Family

Narrator: Happy Thanksgiving people. We are mere days away from Lewis Chad Pinkston facing off with El Landerson, and we are here in lovely Tennessee. Lewis’ wife Ophelia Pain-Pinkston has been cooking and prepping for this day for seemingly weeks and yet now on this day. The day she has been on record as saying.

Ophelia: If this day isn’t perfect I’m going to cut someone!

Narrator: So needless to say Lewis has been on his best behavior.

Lewis and Bhourbon Rose are seen sitting in the living room. The sun has barely come up over the horizon. Lewis’ head leans on the back of the couch, fading in and out of sleep. Bhourbon sits beside him legs crossed flipping pages in a magazine.

Lewis: Okay I get that she wants this day to be perfect, but why the hell do I have to be awake?

Bhourbon: I bet she wants you to offer some help.

Lewis: Nah that can’t be it. She knows I’m not handy in the kitchen. Like the last time I used the air fryer…

Bhourbon: Yes I know. You almost set the house on fire and Mo had to save the house.

Lewis: How was I supposed to know that the numbers on the front were a time and not the power?

Bhourbon: Common sense.

Lewis looks at Bhourbon with a confused look.

Bhourbon: Never mind.

Lewis: I should be concentrating on Landon Donovan.

Bhourbon: Who?

Lewis: The guy I’m facing this week.

Bhourbon: That’s El Landerson.

Lewis: So I’m not facing USA Men’s Soccer team Great, Landon Donovan?

Bhourbon: Nope.

Lewis: Well then where the hell did I get that from?

Bhourbon: Who knows. You were playing FIFA last night.

Lewis: Yeah that’s probably it.

There was some rattling in the kitchen, and some muffled curses. Lewis looks over at Bhourbon. And they both quickly put a finger to their nose. Lewis just a hair later than Bhourbon.

Lewis: Fuck!

Bhourbon: You’re up slugger.

Lewis mocks Bhourbon like a child and then glances towards the kitchen. A loud crash follows. Lewis quickly begins to search the table. Scattering papers and everything around before grabbing a joint off the table.

Lewis: If I’m going in there… I’m bringing gifts.

Bhourbon: I wouldn’t if I were you.

Lewis waves off Bhourbon and stands up from the couch. He takes a deep breath, nods and heads towards the kitchen. Lewis gets to the doorway and leans around the corner and sees Ophelia bent over in the oven.

Narrator: Ophelia has been nothing but a shining light in Lewis’ life. Since the first time he came down to Tennessee it was like he was under a spell. One that even if he could break, he wouldn’t want to. She has been his number one supporter in his quest in the wrestling industry. Lewis always feels as if he’s letting her down every time he walks out to the ring and comes back a loser. Honestly, to me….

Lewis walks into the kitchen and hops up on the counter next to Ophelia. He reaches down and slaps her butt. She bangs her head on the top of the stove.

Ophelia: You better have a good reason to be bothering me right now.

Lewis: Pheely, love. You need to relax.

Clearly exasperated and stressed snarls at Lewis.

Ophelia: Relax?!? You want me to relax? Lewis, I’ve been running around ragged for the past week trying to make everything perfect. Trying to make sure everyone is accommodated for. I have to plan for people who may or may not show up. I have to plan for fights. I have to make sure that the food is perfect. And what have you been doing to help?

Lewis:……

Ophelia: Exactly. You sit around the house, smoking weed, playing games and trying to get in my pants at every opportunity. So you want me to relax? Help. Help with something.

Lewis:……

Ophelia: Exactly. Lew, I absolutely love you, but what I need from you right now is to get out of the kitchen and just let me finish so that maybe I’ll have something presentable for our friends and family.

Lewis: Uhhhh.

Ophelia: Just go play games or something.

Lewis: You didn’t invite my parents.

Ophelia: Of course I did.

Lewis: Nope. Talked to them yesterday asking when their flight got in.

Ophelia: No. I remember inviting them.

Lewis: I’m telling you, you didn’t.

Ophelia: Well fly them out today.

Lewis: Tried that last night after you went to bed. They already made plans. You know they were looking forward to meeting Walt, Tily and even Mo.

Ophelia: I’m sorry, it must’ve gotten lost in the shuffle. I’ve been so busy.

Lewis: I know. We will just celebrate with your family.

Ophelia: Lew…..

Lewis: It’s okay. I’m just gonna take a walk. I’ll be back for dinner. Promise I won’t be late.

Narrator: Lewis promptly left the kitchen and the house. He didn’t say goodbye to Bhourbon, or anyone else for that fact. See there’s one thing you need to know about Lewis. He loves his family. To him it’s all he ever had growing up. Being the social pariah. Not knowing when to shut his mouth, it made making friends… the least to say, difficult. Still is.

Lewis has been out of the house for a few hours as the sun sits high in the air. On the dock of a secluded marsh in the back of the property his feet dangle off the edge, skimming the top of the water. He pulls out his phone and opens the notes app.

Lewis: After a few training sessions with James Raven,the first notes I took. He said ‘Lewis, you don’t look like much so you’re going to have to kill them with your words, stop being the nice lovable guy. Start being the nice guy that can turn you on your side, and do so with a smile’. Honestly I have got to work on getting the notes shorter, but if I don’t write them all out at least once I’ll forget. So let’s put a little bit of this to the test.

Lewis pulls his feet up onto the dock and sits cross legged.

Lewis: Lew, you’re not good at this. You’re a joke. You shouldn’t be here. Why are you here? Do you even want to be here? Where did my pants go? That’s all I hear on a daily basis. Over and over again. Ad nauseam. Like it’s an iPod shuffle with Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” as the only song on there. Sure it’s fine, and a perfectly okay song, but it’s not what you want to hear constantly. It’s amazing how you’ve lasted this no Lando Calrissian. That’s all you hear. It must be tiring.

Lewis stands up from the dock and folds his arms behind his back.

Lewis: For someone to have been doing this as long as you have, it’s a testament to your drive. To your unwavering ability to block out all the nonsense. Yet, at a certain point you’ve got to start believing them right? A moment of doubt here. A question of your own ability there. Maybe it’s your drive that makes it all worth it? Maybe you see all these so-called haters and want to prove them wrong. Yet you haven’t. You want them to see you for what you are.

Picking up a rock and Lewis holds it out over the marsh.

Lewis: Well Land Rover, maybe you should take all your guts, determination, and family… and just use your drive and drive off a fucking cliff!

The rock falls from Lewis’ and splashed into the murky water below.

Lewis: When I get told I’m not good enough, I have an excuse. I’ve only been doing this for a few months, what’s yours? Never changing. Never adapting. Never progressing. Listen Brady Landerson, when we stand face to groin in the middle of the ring, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to…..

Lewis is interrupted by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. When he pulls it out, there’s a text from Ophelia.

❤️Pheely❤️
Lew, I’m sorry. Please come back to the house. Guests have started to arrive and I need your help.

Lewis quickly types up a response and then places the phone back into his pocket.

Lewis: Well I wish I could sit here and rip on you for hours, but little mistakes like not inviting my parents isn’t going to stop me from loving and supporting my wife. Plus… there’s always Christmas.

Lewis begins to walk back towards the house.

Narrator: And that was that. Lewis went back to the house, helped Ophelia with the guests and had a wonderful evening. No matter what, Lewis had his family. Whether you like the way they came together or not, it doesn’t matter to Lewis. The only person he needs to make happy is his beautiful Vixen. And that’s what he’s going to do.

Fade To Black