"Ashton, thank you so much for sitting down with us and talking about your life." The interviewer said. "No problem."
"So let's start. How was life like growing up?" That dreaded question I was asked so many times and each time I declined to answer. Not this time. "Life was okay growing up. When my brother started wrestling, he sent money to me at Chez's house and gave specific directions to Chez on what it was for. It was for her to put me through training in self defense. All that training made me feel like my brother just cared about making me like him. It was quite the opposite." I said. "How so?"
"Well, Phil told our parents that he wasn't going to subject me to the way he had to live and took me with him. Of course, I think I was only eight at the time, but my parents didn't object. While he was wrestling in Indy promotions, he was also instilling in me that hard work is success to anything we want. We have to work for what we want in life. He put me in many defense classes and made me work out with him. When he started wrestling with WWE, I was ten. He was wrestling in ECW and I was backstage with Paul Heyman, watching my big brother live his dream. I was in awe of my brother. He worked for everything he had. I wanted that too. I started doing things he did. I kept working out, keeping up with my training, learning more about wrestling and at the age of fifteen, I met someone that would become my very best friend."
"You're talking about Marcus, right?" I nodded. "We both wanted to be wrestlers. His father is one of the Wild Samoans. When I met Marcus, he was seventeen. He was with his cousin, Dwayne Johnson, The Rock. Dwayne wanted to bond with Marcus because Marcus was taken from his family as a child. He was two I believe. A year before I met him, he was found by his father in Hawaii. His family had always searched for him." I said. Marcus smiled. "We hit it off remarkably and became inseparable ever since. My brother was happy because I had always been untrusting."
"Tell us about the accident." Marcus tensed and I put a hand on his shoulder. "A year later, we were with my brother at Raw. Marcus and I wanted to head to the hotel we were staying at. My brother agreed. He gave us some money for the cab to the hotel. We were about ten minutes away from the hotel when we were struck by a drunk driver. The cab flipped and rolled to a complete stop on the roof. While it was rolling, my head repeatedly slammed against the side of the cab. I remember Marcus throwing his arm over my chest and pinned me to the seat. I heard him call my name three times before I blacked out." I said. The interviewer's jaw dropped. I nodded. "I can continue the story from here. It was hell. Ashton was bleeding from a head wound, I knew his arm was broken, and possibly his neck. My arm was broken. We were taken to the hospital and Ashton was rushed away. I didn't care about my injuries at the time. My best friend had just been taken from my sight. I was beating myself up because Phil had trusted me to take care of Ashton. Of course I felt like it was my fault. My brother came as soon as he could and sat with me. It was horrible. I've never seen anyone look like Phil did. He was always by Ashton's side. I had to stay with him if Phil was to go anywhere. It was a good thing that the bathroom in the room had a shower because Phil wasn't leaving the hospital until his brother was." Marcus said. "What about your sister, Ashton? Where was Julianne?"
"Julianne was there. She just couldn't bring herself to go into the room and look at her brothers. Phil emotionally wrecked and Ashton bruised, scratched and in a coma. It was hard on her." Marcus said. The interviewer looked at us shocked. "When he finally woke up, he was like a toddler. He couldn't speak, couldn't walk on his own, couldn't feed himself well. I took it upon myself to take care of Ashton, that way Phil wouldn't be so stressed out. Ashton had his own house in Chicago. He lived close to Phil, so Phil was always over. It was challenging, but between me, Phil, Anita, Joe, and April, Ashton was well taken care of." I smiled. "What about Hailey?"
"Hailey wasn't conceived until a year after the accident. Ashton was still like a toddler and his ex, Hailey's mom, decided to take advantage of his handicapped state. She never let Ashton see Hailey. We didn't even know about Hailey until she was brought to us by Social Services. She was about two and a half when we got her." Marcus said. I nodded. "She's a happy girl." The interviewer said. "She is. I love my daughter with all my heart. That's why she is going to be homeschooled when school comes around." Ashton said. "Why is that?"
"Her mother."
"Her mother has tried countless times to take Hailey. We had Hailey in preschool in Pensacola, Florida, that way my sister in-law could watch her. Hailey was almost kidnapped by her mother. Thank God Joe was already there. Hailey was sick and Joe went to pick her up. Her mother was arrested for attempted kidnapping and is in Illinois state prison for attempted murder on Ashton."
"Really?! Oh my God!" I smiled. "Yeah. I'm not letting my daughter go to regular school because of that." I said. "Tell us about traveling with your brother at a young age."
"It was fun. Anita and Travis traveled with us that way Anita could teach me. Anita was my homeschool teacher and Travis was teaching me to speak Spanish. I still know Spanish." I said. "Do you want to know something funny?"
"What?"
"I can speak fluent French. I've never learned one word of French before or after the accident. I was in a France with Anita and I suddenly started a conversation with her in French." I said. "That's impressive. Our time is up. Thank you Ashton and Marcus for your time."
"No problem. It was our pleasure." I said, shaking his hand.