Ty #1
"Dead Dog"
***
OFF CAMERA
When Tyler George Michael West was ten, Gina West, his mother, was given a dog. A friendly mix mutt that seemed to enjoy his new life. Of course, Gina had made it clear that the dog was only a guest until they could find it a new home, but Ty fell head over heels for the sloppy monster. As much as Gina tried, she never could get anyone to take the dog and finally resigned herself to keeping him. Ty, of course, was ecstatic but no sooner had his mom agreed than the dog bound into an oncoming car and that was it.
Ty never really recovered from that. It had made him afraid to own another pet, let alone a dog. In fact, it had changed Ty in how he dealt with relationships in general and it might have been why he often appeared clingy or over-emotional. He had a hard time dealing with death. So needless to say, his taking Wilson had been no easy decision for him, but Cats were not dogs. Cats didn't give the same love as dogs did. Cats were... safe, aloof, easily triggered...
(Funny how those things also described his love too...)
When Ty was twelve, he saw his dog. A dog he had named Ollie. He swore up and down that it was his dog, sitting across the road with a big goofy one only dogs can give. Ty had bounded from his house, across that same busy road and was clipped by a truck, breaking his arm. When he looked up, trying not to let himself faint from the shock and pain, there was his dead dog, giving him that doggie smile before running off into nothingness.
He'd never dared tell his mom. He's obviously imagined it. How could a thing that was no longer alive appear like that? He didn't believe in ghosts.
So it was now, staring at his phone that his arm ached in remembrance because the missed call was from his Dead father.
Effie Bingham, newly divorced and eager to rejoin her life with her adoptive family shook her head. In front of her was the largest tropical drink Ty had ever seen, including the cheap paper umbrella. She had been especially insistent on being in Honolulu for Ty's Title match.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a glitch? Maybe the numbers and contacts on your phone got scrambled."
She takes a long swig through her straw. Ty shakes his head.
"No, I double-checked the number. I've even called the number back and it comes up as no longer in service. The phone company confirmed it. I canceled all his accounts when he died."
"And I saw him at the morgue too. Definitely a stiff."
Ty was used to Effie's bluntness. It was one of the things he appreciated most because he knew it meant she'd never lie to him. It was something he also appreciated in Kristjan as well.
"Did you tell kickboxer Barbie?"
For those new to Effie's character, calling Kristjan different names with Barbie references was her thing. In fact, the two had this weird relationship where although they didn't much like each other, they had settled in this sort of acceptance...? Perhaps? that neither was going anywhere so they would just have to deal with their respective annoyances.
"Not yet. I will though. I learned my lesson last time I kept something from him but I don't think he's going to care much about it. Like you, he'll probably write it off as some sort of phone glitch."
"There's no other explanation Ty. Unless someone somehow used your Dad's number to call you. Honestly wouldn't put it past some of the psychopaths in SCW to do it just to fuck with you."
"I dunno Eff, it feels different. Do you remember that story I told you about my dog?"
Effie nods, "Right... that whole creepy Pet Cemetery story. Yup."
"It feels like that. Like it defies logic but I saw Ollie and I feel like this was my Dad."
Effie still doesn't appear to be alarmed in the slightest.
"And would he be calling for some afterlife funds? 'Cuz that seemed to be the only reason that deadbeat ever called you when he was alive."
She smirks. Ty had to admit she was right. It was no secret that his father had abandoned him his whole life.
"Or maybe he wanted to give me luck..."
Effie bursts into laughter. It's so obnoxious that it causes a couple beside her at the bar to move to a table, giving Effie the dirtiest cut eye he'd seen in a while, and Ben had been pretty good at his recently.
"Good Joke. I know you want it to be something positive but I can't lie to you. And I can't deny it either, it's there on your phone as a missed call. Maybe you should just wait and see if dear old Dad calls again."
She offers another shrug. Ty, however, is still staring at it, "Maybe..."
He seems to wander off mentally into the space around him as if in another world.
"You're still not bothered by Cancer boy are you?"
This causes Ty to break from his current thoughts to roll his eyes at Effie, "He didn't have cancer."
"Well, whatever it was I almost feel like he was making it up. I mean who goes from on his deathbed to now suddenly wanting a shot at the title? I mean I get how you could have a renewed zeal for life but it seems awful convenient that he's suddenly all better when it's your turn. And you know why I think it has to do with you? Because he has some sort of bro crush on your long-haired beau. Arguably, he went soft too when he married that weirdo he's married to. She can't make up her mind if she wants to stay in SCW either. She wins a few times, gets the Roulette title, loses it and then jets. So don't sweat anything he says because while he's trying to say that you aren't meant to do this, you have a fucking title shot for Chrissakes! You beat Austin finally. You have earned the respect of almost everybody here and despite everything you have gone through this year you are still fucking here and people want you here. Naw, 'Kristina' didn't lose to Austin because you made him soft and you definitely were not jealous of him spending time with that freak either. Apparently couples can't have their own lives away from each other either. Pfft."
She only pauses long enough to drink and swallow.
"Yeah he won but you didn't make it easy. Your first loss in how many? Four or five? I hope Fen kicks his ass, maybe he reactivates whatever STD he had too."
"Effie..." Ty is stunned into silence, he may not have been happy about Ben's lack of respect but, to be frank, he hadn't exactly earned it either.
"I have never been a 'good person' Ty. You know that. I'm going to say what I feel. It's partially why I'm not firing up the old tweet machine because I'll probably get myself into trouble and we both know how much Mark loves me..." She smirks, "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to tell it how it is. I bet in a rematch he wouldn't be able to pull off that shit again."
Ty shrugs. "He can have his rematch when he earns a title shot."
Effie's mouth drops open. In all the time she had known Ty, he was never this cocky.
"So you're going to win the title from Uncle Vinny huh?"
Ty chugs his beer, "Of course I am winning. And I can't sit here and let one loss against an undeniably talented wrestler make me less focused. I know all of what he said is bullshit. I am not trailing after Fen like a puppy. I was not jealous because frankly, it took a lot to get him to commit to me so I highly doubt he'd cheat on me, plus Ben is not into men. I didn't feel it was appropriate to 'hang out' with the man who took offense to an interview question. He jumped to conclusions, assumed I was getting involved. Oh and better still, he obviously doesn't support our relationship for whatever reason. What sort of friend does that? He'd supposedly Kristjan's friend yet insults his relationship by saying I made him soft? One loss in singles and one in tags in the two years he has been in SCW is... soft?"
He shakes his head.
"Oh but he's Ben Jordan and his word is law!" Effie says in a mocking tone and then laughs. "Dude will lose to Rockstar barbie and then disappear again like yesterday's news. He has no right to say anything about you leaving for a couple breaks when he's done it repeatedly. And I know you won't leave if you don't win this title either."
Ty looks at her, "I'm not losing Eff. Not again. I have risen from the ashes and it is my turn. I don't care who it is in that ring. I am not going to let anything stop me this time. It's my time."
"You know... for a sensitive guy, you sure have done well... especially since you're so thin-skinned and all..." Effie says again in her sarcastic tone.
"It's like he thinks I just started here or something... Eighteen months. And I defend myself and suddenly I am this horrible person corrupting his friends. If anyone is jealous, I think it's him."
He sighs deeply. "Alright, I'm good. I'd never say any of this publicly because it won't do a lick of good for anyone. If Jan wants to be friends with Ben, then that's his prerogative but I have zero personal respect for a man that would assume things about me despite the evidence to show otherwise."
"Maybe good guys make him nervous. Some people think that guys like you are fake. Like no one could be a good guy this much and not be hiding anything."
Ty frowns, "I have nothing to hide Eff... I have been forthright about everything since day one. Sometimes you just can't be friends with everyone. I accept that. Now I move on because in the grand scheme of things, nothing Ben says actually matters. The opinions I actually care about are from the people that matter most to me. So that's what I'm going to focus on."
Effie sucks back the rest of her drink, pushing it toward the handsome bartender with a salacious smile and a wink, "Keep em coming Sir mix a lot." She then looks back to Ty, "Such a boy scout..."
Ty narrows his eyes at her and she laughs. Soon he is chuckling back.
***
This video recording is not the same as Ty’s other entries into his online blog, titled the “West-Ward biologicals” in fact it seems to just be a direct promo in which he stands, stony gazed in front of some sort of brick wall. Although Ty was never one to use theatrics in his entries regardless, this one seems particularly serious.
“Here we are, finally. The match of the century. But not because the title is on the line, that is just an extra incentive, no this is a match that everyone has been waiting for because lord knows I have been waiting for this. Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate Vinnie. In fact, I don't hate anyone on the SCW roster, despite what they chose to say about me. I dislike certain people, sure but hate takes so much energy and attention and I have better things to focus on.”
His gaze remains steely as if he is far more serious than he normally is.
“Like Senor Vinnie or it seems now 'Uncle" Vinnie and not a cool Joe Pesci kinda Vinnie that defends you when you are falsely accused of murder who, conveniently has an attractive fiance like Marissa Tomei. Naw. This is a relative that hasn't exactly endeared himself to me. I don't think I need to rehash specific details of that but let's just say that he can't be trusted. Family or not. Sometimes you can have family that treats you like an ATM or family that would stab you in the back in a heartbeat for something as trivial as a title shot. Either way, being somehow related does not give you a free pass.”
He finally lets out a sigh, his eyes not looking so unmovable.
“Maybe he is a different person now or even behind the scenes with my aunt. That's cool, as long as he continues to treat Valora like the Queen she is then I have no issues there but he can't do a couple good deeds and all the wrongs are suddenly forgotten. It's not as easy as all that. Just like I know I have to watch him constantly and never have my back turned. I want to believe him so badly. I want things to be good because I am not someone that relishes any sort of discomfort with a person. It truly does bother me if there is a conflict with someone that actually means something to me and there was a time that I considered Vinnie my friend. I have no idea if we will ever recover from that. I suppose deep down I want it to go back to how it was, but apparently I am much too soft and make those I associate with just as soft. It's time to toughen up and that means not letting personal issues cloud my judgment.”
And once again, he is unrelenting in showing the camera just how serious he is. Blue eyes looking almost as cold as his lover’s do when shooting a promo.
“Vinnie is a versatile wrestler. He adapts to his opponents, hence why after losing to Austin for the first time, losing to Alex before, it made him stronger, he adapted to that and came back to win against them both in the second round. That is a good skill to have, but the thing with skills is that for every skill, there are at least two flaws. Once he beats an opponent, he writes him off as not needing to adapt any further and second, he is vain. You know that Carly Simon song? Yeah well, that would describe Vinnie. He thinks everything is about him. And that this match is still entirely about him. This match isn't about him, it's about me. I know, wouldn't that make me the vain one now? No. Well... yes, but here's my point, Vinnie loves Vinnie. No one, not even my aunt, loves Vinnie as much as he loves himself and every time he wins, that vanity clouds his judgment a little more. Now that adaptability that I mentioned, that makes him lucky. It evens it out, but what about while facing me? Someone he probably is not particularly worried about because he's faced me before. He just saw me lose the match coming into this and likely will say that, like my last opponent, that I am too sensitive. That I will just fall because of these insecurities. “
His jaw takes on a strong determined set, or he’s just clenching due to him trying to keep his emotions in check on camera, but either way, he is trying hard not to show any true emotion, one way or another.
“Wrong. So, so very wrong. And foolish, which as we know is part of who Vinnie is. We have all sort of let him continue on this... delusion about Pete the Cactus because it wasn't hurting anyone. Other than that and his odd bouts of manic rage, he's really not the worst I have seen. But again, I have been preparing for that. And as much as I have been preparing for my shot at the SCW Heavyweight title, I have been preparing for this match with Vinnie for much longer. As I said, match of the century.”
He gives a bit of a smirk, recalling something that people watching the video may not have any idea about. He continues,
“I know there are people that have been buying tickets or tuning in to the broadcast that have wanted to see how this ends. What will I do? They ask. Will I go easy on him because of the love I have for my aunt? Will I have doubts? Will I choke because I always seem to do that with title matches. I am not obtuse to all of that. I know that there are some that want me gone.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint you but, I am not going anywhere and I am going to end Vinnie's short reign as champion.”
His fist clenches, the colour starting to drain from his knuckles as he attempts to not let his anger get the best of him.
“Based on every single promo this man has produced, it will be a jumbled, nonsensical production that will start with him praising my abilities only to then tear me down and pick me apart like a vulture, because that's what he does. He is a scavenger. He will find the oddest things and rip it apart until the point is so completely pulverized it's unrecognizable.”
He pauses for a while as if reflecting on that imagery when it appears another point comes to mind like something of a “Eureka” moment and his eyes once again regain their normal shine of determination and ‘grit’.
“I am tired of always being overlooked. My name is always part of the same sentence, "like Ty" and a list of other guys that seem to be hanging off that second rung, clinging for dear life as to not lose their relevance. I am never my own sentence. So like I said, this is my time, my opportunity. It's why I am not going to let this be another snide factoid from Mercedes about "Man with the most failed attempts at a title," because frankly I feel like Caleb Storms and I are neck and neck and we all know how much I like that guy...Something else to take into consideration, which seems to be overlooked is that I have evolved. With every devastating loss, I have pulled myself back up and every time it has been with more determination. More fight. Vinnie claims that he's a changed man but yet I can't see much evidence to show he actually has changed at all. I have shown it with every move, every win and even in my few loses. What about him? How has he changed? A few apology tweets and marrying my aunt is supposed to make me believe that he is not the same self-absorbed cretin he was when he stabbed me in the back, lied to my face? No. I don't believe it.”
His face softens now.
“No matter who wins, though it probably won't renew our friendship at all. I am not in the business of purposely setting myself up to be hurt. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice... well shame on me.”
Before saying what’s next, he sighs deeply once again, raising his shoulders in somewhat of a ‘whatever’ shrug,
“There really isn't much else for me to say at this point that I haven’t repeated since I started this journey back to the top. Never have I been this focused and this prepared. Never have I wanted the title as bad as I do now. I mean part of it could very well be just like a giant middle finger in his face but no one can deny how hard I have worked. People can try to discredit my work by throwing up insignificant and unrelated things but it cannot take away from everything I have accomplished and finally, I will have the one accomplishment that might legitimize me finally. I know that I can’t change everyone’s minds but to me, once you’re a champion, people know that you are serious. I am serious about winning. Make no mistake about that.”
“So, If I ever end up in jail, I know who I won’t call. My ‘uncle’ Vinnie may be quirky but not in the fun-loving, comedic way. I want this to have a good ending, but my skepticism has me believing that it will not have a happily ever after.”
He ends the video with a genuine laugh, but there is a bit of sadness to it as well like he is somewhat disappointed that it has come to this.
***
It’s pretty dark, the only light is from the reflection of the moon on the water. Having grown up in a state that didn’t really have any sights like this, it was always a fascination of his. He liked sitting on beaches, taking his shoes off so he could feel the sand between his toes or the way the water flowed over his feet as if it were alive. He did the same thing every time he went to Los Angeles too. He'd just went out to the beach when he knew no one else was going to be there. Some people did yoga or meditation to clear their minds, not Ty West. Ty liked beaches.
In his modeling days, he had visited a lot of places and when he was old enough to leave the hotel room to do his own site seeing if the place had a beach and water, that’s where he went. Old buildings and fresco painting was not really his idea of history because out of all of that, the one thing that could tell you the story of the earth was the water that life came from.
Maybe all of that seemed far too deep for what was on his mind. How could he be worried about facing a man in a wrestling match when confronted with what could be the answers to why life existed? Or maybe Ty came here because it made his own issues seem so small that it felt foolish to worry so much about them.
“Nice night...”
Ty startles as a hooded figure comes up beside him. IT was a man, based on the voice and the build, a voice that was definitely not a native Hawaiian, there was almost a bit of a European ‘twang’ or even an Americanized french, often called Creole.
“It is...” Ty offers, not sure how he felt about someone invading his thoughts, even if they weren’t exactly coming together to give him the answers he actually wanted.
“I like to come out here to think sometimes.” Ty offers, trying to ease the awkward tension the man’s sudden appearance had caused.
“I was never much of a fan of water. It’s dangerous to anything but fish.”
Ty couldn’t help but chuckle. “You picked a weird place to come on vacation then.”
The man shakes his head, still not turning to look at Ty directly.
“I came to see family. I don’t really do the whole ‘vacation’ thing. My son has this tournament he’s in and I wanted to see him win it all. He doesn’t know I'm here though.”
Ty tilts his head. “Why not?”
The man’s voice appears to crack with the emotion behind it, “We aren’t on speaking terms, but I’m still proud of him, I wish I could be half the man he is.”
“Somehow I think he knows you’re here.”
Ty takes a deep breath and he wonders if this is it, is this his Dad come to give him the message he wanted. Was he really come back from beyond like Ollie had to reassure him that he had what it took? He stands, walking toward the man in the dark sweatshirt. The man reaches into his hoodie pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes, he turns, offering the pack to Ty.
“Want one?”
Ty shakes his head, all he wanted was to see the man’s face. To know for sure if this was just pure coincidence or if this really was his dad.
“Suit yourself.’ he pulls one, the light from the match illuminates his face under the hood and Ty holds his breath only to see for sure that the man looks nothing like his dearly departed father, but rather than make it obvious, he stays in the same spot, looking out at the water.
“I really should quit, but it’s the only thing keeping me sane. I am hoping that maybe I can talk to his mother about sharing custody once we’re back on the mainland. He’s ten.”
Ty sympathizes. “My Daughter is nearly twelve. It’s a tough age.”
“Indeed. I want the chance to build a relationship with him before it’s too late and I lose him.”
He finishes his cigarette and uses the sand to extinguish the flame. Under Ty’s watchful eye, he keeps the butt. “I’ll toss this in the bin upon the path. I hope whatever you’re out here trying to forget, the answer comes to you.”
He turns, leaving Ty once again alone with his thoughts. It maybe wasn’t the same thing but maybe Ty needed to give Vinnie the benefit of the doubt after this match was over. Maybe he would be someone he could trust again, but it was hard. After the many people who had used him or wrote him off without actually getting to know him, the hurt was real.
He turns to leave himself and his phone buzzes in his pocket. He fumbles for it but misses the call. Once again, his Dead father had tried to contact him but hadn’t left a message.
“This can’t just be a phone glitch... Maybe it’s time to tell Jan about this...”
He jogs up to the path, not noticing the eerie-looking shadow in the little grove of trees, watching him.
