Cassie Wolfe vs. Chance Owens

[Chance Owens]

[Why do people take shortcuts to get what they want? Are they afraid of making an honest effort to walk the right path? Are they that unsure of themselves they don’t know there’s a better way? Or are they just impatient and not willing to wait for the desired result? Sad to say, there are people out there who don’t give a shit who they step on to get to the top. I wish I could say there aren’t that many of them, but I can’t because it feels like they’re everywhere. It’s enough to drive a person to drink, I tell you! People should be free to make an honest living without being stepped on by someone who doesn’t want to! But that’s not the only thing on my mind. How many people who have been on the short end of someone taking a shortcut have given up or thought about giving up? It’s a bigger number than you think, because a lot of people who get stepped on convince themselves it isn’t worth it to keep going. The road of broken dreams is paved with hope and desire of millions and held together with their anguish. Sometimes the people who get stepped on just need someone to tell them their dreams are worth following. I’m going to show you someone who got stepped on and we’re going to follow their thought processes to see where they go from here. Who is it? Oh lord! I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached to my neck! We’re going to be watching Chance Owens today. Are you ready? Here we go!]

It’s a rare weekday when we don’t see Chance walking to work, but here we are. He’s sitting on the front step of his townhouse watching people go by. There’s something in his eyes that wasn’t there before. His left hand is wrapped in what looks to be a frayed piece of rope and his right hand is toying with the loose strands. Not even the sound of people laughing can get him to smile... It must be bad if he isn’t smiling. Someone in a postal worker’s uniform stops near the open door and tucks a small bundle of envelopes into the mailbox on the left side of the doorway. Once they’ve moved on, Chance stands up and retrieves the mail before going back inside and closing the door. He hasn’t said a word. Taking the mail to the kitchen table, he sorts it into stacks for him, for Leo and what could very well be junk mail. Most of it is for Leo this time. He takes his lone envelope and leaves a teasing note with Leo’s that says ‘Mr. Popular’. The rope he had around his hand gets left on the edge of the table. Leo is at work, but why isn’t Chance? A muttered comment provides some insight.

“Unapproved time off, my ass! Fuck you, Brentworth!”

Uh-oh! It looks like Charles Brentworth is still causing trouble for Chance at the insurance company! Chance drops into his favorite chair in the living room with a scowl and opens the letter that’s addressed to him. The letterhead is a punch in the gut. It’s from his workplace’s head office. The company owner has been trying to talk to him all month but Brentworth keeps stymieing him. Broadcast issues kept the SCW Pay Per View Under Attack from being aired until recently, which has given Chance plenty of time to think. He gets a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach as he starts reading the letter, thinking Brentworth put one over on the owner of the company and got him fired. But that’s not what the letter is saying at all. His eyes fill with disbelief at what he’s seeing on the paper in his hands.

“I have every reason to believe that Charles Brentworth is using his position to force you into leaving the company. Please call me as soon as you get this letter. This is the only way I can be sure that nobody can stop me from contacting you.”

He leaps out of the chair and bolts into the kitchen so he can call Mr. Gleason at the head office. The number on the letter is for the direct line to Mr. Gleason’s office. “Yes, good morning, may I speak to Mr. Gleason, please? My name is Chance Owens. Yes, I’ll hold.” He shifts the phone to his left hand and puts the letter on the table. “Mr. Gleason? It’s Chance Owens. I just got your letter. No, I’m not at work... Mr. Brentworth put me on unpaid leave until further notice because of something I did back on the 6th of the month. He called it “unapproved time off” but I don’t work on Sundays. My schedule is Monday to Friday from ten thirty to seven thirty. Yes, sir. What was I doing on the 6th? I was wrestling in London, England. It was the wrestling company’s Pay Per View. I made it home in time to sleep before work on the 7th. Mr. Brentworth blindsided me on the 8th. Yes. That was after he moved me to the mail room for taking a day of my earned PTO on October 20th. I had a match that day. Their weekly show is every Thursday. I don’t know why the office manager is letting him get away with this. What? When did he do that!?” His eyes go wide when he finds out the office manager quit the day he had his debut match in SCW. He starts trembling when Mr. Gleason tells him why the office manager quit. Charles Brentworth had been picking at him and undermining his authority for years and it finally got to him. “I see. Mr. Gleason, I hope I’m not out of line here but I think Mr. Brentworth needs to look for another job. He seems to have it in for me and all I did was start working toward my dream.” As he listens to Mr. Gleason talking, something changes. He starts standing a little straighter and something appears in his eyes. He’s actually smiling when Mr. Gleason’s done talking! “Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Gleason! You have no idea how much this means to me. Leo’s at work today despite being scheduled for a week off. Why is he at work on his week off? His boss is a bigger asshole than Mr. Brentworth. It also doesn’t help our landlord raised the rent again last month after someone I know yelled at him about how often he’s been raising the rent around here. Who yelled at him? My aunt Claire’s first husband Jude Lamont. Yes, sir. I have a funny feeling he’s in league with Mr. Brentworth or Leo’s employer. What’s that? Oh, I have a match tomorrow. They’re very flexible when they book us. We’re in Detroit. Oh, thank you! You’d do that for me?” He has to close his eyes and hold back tears of relief. “Yes, that’s the right information. Thank you, Mr. Gleason... You just made my day. When? Saturday at ten AM? I’ll be there! Thank you! You too. Goodbye.”

He hangs up the phone and stands there with his hand on the receiver and a huge smile on his face. Mr. Gleason is going to handle Charles Brentworth personally... He’s going to reclassify Chance’s time off to paid leave... He adjusted Chance’s work schedule so he works Saturday to Wednesday... And he’s going to make sure Chance and Leo can pay the rent while they wait for Chance’s back pay to clear the bank!

“Hot damn!”

Leo comes in through the back door in time to hear Chance’s exclamation. “What’s got you so happy today?”

“I just spoke to the owner of the insurance company I work for. He’s setting everything right.” Then he looks at his younger brother. “How come you’re home? I thought your boss invalidated your week off.”

Leo grins as he goes to wash his hands at the kitchen sink. “His boss invalidated his invalidation... And then invalidated his employment.” He tinkers with the taps to get the right water temperature. “So I get next week off with pay to make up for his fuckery.”

“That sounds like what’s going to happen to Brentworth.” Chance stretches and yelps when his spine pops. That hurt! “Mr. Gleason is authorizing an in-branch deposit to my account today to pay the rent until my pay from this month clears the hold process.” He rubs his spine to erase the remnants of the spasm that was triggered by his stretch. “He changed my schedule so I have Thursday and Friday off every week too.”

Leo knows all about Chance wanting to be a wrestler. “Where are you flying to tonight?”

Chance grins and it makes his eyes sparkle. “I’m going to the Motor City, baby!”

“You’re wrestling in Detroit tomorrow!? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah it is!” Then Chance sighs and seems to deflate. “I don’t know, man...” He looks away and his eyes take on a faraway look. “What if I made a mistake?”

Leo turns away from the sink in surprise after turning off the water. “What do you mean?” He grabs the hand towel hanging off the handle of the oven door so he can dry his hands.

“You didn’t see it, then.” Chance pulls out a chair and sits down to look at his hands. “I almost had the match won when...” It still bothers him even after so long.

Leo sits in a chair beside him. “What happened?”

“Randy Ramon incapacitated the referee and hit me with a low blow to win the match.” That unfamiliar look in his eyes from earlier comes back and eclipses the joy he had from talking to Mr. Gleason. “He took a shortcut at my expense.”

Leo recognizes the look in Chance’s eyes and shakes his head before grabbing his brother’s shoulder and shaking it violently. “How many matches have you had?”

Chance looks at Leo in irritation before the question registers. “Two. I won the first one and I got robbed in the second one.”

“So what makes you think you might have made a mistake? You’re 1 and 1 after two matches. I’ve been reading up on the SCW, bro. They’ve been around for twenty years. And for a while there they had some of the hottest talent anyone’s ever seen on the roster.”

“Yeah? Like who?”

Leo’s eyes are dancing. “Like “The Main Event” Matt Storm... Heath “the Hammer” Tubbs... Justin Lowe... Jake Matthews... AJ Wylder... And someone Uncle Jude is friends with.” His lips are curling upward in a heroic attempt not to smile.

“Who’s that?”

“Chance, my skilled and talented older brother, I am referring to the one and only “Wolfsbane” Adam Brock.”

Chance stares at his little brother in shock. Everyone’s heard of Adam Brock! “What... Holy shit!”

“And just like you, Adam had his doubts and he wondered if he was making a mistake by going back to being a wrestler. He kept going, though.”

The huge smile on Leo’s face makes Chance wonder. “What made him realize he wasn’t making a mistake?”

“It wasn’t a what, big brother. It was a who. It was his brother Liam Kendell.”

Chance starts sputtering. He knows that name too. “The Lionheart!?”

“The one and only! When’s your flight tonight?”

Chance shakes his head to clear it and recalls his flight information. “Seven forty.”

“Want me to help you pack so you’re not racing around later?”

Chance lifts one hand and isn’t surprised to see it shaking rather violently. “Please.”

Leo laughs and stands up before pulling Chance to his feet. “Come on... The sooner you get it done, the better.”

Chance takes a deep calming breath before heading for his bedroom. Leo sure shook him out of his funk with that revelation about the SCW! “Grab my gear bags out of the closet, will you?”

“Sure.” Leo goes to Chance’s closet and brings out four olive and grey duffel bags with heavily reinforced sides. “Which designs did you go with?”

“Jackets with matching tights and boots.”

“Oh, nice. Is it hard to choose between them?”

“No. I only have four sets to pick from right now. It’ll get harder as I add more gear.” Chance puts his rolling suitcase on the bed so he can put his clothes and toiletries in it. Leo got the sets he’d already worn professionally cleaned shortly after they were used so they’re available to be chosen from.

“Hey, that reminds me...” Leo goes across the hall to his room and brings in two more heavy canvas olive and grey duffel bags. “They got two more done for you.”

“Oh, nice! I was hoping they’d have more for me before Christmas!” Chance opens the new bags to see what’s inside and he is impressed. One set is white and gold and the other set is green and blue. “These are gorgeous!” He closes the bags and ponders for a moment before putting the bag with the green and blue set on the bed beside his suitcase. “New city, new gear.”

Leo smiles and puts the other five bags in Chance’s closet. “You were lucky to find a company willing to work with you on cost.”

“Yeah, I was.” Chance goes to his dresser as Leo goes to locate his toiletries. “Hey, what did Liam say to convince Adam he wasn’t making a mistake?”

Leo comes back with Chance’s two in one and favorite comb. “He told Adam ‘You do not give up too soon! You’ve worked too hard to just walk away now!’.”

“I don’t think that applies here. I’ve only just started.”

“And you’re at risk of letting some asshole who was afraid of losing to the other new guy end your dream before it’s even had a chance to develop.” Leo puts them in the toiletries bag that’s clearly seen better days. “What does that say about you?”

Chance exhales gustily and goes to say something when there’s an authoritative knock at the front door. He frowns as he heads that way. “I’m not expecting any packages...” He opens the door and comes face to face with the men he and Leo were just talking about.

Adam Brock and Liam Kendell are standing on Chance’s front step! Adam looks at Chance and nods to himself. “This is the guy, Liam.”

Liam nods in acknowledgement of the comment. “Jude gave us good directions.”

Chance snaps out of it at the sound of Jude’s name and backs up with a gracious motion of his arm. “Please come in, gentlemen.” He shuts the door after they’re inside and closes his eyes as he rests his forehead against the lightly warped wood.

Adam turns and lightly rests a finger on Chance’s collarbone. “We’re in the right place at the right time.”

Chance’s sigh makes him seem to deflate. “I won’t ask how you knew today was the best day to be here.”

“You already know the answer to that.”

Chance makes his way around them and puts his hand on the banister. “Come in and sit down, please. I was just packing for my flight later today.”

“Where are you wrestling tomorrow?”

A chill chases its way down Chance’s spine. “We’re in Detroit at the Little Caesar’s Arena.”

“I haven’t been to Detroit in over ten years.”

Liam thwacks Adam’s arm with the back of his hand as they follow Chance to the living room. “Let him finish packing first, Adam.”

“Sorry.”

Chance waits for them to sit on the lone couch in the small space before going back to his room to finish packing. He goes to the dresser and finds his most comfortable shirt and pants. “Were you watching, Leo?”

Leo’s been standing near Chance’s bed the whole time. “No. Who is it?”

Chance puts the clothes in the suitcase before he answers. “Who were we just talking about?” He goes back to find something more casual just in case.

Leo stares at Chance. “No way!”

“Yes way.” Chance takes a sleeveless shirt and sweat pants over to the suitcase. “They’re sitting in the living room while I pack for my flight.”

Leo ducks back into the bathroom to finish gathering Chance’s toiletries. “You might want to see if you can find a better toiletries bag while you’re in Detroit... I don’t like the way this one’s looking.”

Chance sighs as he puts the toiletries bag in a plastic bag and ties the bigger bag shut. “Good idea.” Then he puts another plastic bag over that one and ties it shut. “See if you can track down those large freezer bags from Ziploc in the store, will you? This isn’t gonna work long term.”

“I’ll see what I can find.”

Chance sighs as he tucks the bag into his suitcase and flips the cover closed. “Is that everything?”

“Did you pack socks and underwear?”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Chance goes back to the dresser for socks and underwear and tucks them into the suitcase. “Shampoo, comb, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, mouth guard, clean clothes, wrestling gear for tomorrow night... Am I missing anything?”

Leo goes over the packing list in his head. “Dental floss and mouthwash.”

“You packed them.”

“Just making sure.”

Chance reviews the packing list in his head too. “I think that’s everything.” He makes a few adjustments then closes his suitcase. The canvas gear bag is smaller than his suitcase but he carries it in his other hand as he takes his bags to the top of the stairs. “I’m sorry for the delay... I had to make sure I had everything.”

Adam chuckles quietly. “Been there... Did you pack any medication you might need?”

“And here I thought I had everything.” Chance shakes his head and goes back to the bathroom for his allergy pills and his sleep aid. He keeps them in the bathroom because there’s no room for a desk anywhere. “Thanks for the reminder.” He tucks the bottles into his suitcase and zips it back up.

Liam sits up straight and blinks when his right hand lands on something solid in the middle of the couch cushion. “Chance... There’s something in this couch cushion.”

Leo goes past Chance to check the couch cushion Liam’s talking about and frowns when his hand meets resistance where Liam’s did. “He’s right. There’s something in here.”

Chance leans over and lifts the cushion off the couch. “Is there anything there?”

“Nothing that’s visible.” Leo puts his hands on the couch itself and pushes down. “There’s nothing under it either.”

Chance rests the end of the cushion on his suitcase and opens the zipper on the back. Proceeding with caution tells him there’s a small metal box in there. He takes it out and gives it a quizzical look. “That wasn’t there last week.” He hands it to Leo for later investigation and zips up the cushion before leaning over to put it back on the couch. “We can check that out after I get back from Detroit.”

Adam waits for the Owens brothers to sit down before he turns to Chance. “Jude told us you’ve been less cheerful than usual. Care to tell us what’s on your mind?”

Chance exhales explosively and rubs his face with both hands. “I’m starting to think I made a mistake wanting to be a wrestler.”

Leo gets comfortable. “He got robbed in his second match when the other newcomer to the company hit him with a low blow while the referee was incapacitated to win the match.”

Adam nods slightly. “This is where we come in, then.”

Liam tests the couch cushion and nods when there’s nothing inside. “Yup. We’re no strangers to self-doubt. We’ve both been where you are, so we’ll do whatever we can to help you get past it. But first... When is your flight, who are you facing and do you have your plane ticket?”

Chance chuckles. “Digital ticket, my plane leaves at seven forty and I’m facing a female wrestler named Cassie Wolfe.”

“That’s plenty of time.”

Adam sits forward and looks right at Chance. “There’s more than just how your opponent won the match weighing on your mind, I can see it in your eyes. Why don’t you tell us everything you’re thinking about? There may be connections you’re not aware of.”

Chance looks at the man he and Leo watched growing up and realizes what he’s trying to say. “It can’t hurt, anyway...” He takes a few calming breaths before he starts where it really began.

[This is going to be a long conversation and we don’t have much time left today, so we’ll just leave it here. Cassie Wolfe. The Rebel Princess. Bring everything you’ve got because you’re gonna need it. Don’t let Chance’s current state of mind fool you. He’s young, he’s hungry and he’s focused. Thinking this is going to be an easy win could be your undoing. Chance will be waiting for you in Detroit, Cassie... See you there.]