eyoung
League Member
(Flash back to All Star Night. Entering a historic downtown Greenville, South Carolina bar by the name of Wild Wing Café, enter a group of Furman students. The group is average looking a bit out of place, but confident and well, if not slightly over-, dressed. The group is 6 large and has just finished making a presentation in a graduate course that they are sure they nailed. They have bypassed their usual wrap up session at the library and decided to celebrate with wings and cold beer as they drafted the overview to turn in for grading.
The group of 6 is made up of 4 ladies and 2 young men. All appear in their early twenties except for one lady, who is late 20’s possibly early 30’s and clearly the most striking of the group. Even in her somewhat conservative attire, it was clear she was WELL maintained. Her hair shorter than when she was younger, but still golden brown maybe a little sassier.
She was happy here. She had made some good friends recently and while this group wasn’t them, it was still a fun group of cohorts, who were intelligent and sociable. Her return to school had been challenging at first, but with financial stability and the confidence that came with it she had grown to LOVE her decision to leave the business and return.
The group orders imports and heaps praise on one another. She enjoys the bar and food, but notes to herself that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and she probably wouldn’t enjoy it with the frequency she once had. Content and confident, looking good.
A group of three clean cut guys come in and sit at the table next to them. Two of the men have on Greenville Growl jerseys, having just left the game. The third has on a bootleg T-shirt emblazoned with “Southern by the Grace of God” and Shane Southern’s likeness on it. The guys are polite, even though one obviously has a little Yankee in him. She notes to herself that he probably got the Southern boys interested in hockey. The guys ask the bartender to cut on ESEN so that they can catch the end of All Star Night. One of the Furman Guys lean in to his group.
FURMAN GUY1: “ Hey, check it out. Hockey and wrestling……. In the same night” (big grin)
She felt the urge to offer up how she felt about both businesses and the work that goes in, and she would have if these were her friends, but this was about celebrating the success of a group that would probably never more than wave at each other again, so why stir everyone up.
After a round of drinks the other group has marked out for the matches repeatedly. She had smiled as they hooted one another down about their favorites, but never felt the urge to look at the screen until the one in the Southern shirt stood up and hollered “IT’S THE DEACON”. Her head snapped to the screen, she stands, her heart warming at the sight of a healthy Deacon, a worthy adversary. Her skin crawled a bit as Chris Shepherd crossed the screen.
FURMAN GUY2: Look, you can get your Sunday Schoolin’ and yer rasslin on the same channel.
FG1: What is this bile….. I mean what, this guy is his gimp and the big guy does steroids then fights while the other preaches the Word. Who would…….
LADY: (interrupting, as she returns to her seat no longer watching) I know those gentlemen on TV and I personally don’t care for either, however whether you like them or not, trust me that is no act and I have not met the person who would not be a better soul if they followed in their footsteps just a little more than they do now. The big one is an incredible athlete and has overcome more than I hope you or I ever have to.
(A little tension builds, but quickly dissipates. Like her, the rest of the group doesn’t want controversy tonight either and if Deacon was good by her then why fight it. The other table continues to mark for matches as the Furman group enjoys getting back to their work and another round. She occasionally picks up on the wrestling fan’s words, but eavesdrops bits and pieces out of this conversation during the War Games match. Some of the names were very familiar to her, but some she’d only heard in passing, if at all. She had yet to turn to the screen whether it was Melton, Hornet, Ryan or any of the others she knew.
GROWL1: All this still going down after the freakin’ ring blows up.
GROWL2: Look, it’s that Highwayman guy with Calvin….. I told you he was going to pick up a ride real fast. That guy had it goin’ on.
SOUTHERN T: Come on that guy is cheese ball, he was out there playing Johnny Cash, dressed like Elvis and begging to be on either side of the war just last week.
GROWL1: I don’t know man, Calvin looks awful jacked up for it to be a Mulkey or something.
GROWL2: IT’S THE HIGHWAYMAN, MAN….. He’ll always be around and around and around.
(She loses their conversation for a bit in table talk at her own table)
GROWL2: He helped ole man Joey make Ryan quit….. He a player…… the Highwayman, get some. $500 if one of your wrestlers ever unmasks (pause) The Highwaaayman.
(The other 2 have that look of a wrestling fan who has been outguessed by a fellow wrestling fan. It’s clear now that Growl shirt 2 had spotted the Highwayman as a player at Crashmas, while they bought the cheese it up entrance. In hindsight, so cheesy, that entrance was good.
One of the other Furman girls is talking directly to her and she is not even paying the other table attention, but when Growl shirt one leaps up and screams “IT”S EDDY LOVE, the Highwayman is Eddy Love”. High 5’s and smiles at the other table, but at her table she still looks at the girl talking to her but she can no longer hear it’s like internal train whistles going off in her ears, the only thing audible including the other table is emotional overload. )
GROWL2: He just called your boy “Fog Horn Leg Horn” and slapped him down.
(Growl 1 and two bump fists and snicker )
SOUTHERN T: Oh yea, They wrestle through Columbine and Eddy Love comes out and slaps them around. He’s a big guy, huh?
( She is overcome with emotion. Not even tempted to look, but overwhelmed by the scene. She hadn’t cried since she watched the movie “Radio” , about a fellow South Carolinian, while she was flying to Vegas for Christmas break…….. But the tears were welling up, and she doesn’t even know why. She is no more sad that he had not been content enjoying the money than she was pleased that this makes him happy . But she was happy, sad, slightly drawn towards him although acknowledging that she is enjoying her money and right where she wants to be. She feels somewhat betrayed that she had seen it at the local pub and not heard it from Eddy’s lips. But she is a student now, and she is enjoying furthering her knowledge more than she enjoyed making the money.
Her meeting with the group is over as far is she is concerned. In an assumed lost habit, she throws down a hundred walking out the door with out saying her good-byes. The 3 guys at the other table check her out as she leaves.)
SOUTHERN SHIRT: Hey, isn’t that………(shouting at her as she leaves the door) Hey, Melissa?? (she doesn’t look back) I think that was her.
FURMAN GUY: WHO??
GROWL2: Sweet Melissa, if that’s her she used to run with this guy here. (pointing to the screen featuring Love, Carleton and Melton.)
FURMAN GUY 2: Her name is Melissa…. So she was like this guys valet.
GROWL2: No… no… no… what did Eddy Call her??
ALL THREE WRESTLING FANS: My unequalled strength, cardiovascular coach and brilliant ring tactician.
GROWL2: (continues) She had the whole “train each muscle for the individual big matches, spar constantly against opponents tendencies and never got outworked” thing down pat.
(The three wrestling fans grin down the Furman group, over them having that psuedo-celebrity in their midst and not knowing it. The Furman group is like wise smiling over knowing the history behind their group mate.)
OORP: Back story never my strong suit, so i'm welcoming all structuring suggestions. Evan, you there?
The group of 6 is made up of 4 ladies and 2 young men. All appear in their early twenties except for one lady, who is late 20’s possibly early 30’s and clearly the most striking of the group. Even in her somewhat conservative attire, it was clear she was WELL maintained. Her hair shorter than when she was younger, but still golden brown maybe a little sassier.
She was happy here. She had made some good friends recently and while this group wasn’t them, it was still a fun group of cohorts, who were intelligent and sociable. Her return to school had been challenging at first, but with financial stability and the confidence that came with it she had grown to LOVE her decision to leave the business and return.
The group orders imports and heaps praise on one another. She enjoys the bar and food, but notes to herself that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and she probably wouldn’t enjoy it with the frequency she once had. Content and confident, looking good.
A group of three clean cut guys come in and sit at the table next to them. Two of the men have on Greenville Growl jerseys, having just left the game. The third has on a bootleg T-shirt emblazoned with “Southern by the Grace of God” and Shane Southern’s likeness on it. The guys are polite, even though one obviously has a little Yankee in him. She notes to herself that he probably got the Southern boys interested in hockey. The guys ask the bartender to cut on ESEN so that they can catch the end of All Star Night. One of the Furman Guys lean in to his group.
FURMAN GUY1: “ Hey, check it out. Hockey and wrestling……. In the same night” (big grin)
She felt the urge to offer up how she felt about both businesses and the work that goes in, and she would have if these were her friends, but this was about celebrating the success of a group that would probably never more than wave at each other again, so why stir everyone up.
After a round of drinks the other group has marked out for the matches repeatedly. She had smiled as they hooted one another down about their favorites, but never felt the urge to look at the screen until the one in the Southern shirt stood up and hollered “IT’S THE DEACON”. Her head snapped to the screen, she stands, her heart warming at the sight of a healthy Deacon, a worthy adversary. Her skin crawled a bit as Chris Shepherd crossed the screen.
FURMAN GUY2: Look, you can get your Sunday Schoolin’ and yer rasslin on the same channel.
FG1: What is this bile….. I mean what, this guy is his gimp and the big guy does steroids then fights while the other preaches the Word. Who would…….
LADY: (interrupting, as she returns to her seat no longer watching) I know those gentlemen on TV and I personally don’t care for either, however whether you like them or not, trust me that is no act and I have not met the person who would not be a better soul if they followed in their footsteps just a little more than they do now. The big one is an incredible athlete and has overcome more than I hope you or I ever have to.
(A little tension builds, but quickly dissipates. Like her, the rest of the group doesn’t want controversy tonight either and if Deacon was good by her then why fight it. The other table continues to mark for matches as the Furman group enjoys getting back to their work and another round. She occasionally picks up on the wrestling fan’s words, but eavesdrops bits and pieces out of this conversation during the War Games match. Some of the names were very familiar to her, but some she’d only heard in passing, if at all. She had yet to turn to the screen whether it was Melton, Hornet, Ryan or any of the others she knew.
GROWL1: All this still going down after the freakin’ ring blows up.
GROWL2: Look, it’s that Highwayman guy with Calvin….. I told you he was going to pick up a ride real fast. That guy had it goin’ on.
SOUTHERN T: Come on that guy is cheese ball, he was out there playing Johnny Cash, dressed like Elvis and begging to be on either side of the war just last week.
GROWL1: I don’t know man, Calvin looks awful jacked up for it to be a Mulkey or something.
GROWL2: IT’S THE HIGHWAYMAN, MAN….. He’ll always be around and around and around.
(She loses their conversation for a bit in table talk at her own table)
GROWL2: He helped ole man Joey make Ryan quit….. He a player…… the Highwayman, get some. $500 if one of your wrestlers ever unmasks (pause) The Highwaaayman.
(The other 2 have that look of a wrestling fan who has been outguessed by a fellow wrestling fan. It’s clear now that Growl shirt 2 had spotted the Highwayman as a player at Crashmas, while they bought the cheese it up entrance. In hindsight, so cheesy, that entrance was good.
One of the other Furman girls is talking directly to her and she is not even paying the other table attention, but when Growl shirt one leaps up and screams “IT”S EDDY LOVE, the Highwayman is Eddy Love”. High 5’s and smiles at the other table, but at her table she still looks at the girl talking to her but she can no longer hear it’s like internal train whistles going off in her ears, the only thing audible including the other table is emotional overload. )
GROWL2: He just called your boy “Fog Horn Leg Horn” and slapped him down.
(Growl 1 and two bump fists and snicker )
SOUTHERN T: Oh yea, They wrestle through Columbine and Eddy Love comes out and slaps them around. He’s a big guy, huh?
( She is overcome with emotion. Not even tempted to look, but overwhelmed by the scene. She hadn’t cried since she watched the movie “Radio” , about a fellow South Carolinian, while she was flying to Vegas for Christmas break…….. But the tears were welling up, and she doesn’t even know why. She is no more sad that he had not been content enjoying the money than she was pleased that this makes him happy . But she was happy, sad, slightly drawn towards him although acknowledging that she is enjoying her money and right where she wants to be. She feels somewhat betrayed that she had seen it at the local pub and not heard it from Eddy’s lips. But she is a student now, and she is enjoying furthering her knowledge more than she enjoyed making the money.
Her meeting with the group is over as far is she is concerned. In an assumed lost habit, she throws down a hundred walking out the door with out saying her good-byes. The 3 guys at the other table check her out as she leaves.)
SOUTHERN SHIRT: Hey, isn’t that………(shouting at her as she leaves the door) Hey, Melissa?? (she doesn’t look back) I think that was her.
FURMAN GUY: WHO??
GROWL2: Sweet Melissa, if that’s her she used to run with this guy here. (pointing to the screen featuring Love, Carleton and Melton.)
FURMAN GUY 2: Her name is Melissa…. So she was like this guys valet.
GROWL2: No… no… no… what did Eddy Call her??
ALL THREE WRESTLING FANS: My unequalled strength, cardiovascular coach and brilliant ring tactician.
GROWL2: (continues) She had the whole “train each muscle for the individual big matches, spar constantly against opponents tendencies and never got outworked” thing down pat.
(The three wrestling fans grin down the Furman group, over them having that psuedo-celebrity in their midst and not knowing it. The Furman group is like wise smiling over knowing the history behind their group mate.)
OORP: Back story never my strong suit, so i'm welcoming all structuring suggestions. Evan, you there?