"The difference between a knife and a shank"
Jan 26, 2021 4:07:58 GMT -6
Deana Barrows and heavenstobetsy like this
Post by Mack O'Connor on Jan 26, 2021 4:07:58 GMT -6
Monday
January 25th
Monrovia. A small city in Los Angeles County.
Coming off of Governor Newsom’s announcement that the statewide stay-at-home order has been lifted, the many businesses in Old Town Monrovia seem to have bustled to life. Retail stores have unlocked their doors, and the many restaurants have set up their outside dining configurations once more.
Mack O’Connor walks down the sidewalk, walking his black Labrador retriever. He stops at a small brewery that was several tables sprawled out across the sidewalk. Mack glances at the front door, which has a small host desk with an employee standing behind it. Mack stops for a moment, taking in the scene.
Hey, are ya’ll open?
The employee looked up from his phone.
Yep. Sure are.
Mack glanced back and forth at the empty tables.
Sit anywhere?
Sure. Where ever you’d like.
Mack nods, taking a seat at a table along the side of the building. The employee quickly walks over with two pieces of paper. Mack starts looking them over.
So this is our beer list. And this is our food menu.
Oh, cool.
Yeah… We normally don’t have food, but we’re required to have food to be open. So we have this. We’re calling it Irish-Mexican fusion.
…corned beef tacos?
It tastes better than it sounds.
Whatever. Give an order of these Irish tacos and whatever your best IPA is.
Single, Imperial, or Hazy?
Mack looks up at him.
You speak the language, eh? Give me an Imperial.
Done.
The employee walks back inside to retrieve the items.
Irish-Mexican fusion… what the fuck…
Mack’s cell phone gives a notification tone. He takes a glance down at it.
Betsy Granger releases pre-recorded statement on Mack O’Connor.
Oh, this should be good…
Mack presses play, watching a video of Betsy talking to the camera while walking down the field inside Bills Stadium. She starts to speak, and Mack listens. The employee comes out and drops the beer.
This is our signature double IPA. It has a piney twist to it, and everyone likes it.
Sounds good, um… What was your name?
Ky. I’m Ky.
Great. I’m Mack.
What are ya watching there?
Eh… Just some work stuff.
Whatever. Tacos should be out in a minute.
Super.
Ky turns and goes back inside. Mack continues to watch the video, a smile slowly forming on his face.
…is this bitch this serious…
He takes a large sip of the beer.
Hm… Quite good…
Mack continues to watch and listen to the video, not realizing that a mother and her young daughter approached the table, the young girl wearing a green Girl Scouts uniform. The mother gives an encouraging nod to the young girl, encouraging her to speak to Mack.
Excuse me.
Mack looks up from his phone, noticing the mother and daughter. His eyes shoot back and forth between the two for a moment.
Hi?
The daughter looked a bit apprehensive, but the mother nodded again. The daughter stepped forward. She begins to recite her rehearsed sales pitch.
Hello, Mr. O’Connor. So, I know you’ve gotten into some trouble over the last couple years, but I’m a kid and I get into trouble all the time. What matters is what we do to improve ourselves. And that’s what we try to do every day as Girl Scouts. As a former supporter of the Girl Scouts, would you care to buy some cookies from me?
The daughter looks up at her mother, who gives a thumbs up to approve. Mack lets out a sigh.
Yeah, sure… Tell you what, how many boxes of Thin Mints do you have?
The mother whispers in her daughter’s ear, feeding her lines.
I have 20 boxes.
I’ll take the lot of them.
Really? Thanks! Thank you so much! So so much!
The daughter eagerly hugs her mother. The mom shoots a glance to Mack.
We have them in our car. Do you mind waiting?
I’m not going anywhere.
Great.
Can I pet your dog?
Um. Sure.
The daughter gives his black lab, London, a few pats on the head. London looks confused, as he expected more.
Yay!
We’ll get the cookies and come back.
Super.
The mother and daughter happily walk away. Mack looks back down at his phone as the video finishes. Almost on cue, Ky comes out with the plate of Irish tacos. Ky sets the plate down at the table, glancing at Mack and his phone.
Oh, I saw that.
Saw what?
Betsy Granger. I saw what she had to say.
You’re a wrestling fan?
Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?
I don’t know. I was just-
Do you assume I don’t watch wrestling because I own a brewery? People who brew good beer suddenly don’t like wrestling? Is it because enjoying a good craft beer means you’re “less manly” then those who drink that piss water everyone calls domestic beer? Huh? Is that what you think?
Mack stares at him, unsure of what to say.
So… You own this place?
Ky takes a breath.
Yeah. Me and my friend, Chris. We own it.
I like this beer.
Thank you.
And I didn’t mean anything by it… I’m just always surprised when I find a wrestling fan or someone who recognizes me.
I understand. Makes everything surprisingly convenient, right?
You have no idea.
That Girl Scout sure did recognize you. You didn’t seem surprised.
That’s different. I actually used to do charitable work with the Girl Scouts a few years ago.
Oh, I didn’t know that.
Yeah, most people don’t.
So how did the Girl Scout and her mother recognize you?
I think it mainly serves as a subtle throwback to the true Mack O’Connor fans.
Are there many of those?
No… No, not really…
They sit in silence for a minute. Mack takes the time to sip his beer.
So… What do you think?
Sorry. I haven’t tried a taco yet.
No, no. I mean, what do you think about what she had to say?
Oh… Granger?
Yeah.
Man, I don’t know. It just really bothers me.
What does?
Do you have time for this?
I literally have no other customers.
Okay then…
Mack takes a deep breath.
For real… I respect Betsy and everything she has accomplished in such a short period of time. But seriously… Does this bitch not know the difference between a knife and a shank? I didn’t pull a knife on Raven. I pulled a shank. I’m not saying it was okay, and I’m not defending my actions. I was in the zone, and I sort of got lost in the moment… Spending that much time in prison will do that to you, ya know? But its not a fucking knife. I own plenty of knives. But I wouldn’t pull a knife on someone. It was a shank that someone gave me in prison. I just don’t understand how someone makes that mistake.
Well… To be fair… The majority of people have never had the experience to know the difference.
But… A knife is a knife. A shank is anything cut to stab. It’s pretty obvious.
Look, I don’t care either way. I’m just saying.
Fine. Have it your way. Shank aside… This chick admittedly takes everything so personally. As I said, I can’t defend my actions. Was it inappropriate to pull that shank during the match with Raven? Yeah, absolutely. It shouldn’t have happened. It was just muscle memory, you know? I spent enough time in jail to where I’m used to making moves to defend myself. So, shit got real with Raven, and I fell back to my muscle memory.
Mack’s eyes widen, almost sarcastically. He glances up at Ky’s eyes.
But… Let’s look deeper. I pulled that shank and surprised everyone. Even Raven was surprised. But how did Raven react? Without any hesitation, Raven efficiently defended himself and disarmed me. He was able to quickly diffuse the situation regarding the shank. Makes me think… If we’re discussing conspiracy theories… Maybe Raven knew how to defend himself from a shank because it’s something he has had plenty of experience in. Who has he spent plenty of time around? Betsy Granger. So, would it be fair to hypothesize that Granger has attempted to use a shank against Raven? Look, its just a theory. And its no less crazy than any of this stupid shit that Granger conjured up in her mind.
Mack shakes his head.
What’s funny? I think I like Granger. If this cute little stable called Legacy was like the Justice League, she would be Wonder Woman. Not just because of the gender, but because of the overall attitude. Raven would be the closest thing to Super Man: The obvious leader of the group and is marketed as the unbeatable leader, but then the box office disagrees. I would guess that Warstein would be Batman… Not as much money, talent, or intellect as Bruce Wayne, mind you. But he’s super creepy. And bats are creepy. As far as Noah Jackson and Jackson Hart? Eh… Call them Flash and Aqua Man. Why? Because no one really cares about them in the greater scheme of things. But, as the entire franchise begins to fail and every movie is worse than the last… Here comes Wonder Woman. The shining light that bursts from the darkness. While the other movies fail, here comes the successful Wonder Woman.
Okay?
But… Even after the rise of Wonder Woman, eventually it winds down to Wonder Woman 1984. And that’s where we land with Betsy: A strong, successful rise in a franchise of overrated talent. But now? She’s hit that 1984 phase… Overrated and saturated. Clearly still the strongest on the team, but still a disappointment that this is all they have to offer.
Ky nods. He’s following, but also not following.
Yeah, I liked the Wonder Woman movie. 1984 was okay, but not as good.
Mack sips his beer.
Exactly, Ky. Exactly. Good, but not as good.
Mack takes another sip of beer.
And honestly, what kind of privileged ass people take a shank personally? A shank isn’t personal. Even in prison, its just business. But this stupid bitch is deciding to take it personal? How can I even reconcile that? Like… How can they even relate? If I was in a bar fight and a dude broke a glass over my head or tried to stab me with a broken piece of glass, I wouldn’t take it personally. I can say from experience, its simply improvising and living in the moment. But if you ask Miss Granger, she would flip out and be offended if you accidentally stepped on her shoe.
Yeah.
I don’t know man. Sometimes its just hard to react to this kinda shit.
I understand.
They sit in silence for a moment.
How do you like the tacos? I mean… Before they get cold, ya know?
Oh… Hold up…
Mack grabs one of the tacos and quickly takes a bite. He chews slowly.
Not too bad. Not bad at all.
Ky smiles wide and walks away.
Hm… Irish-Mexican fusion… Who knew…
Mack takes another sip of beer before devouring the corned beef taco. His phone begins to ring.
Fuck, what now…
Mack pulls his phone out and looks at the caller. He answers immediately.
Hello… Okay… Yeah, I’ll be there.
Mack listens to the other person on the phone for a moment.
Wait… What do you mean?
The person on the other end talks. Mack slowly becomes visually upset. The mother and daughter from before approach again, this time carrying bags of Thin Mints.
Mack suddenly lashes out.
No, that’s fucking bullshit! I’ve done everything asked of me! So you can tell that cunt of a DA to stick my plea agreement up her ass! Fuck her and fuck you if you think I’ll agree to anything else.
Mack hangs up, immediately taking a huge swig from his beer. He lets out a sigh of relief, enjoying the beer. He then opens his eyes: The young Girl Scout’s eyes are almost about to burst with tears. The mother is fuming.
Oh… Um…
Mack pulls out his wallet and offers up multiple $100 bills.
I’m so sorry. Take these, please.
You’re an awful man!
The daughter throws her bags to the ground and runs away. The mother chases after her, concerned.
Mack looks down at the bags, filled with boxed of Thin Mints.
Well, if they’re just gonna leave them there…
