Post by Cosmo Cooper on Mar 28, 2017 23:19:17 GMT -5
“Don’t be scared to fall…Come on.” Cosmo Cooper had his Power Rangers hat turned around backwards as his frail grandmother tried to push herself up on the side of the bed. The woman winced in pain as Cosmo wrapped his arms around her and easily lifted her to her feet. Cosmo remembered a time when she stood strong, proud. Those days were past her now.
“I can’t, it’s hard. I walked into that hospital on my own and now…I can’t even walk at all. What happened, what did they do to me?” Cosmo couldn’t explain to his grandmother the way the body deteriorates when limbs and muscles weren’t used at her age, but he helped the older woman to the sink where she began fumbling to attempt to brush her teeth. “It’s frustrating as well.”
“I know it is, gram. But you’re doing so much better. They say in a few more weeks you could get out of here, you know?” Cosmo kept a hand on her back, this is the side nobody saw of a professional wrestler, especially one like Cosmo. Sure, he had one of the biggest matches of his career to prepare for with Dom DiBona. Instead he was helping an older woman venture around the small room of her nursing home room, with her roommates oxygen machine whirring in the background when they were both silent.
The family had been very positive with his grandmother while she was in the nursing home. In the past she was such a strong woman that it was hard for her to lay in bed and let nurses take care of. What had been a strong enough woman to play sports with him growing up, shoot basketball, throw baseball, now had someone come in and clean her up after she went to the bathroom.
These were truths nobody ever wanted to deal with or think about, people have a tendency to push these things from the forefronts of their minds especially when they didn’t have to deal with it. Cosmo was one of those types of people who found nursing homes undeniably frightening when he had to come here for, say community service with a school or church. Now he had become numb to it all.
“Oh, you know as well as I do that I’m never going to be anywhere but right here,” as his grandmother spit out her toothpaste and cleaned her toothbrush off, her knees almost gave way and Cosmo continued to hold her up. “And you need to stop fussing over me so much, you know I appreciate you coming when you can make it, but I do not want you to come out of your way to be here.” His grandma gave him a smile as Cosmo gently took his hands off of her and Grandma Cooper immediately grabbed Cosmo’s forearm despite him standing in close proximity.
“Gram, I told you. Stop being afraid to fall,” with that he led her over to the bed with the furry pink blanket he had gotten her for Christmas. Wincing she yelped in pain as he laid her down and then pushed her legs up onto the bed and sat back into his chair with his arms out to either side. Glancing down to his phone, he scrolled through the messages he had. Trevor was asking about his match with Dom, Ana had sent him some sort of meme and as much as he wanted to focus on Dom, his grandmother turning her head sadly to watch the news was the lone thing plaguing his mind.
Nobody understood what it was like to see your grandmother in such shape, and saying things like ‘don’t be scared of falling’, it wasn’t long ago when Cosmo was trying to learn how to ride a bike. As he sat there with his grandmother is silence, he could remember how particularly hot and sticky the day was, he could remember how she would push him away on the bike and Cosmo would lift his feet up and then immediately hit the brakes and put his feet on the ground, his grandmother would put an arm around his shoulders.
“Don’t be afraid to fall,” the much younger and less tired looking Grandma Cosmo said to the much younger now professional wrestler for AWE, his sandy hair cut short, his skin sun kissed from many days outside in the California sun. “If you’re afraid to fall, you’ll be focused on that instead of the task at hand…Pick your feet up and fly.” Cosmo took a deep breath and closed his eyes and pushed his feet off, feeling the wind in his face.
When he opened his eyes he was back in the hotel room, his grandmother had drifted off to sleep as she usually did lately when he came to visit. There would be no pep talk for his match with Dom this week. Dom was was on a down swing, Cosmo was on the up swing. This match would define their paths from here on out in AWE. While Cosmo needed a win, Dom needed it a little more because of his losing streak and this would determine if Dom was still atop the food chain, or if Cosmo was going to overtake him on the ladder.
“Love you gram. I’ll beat Dom’s ass for you.” Cosmo leaned down and kissed her cool forehead as he turned his hat back around and waved at the weak older lady in the bed across the room who held up her hand frailly, unable to speak with the wires and other things connected to her.
For the first time, Cosmo was scared to lose. Nobody else he had faced even began to touch his level, maybe Ronnie, but Cosmo hated Ronnie. Dom had his back against the wall, he had to win, he had to deal Cosmo his first professional wrestling loss. He could hear his grandmother’s voice.
“Don’t be afraid to fall, Cosmo.”
Don’t be afraid to fall.
+++
“How does it feel Dom? How does it feel that in the snap of a finger and a few losses that nobody is talking about you, and everyone is talking about Cosmo Cooper? Last week, I like, did what I said I would, right? I told people Kayla Wright didn’t belong in the same damn ring with me, I told everyone Ronnie was just a fake. People like me? Dom, we do what we say. We take care of fucking business! Where are you? Oh! That’s right! You’re known for getting your ass kicked, haha. I’m known for being the hottest name AWE has to offer.”
A radio crackled in the background.
“I’ve seen a million guys like you, uh, Dom. You don’t impress anyone lifting a bunch of damn weight. Keep clangin’ and bangin’ all you want. You have what we called in the locker room in high school, show muscle, haha. Any nerd can lay down and lift weights and take supplements. I think we BOTH know it sure as hell isn’t helping you in the wrestling ring. Yo man, listen. I can probably show you a thing or two, like, even if you’ve been in AWE longer than I have, right?”
Another bit of radio static could be heard, as if someone was blazing through the radio stations, at times throughout, it even seemed like Cosmo’s voice was coming through the radio static.
“You were given the keys to the kingdom here in AWE, Dom. This would was laid at your FEET, and then you looked down at it like, OH GEE GOLLY LOOKY HERE. And you put on that fake ass bullshit smile. Like, OH THAT’S SWELL I’M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE LOOK AT ME. I hate that, I, like had to deal with those types of people all my life. You’re either in this, like to dominate, or you’re in it to waste time. You can ‘oh gee golly’ somewhere else Dom, go look pretty and life your weights. You’re in my territory now when your name was placed across from mine.”
Crackle…Crack…Cosmo’s voice came through but again it sounded like it was through a radio. If you closed your eyes, you could see that old bunny ear’ed set flash to life almost like it was gaining and losing power.
“You were given the ball and you dropped it, Dom. You had the championship, a chance to set the pace and you let it slip through your fingers. Trust me, that isn’t something I’m used to. When I get the ball, I know what to do with it.”
Crackle, the radio popped and then a difference voice from Cosmo’s came across.
“Ten seconds remaining in the California State 4A championships. Clock is ticking here for Johnson, two receivers split out to the right side, trips left. Hawkins in the backfield. There’s the snap, Johnson, back to throw. He’s flushed out of the pocket, scrambling, looking down field. Johnson, plants, throws down field…HE’S GOT COOPER! HE’S GOT COOPER! 10! 5! TOUCHDOWN COUGARS!”
Static.
“I am a proven winner, Dom. If I had been here when like, those doors opened? I would have been given that ball, and I would have ran for it. Just like I did in the state championship. If you had been in that situation, Dom? Like, what would you have done? From the looks of it, you don’t even know where the end zone is. The ball was thrown to you? Drop…A loss. But we all saw it coming didn’t we? We all saw it coming when you lost to Ana as champion…You’re already owned by Gen Now, yo.”
Pop…Static…White Noise. The other voice broke in.
“The crown for the 4A wrestling 160 weight class is ripe for the taking. Wystan “Cosmo” Cooper is taking on defending state champion Skylar Griffith. Cooper from the defensive with the established base here early, Skylar tries to turn him early for that front face lock, OH HE FLIPS SKYLAR! FRONT FACE LOCK! THAT’S GRIFFITH’S GO TO MOVE! GRIFFITH TAPS! NEW STATE CHAMPION! IT’S COOPER!”
Crackling…Another pop, the radio died.
“Success. Not cut from an episode to Leave it to Beaver, there’s no Rudy story there. A champion, bred for success. Something you’re not, Dom. The AWE has forced some of you into bad habits. You’re here to have fun. You’re here to not be tested, and when a challenge is presented. You tuck tail and run. I saw the fear in James Redford when he attacked me for no reason other than being better than him and not fucking my sister like he does. I saw it in the zombies when they got, like, triggered on Twitter because of me. In nature, there is no getting comfortable, when you get comfortable, you die. You got comfortable, Dom. You got complacent and let someone take your spot…I got news for you. I am not going to be your bounce back…I’m going to be your downfall.”
The static picked up again, this time it was quicker to speak.
“Ten seconds to play, Cougars are down by one with the state championship on the line, Adams, looks right side. Cooper pops out to the elbow with four…Adams to Cooper with two…Cooper…Head fakes, FOR THE WIN….GOT ITTTTT! WYSTAN COOPER PLAYS HERO! THE COUGARS ARE STATE CHAMPIONS!”
The radio static died for good, and Cosmo’s voice came through clear now, without that filter.
“This last message? It isn’t for you Dom. It’s for the AWE. You want someone that isn’t going to drop the ball. After I am done with Dom. Give me a shot at that championship…I promise you…This guy? He won’t drop the ball like DiBona. Give me a shot at Pace after I dismantle ‘Leave it to Beaver’ for you…You won’t regret it…”
“You people wonder who is next up, that conversation ends here.”
“I can’t, it’s hard. I walked into that hospital on my own and now…I can’t even walk at all. What happened, what did they do to me?” Cosmo couldn’t explain to his grandmother the way the body deteriorates when limbs and muscles weren’t used at her age, but he helped the older woman to the sink where she began fumbling to attempt to brush her teeth. “It’s frustrating as well.”
“I know it is, gram. But you’re doing so much better. They say in a few more weeks you could get out of here, you know?” Cosmo kept a hand on her back, this is the side nobody saw of a professional wrestler, especially one like Cosmo. Sure, he had one of the biggest matches of his career to prepare for with Dom DiBona. Instead he was helping an older woman venture around the small room of her nursing home room, with her roommates oxygen machine whirring in the background when they were both silent.
The family had been very positive with his grandmother while she was in the nursing home. In the past she was such a strong woman that it was hard for her to lay in bed and let nurses take care of. What had been a strong enough woman to play sports with him growing up, shoot basketball, throw baseball, now had someone come in and clean her up after she went to the bathroom.
These were truths nobody ever wanted to deal with or think about, people have a tendency to push these things from the forefronts of their minds especially when they didn’t have to deal with it. Cosmo was one of those types of people who found nursing homes undeniably frightening when he had to come here for, say community service with a school or church. Now he had become numb to it all.
“Oh, you know as well as I do that I’m never going to be anywhere but right here,” as his grandmother spit out her toothpaste and cleaned her toothbrush off, her knees almost gave way and Cosmo continued to hold her up. “And you need to stop fussing over me so much, you know I appreciate you coming when you can make it, but I do not want you to come out of your way to be here.” His grandma gave him a smile as Cosmo gently took his hands off of her and Grandma Cooper immediately grabbed Cosmo’s forearm despite him standing in close proximity.
“Gram, I told you. Stop being afraid to fall,” with that he led her over to the bed with the furry pink blanket he had gotten her for Christmas. Wincing she yelped in pain as he laid her down and then pushed her legs up onto the bed and sat back into his chair with his arms out to either side. Glancing down to his phone, he scrolled through the messages he had. Trevor was asking about his match with Dom, Ana had sent him some sort of meme and as much as he wanted to focus on Dom, his grandmother turning her head sadly to watch the news was the lone thing plaguing his mind.
Nobody understood what it was like to see your grandmother in such shape, and saying things like ‘don’t be scared of falling’, it wasn’t long ago when Cosmo was trying to learn how to ride a bike. As he sat there with his grandmother is silence, he could remember how particularly hot and sticky the day was, he could remember how she would push him away on the bike and Cosmo would lift his feet up and then immediately hit the brakes and put his feet on the ground, his grandmother would put an arm around his shoulders.
“Don’t be afraid to fall,” the much younger and less tired looking Grandma Cosmo said to the much younger now professional wrestler for AWE, his sandy hair cut short, his skin sun kissed from many days outside in the California sun. “If you’re afraid to fall, you’ll be focused on that instead of the task at hand…Pick your feet up and fly.” Cosmo took a deep breath and closed his eyes and pushed his feet off, feeling the wind in his face.
When he opened his eyes he was back in the hotel room, his grandmother had drifted off to sleep as she usually did lately when he came to visit. There would be no pep talk for his match with Dom this week. Dom was was on a down swing, Cosmo was on the up swing. This match would define their paths from here on out in AWE. While Cosmo needed a win, Dom needed it a little more because of his losing streak and this would determine if Dom was still atop the food chain, or if Cosmo was going to overtake him on the ladder.
“Love you gram. I’ll beat Dom’s ass for you.” Cosmo leaned down and kissed her cool forehead as he turned his hat back around and waved at the weak older lady in the bed across the room who held up her hand frailly, unable to speak with the wires and other things connected to her.
For the first time, Cosmo was scared to lose. Nobody else he had faced even began to touch his level, maybe Ronnie, but Cosmo hated Ronnie. Dom had his back against the wall, he had to win, he had to deal Cosmo his first professional wrestling loss. He could hear his grandmother’s voice.
“Don’t be afraid to fall, Cosmo.”
Don’t be afraid to fall.
+++
“How does it feel Dom? How does it feel that in the snap of a finger and a few losses that nobody is talking about you, and everyone is talking about Cosmo Cooper? Last week, I like, did what I said I would, right? I told people Kayla Wright didn’t belong in the same damn ring with me, I told everyone Ronnie was just a fake. People like me? Dom, we do what we say. We take care of fucking business! Where are you? Oh! That’s right! You’re known for getting your ass kicked, haha. I’m known for being the hottest name AWE has to offer.”
A radio crackled in the background.
“I’ve seen a million guys like you, uh, Dom. You don’t impress anyone lifting a bunch of damn weight. Keep clangin’ and bangin’ all you want. You have what we called in the locker room in high school, show muscle, haha. Any nerd can lay down and lift weights and take supplements. I think we BOTH know it sure as hell isn’t helping you in the wrestling ring. Yo man, listen. I can probably show you a thing or two, like, even if you’ve been in AWE longer than I have, right?”
Another bit of radio static could be heard, as if someone was blazing through the radio stations, at times throughout, it even seemed like Cosmo’s voice was coming through the radio static.
“You were given the keys to the kingdom here in AWE, Dom. This would was laid at your FEET, and then you looked down at it like, OH GEE GOLLY LOOKY HERE. And you put on that fake ass bullshit smile. Like, OH THAT’S SWELL I’M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE LOOK AT ME. I hate that, I, like had to deal with those types of people all my life. You’re either in this, like to dominate, or you’re in it to waste time. You can ‘oh gee golly’ somewhere else Dom, go look pretty and life your weights. You’re in my territory now when your name was placed across from mine.”
Crackle…Crack…Cosmo’s voice came through but again it sounded like it was through a radio. If you closed your eyes, you could see that old bunny ear’ed set flash to life almost like it was gaining and losing power.
“You were given the ball and you dropped it, Dom. You had the championship, a chance to set the pace and you let it slip through your fingers. Trust me, that isn’t something I’m used to. When I get the ball, I know what to do with it.”
Crackle, the radio popped and then a difference voice from Cosmo’s came across.
“Ten seconds remaining in the California State 4A championships. Clock is ticking here for Johnson, two receivers split out to the right side, trips left. Hawkins in the backfield. There’s the snap, Johnson, back to throw. He’s flushed out of the pocket, scrambling, looking down field. Johnson, plants, throws down field…HE’S GOT COOPER! HE’S GOT COOPER! 10! 5! TOUCHDOWN COUGARS!”
Static.
“I am a proven winner, Dom. If I had been here when like, those doors opened? I would have been given that ball, and I would have ran for it. Just like I did in the state championship. If you had been in that situation, Dom? Like, what would you have done? From the looks of it, you don’t even know where the end zone is. The ball was thrown to you? Drop…A loss. But we all saw it coming didn’t we? We all saw it coming when you lost to Ana as champion…You’re already owned by Gen Now, yo.”
Pop…Static…White Noise. The other voice broke in.
“The crown for the 4A wrestling 160 weight class is ripe for the taking. Wystan “Cosmo” Cooper is taking on defending state champion Skylar Griffith. Cooper from the defensive with the established base here early, Skylar tries to turn him early for that front face lock, OH HE FLIPS SKYLAR! FRONT FACE LOCK! THAT’S GRIFFITH’S GO TO MOVE! GRIFFITH TAPS! NEW STATE CHAMPION! IT’S COOPER!”
Crackling…Another pop, the radio died.
“Success. Not cut from an episode to Leave it to Beaver, there’s no Rudy story there. A champion, bred for success. Something you’re not, Dom. The AWE has forced some of you into bad habits. You’re here to have fun. You’re here to not be tested, and when a challenge is presented. You tuck tail and run. I saw the fear in James Redford when he attacked me for no reason other than being better than him and not fucking my sister like he does. I saw it in the zombies when they got, like, triggered on Twitter because of me. In nature, there is no getting comfortable, when you get comfortable, you die. You got comfortable, Dom. You got complacent and let someone take your spot…I got news for you. I am not going to be your bounce back…I’m going to be your downfall.”
The static picked up again, this time it was quicker to speak.
“Ten seconds to play, Cougars are down by one with the state championship on the line, Adams, looks right side. Cooper pops out to the elbow with four…Adams to Cooper with two…Cooper…Head fakes, FOR THE WIN….GOT ITTTTT! WYSTAN COOPER PLAYS HERO! THE COUGARS ARE STATE CHAMPIONS!”
The radio static died for good, and Cosmo’s voice came through clear now, without that filter.
“This last message? It isn’t for you Dom. It’s for the AWE. You want someone that isn’t going to drop the ball. After I am done with Dom. Give me a shot at that championship…I promise you…This guy? He won’t drop the ball like DiBona. Give me a shot at Pace after I dismantle ‘Leave it to Beaver’ for you…You won’t regret it…”
“You people wonder who is next up, that conversation ends here.”