act eight: a day in the life
There's a funny thing that life teaches us through time, that with hard work and preserverance, with determination and skill, and with just that little bit of luck and planning along the way... we, regular human beings in the grand scheme of things, can accomplish almost anything we set ourselves out to do. From the man who thought to one day fly, to the woman who believed in a more equal bridge between the genders of our species, and all the other revolutionaries before them and since them.
It took thoughts and dreams of regular people being brought into reality and worked on with great dedication to bring about some of history's greatest inventions, greatest charities, and kindest acts between the people of this world. Likewise, it took those same thoughts and dreams of regular people going through all the same processes to bring about our greatest nightmares, our greatest hardships, and our sharpest pitfalls. Shame and glory both come hand-in-hand with the dreams of men and women, and ultimately it takes that same great dedication and desire to birth both good and evil into this world.
Yet perhaps some of the greatest wonders to us all is the stories of the people who dared to make their dreams a reality. From their humble beginnings to their uphill climb against the odds, to the triumphant success at the end of their journey, the story of a dreamer who made those dreams a reality is perhaps one of the greatest loved stories in all of human history. It inspires hope in us, it inspires us to chase our own dreams and, in the end, it drives us forward in this life with our heads held high.
Dominic Pericolo is one of the greatest dreamers I have ever known. He is strong in his faith, incredibly strong... and his determination in the face of adversity is something that I've drawn inspiration from on a constant basis. The love I feel for that man is more intense than anything I could ever describe, and even when I'd thought he'd done everything he ever could for me... he managed to do something greater than ever before: he helped me bring an incredible, beautiful child into this world...
... he helped me create our baby boy.
These days, I can't go out on the road with him as often as I used to. I'm at home more now, taking care of Ehno and doing everything I can to be the best mother for my little boy possible, and Dominic has done nothing but excel for us in the process. He'd spent so long planning things out, so long preparing for these days... and now, all that planning and all his dreaming is beginning to come to life before our very eyes. I've never seen him so alive before, not even at his greatest height in the NLCW was he as excited about life as he is today. When I'd once thought Dominic had always been living his prime for all these years, I'm now realizing that I was wrong... and I'm simply amazed by that fact.
For as great a legacy as Dominic already left behind before... he still has so much left to do in the NLCW, and he's showing that every time he goes out into the ring. He doesn't fight out of a grudge against someone in the company, nor does he fight because he's addicted to the thrills being out there give him. He does it for his family, for his friends... Dominic goes out there to finish his story and to ensure that anything that might hold us back from our future is taken care of before it has the chance to rear its head.
I've watched him change his style, make himself safer in the ring while fighting with a greater intensity than ever before. When people have told him to just throw in the towel, he pushes forward that little extra bit. When he's called an attention seeking glory hound, he laughs it off and then goes out to show his humbleness despite all the skill he holds within him. He doesn't humiliate his opponents, he respects each and every one of them, from new friends to old enemies. In the days of the past, it wasn't always like that... he couldn't always just let go of an insult brought against him, he felt compelled to strike that viewpoint down and prove himself a better man than that.
But now? Now... I think he realizes he's done everything he can to prove that, and all that's left is to live the way he knows he should. To finish his story in the NLCW-- hell, to finish his story in wrestling overall. And he's doing just that now, he's doing something that makes me so very proud of him that... words just can't describe it, really. To see him team together with an old enemy in Bucky Skyler, to see them both take on unknown competitors in a foreign country and to see them actually win such a huge tournament in the process... that was one of many signs that show just how much things have changed since the old days now gone.
Dominic's let go of the grudges of the past, he's not concerned with the politics and he's not concerned with who's said what or the general locker-room talk. He clarifies when needed, but... he's just there now for the fans and for his story, and for the federation he loves so dearly. He's there now to cement his family's future, he's there now to strengthen ties with old friends and to help the newblood of the NLCW advance into the bright future he knows is in store for them.
These days, he doesn't appear on NLCW television half as much as he'd used to. When it comes time for him to do a show, he makes it to the arena on time and prepares himself for the match, but ultimately he just goes out there to wrestle and entertain the fans before leaving once again, going off to represent the NLCW to the best of his ability. The NLCW puts so much trust in his ability to sell the brand... it's phenomenal to see them rest so much on his shoulders. Constant meet and greets with the fans, autograph signings and promotional events, Dominic's been doing it all and has kept his stride strong throughout. It's funny, actually... he's enjoying it so much he's even started up a little travel-log, a journal of his days that he keeps as a memento for himself in the future.
He told me once after coming home from a long day of promotions that he loves this new journal of his, that for him it meant being able to read back on what he considers to be the greatest days of his life yet. For him, he has the perfect job, the perfect family, the perfect son... and, somehow, he even believes he has the perfect wife. To know that he thinks so highly of me, just as I think so highly of him... it's incredible for the both of us, and every day we spend together is just another great day in the both of our lives.
Recently, he's been sharing these journal entries with me, keeping me as up-to-date with his days as possible. Even when he's exhausted from the day, he still fights to get home and spend time with us, still fights to share these stories of his with me... and really, that's just who he is. That's the person he's always been, and that's the person I know that he'll always be. He really is a storyteller... it's not just some thrown-together gimmick, the man weaves words together like a professional author, from short story to a simple retelling of the day's events. Dominic really, truly does love his stories... and above all else, he loves sharing them with the world.
But you all already knew that... didn't you?