Rocky and Apollo: The Conversation

Rocky turned off the tv in the restaurant. He had seen enough. He had just watched his protégé, Adonis Creed, get the Hell beat out of him by Viktor Drago, son of the man who killed Donny's father and Rocky's adversary and friend, Apollo Creed. Rocky grabbed a rocks glass and a bottle of Jameson Whiskey from the behind the bar. He poured the whiskey into his glass.

He was overridden with grief. More so now than when he when Apollo died in his arms in the ring the night he fought Ivan Drago.

"I tried to warn him. The kid's as stubborn as his old man."

Rocky hadn't had a drop of alcohol since the night Adrian died sixteen years ago. He never felt the need for it until tonight. Guilt is a real son of a bitch. Rocky shot the whiskey from the glass into his mouth down his throat.

"Neither one of them would listen."

Rocky refilled his glass. He looked up and saw the picture of Apollo on the wall.

"I'm sorry Apollo."

Rocky shot the refill in the same fashion as the forst down his throat. A voice quickly shook him from his moment of self-pity.

"Maybe you should be Stallion!"

From the shadows appeared a long-gone figure dressed to the nines in an expensive suit and tie and shoes made out of genuine alligator hide. The dark figure walked with a swagger that echoed class, ego, style, and an aura of self confidence that Rocky would not confuse with anyone else in the world living or dead. The figure's smile lit up the room. Rocky knew he the figure was but couldn't believe it was him.

"Apollo?! Is it really you?"

"Who else were you expecting? Paulie? He sends his best by the way."

"Damn. I'm never drinking again."

"This ain't the Jameson talking Stallion. It's really me. I'm here, and I gotta tell you, I'm not happy!"

"I'm sorry Apollo. I tried to warn him I tried-"

"Don't give me that shit Stallion! I didn't come here for no apology."

"He's just as stubborn as you are or were or whatever."

"You abandoned him Rocky! Why Damn it! Why?!"

"I didn't want him to get hurt. I didn't want him to to"

"To what? End up like me?!"

"You don't know what its been like to carry the guilt like I have the last thirty-three years. I can't carry no more. Not for you or him!"

"Oh God! Here we go! You've got guilt because of what happened. Let's clear the air right now: As far as you and I are concerned, you don't have a damned thing to be guilty about! I knew exactly what I was doing taking that fight with the Russian. I didn't take the fight because of me or him, I took it because of you Rock."

"Because of me."

"Man, nobody wanted to see me and Drago fight. They wanted to see you and him fight! I knew that! You remember when you asked me if the fight was about something else besides the fight. I wouldn't answer you, but you were right. I thought that if I could whip that boy in an exhibition, they'd look at me as a legitimate challenger to you. Then I'd fight you, get my belt back, and go out on top, like I was supposed to! But I was wrong."

"Obviously."

"You've been carrying around this guilt for over thirty years Stallion. Why? Because you didn't throw in the towel? If you would have thrown that towel in the ring, you wouldn't have had to worry about Drago coming after you, because the second I would have been healthy enough, I would have whipped your ass to Hell wouldn't have had it! I'm not mad because you didn't throw in that towel. If that was supposed to be it for me, I couldn't think of a better way to go then in that ring that night. You have no right or want to feel guilty about that. What I'm upset about and what you should feel guilty about is abandoning Adonis like you did. I never wanted any of my kids to follow me into the ring, but I knew Adonis would. And I knew that if he did, he'd find you and you would teach him the Eye of the Tiger and how to be the best and you wouldn't let anything happen to him. And man, you two were doing great. Won the Heavyweight Championship of the World. I'm looking down watching all of it with a smile on my face proud as a father can be and maybe even a little jealous too. Then you abandoned him, when he needed you the most. I want to know why Stallion?

Rocky looked at Apollo uncomfortably.

"He was going to get hurt. I didn't want no part of that."

"You can bullshit a lot of people, but you can't bullshit me. You were scared. You know what, Adonis was scared too! And you let him down!"

Rocky bowed his head and began to cry.

"I'm sorry Apollo!"

Apollo placed his hand on Rocky's shoulder.

"I know Rock. I know. Now you got to make things right. You got to go to him. Let him know you're sorry. Let him know that you're gonna be there for him. He's not gonna let you back in so easy. His girl will. Maryanne will. But he won't. You're pretty high on his shit list right now. You hurt him. Maybe even more than the Russian did. You're going to have to give him sometime before he lets you back in "Unc." He's going to fight Drago again. He has too! You got to make sure he's in the right place mind, body, and soul! You got to get his mind right! You gotta make sure he fights this fight, for all the right reasons. Not for me, you, his girl, Maryanne, but for himself! He needs to be a man! Show him the way! Take him to school Rock! That's what I want Rock! That's what I need Stallion!"

"Absolutely. You got it Apollo. I'll do it."

"One more thing. I need one more favor."

"I don't think we can fight again Apollo. I'm old and you're a ghost I think."

"Yeah that would be "highly irregular." No this isn't from me. It's from her.

Apollo pointed to a picture of Adrian.

"She wants you to make things right."

"What things?"

"She said you would know what she meant. Don't make her come down here."

The two old friends shared a laugh. Rocky glanced down then back up. Apollo was gone. Rocky grabbed the phone and dialed a number.

"Yo, this is Rocky Balboa. I need to get on an airplane as soon as possible."