I closed the door behind me as I left my room. I didn't look back. Paul was waititng with the elevator. I got in carrying only what I carried in. I would be heading out.
"Good luck now, darling." Paul said to me. "When I watch you next on TV, it better be better."
"It will, Paul, I promise." I told him. "It will be a lot better."
I thanked Paul for everything, and kissed him on the cheek good-bye. I met with the movers one last time before seeing them again in Florida. I went inside the parking garage and found the 1999 black Corvette. I filled the trunk up and some of the backseat. It's not a big car, so it was a squeeze, and set Matthew's car seat up in the front seat next to me. Before leaving, I called Jay.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Jason, how are you?"
"Oh, please, Des, stop." He said. "Leaving?"
"Finally. Few hours here is enough to kill you."
"That would be bad. Driving back? Call me when you stop and before you leave tomorrow, and when you get back to Tampa."
"Damn, Jay, you sound worse than Paul sometimes. Speaking of which, how is he?"
"Fine, fine. Still fighting for you here, believe it or not. Vince wanted to extend your suspension, just yours, and not Amy's. And, he's been buddy buddy with Kurt."
"Little bastard."
"Paul fought for you, and won. Everyone's waiting for you to come back. They're actually kinda scared. No one has any idea on what you're going to do next. I didn't spill any of your plans, but people are wondering."
"Let them wonder. They won't know until I come back." I said. "I'm going to start heading out. Catch some time, see how far I can get."
"All right, call me." He said. "Love you much."
"Right back at ya babe."
I put Pearl Jam into the CD player and stared out. "Once" played over the car stereo system and I sang along as I drove down 7th Avenue, away from New York. It was finally over, finally gone, finally behind me. I didn't hear my parents voices in the back of my head anymore, they were gone. As I drove into New Jersey, it was all behind me.
About half way into Jersey, with Matthew alseep, and the CD on it's third rotation, I started thinking about my match idea. I had written and rewritten the perfect match. One that gave both of us equal time to show off what we had. The more and more I thought about it, I realized our suspensions would be up two weeks before the next pay-per-view, No Mercy. With that in mind, my match now became huge.
I was unsure at best if Vince would go for this, or if Amy would go for this. Unsure being an under statement. Vince was on my bad side for as long as I can remember, and anything I came up with was shot down. And Amy, well, we don't even have to go there with her. Since day one this woman had haunted me, and I haunted her right back. A never ending fight for something, over something. It wasn't about Team Xtreme, or about Matt and Jeff. I've said jealiously, and I'll stick with that, but I can't help thinking there's something else behind this. Why were we so mad? Really, we were exactly alike. Trying to prove the same things to people, with the same ways of doing them. Our style was the same our minds were pretty much the same as well. We were just too blinded by a natural hate to even see that. Adam joked one time that Amy and myself would be great team mates. "You and Amy would be the perfect team. The style's right, the gimmick's right. Just get the hate out of the way" he said. He's probably right.
Our similarities scared me sometimes. I bet her too, because they are there. I drove along, banging my hands against the steering wheel to the drum beat. Matthew awoke when we hit Delaware. He smiled and clapped along to the music. I didn't care about the WWF, Amy, wrestling, anything when I looked into my son's eyes.
I made a pit stop in Maryland. The water I had drank caught up with me, and I needed to take the baby out of the car seat. I walked inside and, after getting ice-cream, went straight to the bathroom and changed the baby. I ran some water in my hands and ran them through his hair. He smiled at me and then went back to playing with the plastic spoon from the ice-cream we shared.
I put him down and held his hand and we walked out. I bought another ice-cream and sat outside with Matthew. The sun was high and it was pretty nice out. Not too hot, not too cold. It was beautiful out. There was a small breeze and strands of my hair that didn't go in the ponytail blew out. My sweatshirt was tied around my waist and I was wearing a white tank top and blank jeans.
I figured I'd drive to Matt's house and stay there and take off again in the morning. It beat paying for a hotel. I picked up my cell phone and called Jay.
"Des, that you?"
"The one and only." I answered. "I'm in Maryland, taking a break. I'm driving to Matt's house. Baby and I are going to stay there until tomorrow."
"Sounds good to me. Call me when you get there and before you take off tomorrow."
"Yes daddy." I said.
"That would be Paul's job. Don't get any ideas."
I laughed. "I know."
I said good-bye to Jay, and sat on the bench for a while. This part of the country was perfect. I smiled and looked down at Matthew. He was running around the bench. I figured I'd let him get it out of his system now, so he'd be good in the car on the way to Matt's.
After a few more minutes I packed my son up and we headed to Matt's. On the way my cell phone rang, from an un expecting person, Vince McMahon. I wanted to know what this man wanted from me.
"So, where have you been on your suspension?"
"Why do you care? I've been out of your hair." I answered. "What do you want anyway?"
"Your suspension is up in two weeks. You, and Amy, will be returning soon to the WWF. As I will tell her, I expect change. I will not tolerate anymore of these games, these attacks. Another one will result in a longer suspension, and then one of you will be fired."
"And you have to tell me this now?"
"I am giving you a fair warning, Destiny. I know how you can get when things go wrong, when you get angry. Your temper is one worthy of stories. When you return you are going to be put right back into it all, no slow but steady approach. I expect you to be in top physical and mental health. Because there is no easing in."
"Bring it, Vince." I told him. "I have ideas, I have an idea. You can throw all you want at me, Vince."
"Ideas?" He asked.
"Yes, I will tell you in two weeks. I am finalizing it now. You want to put an end to this, well so do I. And I know how." I answered.
I hung the phone up without a good-bye. Vince wanted big, he was going to get it. He was going to get his big match, his money, it all in two weeks.
"Good luck now, darling." Paul said to me. "When I watch you next on TV, it better be better."
"It will, Paul, I promise." I told him. "It will be a lot better."
I thanked Paul for everything, and kissed him on the cheek good-bye. I met with the movers one last time before seeing them again in Florida. I went inside the parking garage and found the 1999 black Corvette. I filled the trunk up and some of the backseat. It's not a big car, so it was a squeeze, and set Matthew's car seat up in the front seat next to me. Before leaving, I called Jay.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Jason, how are you?"
"Oh, please, Des, stop." He said. "Leaving?"
"Finally. Few hours here is enough to kill you."
"That would be bad. Driving back? Call me when you stop and before you leave tomorrow, and when you get back to Tampa."
"Damn, Jay, you sound worse than Paul sometimes. Speaking of which, how is he?"
"Fine, fine. Still fighting for you here, believe it or not. Vince wanted to extend your suspension, just yours, and not Amy's. And, he's been buddy buddy with Kurt."
"Little bastard."
"Paul fought for you, and won. Everyone's waiting for you to come back. They're actually kinda scared. No one has any idea on what you're going to do next. I didn't spill any of your plans, but people are wondering."
"Let them wonder. They won't know until I come back." I said. "I'm going to start heading out. Catch some time, see how far I can get."
"All right, call me." He said. "Love you much."
"Right back at ya babe."
I put Pearl Jam into the CD player and stared out. "Once" played over the car stereo system and I sang along as I drove down 7th Avenue, away from New York. It was finally over, finally gone, finally behind me. I didn't hear my parents voices in the back of my head anymore, they were gone. As I drove into New Jersey, it was all behind me.
About half way into Jersey, with Matthew alseep, and the CD on it's third rotation, I started thinking about my match idea. I had written and rewritten the perfect match. One that gave both of us equal time to show off what we had. The more and more I thought about it, I realized our suspensions would be up two weeks before the next pay-per-view, No Mercy. With that in mind, my match now became huge.
I was unsure at best if Vince would go for this, or if Amy would go for this. Unsure being an under statement. Vince was on my bad side for as long as I can remember, and anything I came up with was shot down. And Amy, well, we don't even have to go there with her. Since day one this woman had haunted me, and I haunted her right back. A never ending fight for something, over something. It wasn't about Team Xtreme, or about Matt and Jeff. I've said jealiously, and I'll stick with that, but I can't help thinking there's something else behind this. Why were we so mad? Really, we were exactly alike. Trying to prove the same things to people, with the same ways of doing them. Our style was the same our minds were pretty much the same as well. We were just too blinded by a natural hate to even see that. Adam joked one time that Amy and myself would be great team mates. "You and Amy would be the perfect team. The style's right, the gimmick's right. Just get the hate out of the way" he said. He's probably right.
Our similarities scared me sometimes. I bet her too, because they are there. I drove along, banging my hands against the steering wheel to the drum beat. Matthew awoke when we hit Delaware. He smiled and clapped along to the music. I didn't care about the WWF, Amy, wrestling, anything when I looked into my son's eyes.
I made a pit stop in Maryland. The water I had drank caught up with me, and I needed to take the baby out of the car seat. I walked inside and, after getting ice-cream, went straight to the bathroom and changed the baby. I ran some water in my hands and ran them through his hair. He smiled at me and then went back to playing with the plastic spoon from the ice-cream we shared.
I put him down and held his hand and we walked out. I bought another ice-cream and sat outside with Matthew. The sun was high and it was pretty nice out. Not too hot, not too cold. It was beautiful out. There was a small breeze and strands of my hair that didn't go in the ponytail blew out. My sweatshirt was tied around my waist and I was wearing a white tank top and blank jeans.
I figured I'd drive to Matt's house and stay there and take off again in the morning. It beat paying for a hotel. I picked up my cell phone and called Jay.
"Des, that you?"
"The one and only." I answered. "I'm in Maryland, taking a break. I'm driving to Matt's house. Baby and I are going to stay there until tomorrow."
"Sounds good to me. Call me when you get there and before you take off tomorrow."
"Yes daddy." I said.
"That would be Paul's job. Don't get any ideas."
I laughed. "I know."
I said good-bye to Jay, and sat on the bench for a while. This part of the country was perfect. I smiled and looked down at Matthew. He was running around the bench. I figured I'd let him get it out of his system now, so he'd be good in the car on the way to Matt's.
After a few more minutes I packed my son up and we headed to Matt's. On the way my cell phone rang, from an un expecting person, Vince McMahon. I wanted to know what this man wanted from me.
"So, where have you been on your suspension?"
"Why do you care? I've been out of your hair." I answered. "What do you want anyway?"
"Your suspension is up in two weeks. You, and Amy, will be returning soon to the WWF. As I will tell her, I expect change. I will not tolerate anymore of these games, these attacks. Another one will result in a longer suspension, and then one of you will be fired."
"And you have to tell me this now?"
"I am giving you a fair warning, Destiny. I know how you can get when things go wrong, when you get angry. Your temper is one worthy of stories. When you return you are going to be put right back into it all, no slow but steady approach. I expect you to be in top physical and mental health. Because there is no easing in."
"Bring it, Vince." I told him. "I have ideas, I have an idea. You can throw all you want at me, Vince."
"Ideas?" He asked.
"Yes, I will tell you in two weeks. I am finalizing it now. You want to put an end to this, well so do I. And I know how." I answered.
I hung the phone up without a good-bye. Vince wanted big, he was going to get it. He was going to get his big match, his money, it all in two weeks.