Post by Steve Sinclair on Feb 9, 2014 14:36:23 GMT
Double J left Chicago and didn't return to Tennessee like everyone else. Instead he went east to Vermont. In the northern part of the state near the border with Canada in middle of no where and way off the beaten path is where Joe is going to find his Dad. He flew into as close as he could and took a taxi the rest of the way.
The taxi makes it's way up the mountian and up a road that has seen better days. The road was paved back in the 50's for the first and only time. The pavement is all cracked, the edges of the road is over grown by by grass that runs along the side of the road. Huge potholes pop up here and there and eventully the pavement just ends and turns into a dirt road that is used more or less by logging trucks as very few people live all the way up here in logging country. The taxi driver has a look on his face that he's hoping this doesn't turn into some Dilverance type of shit.
Taxi Driver "Are you sure we're going the right way?"
Joe has a steady stare out the window. "Yeah....we're alomst there. A mile of so."
Taxi Driver "Man I hope so. You know the GPS is saying I'm driving in middle of nothing."
JJ "We're almost there."
The taxi driver keeps going aqround a bend in what is becoming a one lane road. It's a rainy weekend in Vermont and in fact just last night they had a couple fo inches of snow and the melting today is making the trail aweful muddy. After about five minutes Joe looks forward and leans towards the taxi driver.
JJ "You see that opening right there?"
The taxi driver slows downs and looks around. Everything looks the same to him.
JJ "That gap in the trees..."
Along the right side of the road is tree after tree, both sides of the "road" infact and then there is acouple of trees missing. A opening.
TD "That right there?"
The driver points to where there isn't a tree.
JJ "That's it."
The taxi driver pulls up to it. There's no drive way....noticable anyways. You can see a path cutting through the forest that maybe could be considered as a drive way but it is over grown with brush and ankle high grass.
TD "There is no way I am making it down there guy."
JJ "I know. Just pull up to it. I'll walk the rest of the way."
The driver stops in front of it and looks down the path as far as he can see and sees nothing but trees and darkness.
TD "Your Dad lives here?"
JJ "Yeah."
TD "Like where?"
JJ "He built him a cabin years ago about a half a mile in. He really just wanted to be left alone."
TD "Well he got his wish."
Joe pays his fare and helps the driver get turned around without getting stuck. Joe stands in middle of the road watching the taxi make it's way back making sure he doesn't get stuck. It's pretty muddy after last night's snowfall. Before he left Chicago he picked up some jeans, work boots and a old milatary jacket from a second hand shop. The climate in northern Vermont isn't that of Miami or even Tennessee this time of the year and shorts, a tank top and flip flops isn't going to cut it. Joe picks up his bag and slings it over his shoulder and starts his way down the "driveway."
Joe walks along the path for a while. The over grown grass and fallen limbs from trees make it a little bit of a tough go but finally Joe walks around a slight bend into a clearing. Up on the left on top of a small hill is a cabin with smoke trickling out of the chimney. Across from the cabin and almost straight ahead of where Joe is standing is a garage. A small 2 car garage with one of the doors wide open. A light bulb is on in the garage which is full of stuff. Parked in front of the door that is open is a old faded white, part primer '68 Ford Fairlane up on blocks. Part of the car is covered by a tarp. Next to it is a old CJ Jeep that seems like it could run. Scattered all around the garage in the weeds are engine blocks, tranmissions, other old Fairlanes and Jeeps which are clearly there for parts. Must be 10 of them. Off in the distance at the end of the clearing up along the tree line is other cars and trucks. 51 F-100, couple 55 Fords Crown Vics, about 7 old John Deeres and something that looks like a hand built Skidder. There's even the bodies of some old 32 Fords and some old Model T's. Must be around 30 vechiles back there. Hidden at the far corner of the garage under the trees and covered in moss and broken tree limbs in a airplane. In the field is a cow munching on some grass pooping all over the place. The rest of the clearing is used for a garden and a placefor the chickens and the cow to roam around, eat get fat and get slaughtered. Joe stops in middle of the of the driveway between the cabin and the garage and takes it all in. It has been years since Joe has been here. It was never home to him. He grew up with his Mom in Germany till he was 15-16 and came state side and even then, he called what ever hotel and motel home. This was a place he came to maybe a dozen times a year. When his Dad had down time and wasn't on the road for his next match Joe pretty much stayed with his cousins. It has been nearly a decade maybe more since his Dad retired and he hasn't come down off the mountian much as he had made his life here self sufficient. And in the last 10-12 years his Dad has become a junker. There is a wood shed 15 feet away from the corner of the cabin on top of the hill and between it and the cabin is all kinds of junk and from the wood shed to the garage, more junk. There's a opening in the junk and that is where the tractor is parked, which Joe only assumes works.
"Well well well. Look what the cat dragged in! hmm uhm. Yeah."
Joe turns around and sitting on the porch of the cabin in a old rocking chair smoking a pipe is a man straight off the set of some old time poor south period film. Old work boots in which the tread of the soles are completely worn away, green over alls covered in greese and oil stains. A old dirty stained thermal under shirt part of which is covered in a long, haven't shaved never in his life grey beard and hair to match. This man would be Joe Dad. The famed Green Man.
"Morning Dad." Joe says. They have never had the greatest of relationships but Joe along with his brother is all Green man has that could be considered family. He was married once but she passed away years ago and Green Man never remarried.
"Your brother called couple of weeks ago hmm uhm, yeah. He said you might be having a rough time in the....hmm yeah that der place in Tennessee you be working now. hmm uhm yeah."
Joe has a puzzled look on his face. "You have a phone?"
"Son I have solar panels, yeah, three wind mills, yeah, desiel generator hmm uhm yeah. I even got one of those sat-u-light dishes yeah. Direct TV yeah. Your brother bought me one of those pay as you go cell phones from Wal-Mart yeah. I've got a phone hmm uhm yeah. Maybe if you talked to your brother you would know what I've been doing, yeah I'm doing okay. hmm uhm yeah."
Joe walks up to the porch and sets his bag down on the top step. "I've been busy Dad."
"hmm uhm yeah. Busy in Vegas doing nothing I see."
"I'm in Tennessee now Dad. The Vegas thing...."
"hmm hum yeah you should have never screwed your cousin Steve over you know yeah."
"That's.....How did you know about that Dad?"
Steve, Joe's cousin owned the ESW and got into a little bit of legal trouble and went to the state pen for a while on attempted murder charges. Before he was sentenced he gave Joe his stake in the ESW to him, thinking Joe would do the right thing and keep the ESW open and going, but Joe saw dollar signs and turned around and sold his stake in the ESW to Tommy Purr. Steve who has a real short fuse wasn't happy and spent his whole time locked up on how to get his company back and get even with Joe. Both of which hasn't happened yet.
"Just cuz I'm up here doesn't mean I don'tknow what is going on uhm hum yeah. Raven calls. KC calls. Even Steve calls. uhm hmm yeah. No one visits thou. Guess you have that over everyone. Since you be here uhm hmm yeah. You help me finish the car?"
Joe takes the last step up on the porch and glances over to the 68 Fairlane parked in front of the garage. It was the only semi brand new car his Dad bought in his life. He had a real nice run in Japan as a rookie. . He made the trip there with Steve's Dad Jack and found a mask and slapped that bad boy on and hit the ring. He had 4 real good matches impressing everyone who watched his matches. He won none of them but gave good effort for a 17 year old.....who told everyone he was 18. When Jack found out that shit came to a end but a young, real young Green Man was able to cash some real nice checks f and when he got back to the states he made a b line for the nearest Ford Dealership and bought a white 68 Fairlane with a 289. The last 20 years of which Green Man has spent restoring it.
"What do you need to do to it Dad?"
"uhm hmm yeah. Motor is done. 30 over, Eldelbrock heads, RPM intake. Holley pro injection set up yeah purrs like a kitten. Not purr like your queer friend in Vegas yeah."
"Yeah I got that Dad."
Green Man was never politcal correct.
"Transmission is done yeah. Shift kit, Stall convertor. Posi in rear with 4 11 gears yeah. Even got rims for it. uhm hmm yeah. 16's in the front 18's in the rear, Foose wheels yeah."
Joe isn't much of a gear head but he has heard of these terms before, as to what they actually mean thou is a different story.
"LED lights front and rear yeah. Air ride yeah."
"Really? So what do you have left?"
Green Man starts to stand up. His body has been beaten up over the years and the wear and tear has caught up to him these days.
"Drive train is in the garage yeah. Need help putting it in yeah. uhm hmm. Body work is done. I get her running I can have it painted. yeah."
"Well I guess we can do that......You okay?"
It takes a little bit for Green Man to stand up and when he does he is hunched over a tad and leans to the right a bit and needs the aid of a cane to stand.
"Yeah me okay uhm hmm yeah. I's got a fake hip you know."
"You had a hip replacement?"
"Doctor said I had to yeah. Couldn't walk no more yeah. Now I's walk some uhm hmm yeah."
Joe watches as his dad takes a step and it wasn't pretty. "Come on dad." Joe says "Let's get to work."
"Yeah.....time to finsih the car yeah." Green Man makes it to the top of the steps and pauses and looks his son in the eyes. "How come you let Hart win that match yesterday? He's not any good. I beat him. yeah."
Joe has a puzzled look on his face. "How did you know....did you see that match?"
"uhm hmm yeah I watch! I have the dish you know yeah."
Joe is surprised by how much of current events his Dad is aware of. Joe searches for the words. "I huh....I......I don't know Dad."
Green Man jabs Joe in the gut with his elbow. "You know you get a loss yeah, but it was that Aphonic guy who lost that match yeah. Hart....Hart he pin Aphonic. Japan. Hart not pin you. He pin Roach."
"This is true Dad. This is true."
"Hart....uhm hmm yeah. He can't beat you. You know this. He knows this. Time to go for the throat Joey. Time for Hart to man up. Call him out Joey. yeah. You....you getting soft in your old age."
Joe chuckles. "I know."
"You know but you don't do!"
"Okay Dad. Just for you I will call Hart out."
"Yeah don't do for me. Help me put motor in my car. You call out Hart for yourself. yeah."
Joe looks at his dad and smiles. "I plan on doing that. Come on let's get that motor in the car."
Cut to McGhee Tyson airport in Knoxville where Nanook is standing by waiting for Double J to exit the plane. Nanook doesn't know which flight Joe is on but there is only a couple of them from Chicago and he has seen several UWL'ers already. This is the last flight and still he doesn't see Double J but he does see Kip Anderson.
Nanook "KIP!"
Kip looks up as he drags his suitcase behind him.
KA "Oh Hi Nanook! Why weren't you in Chicago. It was a hell of a show. Should have been there."
Nanook "eh....long story. Listen have you seen Joe?"
KA "No. He wasn't on this flight."
Nanook "What? God damn it!"
KA "He hasn't called you?"
Nanook "No. I sent him some messages and no responce from him either. How was he Kip after losing the match?"
KA "You know Nanook. He seemed fine. I saw him laughing and what not after the show. I did talk to him for my blog. He said..."
Kip pulls out his notepad and flips through his notes.
KA "Ah yes here it is. I'm bummed I didn't win and I'm sure I will have to listen to Hart bragging about beating me again but let's look at the fact Kip. He didn't pin me in Toyoko, he pinned Roach. Tonight, while he won he didn't pin me. He pinned Aphonic. So from where I'm sitting he hasn't pinned me since our first match at the April 20th TV taping. He can spin what ever story he wants but the fact is, he can't beat me right now. He's had 2 shots at it and failed each time."
Nanook "Huh? He sounded pretty upbeat there."
KA "You know he took this loss pretty well. Much better than last week. You know Nanook, I think Joe has the big picture in mind. Like they said last night on the telecast, this isn't over with yet."
Nanook "Okay....But I wonder where he is thou."
KA "I can't help you there."
Nanook "Great."
Fade from the airport with Nanook firing off another text wonder where in the hell Double J has gone too.
It's a calm cool night in northern Vermont and the moon is big and bright in the sky. You can hear peepers and a owl in the back ground as the camera pans down from the moon lite sky to reveal Double J Joe Jones standing in the field at his Dads. The old junk cars are in the background hiding in the shadows at night that the moon is casting.
"The road to the Coronation cup kicks off this week. With Windy City Navigation still fresh behind us. With Caleb Hart keeping the TV title by the skin of his teeth and with new Tag Team and a World Champion, we begin down the path of "greatness". Or so I have been told."
Joe blinks and glances to the right for a second and looks back down at the camera.
"Everyone is like, oh my god it's cup time! I'm going to bust my ass and steamroll everyone on the way to the Coronation Cup. To win the Cup....it will cement my legacy in the UWL. But do you know what I think?"
Double J shrugs.
"I don't care. The Coronation Cup, let's face it. It isn't the Stanely Cup. Hell It's not the World Cup. I view the cup like I would view the Key to the city. Just what the F*** is it and why should I give a rats ass about it? Now...."
Joe snickers
"I'm sure my first opponent on the path towards the Coronation Cup, Troy Vincent will come out here and he will yap his gums about how much this means to him and how he deserves to win this cup and how much honor he will pestow onto the cup. I'm sure the all mighty Troy Vincent, The Troy Vincent who had a dream, a dream of being the next great UWL TV champion only to cave to peer pressure into giving up that dream, I'm sure Troy will have some words on how I feel about the Cup. I'm sure he will say something like, Joe how dare you disrespect the cup like this. How dare you view the Coronation Cup as a common item that is worthless! Double J! How Dare you! Maybe I'll get lucky and Troy Vincent....will put his hands on his hips, lean forward a touch and shake his head like Jennifer Aniston on Friends when she was fighting with Ross. That's about the only thing that will get me to give two F***s about Troy...."
Joe pauses as if saying his name is giving him dry mouth.
"Vincent. Couple of week ago Troy......when I said you were the type of guy I could like and root for. I meant it! After all what is there not to like about....Troy Vincent. Hard Worker. Good looking. Driven young man who not only believed in himself but believed he could accomplish anything he set his mind too. While a entire federation was standing on any soap box they could find and say "Troy Vincent is too damn good for the TV title!" I was the only guy who had the SACK to say, NO TROY! GO FOR IT! YOU WANT THAT TV TITLE....GO GET IT!!!!"
Double J sporting a scowl now spits before taking a drink of water from one of his Dickie Sippy cups.
"Troy Vincent......the man who is haunted by the fact that he was SO good that his first title he won in the UWL just happened to be the World title......BOWED to peer pressure and gave up on his dream of being a Grand Slam Champion. And with that, Troy! I lost all respect for you. Now when I see you I see a souless empty paper cup who will do what he is told to do, who doesn't have any convinctions and beliefs in himself. You Troy, should know what it means....To have a dream. There was a man who dared to stand up in front of the public, in front of not only his supporters but his distractors and declare he had a dream! He was the stick that stired the pot! MLK changed shit. MLK Got shit done! But you Troy.....tucked tail and ran away from you dream. You went from I want to be a Grand Slam Champion and I was the only motherF***er cheering you on to, OH well "I Guess I'm battling who ever for the World title." Because? What you broke through some f*cking magical glass ceiling? A story some mid card guys tell themselves as to why they can't grab the world by the balls and be the leader of their own destinty?"
Double J rubs his chin thinking about his next words.
"You might have gotten the best of me last time Troy. But the Double J you faced a couple of weeks ago and the guy who stands here now are two entirely different people. I see the errors of my way. I see where I fell of the tracks and I have corrected them. I got caught up in shit that had nothing....NOTHING to do with me. I'm here in the UWL to add to my legacy, to add to the legend that is Double J and battling the Grey in a pointless pissing contest that did nothing for me. It brought me no value at all. I..."
Holds up his hand in front of him, the "knife edge" of his hand pointed towards the camera.
"Am only here for myself. I am only going to do shit that benifits me! And winning the Coronation cup.....ain't it. But bitch slapping the mighty Troy Vincent...."
Joe crackes his knuckles and holds his fist in his hand.
"Now that is something I can get into. That's a title I can get into. That's a title I want and that's a title I will win. Say what you want about the cup Troy, I could care less, BUT! Winning that damn thing is going to be a tough haul for you when you start this tournament down 0-1."
The camera pans back up to the moon as Joe walks away chuckling.
FTB.
The taxi makes it's way up the mountian and up a road that has seen better days. The road was paved back in the 50's for the first and only time. The pavement is all cracked, the edges of the road is over grown by by grass that runs along the side of the road. Huge potholes pop up here and there and eventully the pavement just ends and turns into a dirt road that is used more or less by logging trucks as very few people live all the way up here in logging country. The taxi driver has a look on his face that he's hoping this doesn't turn into some Dilverance type of shit.
Taxi Driver "Are you sure we're going the right way?"
Joe has a steady stare out the window. "Yeah....we're alomst there. A mile of so."
Taxi Driver "Man I hope so. You know the GPS is saying I'm driving in middle of nothing."
JJ "We're almost there."
The taxi driver keeps going aqround a bend in what is becoming a one lane road. It's a rainy weekend in Vermont and in fact just last night they had a couple fo inches of snow and the melting today is making the trail aweful muddy. After about five minutes Joe looks forward and leans towards the taxi driver.
JJ "You see that opening right there?"
The taxi driver slows downs and looks around. Everything looks the same to him.
JJ "That gap in the trees..."
Along the right side of the road is tree after tree, both sides of the "road" infact and then there is acouple of trees missing. A opening.
TD "That right there?"
The driver points to where there isn't a tree.
JJ "That's it."
The taxi driver pulls up to it. There's no drive way....noticable anyways. You can see a path cutting through the forest that maybe could be considered as a drive way but it is over grown with brush and ankle high grass.
TD "There is no way I am making it down there guy."
JJ "I know. Just pull up to it. I'll walk the rest of the way."
The driver stops in front of it and looks down the path as far as he can see and sees nothing but trees and darkness.
TD "Your Dad lives here?"
JJ "Yeah."
TD "Like where?"
JJ "He built him a cabin years ago about a half a mile in. He really just wanted to be left alone."
TD "Well he got his wish."
Joe pays his fare and helps the driver get turned around without getting stuck. Joe stands in middle of the road watching the taxi make it's way back making sure he doesn't get stuck. It's pretty muddy after last night's snowfall. Before he left Chicago he picked up some jeans, work boots and a old milatary jacket from a second hand shop. The climate in northern Vermont isn't that of Miami or even Tennessee this time of the year and shorts, a tank top and flip flops isn't going to cut it. Joe picks up his bag and slings it over his shoulder and starts his way down the "driveway."
Joe walks along the path for a while. The over grown grass and fallen limbs from trees make it a little bit of a tough go but finally Joe walks around a slight bend into a clearing. Up on the left on top of a small hill is a cabin with smoke trickling out of the chimney. Across from the cabin and almost straight ahead of where Joe is standing is a garage. A small 2 car garage with one of the doors wide open. A light bulb is on in the garage which is full of stuff. Parked in front of the door that is open is a old faded white, part primer '68 Ford Fairlane up on blocks. Part of the car is covered by a tarp. Next to it is a old CJ Jeep that seems like it could run. Scattered all around the garage in the weeds are engine blocks, tranmissions, other old Fairlanes and Jeeps which are clearly there for parts. Must be 10 of them. Off in the distance at the end of the clearing up along the tree line is other cars and trucks. 51 F-100, couple 55 Fords Crown Vics, about 7 old John Deeres and something that looks like a hand built Skidder. There's even the bodies of some old 32 Fords and some old Model T's. Must be around 30 vechiles back there. Hidden at the far corner of the garage under the trees and covered in moss and broken tree limbs in a airplane. In the field is a cow munching on some grass pooping all over the place. The rest of the clearing is used for a garden and a placefor the chickens and the cow to roam around, eat get fat and get slaughtered. Joe stops in middle of the of the driveway between the cabin and the garage and takes it all in. It has been years since Joe has been here. It was never home to him. He grew up with his Mom in Germany till he was 15-16 and came state side and even then, he called what ever hotel and motel home. This was a place he came to maybe a dozen times a year. When his Dad had down time and wasn't on the road for his next match Joe pretty much stayed with his cousins. It has been nearly a decade maybe more since his Dad retired and he hasn't come down off the mountian much as he had made his life here self sufficient. And in the last 10-12 years his Dad has become a junker. There is a wood shed 15 feet away from the corner of the cabin on top of the hill and between it and the cabin is all kinds of junk and from the wood shed to the garage, more junk. There's a opening in the junk and that is where the tractor is parked, which Joe only assumes works.
"Well well well. Look what the cat dragged in! hmm uhm. Yeah."
Joe turns around and sitting on the porch of the cabin in a old rocking chair smoking a pipe is a man straight off the set of some old time poor south period film. Old work boots in which the tread of the soles are completely worn away, green over alls covered in greese and oil stains. A old dirty stained thermal under shirt part of which is covered in a long, haven't shaved never in his life grey beard and hair to match. This man would be Joe Dad. The famed Green Man.
"Morning Dad." Joe says. They have never had the greatest of relationships but Joe along with his brother is all Green man has that could be considered family. He was married once but she passed away years ago and Green Man never remarried.
"Your brother called couple of weeks ago hmm uhm, yeah. He said you might be having a rough time in the....hmm yeah that der place in Tennessee you be working now. hmm uhm yeah."
Joe has a puzzled look on his face. "You have a phone?"
"Son I have solar panels, yeah, three wind mills, yeah, desiel generator hmm uhm yeah. I even got one of those sat-u-light dishes yeah. Direct TV yeah. Your brother bought me one of those pay as you go cell phones from Wal-Mart yeah. I've got a phone hmm uhm yeah. Maybe if you talked to your brother you would know what I've been doing, yeah I'm doing okay. hmm uhm yeah."
Joe walks up to the porch and sets his bag down on the top step. "I've been busy Dad."
"hmm uhm yeah. Busy in Vegas doing nothing I see."
"I'm in Tennessee now Dad. The Vegas thing...."
"hmm hum yeah you should have never screwed your cousin Steve over you know yeah."
"That's.....How did you know about that Dad?"
Steve, Joe's cousin owned the ESW and got into a little bit of legal trouble and went to the state pen for a while on attempted murder charges. Before he was sentenced he gave Joe his stake in the ESW to him, thinking Joe would do the right thing and keep the ESW open and going, but Joe saw dollar signs and turned around and sold his stake in the ESW to Tommy Purr. Steve who has a real short fuse wasn't happy and spent his whole time locked up on how to get his company back and get even with Joe. Both of which hasn't happened yet.
"Just cuz I'm up here doesn't mean I don'tknow what is going on uhm hum yeah. Raven calls. KC calls. Even Steve calls. uhm hmm yeah. No one visits thou. Guess you have that over everyone. Since you be here uhm hmm yeah. You help me finish the car?"
Joe takes the last step up on the porch and glances over to the 68 Fairlane parked in front of the garage. It was the only semi brand new car his Dad bought in his life. He had a real nice run in Japan as a rookie. . He made the trip there with Steve's Dad Jack and found a mask and slapped that bad boy on and hit the ring. He had 4 real good matches impressing everyone who watched his matches. He won none of them but gave good effort for a 17 year old.....who told everyone he was 18. When Jack found out that shit came to a end but a young, real young Green Man was able to cash some real nice checks f and when he got back to the states he made a b line for the nearest Ford Dealership and bought a white 68 Fairlane with a 289. The last 20 years of which Green Man has spent restoring it.
"What do you need to do to it Dad?"
"uhm hmm yeah. Motor is done. 30 over, Eldelbrock heads, RPM intake. Holley pro injection set up yeah purrs like a kitten. Not purr like your queer friend in Vegas yeah."
"Yeah I got that Dad."
Green Man was never politcal correct.
"Transmission is done yeah. Shift kit, Stall convertor. Posi in rear with 4 11 gears yeah. Even got rims for it. uhm hmm yeah. 16's in the front 18's in the rear, Foose wheels yeah."
Joe isn't much of a gear head but he has heard of these terms before, as to what they actually mean thou is a different story.
"LED lights front and rear yeah. Air ride yeah."
"Really? So what do you have left?"
Green Man starts to stand up. His body has been beaten up over the years and the wear and tear has caught up to him these days.
"Drive train is in the garage yeah. Need help putting it in yeah. uhm hmm. Body work is done. I get her running I can have it painted. yeah."
"Well I guess we can do that......You okay?"
It takes a little bit for Green Man to stand up and when he does he is hunched over a tad and leans to the right a bit and needs the aid of a cane to stand.
"Yeah me okay uhm hmm yeah. I's got a fake hip you know."
"You had a hip replacement?"
"Doctor said I had to yeah. Couldn't walk no more yeah. Now I's walk some uhm hmm yeah."
Joe watches as his dad takes a step and it wasn't pretty. "Come on dad." Joe says "Let's get to work."
"Yeah.....time to finsih the car yeah." Green Man makes it to the top of the steps and pauses and looks his son in the eyes. "How come you let Hart win that match yesterday? He's not any good. I beat him. yeah."
Joe has a puzzled look on his face. "How did you know....did you see that match?"
"uhm hmm yeah I watch! I have the dish you know yeah."
Joe is surprised by how much of current events his Dad is aware of. Joe searches for the words. "I huh....I......I don't know Dad."
Green Man jabs Joe in the gut with his elbow. "You know you get a loss yeah, but it was that Aphonic guy who lost that match yeah. Hart....Hart he pin Aphonic. Japan. Hart not pin you. He pin Roach."
"This is true Dad. This is true."
"Hart....uhm hmm yeah. He can't beat you. You know this. He knows this. Time to go for the throat Joey. Time for Hart to man up. Call him out Joey. yeah. You....you getting soft in your old age."
Joe chuckles. "I know."
"You know but you don't do!"
"Okay Dad. Just for you I will call Hart out."
"Yeah don't do for me. Help me put motor in my car. You call out Hart for yourself. yeah."
Joe looks at his dad and smiles. "I plan on doing that. Come on let's get that motor in the car."
Cut to McGhee Tyson airport in Knoxville where Nanook is standing by waiting for Double J to exit the plane. Nanook doesn't know which flight Joe is on but there is only a couple of them from Chicago and he has seen several UWL'ers already. This is the last flight and still he doesn't see Double J but he does see Kip Anderson.
Nanook "KIP!"
Kip looks up as he drags his suitcase behind him.
KA "Oh Hi Nanook! Why weren't you in Chicago. It was a hell of a show. Should have been there."
Nanook "eh....long story. Listen have you seen Joe?"
KA "No. He wasn't on this flight."
Nanook "What? God damn it!"
KA "He hasn't called you?"
Nanook "No. I sent him some messages and no responce from him either. How was he Kip after losing the match?"
KA "You know Nanook. He seemed fine. I saw him laughing and what not after the show. I did talk to him for my blog. He said..."
Kip pulls out his notepad and flips through his notes.
KA "Ah yes here it is. I'm bummed I didn't win and I'm sure I will have to listen to Hart bragging about beating me again but let's look at the fact Kip. He didn't pin me in Toyoko, he pinned Roach. Tonight, while he won he didn't pin me. He pinned Aphonic. So from where I'm sitting he hasn't pinned me since our first match at the April 20th TV taping. He can spin what ever story he wants but the fact is, he can't beat me right now. He's had 2 shots at it and failed each time."
Nanook "Huh? He sounded pretty upbeat there."
KA "You know he took this loss pretty well. Much better than last week. You know Nanook, I think Joe has the big picture in mind. Like they said last night on the telecast, this isn't over with yet."
Nanook "Okay....But I wonder where he is thou."
KA "I can't help you there."
Nanook "Great."
Fade from the airport with Nanook firing off another text wonder where in the hell Double J has gone too.
It's a calm cool night in northern Vermont and the moon is big and bright in the sky. You can hear peepers and a owl in the back ground as the camera pans down from the moon lite sky to reveal Double J Joe Jones standing in the field at his Dads. The old junk cars are in the background hiding in the shadows at night that the moon is casting.
"The road to the Coronation cup kicks off this week. With Windy City Navigation still fresh behind us. With Caleb Hart keeping the TV title by the skin of his teeth and with new Tag Team and a World Champion, we begin down the path of "greatness". Or so I have been told."
Joe blinks and glances to the right for a second and looks back down at the camera.
"Everyone is like, oh my god it's cup time! I'm going to bust my ass and steamroll everyone on the way to the Coronation Cup. To win the Cup....it will cement my legacy in the UWL. But do you know what I think?"
Double J shrugs.
"I don't care. The Coronation Cup, let's face it. It isn't the Stanely Cup. Hell It's not the World Cup. I view the cup like I would view the Key to the city. Just what the F*** is it and why should I give a rats ass about it? Now...."
Joe snickers
"I'm sure my first opponent on the path towards the Coronation Cup, Troy Vincent will come out here and he will yap his gums about how much this means to him and how he deserves to win this cup and how much honor he will pestow onto the cup. I'm sure the all mighty Troy Vincent, The Troy Vincent who had a dream, a dream of being the next great UWL TV champion only to cave to peer pressure into giving up that dream, I'm sure Troy will have some words on how I feel about the Cup. I'm sure he will say something like, Joe how dare you disrespect the cup like this. How dare you view the Coronation Cup as a common item that is worthless! Double J! How Dare you! Maybe I'll get lucky and Troy Vincent....will put his hands on his hips, lean forward a touch and shake his head like Jennifer Aniston on Friends when she was fighting with Ross. That's about the only thing that will get me to give two F***s about Troy...."
Joe pauses as if saying his name is giving him dry mouth.
"Vincent. Couple of week ago Troy......when I said you were the type of guy I could like and root for. I meant it! After all what is there not to like about....Troy Vincent. Hard Worker. Good looking. Driven young man who not only believed in himself but believed he could accomplish anything he set his mind too. While a entire federation was standing on any soap box they could find and say "Troy Vincent is too damn good for the TV title!" I was the only guy who had the SACK to say, NO TROY! GO FOR IT! YOU WANT THAT TV TITLE....GO GET IT!!!!"
Double J sporting a scowl now spits before taking a drink of water from one of his Dickie Sippy cups.
"Troy Vincent......the man who is haunted by the fact that he was SO good that his first title he won in the UWL just happened to be the World title......BOWED to peer pressure and gave up on his dream of being a Grand Slam Champion. And with that, Troy! I lost all respect for you. Now when I see you I see a souless empty paper cup who will do what he is told to do, who doesn't have any convinctions and beliefs in himself. You Troy, should know what it means....To have a dream. There was a man who dared to stand up in front of the public, in front of not only his supporters but his distractors and declare he had a dream! He was the stick that stired the pot! MLK changed shit. MLK Got shit done! But you Troy.....tucked tail and ran away from you dream. You went from I want to be a Grand Slam Champion and I was the only motherF***er cheering you on to, OH well "I Guess I'm battling who ever for the World title." Because? What you broke through some f*cking magical glass ceiling? A story some mid card guys tell themselves as to why they can't grab the world by the balls and be the leader of their own destinty?"
Double J rubs his chin thinking about his next words.
"You might have gotten the best of me last time Troy. But the Double J you faced a couple of weeks ago and the guy who stands here now are two entirely different people. I see the errors of my way. I see where I fell of the tracks and I have corrected them. I got caught up in shit that had nothing....NOTHING to do with me. I'm here in the UWL to add to my legacy, to add to the legend that is Double J and battling the Grey in a pointless pissing contest that did nothing for me. It brought me no value at all. I..."
Holds up his hand in front of him, the "knife edge" of his hand pointed towards the camera.
"Am only here for myself. I am only going to do shit that benifits me! And winning the Coronation cup.....ain't it. But bitch slapping the mighty Troy Vincent...."
Joe crackes his knuckles and holds his fist in his hand.
"Now that is something I can get into. That's a title I can get into. That's a title I want and that's a title I will win. Say what you want about the cup Troy, I could care less, BUT! Winning that damn thing is going to be a tough haul for you when you start this tournament down 0-1."
The camera pans back up to the moon as Joe walks away chuckling.
FTB.