The drive from Baltimore to Boston has been a long, lonely one thus far. Ken Davison sprinted out of the house shortly before two in the morning, leaving everything without a second thought. He wished he had asked Kyra to pack up and bring Adina so he’d have some company, but the situation was not a pleasant one. Now, just after six in the morning, Ken rolls up to The Shack, a small not too far out of the way breakfast nook in East Lyme, Connecticut. He should not have gotten there for about another hour, however, time was of the essence. In fact, the only reason he had stopped was because his sugar was low and his vision was blurry.

He enters the restaurant and after being seated, takes out his phone and immediately begins looking at his messages. Before he can get to them, the waitress comes up to the table.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

Ken wasn’t even looking at the waitress or the menu. He looks up to be polite, but isn’t really taking much in.

“I know what I want. Can I have two eggs over easy with two sides of bacon, rye toast and a cup of coffee with three Splenda if you have it. If not, any sugar substitute is fine.”

Ken hands the menu to the waitress, making the briefest of eye contact so as not to be rude. Ken read his messages and ate in silence. The weight of the world felt like it was on his shoulder. At a time when he should have been taking care of himself, he was trying to take care of everyone else.

His meal arrives and he eats it quickly, barely spending any time to bother chewing his food, or even tasting it. The toast disappeared first, with Ken figuring the carbs were the most needed component of the meal. That was soon followed by the eggs and then the bacon. He washed it down with the coffee and was quickly on his way. He drops a twenty on the table and heads outside, pulling out his keys and sticking them in the ignition. He goes to turn the key when his phone begins to ring.

“AAaahhhh, French Vanilla, Rocky Road, Chocola-” Tag Team doesn’t get the chance to finish their jingle as Ken answers his phone.

“Hello.”

“Bro, where are you?” It was Ken’s brother Sean on the line. He sounded frantic.

“I’m in Connecticut at the Niantic exit. My sugar dropped so I had to eat. I’m about 2 hours away, so the way I drive, closer to an hour and a half.”

“The sooner you get here, the better. They made the decision to pull the plug. But Ma wouldn’t let them until you got here.”

“Fuck. Okay. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

“Be safe, man. They don’t offer family discounts.”

Humor was one of Sean’s coping mechanisms. Now wasn’t really the time for that, but Ken wasn’t about to give his brother any shit for it. 

“I will. Let me go, I’m in the parking lot and want to get out of here.”

“Love you, bro. See you in a bit.”

Ken hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath. He turns the keys in the ignition and gets back on I-95 North, heading to Boston. This is a moment that he was NOT prepared for. As he drove, he remembered the fateful night he met his father. It was also the night he met the only woman, outside of Kyra Johnson, that he would ever love. He remembers this night as though it were yesterday. Rain was falling from the heavens, lightning was crashing and thunder was clapping outside. Though in the present, Ken is transported to that memory, reliving it again. In his mind, fifteen year Ken begins to come to. He is cold, scared and drenched to the bone.

“Here, let me help you.”

“Where am I?”

That was an interesting question indeed. Young Ken Davison was a child of the streets. Son of an absentee father and an alcoholic mother, Davison fled home when he was 12. Living on the streets, life was never easy. Though he spent most of his days in the library, educating himself to compensate for his lack of formal education, he spent his nights searching for food. Though it was not his usual routine to break into houses to steal food, he saw an open window and felt the pangs of hunger and could not resist. That night, he never got to the food, he passed out from exhaustion on the kitchen floor below the open window. As he awoke, there was a young girl, no more than a year his junior, covering him with a warm blanket.

“I don’t want you getting all wet.”

He answered hesitantly. He looked around, confused by his surroundings. The girl’s parents stood in the doorway, but the only thing he could focus on was her.

“Thank… you… What’s your name?”

“Crystal…. who are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?”

Her tone was not that of fear or anger, rather it was more a tone of kindness and curiosity.

“Do you want the truth or a happy lie?”

“Truth.”

“Ken… I guess I can’t lie, I was looking for food.”

“Don’t your parents feed you?”

“No, my parents don’t even know I’m alive. Dad left and mom’s a drunk. I’ve been on my own for about two years.”

Crystal’s mother at that point walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a sandwich, and hands it to Crystal. She, in turn, hands it to Ken. Ken is still completely overwhelmed, but at this point, he’s going to answer all of their questions. He has nothing to lose since he’s expecting to go to juvie anyway.

“Really you don’t have to…. Really you didn’t have to do that for me. Please, just don’t call the cops. That’s all I’m asking.”

It was a desperate plea.

“Why would we do that if we haven’t already?”

“But I broke into your house…”

Just then, Crystal’s father interrupts.

“So we’ve noticed. Today happens to be your lucky day, son. Go hop in the shower, I’ll loan you some clean pants and a shirt for the night. They might be big, but they’re clean. You can sleep on the couch. We’ll discuss everything else in the morning.”

Crystal looks up at Ken again. It would be an interesting start to the best and worst days of Davison’s life. She would follow Davison into the world of professional wrestling, but that is another story for another time. Right now, all Ken could think about how that man changed his life.

Robert Murante opened up his home to Ken. He gave him things in his life he had never had, such as stability, love, and a sense of belonging. For thirty years, he had been the only father Ken had ever known, and soon, that was coming to an end. Robert had stood by him as Ken had studied for his GED, allowing him to “graduate” early. He had stood by Ken as he started working as soon as he could to pull his weight in the household. He had stood by him as he trained to become a professional wrestler.  He had stood by Ken through the death of Ken’s fiancee, his own daughter Crystal. He had stood by Ken after his heart attack two years ago. Robert Murante had stood by Ken during each and every major moment in Ken’s life. In fact, it was he who told Ken to let go of Crystal’s ghost and be happy with Kyra. Now, it was Ken’s turn to stand by him in his final moments. The time and the miles passed quickly, with Ken speeding down I-95 with the grace and ferocity of a leopard on the hunt. Before he realizes it, he is pulling onto the parking lot of South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He looks down at his phone one more time and sees a message from Kyra.

Ken turns off his phone and shoves it in his pocket. He gets out of his car and locks it up, marching militantly towards the building. He stops just outside of the automatic doors, breaking down as the reality of the situation really hits him: his father is dying. It’s funny how someone can hear something and not rationalize it in it’s immediacy. When Ken got the call last night, he just knew that his family needed him and that was enough for him to get in the car and go. He hadn’t packed. He told Kyra what was going on and left. A year ago, with how cold and detached from his feelings as he was, Ken would have taken this a lot differently. A year ago, he was by himself. Now, it wasn’t just saying goodbye. It was things like ‘would he approve of Kyra?’ and ‘Dad won’t ever get to meet Adina. Before, it would have felt like his world was collapsing around him. Now, it felt like the entire universe.

Ken uses his sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes and tries to collect himself. He is finally able to get himself together enough to go inside. He marches up to the front desk.

“I’m here to see Robert Murante. He’s in ICU.”

“Your name, sir?”

“Kenneth Davison”

“I’m sorry, only the immediate family is allowed to be with patients in ICU at this time.”

“Listen, I don’t want to be that guy, but I don’t have time to deal with this crap. I’m his stepson. Call down and ask my brother or my mother. I understand that you have your protocols, but please talk to whomever it is you need to speak with and get my ass down there, please.”

Even without seeing his face under his mask, the fact that she was pretty much being commanded and not asked indicated the urgency of the situation. Ken had tried to polite, but if he wasn’t, tough shit.

“One moment, sir.”

Ken started by pacing back and forth. When he finished with that, he leaned on the counter, tapping it repeatedly with his finger. It was as though each and every single one of his hyperactive behaviors were going off at the same time. A minute later, the nurse returns.

“Sir, I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Your brother is coming up to get you now. If you like, you can sit over in the waiting area to your left.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Ken walks over and sits down. His leg begins shaking up and down, almost uncontrollably.  NOW it was every one of his hyperactive behaviors. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like hours. Finally, Ken’s stepbrother Sean steps off of a nearby elevator and walks over. He gets up and hugs him warmly. The two look nothing alike, as Sean stands a good half a foot taller than Ken and has shoulder length blonde hair. 

“It’s been too long, bro.”

“It’s always too long. So, what happened. I talked to him four days ago and he was fine. He told me he was over this COVID bullshit and they were transporting him to a long term rehab facility the next day.”

“Well, he was all set for that. Then the doctors went over all the vitals and everything and they felt he wasn’t strong enough. He had a panic attack. That, along with the damage his lungs suffered from having COVID and it was too much. He stopped breathing on his own, he’s been on a ventilator for the last three days.”

“But, it happened so quickly. Wasn’t there any warning signs or anything?”

“Unfortunately not. He spiked a 101 fever last night and that made things worse. There is nothing we can do now.”

“I should have been here. I shouldn’t be so far away.”

“No, you are right where you belong. Seeing how happy you are now, after 23, 24 years of you being a bitter, angry dick to everyone, you made the right choice. Dad was proud of you. He always appreciated the way you loved Crystal. But there had to be a time you moved on and found happiness somewhere else. No one figured it would take as long  as it did, but Kyra is good for you. I hear it when we talk on the phone. We see it when the two of you are on television. She’s your person. It’s just like me and Julia. When that whole thing started, who would have ever thought we’d be married for 12 years and have four kids? Here we are still going strong. You’ve got that now, and Dad didn’t care if you were six hours or six thousand miles away. You’re always here when it matters and you are happy.”

“Why do you keep reminding me how much of a dick I used to be?”

“Because you were, dude.”

“I’m supposed to have a match on Monday. Do you need me to take the week off? I should be here.”

“Nah, man. You’re here now, the dudes at the funeral home said the service wouldn’t be until Tuesday at the earliest. You hop a red eye after your show and you’ll be fine. It wouldn’t be until four in the evening anyway.”

“How do you have all this figured out already?”

“Dad has had everything planned out for years. After the service, he’ll be cremated then they will bring him down to the military cemetery in Wrightstown.”

“In Jersey?”

“Yeah, it’s where he grew up.”

“Just tell me when. I’ll be there.”

Sean clasps his hand on Ken’s shoulder.

“I know, brother. I know. I think we should get down there.”

“Who’s there?”

“Aunt Jane, Uncle Harry, Aunt  our cousin Amy and Mom.”

The two make their way down towards the intensive care unit. Once outside the door, they check with the desk nurse who verifies they are on the list before letting them in. They walk a few doors down and quietly walk into the room. The family all rise their feet and gather around Ken in a giant group hug. There’s a lot of ‘I’m so sorry’ being said. Ken doesn’t get a chance to get situated before the doctor comes in.

“I’m sorry. We can’t wait any longer.”

Ken walks over to his father and takes his hand.

“I just need a minute. I just got here and need to say my goodbyes.”

“I can only give you a minute or two. I don’t want to be insensitive, but please be quick.”

The doctor quietly exits as the rest of the family gather their belongings.

“Hey, Dad. I… uh…” Ken can’t get much out before he becomes choked up, crying and stammering. “I just wanted to say thank you… thank you for everything. You came into my life and stepped up when you didn’t have to. You accepted me as one of you own and I will never, ever forget that. I just want you to know that I am going to do that for Adina because if I can be half the father that you were to me, I know I will do an amazing job.”

The family begins to exit as Ken squeezes his father’s hand one last time.

“Thank you. I love you.” he whispers as the doctor steps back in. “Mom, are you going to be okay?”

“Eventually. He was the love of my life. All I can do now is salute the greatest sailor who ever lived, the best, smooth sailing… my Love and I know he will come back for me someday.”

Ken gives his mother a quick hug before stepping out of the room.

 

“Godly” Ken Davison sits before the camera, wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of old, beat up camouflage pants. In front of him, the ocean waves crash along the shore while he looks out into the distance.

“Travis Pierce, you are a very well known commodity around these parts. I know that I might not be known that well around here… at least, not yet, however, that is going to change. That gives me certain advantages if you aren’t willing to follow through with your due diligence. If you are going to actually do something other than resting on your laurels and trying to lampoon me because that’s your schtick, you are going to discover something. I won’t tell you because, fuck me, I’m not making your job any easier. Meanwhile, you being the known commodity that you are, are the most predictable thing I have seen in the business in quite awhile.”

“The differences between Travis Pierce and I could not be any clearer. Yet, I see so many similarities between the man he is today and the man I was 20 years ago. The issue here is that I am not that man today, I am a man that has learned from my mistakes and one of those mistakes is the very thing that Pierce enjoys doing the most. That’s all well and good, T-rav. I’m completely ready for you to walk in here and take me lightly, just as you have made a career doing.”

Davison rises to his feet, taking a brief moment to wipe the sand off of his pants with his left hand.

“Now, I’m gonna go easy on you this week, boy. I’m not gonna worry about what you’re gonna say, how you’re going to say it, or how piercing your truth is. What separates you and I is that unlike you, I am not doing this for myself. I am doing this because I’ve already gone through my career and earned all the accolades that I feel that I need.”

“I have done everything I have ever wanted in my career. I have won world championships. I have won numerous other titles around the globe.That doesn’t matter to me anymore. What matters to me is not even whether I win or lose, what matters to me is how I handle my business. Part of that, admittedly, is my desire to hold the Cooperative Championship with Kyra.”

“This match isn’t about me. I just lost my father. This match is about him. This match is about taking everything he taught me about wrestling, about being a man, and using it against you, Pierce.”

“I’ve made it perfectly clear that my intentions are to win your conquest championship so that I can use that to leverage my way into what I want and what I mean. My family means everything to me and if that means I have to take and steal from others I will. And that, Travis, is the piercing truth.”

Davison walks off and the picture fades to black.