The mirror in front of our faces.
When you’re in a bad situation, sometimes you can’t see it. We all want to believe that our lives are perfect. That the imperfections of those perfect lives are just bumps in the road on the way to what we want. It’s true with everything in life from jobs to family relationships to personal relationships and friendships all of it together seems to be woven in a way that if we are in a bad spot we don’t want to see it or don’t want to accept it.
Aiden Reynolds was in such a situation. But he couldn’t see it. He didn’t want to see it. He thought the relationship he was in was good for him. Florence was a levelheaded woman. She had a steady job that paid well and all she wanted was for him to be a stable boyfriend and partner. The only problem is that Aiden has his own life and his personality and the man that she wanted was not the man that Aiden was. There was nothing else that could be said and nothing else that could be done but instead of them agreeing that they were in a relationship that had no future, they kept trying to fight for it. Or at least, Aiden did.
He tried to change for her. He had a part-time job while trying to keep his wrestling career afloat. It made him miserable, it destroyed everything about him. His personality started to change, he tried to be more straight-laced and normal. But what was normal? Anyone who knew Aiden could see the difference in him and most of them didn’t like it. But it only took one person to make him see that. One person to open Aiden’s eyes to the horrible situation he found himself in.
Dickie Watson.
He was Aiden‘s best friend and Finn Whelan‘s younger brother. Aiden and Dicky had become almost inseparable even starting to team together on local independent events. Dickie had a straight-laced sense of humor and a dry delivery of his jokes which contrasted with Aiden's almost manic delivery of anything he said. And the most important thing was Dicky didn’t mince words. He meant what he said and he said what he meant. And here the two friends were, Aiden just finishing a workout at Wolfslair and meeting Dickie down the road for lunch. The two friends enjoying their food Dickie pile of chicken nuggets and fries Aiden, ribeye steak with potatoes, and a second steak on top of the first steak
”Dude….how?”
Aiden cut the ribeye in half and then half a gain stuffing a piece in his mouth chewing it or at least pretending to chew it before swallowing it almost like a duck. ”I like steak…” he said it with such a casual matter-of-fact nature that dicky didn’t bother to question it. Aiden put the second quarter of the steak in his mouth and swallowed it. ”I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week. Flo has me on some kind of vegetable diet with macros and whatever the hell else she was talking about and it has no meat. I feel like I am wasting away here.”
Dickie raised his eyebrow. Clearly, Aiden was not wasting away and he was just being facetious. He was still a hulking man with large muscles. While he was only 6’1 he weighed in at about 220 pounds. ”Yeah man.. you look like you’re anorexic”
”Mate, I’m from Australia, I’m totally not afraid of spiders”
Now, it is important to note at this point in Dickie and Aidan‘s friendship. He wasn’t completely used to the fact that Aidan used stupidity and jokes to mask who he was. Dickie blinked a few times, his brain hurting from the comment that was just made. But there was something else he wanted to talk about and the conversation involving a diet was something that exasperated his point. ”So, I can’t help but notice that you seem to be doing a lot of things that you don’t want to do for Flo”
”Yeah. I mean, that’s what I’m supposed to do right? You know when she’s wrong and I’m right she’s still right and when she’s right and I’m wrong she’s still right? At least that’s what I’ve been told.” he laughed it off feeling awkward about this conversation and situation. The truth was that he was miserable with Flo. He just didn’t want to say it out loud.
Dickie shook his head, he wanted to be honest with his friend but also didn’t want to overstep his balance. He cleared his throat and reached up scratching the back of his neck as he leaned against the chair. ”You know it’s okay not to be okay. Most relationships are built on compromise, and I’ve gotta be honest man not anything that you two have decided has ever been a compromise. I’m not saying that Flo is a horrible person or some kind of evil succubus sent here to steal your soul and make you a husk of a human and no longer a man but I’m also not saying it.” Dickie cleared his throat ”Allegedly”
Aiden slowly put his fork and knife down. Sitting back unsure what to say. But there was a glimmer of acceptance in his eye. Dickie was right. But Aidan didn’t want to admit it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and looking across the table at his friend. The only friend who had the balls and the respect to actually be honest with him. To tell Aidan what he had seen. tell Aiden how he felt. ”I have no idea what to do. I thought I loved her Dickie. Really I did. She and I, we don’t work. And every day I wake up and I try and go about my life and I try and find some kind of joy in it, but she seems to be pulling all of that joy away from me and I don’t know how to make it stop.”
”Leave..” the way Dickie said it was so matter-of-fact. Hayden had no idea what to say back dicky shook his head and threw his hands in the air. ”Leave dude… nothing is saying you have to stay with someone just because you’re in a relationship. In fact, it takes way more courage to walk away from a toxic relationship than try and stick it out and stay with that person. Just leave Aiden you clearly aren’t happy bro and all of us every single person who cares about you and every single person who considers your friend knows it”
Dickie pops his final chicken nugget in his mouth popping up from his seat he knew he needed to leave Aidan to his thoughts. He walked around the table, padding his friend on the shoulder as he walked down the street. Hayden took a deep breath looking up to the sky still unsure of what he should do but the picture was at least a little bit clearer now.
I’m fucked
Aiden took a deep breath. He paced back and forth, he suddenly stopped and turned to the camera looking like he was about to say something. The moment passed and he shook his head continuing to pace. After a few more laps he stopped again turning to his left this time instead of his right but again he said nothing. He started mumbling to himself before stopping and this time instead of saying something to the camera, he turned and yelled throughout the house
”DICKIE! HEY DICKIE!….”
”What?”
Aidan jumped spinning around and finding Dickie standing behind him popping pieces of popcorn into his mouth and chewing them obnoxiously getting oddly close to Aiden who recoils back and shakes his head.
”You’re like a fucking cat mate. We need to put a bell around your neck or something.”
Dickie rolled his eyes and shook his head.
”What were you yelling about?”
”It’s time. It’s definitely time. It’s time to do the stuff in the things and then and everything.”
Dicky stepped back, looking confused
”The The you know promo stuff”
Aiden throws his hands one way then the other way and then finally back at the camera that is right in front of them.
”I haven’t asked you to do any of this in months. Months. I’ve sat back and I’ve politely waited while you dealt with your little yakuza thing.”
”You mean..my life?”
”Yeah that thing. I waited through that not asking you for anything. But I need you now. I need you on my side and I need you here to do what we do. Best cut sarcastic, borderline offensive promos in front of a camera that makes people laugh and forget that I am in fact a good professional wrestler. I need you Dickie I need you. I miss you. You are my other half, my guiding light in this world of horrible darkness please be the Robin to my Batman, the peanut butter to my jelly, the Oprah to my unfortunately timed weight gain”
”……no.”
Dickie popped another piece of popcorn in his mouth turning around. He walked away and Aidan threw his hands in the air pacing back and forth game before looking over at the camera realizing he should probably say something substantial.
”Right. So here’s the thing. Literally, everything I thought of saying I kind of needed Dickie to bounce off of especially since you know I’m facing his brother. So I’m just gonna have to wing it and I just wanna apologize if anything I say comes off unhinged or actually no I’m not the one who needs to apologise. I had a plan and when you have a plan you stick to the plan you don’t deviate from the plan. That’s what makes it a plan so now I’m gonna have to go rogue. I’m gonna have to run my mouth….”
“THANKS DICKIE”
”You’re welcome
Aidens eye twitches.
”Look, I recognize that I’m not really the big challenge that Finn probably thinks he needs. Hell, I don’t even think I’m the big challenge that he needs. He’s the world champion. He’s a two-time world champion a former roulette champion and the longest training mixed tag team champion in history. the thing is none of that feels relevant at the moment. Because stating that Finn Whelan is a great wrestler is kind of stating the obvious. And the more I think about it the more I realize that most people don’t know how to give or take compliments in this business.”
“And if there’s one thing I know about Finn, the man is that he really doesn’t take compliments too well. And I don’t know why. Finn mate you are one of the most successful people I’ve ever met in my life. You have wayward restless living at your home and you barely see them not because you’re never home but because your apartment is the size of an entire floor of a luxury apartment complex. you could walk from one end of the apartment to the other and you’d have to stop off and get a drink if not you’d be dehydrated.”
“I mean shit dude..”
“So many people would kill to have your life. You are a world champion you are successful. You have the money you have prestige, you have a beautiful, slightly attractive, well slightly above average I guess if you’re into that kind of thing girlfriend.”
“But even with all of this. The rest of us just kind of sit and look at you with awe and shock. And it’s not because you have these things it’s because you have these things and you’re still just so goddamn miserable.”
Aidan throws his arms in the air again, flinging around like some kind of spoiled child
”Finn, mate, you know that I like you, you know that I consider your friend. You helped me when I was down and you know that I’ve always got yours and your brother‘s backs. But coming from one person to another you have to realize that you are one of the most miserable people that we’ve ever met. legitimately nothing seems to make you happy. You have it all and instead of enjoying it, instead of looking at your success and everything that it’s brought with it and allowing yourself to think that you are worthy of it and that you want to enjoy your life instead you just stand there like some kind of Emo Gerard Way looking bitch. and I just don’t understand it.”
“I get accused of never taking anything seriously. Meanwhile, you’re over here taking everything seriously you don’t take a step back to look at your life and enjoy it and it’s sad. It’s sad because you seem like you always have to be the thin Whelan that you were 10 years ago. you want people to believe that you have changed but you don’t show anything to the contrary.”
“You were miserable with your ex-wife and now you’re miserable with Kayla. And look my opinions on Kayla are extremely well-known and documented but that girl loves you and wants to spend time with you and none of us understand why because being around you sometimes feels like we are in a very slow vortex of depression. and we all want to stop it. I’m using this time right now where I should be talking about our wrestling match to appeal right to you.”
“Open your eyes and enjoy your life. Now one way that you might be able to enjoy your life is by getting in the ring with Me and having an all-time great wrestling match. And I’m going to bring everything I have to go after you and I get it, I’m not exactly the most intimidating person in this place. My win-loss record isn’t setting the world on fire. My roulette championship rain was a joke. I get it. but you know damn well not to underestimate me. You know damn well that I’m going to do everything I can to beat you. And I want the best Finn Whelan that has ever been. If I don’t get that then why the fuck am I even in this business”
