I reached Stu Hart's Dungeon the next day where I was looked up and down while being asked,
"You sure you want to wrestle?"
"Yea" I replied. I knew that I didn't really look the part of an up and coming wrestler but I knew it was something that I could do.
"Why aren't you going to college this year?"
"Didn't get in"
"Bad grades?"
"No, criminal record" I muttered feeling intimidated by the man towering over me
"And you heard I give kids a second chance?"
"Yea, and I want to wrestle"
"Ok what's your hit list?"
"What?"
"Hit list? What's on your record?"
"Theft, indecent exposure, vandalism, underage substance abuse and violent behaviour"
"Impressive, how come you're not in Juvi?"
"Because my best friends folks cut a deal with the court"
"What about your own folks?"
"Don't ask"
"Alright, get in the ring, lets see what you've got" Stu said indicating to the ring.
It was tough in the Dungeon I might have been tough in high school but these guys were tougher. They wouldn't take any of my crap and I soon learnt to keep my mouth shut because if I didn't I be learning how to do things the hard way. But slowly days turned into weeks and weeks into months, eventually I moved out of the Dungeon's accommodation and into a flat of my own. The flat was like most the stuff I had, old and run down. But it was all I could afford with my pathetic paycheck. I was working two jobs and training at the dungeon, when I met Denise, she came into the Dungeon one day to drop something off and I was a goner. Her long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes and her smile, that smile sent me crazy. I actually ended up taking a bad bump that day because of her.
As soon as training was over I asked Stu who she was and he told me that her father owned the local bakery and Denise occasionally did fresh bread deliveries, when she was home from college. After telling me this Stu walked away but not before pausing at the door and saying,
"Don't even think about it Reso, she's too good for you" Luckily at that stage I'd made some friends at the Dungeon and later one of them pulled me a side saying,
"Ignore Stu, he just wants one of his boys to be with Denise. Truth is she just got expelled. She's a juvi just like you."
"Does Stu know?"
"Yea but he wont admit it. You got a pen and paper? I'll give you her phone number," My friend said prompting me to look for a piece of paper and when I couldn't find one hold out my hand.
"Her names Denise, this is her private number. Give her a ring sometime. She'll properly agree to a coffee"
"Thanks man" I said looking down at the number scribbled messily on my hand.
I went back to my flat that night and sat looking at the number, trying to get the nerve to ring. Finally I picked up the phone and dialled, before I had a chance to change my mind a sweet voice sounded through the earpiece,
"Good Evening"
"Ah hi, Denise?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"My name is Jason," I said stumbling over my words,
"Hello Jason"
"I saw you today at Stu Hart's Dungeon"
"Oh yes, I was delivering bread of the boys. Do you train there?"
"Ah yes, I was umm… Wondering if you would like to go out for a coffee or something" I rushed out, amazed at how the last shred of my tough guy persona was going out the window,
"That's nice but I don't even know who you are"
"I'm Jason Reso. I was in the ring when you came by."
"Reso. Oh yes I've heard that name. My father was talking about you, he told me to stay away from you"
"Oh" I said feeling my heart sink,
"But I'd love to go out for a coffee how about Saturday morning?" Denise suggest causing my heart to skip a beat,
"Ah yea, hang on no"
"What you don't want to go out for a coffee?" She asked laughing,
"No Saturday is no good I'm working, what about Sunday?"
"I've got Church"
"Oh…"
"I can blow it off." She said laughing.
That first coffee was the start of something amazing, her dad didn't approve of our relationship and neither did Stu but we became inseparable. Denise would come and watch me train before going to work, then after training I'd pick her up from work and take her home before heading to work myself. Denise bought out a different side in me, a softer, more caring side. I'd been at The Dungeon for 6 months when I met Denise and at the end of my first year she moved into my run down flat with me.
When Denise first came home with me I spent hours cleaning up and expected her to complain about it being such a dump. Instead she smiled and said it was the perfect little place for me. Though every time from then on whenever she came over my place she bought little gifts. My favourite was a photo frame intended for the one and only photo I had on display, a photo of Adam, his parents and myself at graduation. Denise only discovered this photo on her third visit and automatically asked me,
"Is this your family?" I told her they weren't but they were and for the first time sat down and explained my past. Amazingly she wasn't freaked out but instead gave me a hug saying she wished that she could take all the pain and hatred I had suffered away.
"You sure you want to wrestle?"
"Yea" I replied. I knew that I didn't really look the part of an up and coming wrestler but I knew it was something that I could do.
"Why aren't you going to college this year?"
"Didn't get in"
"Bad grades?"
"No, criminal record" I muttered feeling intimidated by the man towering over me
"And you heard I give kids a second chance?"
"Yea, and I want to wrestle"
"Ok what's your hit list?"
"What?"
"Hit list? What's on your record?"
"Theft, indecent exposure, vandalism, underage substance abuse and violent behaviour"
"Impressive, how come you're not in Juvi?"
"Because my best friends folks cut a deal with the court"
"What about your own folks?"
"Don't ask"
"Alright, get in the ring, lets see what you've got" Stu said indicating to the ring.
It was tough in the Dungeon I might have been tough in high school but these guys were tougher. They wouldn't take any of my crap and I soon learnt to keep my mouth shut because if I didn't I be learning how to do things the hard way. But slowly days turned into weeks and weeks into months, eventually I moved out of the Dungeon's accommodation and into a flat of my own. The flat was like most the stuff I had, old and run down. But it was all I could afford with my pathetic paycheck. I was working two jobs and training at the dungeon, when I met Denise, she came into the Dungeon one day to drop something off and I was a goner. Her long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes and her smile, that smile sent me crazy. I actually ended up taking a bad bump that day because of her.
As soon as training was over I asked Stu who she was and he told me that her father owned the local bakery and Denise occasionally did fresh bread deliveries, when she was home from college. After telling me this Stu walked away but not before pausing at the door and saying,
"Don't even think about it Reso, she's too good for you" Luckily at that stage I'd made some friends at the Dungeon and later one of them pulled me a side saying,
"Ignore Stu, he just wants one of his boys to be with Denise. Truth is she just got expelled. She's a juvi just like you."
"Does Stu know?"
"Yea but he wont admit it. You got a pen and paper? I'll give you her phone number," My friend said prompting me to look for a piece of paper and when I couldn't find one hold out my hand.
"Her names Denise, this is her private number. Give her a ring sometime. She'll properly agree to a coffee"
"Thanks man" I said looking down at the number scribbled messily on my hand.
I went back to my flat that night and sat looking at the number, trying to get the nerve to ring. Finally I picked up the phone and dialled, before I had a chance to change my mind a sweet voice sounded through the earpiece,
"Good Evening"
"Ah hi, Denise?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"My name is Jason," I said stumbling over my words,
"Hello Jason"
"I saw you today at Stu Hart's Dungeon"
"Oh yes, I was delivering bread of the boys. Do you train there?"
"Ah yes, I was umm… Wondering if you would like to go out for a coffee or something" I rushed out, amazed at how the last shred of my tough guy persona was going out the window,
"That's nice but I don't even know who you are"
"I'm Jason Reso. I was in the ring when you came by."
"Reso. Oh yes I've heard that name. My father was talking about you, he told me to stay away from you"
"Oh" I said feeling my heart sink,
"But I'd love to go out for a coffee how about Saturday morning?" Denise suggest causing my heart to skip a beat,
"Ah yea, hang on no"
"What you don't want to go out for a coffee?" She asked laughing,
"No Saturday is no good I'm working, what about Sunday?"
"I've got Church"
"Oh…"
"I can blow it off." She said laughing.
That first coffee was the start of something amazing, her dad didn't approve of our relationship and neither did Stu but we became inseparable. Denise would come and watch me train before going to work, then after training I'd pick her up from work and take her home before heading to work myself. Denise bought out a different side in me, a softer, more caring side. I'd been at The Dungeon for 6 months when I met Denise and at the end of my first year she moved into my run down flat with me.
When Denise first came home with me I spent hours cleaning up and expected her to complain about it being such a dump. Instead she smiled and said it was the perfect little place for me. Though every time from then on whenever she came over my place she bought little gifts. My favourite was a photo frame intended for the one and only photo I had on display, a photo of Adam, his parents and myself at graduation. Denise only discovered this photo on her third visit and automatically asked me,
"Is this your family?" I told her they weren't but they were and for the first time sat down and explained my past. Amazingly she wasn't freaked out but instead gave me a hug saying she wished that she could take all the pain and hatred I had suffered away.