It didn't take long for Zayvion to be greeted warmly by his grandmother Miriam, almost as soon as he walked in the door of her home.
“Hello?” he called as he entered.
“Zay?” her voice came as she entered the family room and saw him there in the doorway, “Is that my baaaaybeee?”
He smiled and greeted her warmly with a hug.
“Hey Big Momma.” he said. “How is everybody?”
He always thought that the Big Momma nickname was somewhat ironic because his grandmother was a small framed woman, the nickname was really more of a cultural thing.
“We're all doing good.” she replied “We watched your big debut, we're so proud of you.”
“Thanks Big Momma.” he said "I promise there's much more to come.”
“Just promise me you'll be careful.” she said “I don't want you to hurt yourself.”
“I will Big Momma.” he said “I can't promise I won't get hurt, but I can promise I'll be careful. If I get hurt I won't be able to wrestle and I ain't trying to do that.”
“And maybe talk to your brother?" she said in a way that was meant to drop a subtle hint.
“What did Malik do?” Zayvion said, picking up on it instantly.
“He looks up to you, you know.” she said “You're his big brother and he wants to be like you, but I can't have him jumpin’ off my furniture, and the other day he jumped off the playground structure onto one of his little friends at school.”
“Oh my God..” Zayvion said “Did anyone get hurt?”
“Just a few scrapes thankfully.” she said "But they did send Malik home for the rest of the day.”
“Alright, I'll talk to him.” Zayvion said “He in his room?”
“Yeah he's back there playing one of his games.” she said “I didn't punish him, but if he keeps it up then I will have to put him on punishment. I just think he'll listen to you. You're a hero you know, he tries to act and dress just like you.”
“Yeah I know, I know.” he said “Don't worry I got this Big Momma.”
“Thank you Zay.” she said "I'll be checking on the baby if you need me.”
Zayvion nodded, and made his way down the hallway toward his kid brother's bedroom. His sisters weren't home at the moment, Kaelani had likely taken Saphira to soccer practice.
“Knock knock!” he said through the doorway lightly knocking on the door.
“Zaaaaaaaaaay!” in the excited voice of a young Malik as soon as he saw his older brother's face peeking in.
Malik jumped up from his Mario Kart game and ran up, nearly leaping into Zayvion's arms.
“Whoa hey hey, take it easy little man.” Zayvion said.
“I saw your match!” Malik said “You looked so cool, and you beat that big scary guy.”
“Hey, thanks little man.” he said “It wasn't easy though, that big mean guy beat me up pretty good.”
“Yeah but you won.” Malik replied
“That I did.” nodded Zayvion as he took a seat on Malik's bed “Come sit here let me talk to you for a minute.”
“Am I in trouble?” Malik asked.
“Naw.” Zayvion said, “I just got to talk to you about somethin’, what's this I hear about you jumpin’ on one of your friends at school?”
“We were playing SCW.“ replied Malik with a smile.
“I see.” nodded Zayvion “You do understand that's very dangerous right?”
“Mighty Malik laughs in the face of danger.” said Malik.
“Mighty Malik?” said Zayvion “Is that your wrestling name?”
“Yeah. Do you like it?” asked Malik
“It's a great name.” said Zayvion “But you still can't be jumpin’ off stuff, you gonna hurt yourself, and you can't be jumping off Big Momma's furniture either. What I do takes a lot of practice. I've been practicing and learning for an entire year, and I still have a lot to learn.”
“Can you and Miss Cleo help teach me?” asked Malik
“We might be able to teach you a couple things.." said Zayvion “But a lot of the cool stuff you have to wait and be bigger. But I promise, when you are bigger we will definitely help teach you if that's what you still want.”
"Okay." said Malik "When I get big like you you and Miss Cleo get to teach me to wrestle."
“Okay.” said Zavion "But only if you promise to stop jumpin’off Big Momma's furniture. I want you to be safe. No jumping on your friends at school either. You lucky Big Momma didn't take your game away this time, but she is gonna put you on punishment if you don't stop."
“Fiiiiiiiine.” said Malik
“I'm serious.” since Zayvion “I don't want you to hurt yourself, because when you get big The Flyin ’ lion is finna need his tag team partner, Mighty Malik.”
Malik's eyes widen.
“We could be tag team partners?” he said
“Absolutely!” replied Zayvion with a smile “But you have to wait and finish school and get big like me first. Miss Cleo and I will teach you a few things along the way.”
“The Jefferson Brothers.” said Malik
“Come again?” said Zayvion curiously
“That's going to be our tag team name.” replied Malik “You know because it was mom's last name, and we're brothers because of her even though our last names are different but we can use hers.”
Zayvion smiled and rustled his brother's hair.
“That's pretty good.” he said “You think of that yourself?”
Malik nodded.
“Then the Jefferson Brothers it is.” replied Zayvion. “Everybody better watch out because when Mighty Malik gets big, it's on.”
“Like Donkey Kong.” Malik said with a laugh.
“Speaking of Donkey Kong…” send Zayvion “Pass me your other controller, let me get it on this Mario Kart.”
Malik happily obliged and the two brothers spent the next hour or so playing Mario Kart until their sisters came home and they were called in for dinner.
__________
The cameras fade in on Zayvion leaning against a chain link fence in a casual relaxed posture, Cleo Phillips also leans nearby against the fence, her presence casual with the central focus remaining on Zayvion, a casual smirk appearing on his face as he begins speaking.
“So y'all saw what happened.” he said "They put me in there with Bill Barnhart, a dude that looks like he eats dumbbells for breakfast. I stood across from him thinking man they're really trying to feed me to a bear on my first night, but at the end of the day I put that bear down.”
He nods confidently.
“Now it appears I got another big mean bastard to deal with.” He continued, “But Brandon Hendrix to me, is nothing more than a bully and I know how to handle bullys.”
“Tell em.” adlibbed Cleo
“Where I come from, we don't play that shit.” Zayvion continued, “You ain't finna punk me like you did Ciaran Doyle. You ain't going to throw a tantrum and get yourself disqualified because you can't handle somebody fighting back. That kind of shit doesn't make you tough or dangerous.”
“Just emotional.” said Cleo
“Exactly.“ Zayvion continued "It's that my little brother just unplugged the game console type of energy. That's all it is no Killer Instinct just you losing control then there's the whole deal with LJ Kasey.”
He shakes his head, showing his disapprovement.
“The man won his match and the bell and rang.” he said “And then boom here you come in a mask and jumpin’ him from behind. Like what the hell kind of corny shit is that are you really that desperate Brandon?”
He pauses for a moment as he and Cleo look at the camera like they're on an episode of Dora the Explorer waiting for a response.
“The thing is a bully only feels tough when the other person ain't lookin” he said “But once someone take that power away and square up to them, they fold. They like to prey on who they think are weak. If you square up with them they ain't going to fuck with you. Now I can't speak for Ciaran Doyle, but I saw the fire in LJ Kasey's eyes and that boy is pissed off. I think you done fucked with the wrong one.”
He shrugs.
“But that's LJ Kasey's problem to solve, right now you gonna to deal with me.” he continued “And what you ain't going to do is try to make me some sort of example and do what you did to them to me. You look at me and you probably see a smaller, vulnerable dude, but I've been dealing with bullies like you my entire life. Bigger kids with loud mouths thinking they got something to prove, they all thought they were scary until I smacked them straight in the mouth.”
His eyes turn serious.
“So when I see you Brandon.” he continued “All I see is the same dude I used to take my lunch money back from. You don't intimidate me, and you don't scare me. In fact I dare you to try and pull some punk shit on me. Try and pull some foul shit on me and see what happens. See if I don't smack you straight in the fucking mouth and dislocate your jaw.”
He raises his palm, miming a smack at the camera.
“See while you out here tryin’ to scare people.” said Zayvion continued "I ain't got to try, because where I come from there ain't no referees, just consequences. Guys like you grow up to be bullies thinking you the big dog cause nobody ever checked you, and nobody ever stood up to you looked you in the eyes and said naw not me, I ain't the one”.
He pauses.
“I've been telling guys like you not me my whole life.” he said “And I always find that the loudest in the room, is usually the softest. That all the toughness they portray themselves to have is nothing more than theater. You ain't a menace Brandon, you're just a dramatic soap opera villain.”
He smirks, Cleo chuckles.
“You got disqualified against Ciaran because you couldn't handle him fighting back.“ said Zayvion “And you jumped LJ cause you couldn't look him in the eye and face him like a man. When you get in there with me you're going to find out that I'm way meaner face to face then you've ever been from behind. Don't get it twisted because I like to smile and make some jokes. That's just me being me dawg, but when it's need to go time, I'm finna knuckle up and handle business.”
He forms a fist with his hand at the camera.
“I came to this company to make a name for myself and get my bag.” said Zayvion “And I'm not going to let no punk ass like you try and push me around and prevent me from that. I got too much to prove to show that I'm more than just the new guy, or or some secondary talent from the Lyon's Den. You saw me deal with that walking refrigerator Bill Barnhart, and now that same fire and energy is coming for you and I bet deep down somewhere that worries you because you have an image to maintain. Someone like me coming along and whooping that ass it's just going to expose you and ruin this whole monster image of trying to create for yourself. If you fancy yourself a monster I'm going to show the world that you're less of a Godzilla and more of a Scooby-Doo villain that I'm going to pull the mask straight off of.”
“Kind of reminds me of Cookie Monster with anger issues.” Cleo chimed in “Or a Monchichi with an attitude problem.”
“The hell is a Monchichi?” Zayvion asked curiously.
“I'll show you later.” said Cleo
Zayvion shrugs, giving Cleo a suspicious look.
“But you see what I mean.” Zayvion said “My manager is over here comparing you to Sesame Street characters, that's how not scary you are my boy. That's just the truth of the matter you don't intimidate me because underneath all the jokes the flat truth of it is I don't like bullies it's that simple and I'm not someone who lets bullies push me around I'm someone who stands up to them because like I said when you do that they fold every single time and that's exactly who you are Brandon."
He pauses
“You're no monster.” said Zayvion “And you damn sure ain't no killer. You're just some loud dude hoping nobody calls your bluff, but I'm the wrong dude to try that on because I actually enjoy fighting. When Sunday come around, I wake up smiling, I eat good, and I play my hip-hop music loud with the windows down.”
He speaks proudly with a confident smile on his face.
“So just know when that bell rings I ain't going to be jumpin’ you or blindsidin’ you." Zayvion said, “I ain't going to be looking to get myself DQ'd. I'm going to stand right across from you look you dead in the eyes, and tell you exactly what time it is."
He pauses
“It's time for the block party.” he grinned.
“And you ain't invited to the cookout.” said Cleo.
“So I'm going to do what I have to do” Zayvion said “And bounce you right on out it. I'll see you soon bully."
“Bet.” said Cleo.
The camera remained focused on them for a moment before it all faded to black.