Post by Duce Jones on Jul 1, 2020 20:00:48 GMT -6
The journey of life is one that could be compared to that of a motion film, depending on what genre you like. Things mysteriously play out as if it was one of your favorite movies that you've sat down with your significant other to watch on a Saturday night.
Until one day, your life begins to intertwine with those other human lives that occupy the same planet as you. You all soon find yourselves trapped in the mix of every apocalyptic feature film that could come to mind.
If you ask me, I'd say it was bound to happen. If you're a history buff, you'd notice that the one common thing is that civilizations rise and fall, it's inevitable.
“Welcome t'tha end’a world as we kno’ it!” I exclaimed to Byson. “It's only a matta' of time befo' shit gets really real.”
“I don't know who's worse with this bullshit, you or Pop.”
“I mean if you were around ta learn tha knowledge dat he taught me, then you'd be cool wit everythang goin' on too.”
Byson rolls his eyes. “Now you know I was there, I just clocked out whenever he got to talking about that type of stuff.”
“You damn near paid attention ta everythang else I had goin' on in life, ya didn't have a minute ta hear tha Word?”
“It was too much for me to handle.. What about this rain though, do you think it's gonna cause a flood?”
I gave him a side eye, we stood on the steps of Pops' rec center, watching the rain pour furiously onto the ground. There had been plenty of alerts about flood warnings for the town but I never took them seriously. Severe thunderstorms were probably the worst that I'd ever experience while growing up in Memphis. However, with the way that this year had been going, you could never rule out anything.
“I dunno…” I replied as I looked up at the sky and watched the raindrops fall onto the concrete. “I’m just glad dat I don't have ta scrub on these bricks fo' too much longa'.. Fuckin' protesters…”
“I'm not understanding why they'd attack Pop's buildin' though..”
“Muh'fuckas retarded.. any reason ta fuck some shit up. Hell half of em don't even kno' what they're protestin' about.”
“I thought it was because of George Floyd, hell I even went out and protested.. peacefully of course..”
Byson nervously looks around.
“Right… you're a dumbass too.”
“I thought we were against police brutality..?”
“We is, it's just dat dis right here, ain't our movement. Dem folks gettin' played, too caught in their emotions.”
“Emotions? He had a grown ass man, rest comfortably on his neck for eight minutes and forty fucking six seconds! How is that not getting your blood boiling just mentioning it?”
“You do know that Black Lives Matter is funded by George Soros, right?"
“Who the fuck is that?”
"Google him, then you'll be like fuck then folks too. This ain't shit but a small piece to a bigger puzzle. I mean think about it, these muh'fuckas out here peacefully protesting police brutality and they're met with brutality. Trump gives the police forces extra funding and the country tries to compensate by doing away with everythang dat's considered black face. Fuck… outta… here… Dem police ain't about ta stop shit, it's about ta get worse."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because it's prophecized, a lot mo' black folks gon get dropped around dis bitch here soon."
Byson looks uneasy and unsure about the things that I'm saying.
"Fuck it, I'm going back to Kyoto."
"For what? It's not gone be any betta ova there."
"Well.. how about we go back inside and get some more training in, I want to be crisp wherever I step back inside of the ring."
I quickly size Byson up because I know he's trying to shift the subject. Hell he doesn't have to listen, any muthafucka with sense could see what was plainly going on.
"Aight.. I feel like kickin' ya ass anyway.."
Byson had been coming along nicely with his training. I guess wrestling is in our genetics. He took to everything like a sponge and after what seemed like forever we finally decided to call it quits.
With sweat dripping from our faces, we both rolled out of the ring. I grabbed a towel off of the nearby guardrail and tossed it to Byson as I reached for the other one that sat on the railing. Byson wiped the perspiration from his face and slung it over his shoulder.
"So how are you feeling about this Warriors of the Ring deal?"
Taking my towel and throwing it over my drenched head.
"Too early to tell, there are some names that got my attention. Jason Cashe, Biff, Vargas, Maki, Zolton…"
My blood begins to boil a bit from the mention of his name.
"Ole Z, I haven't heard from him since CWF.."
"Yeah, he's been unda' tha WWH banner but I got some unfinished business wit em."
"Are you still mad because he beat you?"
"Y'kno' I gotta hard time'a lettin' shit go. Like.. how t'fuck did I miss tha fact dat Justice was "Cowboy" Bob Orton's daughter?"
Byson blankly stares at me.
"Who?"
"Bob Orton.. Randy Orton's dad.. wayment! Dat would mean she's his sista'!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You don't kno' who Randy Orton is?"
"Nope."
I throw my hands into the air out of frustration. I looked him dead in the eyes and could clearly see the confusion.
"I hear voices in my head, they talk to me, they undastand.. They COUNCIL ME!! YEEEEAAAAHHHH!" I would begin to sing as Byson looks appalled from my singing.
"I have no clue about anything that you're currently doing right now."
"Fuck it, I'll just slap her in a headlock so she can feel right at home."
"So I'm guessing that the Ortons are somebody else that I have to Google?"
"I mean if you want, I'm more focused and making sure she joins her husband on the sidelines while I pick my way through the rest of this competition. Hell I could possibly walk outta dis block wit tha X-Division strap so thangs lookin' aight."
"I still can't believe we walked out with those tag team titles.."
"You did hit tha mane in tha nuts, not too many men can fully recova' from dat kinda shit. Hell, we got dem straps though!"
I slap Byson five as we give each other a one hand hug.
"At dis point, I'm not fucked up about shit but dem dubs bruh. Besides I’m only stackin’ dis paypa’ up befo’ everythang switch ova’ ta digital an’ they make muh’fuckas get dem chips.”
“You really need to stay off YouTube bro, it’s fucking with your already depleted mindframe.”
“Heh.. Everyone thanks majority of my info comes from YouTube.. You’ll see..”
“So if everything’s about to be switched over to being digital, why does it matter about money?"
"In reality, it don't.. dat's somethin' it took me a while ta figure out. I always wondered why Pops was in an' out of tha wrestlin' world. Why he would only dabble fo' a lil while an' then go on his lil breaks of workin' tha Indy scene. He stepped inside'a dis rang because he loved tha sport, not tha business aspect."
"Then, why start a company?"
"I dunno, maybe ta do his part in givin' back ta tha community. Dat's why everythang was dirt cheap fo' anyone who wanted ta pursue a career in wrestlin'. Dat one show he was able ta pull off was all out of his pocket.. None of those guys got paid because tha proceeds went towards charity. Which I don't believe actually got dat shit.. at least from what I'm seein' tha kids of dis country are bein' treated worse."
"So if he's doing everything out of his own pocket, how is this place still up and running."
"By tha honor, grace an' glory of tha Most High of course, I also chip in here an' there."
The sound of glass shattering can be heard as we both duck off of instinct, even though we were nowhere near any windows.
"What the hell was that!?"
"I dunno but I'm about to go check it out.."
Taking the towel and throwing it back over the guardrail. Walking towards my duffle bag and squat down, rummaging through it for a moment as more glass can be heard shattering. I soon retrieve what I'm looking for, my .45..
"What the hell are you going to do with that?"
After placing the clip inside, I slide the safety off and cocked the gun.
"Imma blow who ever fuckin' up my family shit back into they mama stomach!"
With a shocked look, Byson throws his arms up.
"You can take a brotha out of the ghetto but he never forget where he comes from."
"T'fuck eva.."
I replied as I crept towards the area where the office was located. It was one of the few rooms in the place that had windows low enough to be broken. I hear Byson sniffing the air.
"Do you smell that?"
"Ah hell naw!"
We both take off into a sprint, running down the hallway that led to the office. As we neared, our fears were answered as smoke billowed from out of the office and the heat coming from it, assured me that I was dealing with a fire.
"Who t'fuck! What t'fuck! Go call tha fire truck!"
Byson sprints back down the hallway and I stand there, contemplating what I should do.
Fire extinguisher, you damn fool!
Right! Placing the gun in my waistline, I frantically search around until I spot it nearby. I run towards it and quickly smash the glass with no regards to my well being. Grabbing the extinguisher, I race back towards the door and boot it with reckless abandon! It caves a bit but the flames engulfs it with no care in the world. Checking my foot to make sure that it wasn't cooking, I pull the pin and begin to try my best to extinguish the flames. I'm only preaching to the choir because it has no effects on the fire whatsoever.
"FUCK!"
"DUCE! COME BACK THIS WAY, THEY SHOULD BE HERE IN A MINUTE!"
Sensing that my efforts here were going to be for nothing, I drop the extinguisher and race towards the front and out of the building, along with Byson. As soon as we exit and make it near the street, standing in the light rain, we both notice something freshly spray painted on the building. 'WE KNOW'
"I know damn well dat wasn't right there at first."
"What the hell kind of protesting of this?"
"Mane, ain't no protesters did that shit.."
"Who then?"
"T'fuck if I kno'.. damn mane, Pops is goin' ta fuckin' kill us!"
"This is one time I can say that I'm not responsible for anything.."
"Hopefully the rain will keep it from getting out of control until the fire truck gets here.."
"Fire department?"
"They drive trucks, don't it?"
"Whatever.."
"Mane dis is some pure dee bullshit! When I find out who did dis, I'm gone fuck em up!"
We stood there as the droplets of rain fell upon our head, physically and metaphorically. So many years of my childhood was going up in flames at the moment and I didn't hear a siren for a mile.
"Did you call em?"
"Yeah, they said they were on the way."
"Mane, I hope their not takin' their time."
And took their time they did as they didn't show up for another forty minutes, citing backed up traffic as the excuse. By the time they had arrived, the building was near collapsing. The fire within my blood burned even more furiously as I stood there and watched a lot of hard work and sacrifice go down within a matter of minutes. I couldn't help but to pace back and forth. How could I possibly explain this to Pops. But before I could even begin to reach for my phone, it was ringing. Pulling it out, I see that it's just who I thought it was, Pops. I go towards my car, to get out of the rain as I'm now covered in wet clothing. Using the cloth seat to dry my hand, I finally answer, placing it on speaker.
"Duce! What happened!?"
"I dunno, Pops.. We were finishing up training and suddenly, we heard glass breaking and the building was on fire."
"Do you have any idea who could've done it?"
"Nah Pops, tha only thang I can tell ya is dat they spray painted, 'we know', on tha front'a tha buildin'."
"Aight.. I'll be there in the next couple of hours."
With that he hangs up. I place the phone in the cup holder and get out, walking back over to Byson.
"What did he say?"
"Nothin' guess he's gonna enforce his own brand of justice dat I'm pretty sure is gonna find it's way too whoever just tried to cross us out."
"I'm just glad you talked me out of wearing my title everywhere I went."
"Exactly, gotta stay professional, especially on dis road to redemption, Justice is tha first in a long line of folks who's gonna feel my reign of terror."
"I like it, no one's safe."
"No one.."
Until one day, your life begins to intertwine with those other human lives that occupy the same planet as you. You all soon find yourselves trapped in the mix of every apocalyptic feature film that could come to mind.
If you ask me, I'd say it was bound to happen. If you're a history buff, you'd notice that the one common thing is that civilizations rise and fall, it's inevitable.
“Welcome t'tha end’a world as we kno’ it!” I exclaimed to Byson. “It's only a matta' of time befo' shit gets really real.”
“I don't know who's worse with this bullshit, you or Pop.”
“I mean if you were around ta learn tha knowledge dat he taught me, then you'd be cool wit everythang goin' on too.”
Byson rolls his eyes. “Now you know I was there, I just clocked out whenever he got to talking about that type of stuff.”
“You damn near paid attention ta everythang else I had goin' on in life, ya didn't have a minute ta hear tha Word?”
“It was too much for me to handle.. What about this rain though, do you think it's gonna cause a flood?”
I gave him a side eye, we stood on the steps of Pops' rec center, watching the rain pour furiously onto the ground. There had been plenty of alerts about flood warnings for the town but I never took them seriously. Severe thunderstorms were probably the worst that I'd ever experience while growing up in Memphis. However, with the way that this year had been going, you could never rule out anything.
“I dunno…” I replied as I looked up at the sky and watched the raindrops fall onto the concrete. “I’m just glad dat I don't have ta scrub on these bricks fo' too much longa'.. Fuckin' protesters…”
“I'm not understanding why they'd attack Pop's buildin' though..”
“Muh'fuckas retarded.. any reason ta fuck some shit up. Hell half of em don't even kno' what they're protestin' about.”
“I thought it was because of George Floyd, hell I even went out and protested.. peacefully of course..”
Byson nervously looks around.
“Right… you're a dumbass too.”
“I thought we were against police brutality..?”
“We is, it's just dat dis right here, ain't our movement. Dem folks gettin' played, too caught in their emotions.”
“Emotions? He had a grown ass man, rest comfortably on his neck for eight minutes and forty fucking six seconds! How is that not getting your blood boiling just mentioning it?”
“You do know that Black Lives Matter is funded by George Soros, right?"
“Who the fuck is that?”
"Google him, then you'll be like fuck then folks too. This ain't shit but a small piece to a bigger puzzle. I mean think about it, these muh'fuckas out here peacefully protesting police brutality and they're met with brutality. Trump gives the police forces extra funding and the country tries to compensate by doing away with everythang dat's considered black face. Fuck… outta… here… Dem police ain't about ta stop shit, it's about ta get worse."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because it's prophecized, a lot mo' black folks gon get dropped around dis bitch here soon."
Byson looks uneasy and unsure about the things that I'm saying.
"Fuck it, I'm going back to Kyoto."
"For what? It's not gone be any betta ova there."
"Well.. how about we go back inside and get some more training in, I want to be crisp wherever I step back inside of the ring."
I quickly size Byson up because I know he's trying to shift the subject. Hell he doesn't have to listen, any muthafucka with sense could see what was plainly going on.
"Aight.. I feel like kickin' ya ass anyway.."
Byson had been coming along nicely with his training. I guess wrestling is in our genetics. He took to everything like a sponge and after what seemed like forever we finally decided to call it quits.
With sweat dripping from our faces, we both rolled out of the ring. I grabbed a towel off of the nearby guardrail and tossed it to Byson as I reached for the other one that sat on the railing. Byson wiped the perspiration from his face and slung it over his shoulder.
"So how are you feeling about this Warriors of the Ring deal?"
Taking my towel and throwing it over my drenched head.
"Too early to tell, there are some names that got my attention. Jason Cashe, Biff, Vargas, Maki, Zolton…"
My blood begins to boil a bit from the mention of his name.
"Ole Z, I haven't heard from him since CWF.."
"Yeah, he's been unda' tha WWH banner but I got some unfinished business wit em."
"Are you still mad because he beat you?"
"Y'kno' I gotta hard time'a lettin' shit go. Like.. how t'fuck did I miss tha fact dat Justice was "Cowboy" Bob Orton's daughter?"
Byson blankly stares at me.
"Who?"
"Bob Orton.. Randy Orton's dad.. wayment! Dat would mean she's his sista'!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You don't kno' who Randy Orton is?"
"Nope."
I throw my hands into the air out of frustration. I looked him dead in the eyes and could clearly see the confusion.
"I hear voices in my head, they talk to me, they undastand.. They COUNCIL ME!! YEEEEAAAAHHHH!" I would begin to sing as Byson looks appalled from my singing.
"I have no clue about anything that you're currently doing right now."
"Fuck it, I'll just slap her in a headlock so she can feel right at home."
"So I'm guessing that the Ortons are somebody else that I have to Google?"
"I mean if you want, I'm more focused and making sure she joins her husband on the sidelines while I pick my way through the rest of this competition. Hell I could possibly walk outta dis block wit tha X-Division strap so thangs lookin' aight."
"I still can't believe we walked out with those tag team titles.."
"You did hit tha mane in tha nuts, not too many men can fully recova' from dat kinda shit. Hell, we got dem straps though!"
I slap Byson five as we give each other a one hand hug.
"At dis point, I'm not fucked up about shit but dem dubs bruh. Besides I’m only stackin’ dis paypa’ up befo’ everythang switch ova’ ta digital an’ they make muh’fuckas get dem chips.”
“You really need to stay off YouTube bro, it’s fucking with your already depleted mindframe.”
“Heh.. Everyone thanks majority of my info comes from YouTube.. You’ll see..”
“So if everything’s about to be switched over to being digital, why does it matter about money?"
"In reality, it don't.. dat's somethin' it took me a while ta figure out. I always wondered why Pops was in an' out of tha wrestlin' world. Why he would only dabble fo' a lil while an' then go on his lil breaks of workin' tha Indy scene. He stepped inside'a dis rang because he loved tha sport, not tha business aspect."
"Then, why start a company?"
"I dunno, maybe ta do his part in givin' back ta tha community. Dat's why everythang was dirt cheap fo' anyone who wanted ta pursue a career in wrestlin'. Dat one show he was able ta pull off was all out of his pocket.. None of those guys got paid because tha proceeds went towards charity. Which I don't believe actually got dat shit.. at least from what I'm seein' tha kids of dis country are bein' treated worse."
"So if he's doing everything out of his own pocket, how is this place still up and running."
"By tha honor, grace an' glory of tha Most High of course, I also chip in here an' there."
The sound of glass shattering can be heard as we both duck off of instinct, even though we were nowhere near any windows.
"What the hell was that!?"
"I dunno but I'm about to go check it out.."
Taking the towel and throwing it back over the guardrail. Walking towards my duffle bag and squat down, rummaging through it for a moment as more glass can be heard shattering. I soon retrieve what I'm looking for, my .45..
"What the hell are you going to do with that?"
After placing the clip inside, I slide the safety off and cocked the gun.
"Imma blow who ever fuckin' up my family shit back into they mama stomach!"
With a shocked look, Byson throws his arms up.
"You can take a brotha out of the ghetto but he never forget where he comes from."
"T'fuck eva.."
I replied as I crept towards the area where the office was located. It was one of the few rooms in the place that had windows low enough to be broken. I hear Byson sniffing the air.
"Do you smell that?"
"Ah hell naw!"
We both take off into a sprint, running down the hallway that led to the office. As we neared, our fears were answered as smoke billowed from out of the office and the heat coming from it, assured me that I was dealing with a fire.
"Who t'fuck! What t'fuck! Go call tha fire truck!"
Byson sprints back down the hallway and I stand there, contemplating what I should do.
Fire extinguisher, you damn fool!
Right! Placing the gun in my waistline, I frantically search around until I spot it nearby. I run towards it and quickly smash the glass with no regards to my well being. Grabbing the extinguisher, I race back towards the door and boot it with reckless abandon! It caves a bit but the flames engulfs it with no care in the world. Checking my foot to make sure that it wasn't cooking, I pull the pin and begin to try my best to extinguish the flames. I'm only preaching to the choir because it has no effects on the fire whatsoever.
"FUCK!"
"DUCE! COME BACK THIS WAY, THEY SHOULD BE HERE IN A MINUTE!"
Sensing that my efforts here were going to be for nothing, I drop the extinguisher and race towards the front and out of the building, along with Byson. As soon as we exit and make it near the street, standing in the light rain, we both notice something freshly spray painted on the building. 'WE KNOW'
"I know damn well dat wasn't right there at first."
"What the hell kind of protesting of this?"
"Mane, ain't no protesters did that shit.."
"Who then?"
"T'fuck if I kno'.. damn mane, Pops is goin' ta fuckin' kill us!"
"This is one time I can say that I'm not responsible for anything.."
"Hopefully the rain will keep it from getting out of control until the fire truck gets here.."
"Fire department?"
"They drive trucks, don't it?"
"Whatever.."
"Mane dis is some pure dee bullshit! When I find out who did dis, I'm gone fuck em up!"
We stood there as the droplets of rain fell upon our head, physically and metaphorically. So many years of my childhood was going up in flames at the moment and I didn't hear a siren for a mile.
"Did you call em?"
"Yeah, they said they were on the way."
"Mane, I hope their not takin' their time."
And took their time they did as they didn't show up for another forty minutes, citing backed up traffic as the excuse. By the time they had arrived, the building was near collapsing. The fire within my blood burned even more furiously as I stood there and watched a lot of hard work and sacrifice go down within a matter of minutes. I couldn't help but to pace back and forth. How could I possibly explain this to Pops. But before I could even begin to reach for my phone, it was ringing. Pulling it out, I see that it's just who I thought it was, Pops. I go towards my car, to get out of the rain as I'm now covered in wet clothing. Using the cloth seat to dry my hand, I finally answer, placing it on speaker.
"Duce! What happened!?"
"I dunno, Pops.. We were finishing up training and suddenly, we heard glass breaking and the building was on fire."
"Do you have any idea who could've done it?"
"Nah Pops, tha only thang I can tell ya is dat they spray painted, 'we know', on tha front'a tha buildin'."
"Aight.. I'll be there in the next couple of hours."
With that he hangs up. I place the phone in the cup holder and get out, walking back over to Byson.
"What did he say?"
"Nothin' guess he's gonna enforce his own brand of justice dat I'm pretty sure is gonna find it's way too whoever just tried to cross us out."
"I'm just glad you talked me out of wearing my title everywhere I went."
"Exactly, gotta stay professional, especially on dis road to redemption, Justice is tha first in a long line of folks who's gonna feel my reign of terror."
"I like it, no one's safe."
"No one.."
