Johnny Maverick- The Truth

“Okay so….the truth.” Johnny says. He needed to get the truth out. His truth.

“I was worried.” Johnny says. He’s sitting alone at the bar he owns in DC. A half-consumed pint of Guinness sits in front of him.

“It wasn’t the first time I had been the ‘other man’ a married woman fucked her frustrations out on but because we had been friendly in the past and we worked together I was very worried.” Johnny says.

“She told me not to be. She told me it didn’t mean anything. That it was never going to mean anything more than just….the physical act.” Johnny says. He picks up his pint glass.

“She lied.” Johnny says, downing the rest of the contents of the glass. He sets the glass down on the counter.

“Our wills were not our own.” Johnny says.

“I was just coming off of a divorce and you were well on your way towards one. We knew what was happening was wrong. It made it even better. Articles of clothing torn away with such fury in flagrant aggression towards a life we knew had treated us unfairly.” Johnny says, reflecting. He pours himself another beer.

“And after two exceptionally humid days in a hotel suite, I woke up and you were gone. Not another word was said about those two days for years. You remained married for a time. Had some kids. I was happy for you because you seemingly worked things out. I’d had the thought before that the math….sort of added up but I shook it off the moment I saw your children for the same reason you did. You’ve been my friend a long time Xaria but you knew my history and you KNEW there was no way I could ever be capable of creating something as perfect as those twins. If they were mine they’d have to be damaged in some way. Defective. A fairly recent blood test said differently and I told you the truth about how I felt about it. I told you that Christian and Jacques were amazing and that you had done such a wonderful job… but that they needed me in their life like they needed…” Johnny says. He stops. There was something else he had to get into before he could continue.

“I hate my father. Anyone who knows even a fraction of our history can tell you why to some degree but they don’t know the full extent of it. They don’t know the truth. They don’t know that for all of the terrible things he did to me and my family and my brothers after Mom and my sister died and he just….withdrew from reality and became a Monster. The real reason I hate him is because I should have learned so many lessons from him about the man I wasn’t supposed to become but I feel like I’m a little more like him every single day.” Johnny says, his voice trembled a little bit when talking about his mother and sister.

“I felt him in me as I so roughly and violently trained Ronnie, Josh, Allen, and Martin. Doing all the same terrible things to those boys that my father did to me. Mentally and physically breaking them and then demanding that they fix themselves each time. I felt him in me after every divorce as the women I loved walked away because I was losing my grip on reality. Dad was in every pill I swallowed, every powder I snorted, and every needle I put to my own flesh. And for you to look me in the face and tell me you want that in the lives of your boys? You don’t. You’ve convinced yourself you do and I know why.” Johnny says, taking a deep breath before he gets into the next part.

“Because initially you knew I didn’t belong in the lives of your child but Martin…when he found out I had been with you, even if it was before you had even met him…he became furious. He left the company and then… my Dad got in his ear. He fermented that fury until one day he came back and I was crucified on national television and THAT is where you started to change your tune on me, Xaria. Do you know why that is? I know exactly why because I’ve been there. I’ve rolled my eyes at the truth and embraced fiction because the truth was inconvenient to me. The truth is that it was easier in that moment to villainize me than to confront what your husband had done. But let’s not stop there. Let’s talk a bit about your husband. Martin was a student of mine and his training had stalled. He needed inspiration. And you, Xaria? We had talked about how unhappy you had become again in your marriage. Do you see where this is going, Xaria? Do you really need me to spell this next bit out for you? Your current marriage would never have happened if I didn’t get the crazy thought to send Martin to KWI to work directly under you and he ended up working ON TOP of you and I knew it would happen. I played matchmaker. So next time you find yourself wondering about what life could have been like with me in your life which, by the way I’m sure was doing WONDERS for your husbands self-esteem even more so than all the confiding you did in your ‘best friend’ who was more than likely just trying to be the shoulder to cry on while you were dealing with Martin being crazy so he could fuck you….next time you do that maybe take a moment to consider that if not for me? There’d be no Martin in your life helping you with Jacques and Christian. There’d be no Penelope.” Johnny says, his emotions rising. He stops and takes a calming breath before taking another pull from his beer.

“It isn’t gonna be the first time I leave you on your back unable to move, sweating and gasping for air. But honestly I’m hoping it’s the last. I want this to be done. I have a World Title to win and the last thing I need is you and your demons to keep coming after me. So get your licks in while you can. I’m beating you and I’m washing my hands of this. ” Johnny says. He finishes his pint and sets the glass upside down over a coaster on the bar.

“In 34 days I am winning the NGW Championship and all this? Will have already been forgotten about.

"See you in the ring, Xaria.” Johnny says as he walks to the door, shuts off the light, and leaves.

The light comes back up on the stage of the venue where we see a sight we have not seen in some time. Johnny Maverick seated on a chair with a guitar. A long time ago this was a very common thing to see in a Johnny Maverick promo. He begins to play, his foot stomping along to create a rhythm.

“And the hammer swings high
And comes down hard
Drive another nail into my coffin lid
And as the days go by if I can play my part
Well I'll feel no remorse for what I did”

“Your mother would cry if she only could
But those days are gone, those days are gone
And she always tried
To see the good in everything that you done”

“And sometimes our dreams they float like anchors
In hopeless waters oh way down deep
Sometimes it seems that all that matters
Most are all the things that you can't keep”

Johnny finishes the song and the lights fade once more.

Just darkness now.