*****The
End of Nowhere: February 27, 2008*****
He had spent the
night here, sleeping on the ground with his rolled-up coat for a pillow. He refused, however, to use the blanket that
she has left for him two weeks ago despite the weather having taken a turn for
the colder. Instead, it was put away
inside one of the multitude of folding storage areas he had built into the
walls of the cabin itself.
As he sat facing
the sun, the euphoria of his victory this past Sunday was nowhere to be
found. He was instead focused on what
was to happen in just under three hours’ time, when he met up with his
ex-fiancée in the place she had designed for herself on this land.
It was somewhere
he hadn’t been in nearly two years.
There were too many painful memories in that place that he didn’t feel
the need to face in that span. He had no
choice in the matter now, but he would see it through nonetheless. Realizing that the sooner off he went, the
better things would be come noon, he stood and began jogging in a southeasterly
direction.
About ten minutes
later, his destination was within sight. This bungalow-in reality more like a small
house-had the unique distinction of being the only place in the End of Nowhere
that had leafy plants in growth. As he
neared, he saw that the trees (as expected) were barren, but knew that in the
summer the two oak trees that sat on either side of the bungalow provided
enough shade to cool down the interior.
Of course, the
central air conditioning system could do that just as well, too. When she designed the place she wanted for
the both of them, she had all of the modern niceties put in-indoor plumbing,
central heating and air, and so forth.
He insisted on having a cabin with none of the above, as he thought that
it would help him focus and train for his matches. Given his record in NLW after such a lengthy
absence from the ring, he felt justified that his decision was the correct one.
He neared the
front door, opening it enough to allow the air to filter out from the
inside. Figuring it wouldn’t hurt at all
to refresh the air inside, he walked around the outside of the building,
checking for damage and finding none, much to his surprise. A few minutes later, he stepped inside,
steeling his resolve for what lay within.
Inside lay the
reminders of many a day in happier times.
Pictures of him with her lined the walls, both of them smiling. Off to one side was her favorite chair to
recline in, something she left behind when he had all but banished her from the
End of Nowhere. Beyond that, one could
see the spare room she had set up as her training facility-mats, weighted bags,
cardio equipment, free weights. At one
point, he had been teaching her the basics of technical wrestling as a
counterpart to her standard women’s wrestling knowledge. Of course, that was years ago, before
everything hit the fan.
A closed door at
the back of the hall led to their old bedroom.
Memories flashed in his mind from the happier times, when he would carry
her into the room, laughing as they steadily got to the matter at hand. Forcing them to the side, he turned and
walked outside, noting that she would be arriving in two hours. Until then, he had nothing but time on his
hands.
*****Two
hours later: End of Nowhere, February
27, 2008*****
He saw the Sunfire
long before it came to a stop next to his beat-up mongrel of a truck. From his vantage point near the meeting site,
he watched as she got out, a chill causing her to shiver for a brief moment
before she shut her car door and looked around for a moment. She then shrugged and began the walk to the
house in the corner of the property.
He was standing
just outside the door when she arrived five minutes later. Almost immediately, he felt tension in the
air as she gazed upon him in that moment.
For the briefest of moments, he actually felt a pang of sadness for what
could have been, but no longer could be.
Then, silent as the grave, he stepped aside, allowing her into the house
they once shared together.
She shrugged off
her coat and sat promptly in the recliner, while he elected to remain
standing. Thirty seconds passed, and not
a word was said until he finally spoke.
“So, what is so damn important that you had to seek me out like this,
Brandy? What could possibly force you
into this?”
She was silent for
a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts before she spoke. “This isn’t easy for me either, Will. I’ve tried everything to keep from having to
see you like this, but to no avail.”
“How about doing
us both a favor, and skip to the relevant part.
This is not the time for pleasantries.”
Her eyes widened
at this, and he thought he could almost see the tears welling up in her eyes as
she spoke. “I…I need someplace to
stay. I have nowhere else I can go
except here.”
“And that means what
to me?”
“It means however
you want it to mean, Will. But I’m
technically still the owner of this parcel of land where this house sits. That deal we made with each other, remember?”
He did, in
fact. The pair of them were able to get
this land cheap because nothing would grow on it. Because he put in more money than she did on
the purchase, the land was split into two parcels. The majority of it went to him, with one small
section going to her to be developed as she liked. The entire plot was still commonly known as
“The End of Nowhere,” and that’s how it remained to this day. When they had separated, they had agreed that
she would retain ownership of her parcel of land and the payment of its’
upkeep, but would live somewhere else unless she had nowhere else to go or
unless she gave him enough notice to prepare to deal with her.
“OK…so why hunt me
down in Minneapolis to surprise me outside the arena? Why intrude on me in my sleep to leave
blankets and notes?”
“Because…I know
what I did to you was wrong, and if I know you half as well as I think I do,
you’re still feeling the pain from it.
But I have nowhere else to go, and to intrude on you is akin to putting
you through a torture chamber. I thought
you might want to be warned.”
He fell silent for
a moment, digesting this news.
“Fine. I cannot stop you anyway,
but if you’re coming back here, let’s get something clear. I don’t want you coming to my other residence
at any point. I don’t want to be coming
over here, nor do I want you to be a frequent visitor at my cabin. The less contact we have, the better. As you’ve seen, I’ve revived my career, and
am doing well so far. I do not want
anything or anyone messing it up. Are we
clear on this?”
She simply nodded,
her face adopting a look of utter sadness as she softly said, “So there is to
be no hope for us, then?”
“’Us’ died two
years ago when you told me what you’d done just two days before our wedding,
Brandy. ‘Us’ died when you told me of
your infidelity. There is no ‘us’ any
longer, and you’d do well to remember that.”
“I…” She fell silent, searching for the words she
wanted to say. “Will….”
“Brandy, just save
it. What could you possibly
say that would make me feel any better?”
Once again,
silence was his answer, this time marred with the sight of tears falling from
her brown eyes. “As I thought. You know my conditions. Keep to them and we will not have any
problems.”
He turned to walk
away from her, his heart closing the door on their past. He didn’t know how long this would last, but
as long as she respected his wishes, he thought he would be able to manage.
And if that
failed…well, that anger he found last week wouldn’t be too hard to dredge up
again given the circumstances….
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