Post by Aiden Morrow on Jul 16, 2017 21:11:04 GMT -5
[Off Camera]
[Broken Lives Pt. 1]
[Santa Monica, CA]
[July 10th, 2015]
You know that movie Groundhog Day? You know, the one where Bill Murray was a weatherman and he wasn’t a very nice dude, so he got stuck in the same day over and over again? Hilarious, right? You think that kind of thing wouldn’t happen to us in real life though, right? The thing is, Groundhog Day happens to all of us. Maybe not in the same way that it did Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, but there’s times where we live event over and over again. Things that haunt us, not only in during our daily lives but in dreams as well. You know which one haunts me? It’s the one I’m dreaming about right now.
The one where I’m sitting down in my Dodge Ram, my hair and clothing are covered in sweat from an intense and exhausting training day with Flex Johnson and Blyss Lockhart at the dojo. Despite this exhaustion, I’m smiling like an ass because I’m incredibly happy. I just got doing what I love the most… Which is wrestle. Yeah, it was just training but still, I enjoyed it. Eventually I pick up my phone and scroll through it, bypassing every name until I get to the name of the woman who used to be my wife, Veronica, the mother of my child, AJ. I call the number and listen to the dial tone until it goes to voicemail and I hear her voice, ’It’s Veronica… Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.’
So what do I do? I don’t sweat it because she’s probably busy taking care of AJ. Just in case she’s able to check her phone, I decided to leave her a voicemail. ’Hey babe, I just finished up training with Flex and it’s going pretty well. He thinks I’m almost ready to sign somewhere and when that happens, everything will change for us. I won’t have to work and train and be away for fourteen hours or more a day anymore. We’re so close, babe, so damn close. I’m guessing you didn’t answer because you’re busy making dinner and taking care of AJ, so I’ll see you when I get home. Thank you for being an amazing mother and wife. I don’t know how I could’ve done this without you. I love you.’
It felt good leaving Veronica that voicemail. After she had a rocky pregnancy and then having trouble keeping up with bills, it looked like things were finally starting to pick up and I couldn’t help but smile like a fool. I ended up setting my phone down on the passenger as I just sat there for a moment with my hands on the wheel but the car still parked. I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe that all of my dreams were about to come true. Hell, I even said to myself out loud that i couldn’t believe it! ’A couple of months and I’ll be ready… I can’t believe it.
‘’
I let out a happy sigh before I started up the truck and pulled away from Flex Johnson’s dojo, which was only a fifteen minute drive from my house depending on traffic, sometimes it could be up to thirty minutes or more. But not on this day, no, everything was supposed to be perfect today. It took me fifteen minutes to get home and pull up into my driveway at my house. I pulled my truck up to the right side of the driveway since Veronica’s spot for her Honda was always on the left and there her car was, it was parked there. It was comforting knowing that her and AJ were home. I smiled again before tapping the wheel of my truck and then getting out of it. I don’t know why I decided to glance inside Veronica’s Honda Civic, but when I did, it looked like something was in AJ’s car seat. I turned my head forward before I panicked and looked back, doing a double take.
There he was, my son, my pride and joy, my baby, sitting in his car seat with his eyes shut, passed out from heat exhaustion. My jaw dropped and my truck keys dropped out of my hand before my gym bag that was strapped onto my shoulder falls to the ground. I panic and start to bang my fist on the car window, trying to get AJ’s attention, trying to see if he simply just fell asleep but there’s no luck, AJ was unresponsive. It’s in the middle of June in California and the the horror stories of children being left unattended in hot cars begin to flood my mind. You hear about parents leaving their children in their cars and the child dying but you never think it would happen to you, not in a million years.
I check to see if the door is open and it’s locked so I throw my elbow into the window like in the movies but guess what? That shit doesn’t work like the movies and my elbow just bounces off. I ran over to my truck and grabbed a wrench from the toolbox in the back before making my way over to the front passenger side window. I swing the wrench as hard as I possibly can and the window shatters open and glass goes flying everywhere. I swung too hard and ended up cutting my arm up. The cuts don’t bother me as my adrenaline pumps and my heart races. I open up the door to the back seat and I unstrap AJ from his car seat.
I gently shake my almost two year old son as I plead with him to wake up. ’Come on AJ, wake up buddy. Come on!’ But to my dismay, AJ doesn’t respond. I checked his pulse and he was still breathing. Holding onto AJ in one arm, I dial 911 on my phone. ’911… What’s your emergency?’ ’My-my son… He was left in the car in the heat and he passed out. I need an ambulance as soon as possible.’ ’Sir, what is your location? An ambulance will be on it’s way.’ I ended up giving them my location and stayed on the phone for a bit as they tried to calm me down until the paramedics arrived.
….To be continued
[Broken Lives Pt. 1]
[Santa Monica, CA]
[July 10th, 2015]
You know that movie Groundhog Day? You know, the one where Bill Murray was a weatherman and he wasn’t a very nice dude, so he got stuck in the same day over and over again? Hilarious, right? You think that kind of thing wouldn’t happen to us in real life though, right? The thing is, Groundhog Day happens to all of us. Maybe not in the same way that it did Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, but there’s times where we live event over and over again. Things that haunt us, not only in during our daily lives but in dreams as well. You know which one haunts me? It’s the one I’m dreaming about right now.
The one where I’m sitting down in my Dodge Ram, my hair and clothing are covered in sweat from an intense and exhausting training day with Flex Johnson and Blyss Lockhart at the dojo. Despite this exhaustion, I’m smiling like an ass because I’m incredibly happy. I just got doing what I love the most… Which is wrestle. Yeah, it was just training but still, I enjoyed it. Eventually I pick up my phone and scroll through it, bypassing every name until I get to the name of the woman who used to be my wife, Veronica, the mother of my child, AJ. I call the number and listen to the dial tone until it goes to voicemail and I hear her voice, ’It’s Veronica… Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.’
So what do I do? I don’t sweat it because she’s probably busy taking care of AJ. Just in case she’s able to check her phone, I decided to leave her a voicemail. ’Hey babe, I just finished up training with Flex and it’s going pretty well. He thinks I’m almost ready to sign somewhere and when that happens, everything will change for us. I won’t have to work and train and be away for fourteen hours or more a day anymore. We’re so close, babe, so damn close. I’m guessing you didn’t answer because you’re busy making dinner and taking care of AJ, so I’ll see you when I get home. Thank you for being an amazing mother and wife. I don’t know how I could’ve done this without you. I love you.’
It felt good leaving Veronica that voicemail. After she had a rocky pregnancy and then having trouble keeping up with bills, it looked like things were finally starting to pick up and I couldn’t help but smile like a fool. I ended up setting my phone down on the passenger as I just sat there for a moment with my hands on the wheel but the car still parked. I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe that all of my dreams were about to come true. Hell, I even said to myself out loud that i couldn’t believe it! ’A couple of months and I’ll be ready… I can’t believe it.
‘’
I let out a happy sigh before I started up the truck and pulled away from Flex Johnson’s dojo, which was only a fifteen minute drive from my house depending on traffic, sometimes it could be up to thirty minutes or more. But not on this day, no, everything was supposed to be perfect today. It took me fifteen minutes to get home and pull up into my driveway at my house. I pulled my truck up to the right side of the driveway since Veronica’s spot for her Honda was always on the left and there her car was, it was parked there. It was comforting knowing that her and AJ were home. I smiled again before tapping the wheel of my truck and then getting out of it. I don’t know why I decided to glance inside Veronica’s Honda Civic, but when I did, it looked like something was in AJ’s car seat. I turned my head forward before I panicked and looked back, doing a double take.
There he was, my son, my pride and joy, my baby, sitting in his car seat with his eyes shut, passed out from heat exhaustion. My jaw dropped and my truck keys dropped out of my hand before my gym bag that was strapped onto my shoulder falls to the ground. I panic and start to bang my fist on the car window, trying to get AJ’s attention, trying to see if he simply just fell asleep but there’s no luck, AJ was unresponsive. It’s in the middle of June in California and the the horror stories of children being left unattended in hot cars begin to flood my mind. You hear about parents leaving their children in their cars and the child dying but you never think it would happen to you, not in a million years.
I check to see if the door is open and it’s locked so I throw my elbow into the window like in the movies but guess what? That shit doesn’t work like the movies and my elbow just bounces off. I ran over to my truck and grabbed a wrench from the toolbox in the back before making my way over to the front passenger side window. I swing the wrench as hard as I possibly can and the window shatters open and glass goes flying everywhere. I swung too hard and ended up cutting my arm up. The cuts don’t bother me as my adrenaline pumps and my heart races. I open up the door to the back seat and I unstrap AJ from his car seat.
I gently shake my almost two year old son as I plead with him to wake up. ’Come on AJ, wake up buddy. Come on!’ But to my dismay, AJ doesn’t respond. I checked his pulse and he was still breathing. Holding onto AJ in one arm, I dial 911 on my phone. ’911… What’s your emergency?’ ’My-my son… He was left in the car in the heat and he passed out. I need an ambulance as soon as possible.’ ’Sir, what is your location? An ambulance will be on it’s way.’ I ended up giving them my location and stayed on the phone for a bit as they tried to calm me down until the paramedics arrived.
….To be continued
