Strange Things Afoot

It's been a week since her last match and while overall things have been alright with her, anytime Kelly noticed or was asked about wrestling in any way shape or form she would try to avoid it/get the topic changed asap and not give it thought, including not going to her training classes. Luckily Wes helped pick up the slack, as well as Jesse, but this was becoming more alarming with each passing moment. Not long after arriving back home, Wes put in a call to Alaina and asked her if she could come down at some point and talk with her as he doubted this was something that could pass up on her own. While he didn't hear back at that exact moment he told her to come down whenever she could find the time and it wouldn't be a problem. As Kelly sat watching TV one afternoon and Wes was doing some minor house work, he wondered if he should give Alaina another call to see if there's any update on her end.

As he gave it some more thought there was a knock on the door. Since he was near by he answered it.

Alaina was outside, bundled up. Southern California and Canada were very different places. A few people looked at her like she escaped an asylum, if only she could tell them it was just way cooler out for this time of year than it was supposed to be.

She stood in front of Kelly's house, knocking. She was not in Canada long at all, she flew in today and was flying back out later. However she was worried about Kelly just like everyone else. After a moment Wes answered and Alaina smiled. "Hey, how are you doing?" She asked with a smile and pleasant tone.

Now all they could do was hope they got through to Kelly. Alaina wasn't trying to convince her to do anything one way or another but she had to come to terms with whatever was bugging her.

She was a sight for sore eyes, and her timing was impeccable. "Much better now that you're here." He tells her to come in and runs down what's happened since they've been back. Before he began talking though he peeks outside for a moment before telling her "Oh it's not that cold."

In addition to that he mentions she's been alright otherwise as far as he can tell. Her personal upkeep hasn't changed, for if it that happened things would be far more serious than how they were now, however he wondered if there was a chance of that happening. He hasn't been able to get an answer out of her, for sometime now he hasn't attempted to bring it up around her. With Alaina here maybe she can get an answer out her.

Alaina walked in and listened to Wes as he filled her in. While Alaina was a bit worried, she didn't have the same level of worry as everyone else did. In her mind Kelly just needed to figure out if retirement was right for her or not. If retiring is wha Kelly felt was right, then so be it. However the half hearted matches and such in the ring weren't her.

"Hey Kelly how have you been? What's new?" Alaina asked with a smile as she approached, more eager to listen to what Kelly said than anything.

She was about to answer when she turned to notice who was talking. She looked surprised to see that it was Alaina. "I'm alr, Alaina? What are you doing here?" She wasn't against Alaina being there, but this visit did feel unexpected and she couldn't remember the last time they spoke outside of the ring, if at all. "Erhm, nothing much really, just taking it easy. You?"

Wes had a feeling their might be some confusion on his wife's part seeing Alaina there, so Kelly response wasn't concerning. Kelly knew who Alaina was, so her memory appeared to be unaffected by things as far as he could see.

Alaina nodded as she spoke and smiled. Now came the hard part. She decided that dancing around the topic was a waste so when she spoke she was straight to the point. "I saw a couple of your matches lately, including the match against Peggy. You just hit her hard then left the ring like she wasn't worth your time or something. Like, what was going through your mind when you did that?" Alaina asked as she looked Kelly in the eye.

"Were you not into it? Did you just not care? I mean, you know how it makes her feel being so young and having someone walk out like she isn't even worth the effort to pin her..."

Part of her wanted to tell Alaina to get out for bringing it up, but Kelly knew she couldn’t avoid this forever. She let Alaina finish before attempting to process an answer. After a moment or so of giving it thought she sighed. Wes watched on from a distance. He saw the look on his wife’s face before and after she let out a sigh, feeling if anything followed after that could be a rant of biblical proportions. Though at this point he wouldn’t be surprised if nothing followed.

Kelly was in deep thought, and the more she was thinking of it, the more upset she looked. She turned towards Alaina and asked her “Do you know what it’s like? Do you know the feeling of building your entire life towards something, literally giving your blood, sweat, and tears, give every moment of your very existence to something, just for someone to one day take a gigantic shit all over it is? I’ve wrestled in Japan many times before I heard of that company. It paid so I went. Did a few things there, came home, didn’t think much of it. Got hurt as you know, was out for a while, got called back, but I realized something.” She paused before continuing. “This ain’t no wrestling company…It’s a complete joke.”

Wes paid attention to what Kelly was saying, and it sounded like the source of her troubles was coming out.

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of great talent there. You’re there, the UKE is there, my son and daughter-in-law’s there, and many more so I’d be a while if I were to name them all. But lately I’ve been wondering what their main objective is. I’ve seen a number of great bouts, which in seeing makes me feel younger and more eager to get back out there, but lately the garbage they spew makes me question my very existence and make me wonder if my whole life up to now has been wasted. I get it some of the things they do here are sketchy and kinda weird, and while I can look past some of it. I admit every now and then I wonder how much longer I can still go, and sometimes that makes things difficult for me to function and think clearly. But while I was trying to shake off that episode I noticed the card for a little event called Avalanche.”

Wes moved a little bit closer as his wife continued.

“So they decide to have an event in Canada. Didn’t get called for it, no big deal. I looked into it some more, see who was facing who, then I came across something advertised as…what was it now…oh yeah, a facesit elimination chamber match. What in the bloody fuck is that? Whose retarded idea was it? Even better, how high were the people who bought into that? I know you were booked for that event and while it was my intent to watch, I tried to stomach some of the monstrosity that was scheduled before your match, but the more I looked at the structure they created and displayed in the country I call home, in the very area I’ve bled in and given my all to people to love and respect the sport of professional wrestling, to see what I did made me violently ill. I do not hate those who were involved with the match, but I wonder what they were trying to prove being in that one. You look at the rest of the card, you included, take some of the guys and gals on Tension…I CANNOT UNSEE WHAT I SAW! I could only imagine what would happen if they say took the UKE faction, my son and daughter-in-law’s group, you, and Clyde Gastin, and put them in something like that or something more smutty and dishonorable? I just listed a small handful of people who in my opinion give a shit about this sport and treat it with the proper level of respect it deserves while they seek their own respective greatness. If that were to happen my heart could not take anymore and I’d see that there is nothing more for me to do than end it. I’ve tried to live a life outside of wrestling, and I can’t do that. But no matter what I do and try not to think of it, I can’t help but think of all that is wrong with wrestling and wonder when the IQ of everyone else around the world drops to zero and that becomes the main thing associated with it, having it be one pimped out freak show and those that have put in their time are thrown to the gutter and forgotten about. This isn’t about having gold around my waist or swimming in a pool full of money. I never went there with the intent of achieving either. If it happened then cool I’d run with it, but god damn it, what does someone like me do when the sport that was once realer than life itself and when one dies they move up to the big ring in the sky, is now treading down the path of facing an eternity of damnation?...And those who that I mentioned and many others who have done good are labeled as monsters for being associated with the rest?”

She continues but her words become difficult to pick out as she’s feeling choked up and bawling.

Alaina had no idea how long Kelly was keeping that bottled up. Alaina nodded along and agreed whole heartedly. She loved trying to be the best wrestler and saw it an an athletic contest. Sure she shows off her figure and played to the crowd a bit but she never got involved with that crazy sex stuff. I appalled her. Kelly quite obviously felt the same way.

"I couldn't agree more. However the fans and people out there are smart enough to tell a wrestler trying to be the best apart from a two bit hooked parading around a wrestling ring. A place they don't belong." Alaina daid trying to reassure Kelly. "Aside from a couple weirdo women on the roster Friction is full of great wrestling talent. Yeah being associated with that crap non-match sucked. That is why I went out and tried even harder. Did I fail in the end? Yeah. Yeah I did, I lost my title." Alaina said nodding and staying silent for a second. "But I won't let that stop me,
no way."

Before Alaina spoke Wes moved in closer and Kelly latched on to him, letting all out that she could. He whispered to Alaina "Give her a moment." Said moment took a bit though as she had a lot built up. When she finally lifted herself up from Wes, who looks like he should change into a drier shirt, Kelly heard what Alaina had to say. She gave Alaina a blank stare for a moment before responding with an unsure sounding "O,K?" To which she then asked "And that changes things how?" She wasn't trying to sound rude or like a smart ass, but she wasn't sure with what Alaina said is to improve how she feels.

Wes had a feeling the if Kelly were to get back on track it might be a long and bumpy road, for from the sound of it might take a little bit more to get her to think clearly. However now that all of it was out there the road to recovery can begin. He hoped Alaina could help kick-start Kelly in the righ direction before she decides to leave, whenever that is.

Alaina looked at Kelly and shrugged. "It doesn't change anything. You just have to worry about you, and if things around you are just.. I dunno.. like, you just can't worry about every little thing in AFW. I don't. No one is going to associate you with any of that stuff. No one. However nothing I can say or do will change anything. You are the one who needs to figure out for yourself what is the best thing for you to do plain and simple."

Alaina sat back and hoped Kelly would just listen to what she said and take it in. Hopefully that would have some sort of effect and help the veteran out.