Enemy, show me what you wanna be
I can handle anything
Even if I can't handle you!
Readily, either way it better be
Don't you f***in' pity me
Get up, get off
"Have you ever thought about trying to reach out to your father now that you are an adult?"
Elway's Cherry Creek
Denver, CO
July 29th, 2018
Off Camera
(The question that Scarlet had just asked Solomon shook him down to his core. Solomon’s body froze, his fork stuck into his steak, unable to lift the piece to place it into his mouth. Solomon sat there, cleaner than we have ever seen him, in a steak house no one would have thought he could afford to be in, drinking a bourbon older than grandfather, but he was froze by the question.
Scarlet sat across the table, having just asked him "have you ever thought about trying to reach out to your father now that you are an adult?" She finished the bite of salmon she had placed into her mouth after the world-shaking question she had just asked Solomon. Scarlet then looked at Solomon a bit shocked and sad by his reaction to the question she had just asked him.
Scarlet slides her hand across the table and places it on Solomon’s free hand. Her gentle touch seems to bring him back to life, and Solomon gives a visible head shake while snapping out of his frozen state. Solomon gives her a friendly smile, releases his fork, and takes a drink of his bourbon. Scarlet smiles back at him, looking into Solomon's eyes, which are more visible with his hair pulled back in a bun, and his beard trimmed. His eyes show he has led a hard life but deep down there is good in him.
Solomon notices Scarlet looking at him and as he sits his drink down. Feeling that he needed to answer her question, Solomon responds.)
Solomon: No, I honestly haven't tried, the last time I tried to meet him I was seventeen and it didn't turn out so well.
Scarlet: Well, that was fifteen years ago. You were a kid then, now you are an adult. Let me ask you this, are you different now than you were when you were seventeen?
Solomon: Yes, of course I am.
Scarlet: Well chances are he is a different person too, fifteen years is a long time.
(Solomon doesn't respond to this statement, he simply picks up his glass and takes another drink. He sits silent for a moment, and Scarlet remands silent as well. The silence lasts until the feeling of awkwardness begins to creep in.)
Solomon: I just...he was...I...
Scarlet: Sol, I know it's hard. I never knew my father growing up either. Him and my mom divorced when I was three, and I didn't see him on a regular basis until I was twenty. He'd make the occasional birthday, and every few years would be feeling bad about being a dead-beat Dad and show up for a few days before he was off again. Point is, it took until we both grew up to have a relationship.
Solomon: Thing is, my Dad never grew up.
Scarlet: Well if you haven't talked to him then how do you know?
(Solomon doesn't respond to the question, and instead takes another drink of his bourbon. Solomon diverts his eyes from Scarlet's trying to drop the conversation. He stares at his steak, and while the T-Bone was amazing, it wasn't nearly as Scarlet, whose hair now had streaks of red instead of green with her hair looking as smooth as silk, down to her shoulders where her black dress hugged her body. Solomon thought she looked beautiful, but he hated this ugly topic.
Scarlet, lifts her glass of red wine leaning back in her chair and takes a little sip. Noticing that Solomon had broken eye contact, but not wanting to give up on the conversation she asks "come on, how bad could he really be now?". This question shoots Solomon's head up, and for the first time he gives Scarlet an angry look. Solomon doesn't say a word, he just grabs his glass of bourbon, and shots back what is left of it. "Excuse me" he says while standing up and then heads out front into the night time Denver air.
Once outside, Solomon removes a cigarette from the pocket of his jeans and as he flips open his Zippo and holds the flame to his mouth he hears "you know those things will kill you". Words he hates to hear but coming over the sweet voice of Scarlet he can stand them. He flips the Zippo shut without lighting the cigarette and places it in his pocket. Solomon then turns around to face Scarlet while putting the cigarette into the front pocket of his button up shirt.)
Scarlet: I'm sorry if I over stepped my boundaries. I just see how much your father hurts you, and I just want to help you with that because I have been there.
Solomon: He once abducted an entire family.
Scarlet: What?
Solomon: My Dad, he was a professional wrestler and one time he stormed into a house of his opponent, kidnapped his opponents two kids and his wife.
(A clear look of shock and fear covers Scarlet's face. She is struck silent by the awful news she just heard. Solomon pulls the cigarette back out and puts it into his mouth, and then flips out the Zippo again and this time lights the cigarette. With an exhale Solomon speaks again as Scarlet is still silent.)
Solomon: He also had two children and a wife of his own at one point. I was the bastard son that never saw him, but he had a son named Victor and a daughter named Olivia. They died in a car crash, riding home with him from a wrestling show. He was drunk...drunk while his two kids were in the car, and he wrecked and killed them. His wife left him after that, and he only become more sadistic.
(Solomon takes a long drag from his cigarette and lets out a slow exhale.)
Solomon: You ask me how bad he can be, well the answer is pretty f*cking awful.
(Scarlet doesn't say a word, but quickly steps forward with tears in her eyes and wraps her arms around Solomon. Her head rest on his lower chest because of the height difference and her arms wrap around his waist. With her voice muffled by tears and her face being in Solomon’s chest she says "I'm so sorry". Solomon throws his cigarette from his mouth and puts his hands-on Scarlet's shoulder. He pushes her back enough to look into her eyes.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, and we may have only been on three dates, but you are already one of the best things to ever happen to me", Solomon says as he moves his hand to her cheek and wipes a tear from it. His touch is gentler than anyone who know him could ever imagine. A smile comes to Scarlet's face, and Solomon leans down and kisses her.)
What the hell am I sayin'?
I don't know about malevolent
Sure as hell decadent
I want somebody to step up, step off
Walls! Let me fall! F*** you all!
Get a grip, don't let me slip 'til I drop the ball!
F*** this s***, I'm sick of it
You're goin' down, this is a war!
Location Unknown
Date Unkown
July 31st, 2018
On Air
(The scene opens to complete darkness and complete silence. The trademark sound of a Zippo lighter flipping open breaks the silence, followed by a flame breaking the darkness. The small flame only slightly reveals the hand that holds it. The flame guides us through the dark until we see a plain white candle, the wick of which the Zippo lights. The lighter then moves away from the candle and we hear the lid of the Zippo snap shut and the flame of it extinguish.
The light from the candle illuminates the room a little more than the Zippo did, but not by much. A shadowy figure stands in front of the candle, but there is not enough light to make out who the figure is. A hand extends flat, with the palm down just above the flame. Then the sound of Solomon Cain's voice echoes through the silence.)
Solomon Cain: Blisters, peeling skin, shock including pale and clammy skin, weakness, bluish lips and fingernails, and a drop in alertness. Swelling, white or charred skin, and most importantly...pain.
(The hand grabs the candle and lifts hit up revealing the face of Solomon Cain. Solomon takes a few steps and then moves the candle away from his face. The light allows the ability to see his hand. Solomon's hand opens and the candle drops to the ground where the flame ignites on the ground. Flames shoot up bringing light to the room, but there isn't much to see, just a cold concrete room, but what there is to see is Solomon Cain standing in the middle of the room. His long hair strings down his shoulder and blends in with his long black beard. His leather vest covers his MHW Solomon Cain shirt.)
Solomon Cain: All of these are symptoms of third degree burns, and all of these are what you will be suffering through after our match Ripley. Pain though, that you will be suffering through out and entire match, and for weeks to come. Don't worry though Ripley, see I'm not all bad, I'm actually a nice guy. Actually, you should be thanking me. First, I dragged your sorry a$s into relevance here in Mile High Wrestling, and secondly, I have already made a reservation for you at Saint Joseph Hospital. Why the reservation you ask? Well, because they have the best burn unit in all of Denver, and you are going to need there loving and tender care.
They also have a great wound care program as well, both services you are going to be in great need of. You are going to be beaten, broken, bloody, and burnt...the four B's. Now, I want you to think about something Ripley, don't think about right now, I don't want you to lose any focus for our upcoming match. I want you to think about it while you are laying in your hospital bed at Saint Joseph recovering from our match. When the main gets too bad, don't hit the button for another drop of morphine resist that urge to escape pain that runs through your cowardly body. Suffer through the pain, if just for a moment so you can use it to help you focus and think about what it is I want you to think about.
When you get to that point turn off the Andy Griffith rerun, and think...think about how you laying in that hospital bed is all your fault.
It didn't have to be this way Ripley. I could have just beat you up, but then you had to attack me and make it personal. Then it could have ended with me beating you in a match, but NO! You wanted more Ripley, you don't know when enough is enough, well someone never taught you that when you play with fire you are going to get burned.
(Solomon walks over to the flames that now burn behind him, he has his back facing the camera and is looking at the flames. Solomon’s hands move to the inside of his vest but the camera is unable to see his hand. Soon smoke rolls from the head of Solomon Cain, signifying that he is smoking a cigarette.)
Solomon Cain: How ironic that our match is going to be a flaming tables match. The flaming tables match was my father’s signature match, a match he helped make famous in the U.S. and a match that helped make him famous. He never lost a flaming tables match, he participated in the first one in the U.S. in the GCWA, he kept the ball rolling by slamming people through burning wood in OCW, SCW, and the DRWF. I guess it's kind of like father, like son, no matter how much I don't want it to be, fate just keeps shoving me in his footsteps. One thing I can guarantee though, is that when it comes to throwing people through flaming tables, this is one case where the apple hasn't fallen to far from the tree.
Think about what we are going to do to each other Ripley. There is something so sick about it, but also something so primal about it. Fire is one of the key elements we need for survival, yet it can take life and ruin entire communities. Fire is the most destructive force in the history of mankind, and you are so bad at me that you want to slam me through something on fire. I mean d@mn Ripley is it that serious? I guess you aren't used to getting you a$s kicked, because you have had a very bad reaction to the beatings I have laid on you.
(Solomon turns around with the Newport hanging from his mouth. His hand moves up slowly and removes the cigarette from his mouth and he then exhales slowly.)
Solomon Cain: Well Ripley, you better get used to getting your a$s kicked when it comes to me. You can't beat me Ripley, and you won't beat me. All you are doing is making things worse on yourself. You could have just taken that first beating back stage and went on with your, but no you have to get revenge, which I understand any real man would want vengeance. All you had to do was just challenge me to a match, but no you had to jump me from behind and ruin MY MOMENT IN THE SPOT LIGHT!
(Solomon throws what is left of the Newport into the fire and angrily runs his fingers through his hair. He takes a few deep breathes and paces around in a circle before stopping. He runs his long hair back and then places his hands on his hips. He lets out another deep breath and looks at the camera.)
Solomon Cain: You just had to go and make this personal didn't you Ripley? You said that I awoke something deep inside of you that hadn't been there in a long time. You were very foreshadowing and foreboding about how I made your blood boil, about how I made you feel something you had never felt before and how you liked it. You talked about how you were going to unleash this on me, like a ancient beat or monster being unleashed on someone. Well you talked a good talk, you hyped yourself up real big and made yourself sound real tough, but then that d@mn bell had to ring,
You took your best shot at me, and you still got put through a table, dropped on you head, and pinned for the one, two, three, right in the middle of the ring. You just don't learn, though do you? You are gluten for punishment as I used to hear the old timers say. Ripley don't you know that mistakes are meant for learning, not for repeating? You made the mistake of challenging me, and now you are repeating that mistake again, only this time the stakes are much higher and the aftermath will be much worse. You know Henry Ford said the only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. I'm afraid you aren't learning anything Ripley, I'm afraid that you are going to keep making the same mistake over and over again, and you will keep getting hurt over and over again.
I think the humane thing to do is to put you down. I'd say something has to be done before you become a danger to yourself and others, but you have already become a danger to yourself.
(Solomon walks forward slowly and methodically. He keeps moving forward until his face covers the camera and the view is that of Solomon's eyes and a bit of the face that surrounds them, with a few strains of black hair that have fallen down into his face.)
Solomon Cain: You became a danger to yourself when you decided to attack me, you put yourself in harms way when you stepped into the ring with me, and now you are committing suicide by stepping into the ring with me in flaming table match. Do you realize...do you really realize that I could set you on fire and you could burn to death right in the middle of the ring, right there live on television...and there is nothing that anyone can do to me for punishment? You signed the waiver so that neither Mile High Wrestling or myself is liable, and when you signed on that dotted line you figuratively and literally signed you life away. You gave up everything you have, and everything you could ever hope of having will be gone after throw down.
(Solomon slowly backs away from the camera until his entire body is in view and standing in front of the still burning flames. Solomon slowly rubs his hand through his beard and when he releases it places his hands back on his hips and tilts his head to the side a bit while leaning forward.)
Solomon Cain: Now, I don't really expect to kill you Ripley. I'm not a monster, I'm not my father, but I am a man who is tired of being pushed by you. I thought that dropping you on your head and beating you would be enough, I thought it would be the end of it. Well sh*t, you surprised me and you are coming back for more. I will make sure that you do not come back again after throw down. If I have to seriously injure you to do that, well then that's what I will do. You are impeding my progress, and that p*sses me off.
I very d@mn well can't build my legacy if I have to keep kicking your a$s week in and week out now can I? This is it Ripley, one way or another this is the final chapter of Solomon Cain and Ripley, it may very well end in tragedy with you in a wheel chair, or even a six-foot-deep hole. I know it won't end with the hero being victorious, because I will die before I let that happen, and you and I both know you don't have what it takes to beat me, let alone kill me.
Take my advice and meet with a lawyer or financial planner before Thursday, because you need to get your affairs and estate in order. Thursday could very well be the last morning you ever open your eyes again. So, before your head hits the pillow on Wednesday night, make sure that your knees hit the floor and you pray. Pray like it is your last night on Earth, because it very well could be.
(Solomon turns and walks through the flames into darkness. The camera pans high and we can see that the flames spell out the word "Ripley". The camera stays on the words for a moment and then fades out.)
Who the f*** am I to criticize your twisted state of mind?
You're leavin' me suspect, I'm leavin' you grotesque
Feels like a burn from which you never learn
'Cause and effect, you jealous a**
Press you face against the glass, suffer
I've just begun
It's about that time
Gotta get mine
You can't kill me
Woodgate Apartments
Solomon Cain's apartment
Denver, CO
August 1st, 2018
Off Camera
(Solomon lays on his back staring up at his ceiling fan which spins slowly on the low sitting. He looks down at Scarlet's head laying on his chest. Both are nude, but the grey sheets on Solomon’s bed are pulled up covering their bodies. Most of Solomon's tattooed and scared torso is uncovered but the blanket covers up to the bottom of Scarlet's shoulder.
The room is dark, and barely any light bleeds in through the blinds, as it is night time but it is not too bark to see. Scarlet's fingers tickle the beard of Solomon, as she asks "what are you thinking about?". "Nothing" Solomon replies, as he smiles at her and gently grabs her hand from his beard. He moves her hand down to his chest and squeezes her closer and tighter with his other arm that is around her. She smiles and hugs him tight.
"So, what are you doing tomorrow night?" Scarlet asks. Solomon is silent for a moment, clearly trying to think of a white lie. "I have to work tomorrow" he eventually says. "You know, I still don't know exactly what you do for work" Scarlet says. Solomon once again does not respond as he worries about what she will think of what he does for a living and the person that he is inside the world of the modern-day gladiators.
Without saying anything, Solomon gently moves her hand from his chest and sits up out of bed. Solomon is completely nude and Scarlet enjoys watching his toned body walk across the bed room and into the kitchen which is visible from the bedroom. "Want anything to drink" Solomon asks while opening the refrigerator. "Why aren't you answering me" Scarlet says as she stands up out of bed and pulls the bed sheet off and wraps it around her. Solomon exhales slowly and looks at her as she walks out of the bedroom and right up to her.
"Well" Scarlet says. Solomon doesn’t answer and grabs a beer from the refrigerator. He shuts the door ignoring her and moves to the kitchen counter where he twist the lid off of the bottle and tosses it down on the counter while taking a long drink. Not being one to be shy or quite Scarlet says "ok, now you have to tell me".
Solomon sighs as he swallows his drink and sits his bottle on the counter. Solomon rests his hands on the counter and lowers his head.)
Solomon Cain: I don't really want to talk about it.
Scarlet: Well don't you think I deserve to know what the man I just slept with does for a living? Cause I sure as sh*t think that I deserve to know.
(Solomon stands up straight and grabbing his bottle and taking another quick swig. He sits the bottle back down and turns to look Scarlet in the eye.)
Solomon Cain: Wrestling.
Scarlet: What?
Solomon Cain: Professional wrestling, I am a professional wrestler. I work for Mile High Wrestling and the Extreme Championship Wrestling Federation out of California
(Scarlet doesn't say anything and just looks a little puzzled. Solomon just shakes his head and grabs his beer and walks past her to the living room where he sits on his couch. Scarlet follows him and sits on the couch beside of him.)
Scarlet: So, you are a professional wrestler, like your dad was right?
Solomon Cain: Yeah, I didn't do it because of him...well it's more like I did it in spite of him. I mean if you...
Scarlet: If I what?
Solomon Cain: I...I don't know.
Scarlet: Sol, it's ok. It's not exactly the weirdest job you could have. I mean, imagine being the janitor at a porn theater.
(Solomon and Scarlet both laugh and Solomon shakes his head.)
Solomon Cain: Sh*t that would be a terrible job.
(Scarlet wraps her arms around him and pulls him back so that they are both leaning against the couch and snuggled up.)
Scarlet: I don't know what the big deal is, it's just the job, it doesn't define you.
Solomon Cain: Yeah...it's just a job.
(Solomon smiles at Scarlet, knowing that he has just lied to her face. She hugs him tightly as he wraps his arm around her and kisses her forehead. Fade out.)