.
Rage shrugged. "Didn't want the kid going through what he as." 'The kid' meaning Despayre. Rage turned his head to look at the man equal to him in stature. "Plus even I know animals can be good for healing emotional wounds. I think Phil will benefit from this as much as..."
"As much as the cat?" Synn finished for him, and Despayre was back up and raced over to rage, grabbing him in a big hug.
"You saved her!" Despayre said, his face buried in rage's shirt. "You gave her a home!" He then turned and looked at his dad with what seemed to be a blend of shame and embarrassment. "I'm sorry for what I said. I knew you wouldn't let her die!" And he raced into his dad's arms for a hug.
"Joshua," Synn started to say. "I had nothing to do..." But whatever protest he was going to utter, Rage cut short with a sharp jab of his elbow into Synn's arm.
Maybe this once, Rage didn't care that Synn got the credit for this one.
"Well I must admit that this is an embarrassment of riches. Quite the tale to tell from the storied history of the group known once before and now again as NXT. No. In case you believe me making light of the teams troubled past, I can assure you that I am doing nothing of the kind. After all, it isn't your fault that your leader basically vanished off of the face of the earth, leaving you to hang like a noose in the blowing autumn winds. Perhaps it was the fact that you gathered more and more into your midst until the weight on your collective shoulders was simply too much to bear. Who knows? But when I heard that some of you were planning to salvage what was left of your gathering and make yourselves known to the world, back and better before, I had to admit that I was intrigued."
"And a fine beginning you have done for yourselves, scoring what has to be considered one of the bigger upsets in SCW history when Steve Ramone and Connor Murphy teamed together for the very first as NXT, and whom do they defeat? None other than Sebastian and Jeremiah Hardin, two men who took the tag team champions to the very brink of defeat not once, but twice! I don't believe anybody really expected that result to happen, but what happened afterwards was perhaps as much a surprise to you as it was to anyone else."
"You defeat the perennial number one challengers, and thus take that very spot for yourselves, and are granted a championship match right away."
"All of this had to have come as such a flood of euphoria, for the both of you. You, Steve Ramone, have gained some impressive victories over the past several weeks, one in fact being over a member of my little family itself in Chris Shipman. Yes,, that was indeed quite the gory display the two of you put on lo those many weeks ago, and I can't help but wonder if you are indeed at one hundred percent as of yet. But the confidence is there, is it not? The fact that you bested a Sin in his own environment, and now you believe you have it within yourself to do so again?"
"The same could also be spoken of as far as you go, Connor. Although you have not gained the same level of success against the Sins that your partner has, but success has not eluded you. Perhaps the biggest win of your career to date has been against none other than the former Heavyweight Champion, Gene Banton Junior. You were probably as surprised as anyone else with that win, but I'm certain the aftermath has carried over, hasn't it? It went alongside of you in your match against R.O.A.R. and look at what that got you? Success! Its just a damn shame that when Sunday comes about and your chance at making history will come to such an end."
"Despayre and Big B have held their championship gold since May of this year, and I see it going nowhere any time soon. They record is without a single blemish, and they have opposed the grandest opposition that Sin City Wrestling could throw their way. Former Heavyweight and Roulette Champions. Former tag title holders. They have faced the very best and have yet to have their shoulders pinned to the canvas for the count of three. And now, you? You, Steve and Connor, now you are considered by the match makers to be the very best that can be fed, I mean, offered to the SCW Tag Team Champions. It will be a great match, of that I am certain. I am sure that you will give it your all and fight the champions until you can fight no more. That's fine. It is exactly how I want it."
"You see, champions are only as good as their challengers. Right now, you two, being the number one contenders, are the very best, and the win over NXT will simply cement the status of the Bosom Buddies even more solidly in the annals of Sin City Wrestling."
