Post by Nicole Evans on Jun 11, 2016 20:47:49 GMT -6
“The time you spend grieving over a man should never exceed the amount of time you actually spent with him.” - Rita Rudner
When my father passed away, he promised me that he will always be with me through the good times and the bad. I miss him dearly, of course I do. But I owe it to him, and myself, to carry on with my life and continue to make him proud - like I always have. Rather than grieving his death, I should be celebrating his life. Fate of the Gods II is VoW’s most important night of the year… but it’s the most important night of my entire life. Daddy, this one’s for you!
~ June 13th, 2012
~ The Evans’ Family Home
~ Worcester, England
I shouldn’t be so terrified about walking into the house where I spent my entire childhood… but I am. What’s wrong? Why am I almost frozen in fear? Well, it’s not something that’s easy to explain; and I don’t particularly want to talk about it, either. Besides, it’d be FAR more effective if I just showed you.
I walk through the front door, shivering in fear. I gulp as I step into the hallway - at least the ceiling is as high as I remember it, I think to myself. Living several hours away in London, I know it must be important if I’m being hauled away at such short notice. Coat on hook, shoes off. I don’t technically HAVE to follow such a procedure, but I did it as a child… and I have a feeling that today, I’ll be a child through those eyes for the last time.
“You go first, honey. Upstairs.” It’s a rather strange greeting from my mother, especially as I walk into a filled living room. Her eyes are red raw, her voice rasping as she speaks. Using her index finger, she directs me towards the staircase through the opened doorway. I hesitate. The butterflies in my stomach increase tenfold. Each step I take feels like a mile, each floorboard creaking as I step over it. I place my hand on the banister and let out a deep puff, placing my left foot onto the bottom step. ‘Come on, Nicole’, I tell myself as I slowly make my way upto the second floor.
“Father?”, I ask as I reach the doorway. I peer my head round and into the room, where he lays bed-ridden. He slowly sits up, clearly in a lot of pain. “I got here as quickly as I could!”, I add in horror.
“Nicole, come here my girl.” He signals for me to approach his bedside, and all circumstances considered I’m not going to argue - which makes a change. I walk over to his diminishing body and take a seat on the chair next to him. He places his fingers into my palm and stares into my emerald green eyes.
“I cannot express just how relieved your mother and I were when you were born.” I look at him in confusion. Relieved? Why? “We’ve never told anybody this, but doctors diagnosed me as infertile. Three years we spent trying for a child, despite being told ‘it will never happen.’ Then, a miracle happened. Your mother got pregnant. We didn’t believe it. ‘Is this some kind of sick joke?’, I thought. All the signs pointed towards a phantom pregnancy - but it wasn’t. Nine months later, and out popped a beautiful baby girl. We called her Nicole because, despite all the odds, we were ‘victorious people’.”
He smiles, fondly remembering his proudest moment. I never realised just how much I mean to my parents. “Our baby was born healthy. All those years of heartbreak and disappointment was worth it. The greatest triumph of my life - far greater than any of those I achieved in wrestling. I may not have gotten a son to play football with, but daddy got a little girl - and I couldn’t be happier!”
Tears begin to fall from my eyes and over my cheeks, like a stream over boulders. If I had makeup on, I’d for sure have a blotch of eyeliner under my eyelashes. “I’ve watched her grow up into a beautiful young woman; I’ve seen her marry; I’ve seen her divorce. I’ve seen her make mistakes, but she’s always came out the other end stronger. She’s become a woman that I’m proud to call my daughter!”
“Dad. please”, I exclaim as I wipe the tears from my eyes. He smiles at me, pulling my hand to his lips and kissing it. “Nicole Amanda Evans, you are the best daughter I could ever wish for. Thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. You’ve brightened up my life, and the lives of everybody around you.”
I jump out of the chair and drop to my knees, pulling myself in closer to my father. I lay my head down on the mattress, and he begins to run his fingers through my soft, black hair. “Father, you can’t leave us. I need you! Please!” I begin sobbing uncontrollably, not prepared to allow my father’s life to end. Not this soon.
“I’ll always be exactly where I am right now, Nicole: by your side. I’ll always be watching over you, proud. The only difference is, I won’t physically be there. You won’t see me, you won’t hear me - but you’ll know I’m there. Through the good times and the bad, I’ll be there in spirit - and you’ll know I’m there!”
“Promise?”, I mutter, all choked up and emotional. The lump in my throat grows larger, causing some breathing difficulties. “Of course, honey… but you need to promise me something in return!” He smiles at me, stroking the back of my hand gently. “Promise me that you won’t grieve over my death; rather, celebrate my life. More importantly, celebrate YOUR life. Life is sacred, so make the most of it. I did!”
I wipe more tears from my eye, sniffing through my nose. “Of course I will. I promise!” I rasp, the harsh sound a result of me being an emotional wreck. “It’s the least I can do!” My father grins widely, letting go of my hand. “Now go on, go. Remember our promises to each other!” I lean in closely, planting one final kiss on my father’s forehead. I flash a smile at him, before jumping to my feet.
“Oh, one last thing…” I turn on my heel to look at my father once more, listening to his final words to me. “This isn’t goodbye. It’s see you later.” I nod my head. He’s right; we’ll be together again eventually. I leave the room and turn around, taking one final look at ‘daddy’. I take a deep breath, as I slowly start to make my way down the stairs.
~ June 11th, 2016
~ City Center
~ Worcester, England
“Nicky, where are we?” Gina queries. I grip her hand tightly, pulling her off the train and onto the platform. The yellow warning line is painted on the ground, as is the case in almost every train station in the country. I point to the sign, reading it out word-for-word.
“Worcester Foregate Street Train Station. I’d often come here as a child to wave goodbye to my father as he travelled to the next paycheque. It was a great childhood, it really was. My dad was a professional wrestler; do you know how cool that was? As far as I was concerned, everybody who got on a train was a wrestler. I spent an entire day at school bragging about how my father gets on trains!” I laugh for several short moments, but follow up with a sigh. They were some great moments - but they were exactly that. Moments.
“It was great being a child - I wish I never had to grow up.” I look at Gina, who very much seems to be going through that ‘phase’ which everybody goes through. I place my arm around her shoulder, leading her down the platform and down the steps. “When we get out of here, the first thing you’ll see is a taxi rank. We can walk if you’d prefer.” I leave the choice to Gina - obviously I know the city like the back of my hand - but she doesn’t. I don’t even know if she’s been to Britain before!
“Oh - I’ve seen those before.” Gina remarks, pointing towards one of the many black cabs. “Yellow ones are much cooler though. New York, baby!” I sigh. She’s clearly not too impressed with the public transport then - she was complaining throughout the entire train journey! “Y’ know, we’re kinda like yellow cabs. We’re all nice and happy, whereas Chaossworn are all dark and dull - like a black cab!”
“Can we get in one?”, she asks. “I wouldn’t be in England if I didn’t!” She has a point, I guess. For some bizarre reason, the hackney carriage is somewhat of an attraction amongst tourists. “Of course, darling. Take your pick.” I reply, holding out my hand in the direction of the taxi bay. She hurriedly rushes toward the one at the front of the queue, as I struggle to keep up. She swings open the back door and belts up before I even have the chance to cross the road. I climb into the back and hand the driver five £20 notes. He counts them up and looks at me in confusion.
“Where to, ladies?” he asks, in a baffled manner. “London, by any chance?” I laugh, though the joke isn’t quite shared by either Gina or the driver. “Just a tour of the city if you don’t mind - this young lady has never been to Worcester!” I say, patting Gina on the top of her head. The gentleman chuckles, as he puts the cab into first gear. “You ain’t missing much, I can tell you that. Buckle up, ladies.”
~ Ten minutes later
“To your right you will see Worcester Cathedral. It was built between the years of 1084 and 1504, and is famous for its Norman crypt. It’s perhaps Worcester’s main attraction; though certainly not its only one. Actually…” I reach into my handbag and pull out an old £20 note, which had been discontinued some nine years prior. I hand it to Gina, showing her the reverse side. “You see that? That’s the cathedral’s west facade. It was featured on the old twenty pound note, meaning that people would be seeing it on a regular basis!” Gina looks at the building as we drive slowly past it. The architectural design is astonishing; it’s amazing to think that people could come up with such a thing.
“I used to come here as a little girl all the time. My dad would pick me up from school, and he’d always make me a packed lunch. We’d walk the long way home, stopping to eat on one of the benches. It was fun; we’d just sit and relax. He’d get through a lot of thinking, he often told me. What he thought about, he wouldn’t give me specifics. But it was always calm. It was nice.” I see a metaphorical lightbulb pop up above Gina’s head, as her eyes pop open. “Nicky, we should totally go in. Can we go in?!”
I can’t help but chuckle. Gina means well, but her ideas always seem to be… sudden? I don’t like disappointing her, but this matter is out of my control. “I’m sorry, Gigi. It’s closed today.” I see a small frown appear on her lips. “Aww. You’re no fun!” Gina folds her arms, but it doesn’t take her long to get out of her sulk. “Ohmygosh. What is that?!” she asks, very keenly pointing out a large grassy field. I shrug my shoulders, struggling to work out why she took such interest in the racecourse.
“That? It’s just the racecourse…” I say that, perhaps taking it for granted. It’s not as if every city in the country has one; but it’s hardly Aintree is it? “Racecourse? As in, horses?!” I nod my head, to Gina’s excitement. “I love horses! Horses are so cute!” She smiles and goes silent for several moments, probably busy thinking about horses. “Can we go and see them?” I sigh - maybe this wasn’t such a good idea afterall. Gina seems to want what she cannot have.
“Well, actually…” I try to let her down gently, knowing fine well that there is no race scheduled for today. I pause, stuttering slightly. “It’s not race season at the moment”, the taxi driver intervenes. “You’re two weeks too late.” Yet again, Gina’s spirits drop. “Yeah… that. But I’ve had some amazing times at the racecourse - when I turned 18 I put a ten pound bet on a horse, and it won. My father loved horse racing; he’d watch the Grand National without fail. He could tell you which horse has the best shot of winning much better than the bookies could. He got an autograph from A. P. McCoy - he framed it for a while. Sometimes, he was like a teenage girl around Justin Bieber. But I suppose he meant well, so we’ll let him have his fangirl moments.”
“Gina, are you okay?” I ask, noticing that she’s not her usual happy self. “Here you are, I know what will cheer you up!”
~ Fifteen minutes later
“Just here will do. Thank you very much.” The taxi pulls up on the bridge, allowing myself and Gina to step out. Not that the needs it, considering how much money I’d already paid him, but I slip him another £20 note and send him on his way. I lead Gina down the steps. “Gina, this is the River Severn. It’s the longest river in the United Kingdom, stretching a total of over two-hundred miles. Don’t worry; I’m not going to make you walk it all. Heck, I don’t think it’s safe to do so. But…”
“Let me guess”, Gina interrupts. “You came here a lot with your dad?” I arch an eyebrow, wondering how she knew what I was going to say. To be fair though, I’ve said it that often that I probably sound like a broken record. “You said you were taking me sightseeing, Nicky. But all you’ve done is take me to places your dad took you!”
“I don’t know these places - I wasn’t taken to them as a child. Why do you feel the need to take me to them now?” It’s a fair question - if I was being dragged to random locations, I’d be pretty pissed too. But I did actually bring her here for a reason. I need her focussed! “Well, Gina, it’s actually pretty simple. You’ve been practically a zombie for a while; you wouldn’t answer my calls, Mandy had to force you to eat. You were all down about not wanting to be a kid any more, but I’m going to prove a point to you.”
“When you look at a river from above, is it straight? No, it isn’t. It meanders. That’s like life. Ideally, it would be straightforward and simple. But it throws all sorts of twists and turns at you. Does that make it any less impressive? Of course not - it makes it all the more intriguing.” I tightly wrap my fingers around Gina’s wrist, pulling her close to the fence along the river bank. “Life would be boring if it were all straightforward, Gina. It is the twists and the turns that make us unique; just like the meanders make the river. Rivers start off small, and get progressively larger as they go on. It’s like growing up - it doesn’t get any easier, but you’ll find a way to cope with that.”
“That’s one thing my father taught me. He brought me to all of these places for a reason, and it taught me a lot about myself. If it wasn’t for my father, I would not be the woman I am today. Gigi, you’re doing just fine. You don’t need to change - you need to be Gina. The real Gina. I brought you here to prove that growing up isn’t so bad; and you can still be a kid when you want to be!” Gina looks at me, reassured. I assume. It’s been very hard to read her emotions recently.[/i] “Besides, I need you focussed. We stand no chance of beating Chaossworn if you’re not!”
~ June 15th, 2016
~ Saint Paul, Minnesota
I pace around the room, the cameras rolling in the background, franticly trying to remember the main point I want to make. “Oh yes”, I exclaim. “Tomorrow night is the biggest night of my life, bar none. Gina and I have scratched and clawed our way to the top of the ladder - quite literally as it turns out. We’ve proved all of our doubters wrong, and proved that the Neon Babes DO deserve to be the Twin City Champions. But it gets harder and harder to keep hold of those titles. With each defence comes a tougher challenge, and it certainly doesn’t get much tougher than Chaossworn.”
“I know that first hand - we took one hell of a beating to become the number one contenders in the first place. But now? Now, play time seems to be over. They have their eyes firmly set on our titles, but I’m certainly not going down without a fight. Chaossworn are supposedly these big, bad scary women. Well, I’ve been more intimidated by a seagull - though, in fairness, those things are a bloody menace. They cause all sorts of havoc - actually, now that I think about it… maybe Chaossworn are EXACTLY like seagulls.”
I stroke my chin, collecting my thoughts briefly. “Let’s compare, shall we? Seagulls have no real motive when they attack, other than to cause chaos; Chaossworn attack EVERYONE to cause chaos. Seagulls, if given the chance, would peck a hole in your skull. Chaossworn wouldn’t even bother waiting - they’d do it anyway. But most importantly? Nobody would miss either of them if they were gone - and once we’re through with them, Chaossworn will be at the back of the line!”
“Joking aside, an increased Chaossworn threat only means that Gina and I both need to be on the absolute top of our game. Any slip-ups, and we are done for. But we’re confident that won’t happen. Chaossworn are a very serious threat, and perhaps people will look at us and think we aren’t up to the task - well, let me tell you. I’ve never been more up for something in my life. I’m not fighting for me, I’m not fighting for the Twin City Championships. Tomorrow night, at Fate of the Gods, I will fighting in my father’s honour. I promised him that I would make him proud, and tonight I won’t back down until we walk out with the titles still around our waists.”
“No Neon Power, no First Babes. Just Nicole Evans and Gina Neon fighting to prove a point: we are not to be taken lightly!”
When my father passed away, he promised me that he will always be with me through the good times and the bad. I miss him dearly, of course I do. But I owe it to him, and myself, to carry on with my life and continue to make him proud - like I always have. Rather than grieving his death, I should be celebrating his life. Fate of the Gods II is VoW’s most important night of the year… but it’s the most important night of my entire life. Daddy, this one’s for you!
~ June 13th, 2012
~ The Evans’ Family Home
~ Worcester, England
I shouldn’t be so terrified about walking into the house where I spent my entire childhood… but I am. What’s wrong? Why am I almost frozen in fear? Well, it’s not something that’s easy to explain; and I don’t particularly want to talk about it, either. Besides, it’d be FAR more effective if I just showed you.
I walk through the front door, shivering in fear. I gulp as I step into the hallway - at least the ceiling is as high as I remember it, I think to myself. Living several hours away in London, I know it must be important if I’m being hauled away at such short notice. Coat on hook, shoes off. I don’t technically HAVE to follow such a procedure, but I did it as a child… and I have a feeling that today, I’ll be a child through those eyes for the last time.
“You go first, honey. Upstairs.” It’s a rather strange greeting from my mother, especially as I walk into a filled living room. Her eyes are red raw, her voice rasping as she speaks. Using her index finger, she directs me towards the staircase through the opened doorway. I hesitate. The butterflies in my stomach increase tenfold. Each step I take feels like a mile, each floorboard creaking as I step over it. I place my hand on the banister and let out a deep puff, placing my left foot onto the bottom step. ‘Come on, Nicole’, I tell myself as I slowly make my way upto the second floor.
“Father?”, I ask as I reach the doorway. I peer my head round and into the room, where he lays bed-ridden. He slowly sits up, clearly in a lot of pain. “I got here as quickly as I could!”, I add in horror.
“Nicole, come here my girl.” He signals for me to approach his bedside, and all circumstances considered I’m not going to argue - which makes a change. I walk over to his diminishing body and take a seat on the chair next to him. He places his fingers into my palm and stares into my emerald green eyes.
“I cannot express just how relieved your mother and I were when you were born.” I look at him in confusion. Relieved? Why? “We’ve never told anybody this, but doctors diagnosed me as infertile. Three years we spent trying for a child, despite being told ‘it will never happen.’ Then, a miracle happened. Your mother got pregnant. We didn’t believe it. ‘Is this some kind of sick joke?’, I thought. All the signs pointed towards a phantom pregnancy - but it wasn’t. Nine months later, and out popped a beautiful baby girl. We called her Nicole because, despite all the odds, we were ‘victorious people’.”
He smiles, fondly remembering his proudest moment. I never realised just how much I mean to my parents. “Our baby was born healthy. All those years of heartbreak and disappointment was worth it. The greatest triumph of my life - far greater than any of those I achieved in wrestling. I may not have gotten a son to play football with, but daddy got a little girl - and I couldn’t be happier!”
Tears begin to fall from my eyes and over my cheeks, like a stream over boulders. If I had makeup on, I’d for sure have a blotch of eyeliner under my eyelashes. “I’ve watched her grow up into a beautiful young woman; I’ve seen her marry; I’ve seen her divorce. I’ve seen her make mistakes, but she’s always came out the other end stronger. She’s become a woman that I’m proud to call my daughter!”
“Dad. please”, I exclaim as I wipe the tears from my eyes. He smiles at me, pulling my hand to his lips and kissing it. “Nicole Amanda Evans, you are the best daughter I could ever wish for. Thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. You’ve brightened up my life, and the lives of everybody around you.”
I jump out of the chair and drop to my knees, pulling myself in closer to my father. I lay my head down on the mattress, and he begins to run his fingers through my soft, black hair. “Father, you can’t leave us. I need you! Please!” I begin sobbing uncontrollably, not prepared to allow my father’s life to end. Not this soon.
“I’ll always be exactly where I am right now, Nicole: by your side. I’ll always be watching over you, proud. The only difference is, I won’t physically be there. You won’t see me, you won’t hear me - but you’ll know I’m there. Through the good times and the bad, I’ll be there in spirit - and you’ll know I’m there!”
“Promise?”, I mutter, all choked up and emotional. The lump in my throat grows larger, causing some breathing difficulties. “Of course, honey… but you need to promise me something in return!” He smiles at me, stroking the back of my hand gently. “Promise me that you won’t grieve over my death; rather, celebrate my life. More importantly, celebrate YOUR life. Life is sacred, so make the most of it. I did!”
I wipe more tears from my eye, sniffing through my nose. “Of course I will. I promise!” I rasp, the harsh sound a result of me being an emotional wreck. “It’s the least I can do!” My father grins widely, letting go of my hand. “Now go on, go. Remember our promises to each other!” I lean in closely, planting one final kiss on my father’s forehead. I flash a smile at him, before jumping to my feet.
“Oh, one last thing…” I turn on my heel to look at my father once more, listening to his final words to me. “This isn’t goodbye. It’s see you later.” I nod my head. He’s right; we’ll be together again eventually. I leave the room and turn around, taking one final look at ‘daddy’. I take a deep breath, as I slowly start to make my way down the stairs.
~ June 11th, 2016
~ City Center
~ Worcester, England
“Nicky, where are we?” Gina queries. I grip her hand tightly, pulling her off the train and onto the platform. The yellow warning line is painted on the ground, as is the case in almost every train station in the country. I point to the sign, reading it out word-for-word.
“Worcester Foregate Street Train Station. I’d often come here as a child to wave goodbye to my father as he travelled to the next paycheque. It was a great childhood, it really was. My dad was a professional wrestler; do you know how cool that was? As far as I was concerned, everybody who got on a train was a wrestler. I spent an entire day at school bragging about how my father gets on trains!” I laugh for several short moments, but follow up with a sigh. They were some great moments - but they were exactly that. Moments.
“It was great being a child - I wish I never had to grow up.” I look at Gina, who very much seems to be going through that ‘phase’ which everybody goes through. I place my arm around her shoulder, leading her down the platform and down the steps. “When we get out of here, the first thing you’ll see is a taxi rank. We can walk if you’d prefer.” I leave the choice to Gina - obviously I know the city like the back of my hand - but she doesn’t. I don’t even know if she’s been to Britain before!
“Oh - I’ve seen those before.” Gina remarks, pointing towards one of the many black cabs. “Yellow ones are much cooler though. New York, baby!” I sigh. She’s clearly not too impressed with the public transport then - she was complaining throughout the entire train journey! “Y’ know, we’re kinda like yellow cabs. We’re all nice and happy, whereas Chaossworn are all dark and dull - like a black cab!”
“Can we get in one?”, she asks. “I wouldn’t be in England if I didn’t!” She has a point, I guess. For some bizarre reason, the hackney carriage is somewhat of an attraction amongst tourists. “Of course, darling. Take your pick.” I reply, holding out my hand in the direction of the taxi bay. She hurriedly rushes toward the one at the front of the queue, as I struggle to keep up. She swings open the back door and belts up before I even have the chance to cross the road. I climb into the back and hand the driver five £20 notes. He counts them up and looks at me in confusion.
“Where to, ladies?” he asks, in a baffled manner. “London, by any chance?” I laugh, though the joke isn’t quite shared by either Gina or the driver. “Just a tour of the city if you don’t mind - this young lady has never been to Worcester!” I say, patting Gina on the top of her head. The gentleman chuckles, as he puts the cab into first gear. “You ain’t missing much, I can tell you that. Buckle up, ladies.”
~ Ten minutes later
“To your right you will see Worcester Cathedral. It was built between the years of 1084 and 1504, and is famous for its Norman crypt. It’s perhaps Worcester’s main attraction; though certainly not its only one. Actually…” I reach into my handbag and pull out an old £20 note, which had been discontinued some nine years prior. I hand it to Gina, showing her the reverse side. “You see that? That’s the cathedral’s west facade. It was featured on the old twenty pound note, meaning that people would be seeing it on a regular basis!” Gina looks at the building as we drive slowly past it. The architectural design is astonishing; it’s amazing to think that people could come up with such a thing.
“I used to come here as a little girl all the time. My dad would pick me up from school, and he’d always make me a packed lunch. We’d walk the long way home, stopping to eat on one of the benches. It was fun; we’d just sit and relax. He’d get through a lot of thinking, he often told me. What he thought about, he wouldn’t give me specifics. But it was always calm. It was nice.” I see a metaphorical lightbulb pop up above Gina’s head, as her eyes pop open. “Nicky, we should totally go in. Can we go in?!”
I can’t help but chuckle. Gina means well, but her ideas always seem to be… sudden? I don’t like disappointing her, but this matter is out of my control. “I’m sorry, Gigi. It’s closed today.” I see a small frown appear on her lips. “Aww. You’re no fun!” Gina folds her arms, but it doesn’t take her long to get out of her sulk. “Ohmygosh. What is that?!” she asks, very keenly pointing out a large grassy field. I shrug my shoulders, struggling to work out why she took such interest in the racecourse.
“That? It’s just the racecourse…” I say that, perhaps taking it for granted. It’s not as if every city in the country has one; but it’s hardly Aintree is it? “Racecourse? As in, horses?!” I nod my head, to Gina’s excitement. “I love horses! Horses are so cute!” She smiles and goes silent for several moments, probably busy thinking about horses. “Can we go and see them?” I sigh - maybe this wasn’t such a good idea afterall. Gina seems to want what she cannot have.
“Well, actually…” I try to let her down gently, knowing fine well that there is no race scheduled for today. I pause, stuttering slightly. “It’s not race season at the moment”, the taxi driver intervenes. “You’re two weeks too late.” Yet again, Gina’s spirits drop. “Yeah… that. But I’ve had some amazing times at the racecourse - when I turned 18 I put a ten pound bet on a horse, and it won. My father loved horse racing; he’d watch the Grand National without fail. He could tell you which horse has the best shot of winning much better than the bookies could. He got an autograph from A. P. McCoy - he framed it for a while. Sometimes, he was like a teenage girl around Justin Bieber. But I suppose he meant well, so we’ll let him have his fangirl moments.”
“Gina, are you okay?” I ask, noticing that she’s not her usual happy self. “Here you are, I know what will cheer you up!”
~ Fifteen minutes later
“Just here will do. Thank you very much.” The taxi pulls up on the bridge, allowing myself and Gina to step out. Not that the needs it, considering how much money I’d already paid him, but I slip him another £20 note and send him on his way. I lead Gina down the steps. “Gina, this is the River Severn. It’s the longest river in the United Kingdom, stretching a total of over two-hundred miles. Don’t worry; I’m not going to make you walk it all. Heck, I don’t think it’s safe to do so. But…”
“Let me guess”, Gina interrupts. “You came here a lot with your dad?” I arch an eyebrow, wondering how she knew what I was going to say. To be fair though, I’ve said it that often that I probably sound like a broken record. “You said you were taking me sightseeing, Nicky. But all you’ve done is take me to places your dad took you!”
“I don’t know these places - I wasn’t taken to them as a child. Why do you feel the need to take me to them now?” It’s a fair question - if I was being dragged to random locations, I’d be pretty pissed too. But I did actually bring her here for a reason. I need her focussed! “Well, Gina, it’s actually pretty simple. You’ve been practically a zombie for a while; you wouldn’t answer my calls, Mandy had to force you to eat. You were all down about not wanting to be a kid any more, but I’m going to prove a point to you.”
“When you look at a river from above, is it straight? No, it isn’t. It meanders. That’s like life. Ideally, it would be straightforward and simple. But it throws all sorts of twists and turns at you. Does that make it any less impressive? Of course not - it makes it all the more intriguing.” I tightly wrap my fingers around Gina’s wrist, pulling her close to the fence along the river bank. “Life would be boring if it were all straightforward, Gina. It is the twists and the turns that make us unique; just like the meanders make the river. Rivers start off small, and get progressively larger as they go on. It’s like growing up - it doesn’t get any easier, but you’ll find a way to cope with that.”
“That’s one thing my father taught me. He brought me to all of these places for a reason, and it taught me a lot about myself. If it wasn’t for my father, I would not be the woman I am today. Gigi, you’re doing just fine. You don’t need to change - you need to be Gina. The real Gina. I brought you here to prove that growing up isn’t so bad; and you can still be a kid when you want to be!” Gina looks at me, reassured. I assume. It’s been very hard to read her emotions recently.[/i] “Besides, I need you focussed. We stand no chance of beating Chaossworn if you’re not!”
~ June 15th, 2016
~ Saint Paul, Minnesota
I pace around the room, the cameras rolling in the background, franticly trying to remember the main point I want to make. “Oh yes”, I exclaim. “Tomorrow night is the biggest night of my life, bar none. Gina and I have scratched and clawed our way to the top of the ladder - quite literally as it turns out. We’ve proved all of our doubters wrong, and proved that the Neon Babes DO deserve to be the Twin City Champions. But it gets harder and harder to keep hold of those titles. With each defence comes a tougher challenge, and it certainly doesn’t get much tougher than Chaossworn.”
“I know that first hand - we took one hell of a beating to become the number one contenders in the first place. But now? Now, play time seems to be over. They have their eyes firmly set on our titles, but I’m certainly not going down without a fight. Chaossworn are supposedly these big, bad scary women. Well, I’ve been more intimidated by a seagull - though, in fairness, those things are a bloody menace. They cause all sorts of havoc - actually, now that I think about it… maybe Chaossworn are EXACTLY like seagulls.”
I stroke my chin, collecting my thoughts briefly. “Let’s compare, shall we? Seagulls have no real motive when they attack, other than to cause chaos; Chaossworn attack EVERYONE to cause chaos. Seagulls, if given the chance, would peck a hole in your skull. Chaossworn wouldn’t even bother waiting - they’d do it anyway. But most importantly? Nobody would miss either of them if they were gone - and once we’re through with them, Chaossworn will be at the back of the line!”
“Joking aside, an increased Chaossworn threat only means that Gina and I both need to be on the absolute top of our game. Any slip-ups, and we are done for. But we’re confident that won’t happen. Chaossworn are a very serious threat, and perhaps people will look at us and think we aren’t up to the task - well, let me tell you. I’ve never been more up for something in my life. I’m not fighting for me, I’m not fighting for the Twin City Championships. Tomorrow night, at Fate of the Gods, I will fighting in my father’s honour. I promised him that I would make him proud, and tonight I won’t back down until we walk out with the titles still around our waists.”
“No Neon Power, no First Babes. Just Nicole Evans and Gina Neon fighting to prove a point: we are not to be taken lightly!”
