Fayetteville, GA
Saturday 10th September 2011
“Woooo! It’s great to be back to winning ways. Jacobs, what did I tell you? I knew that you didn’t have it in you to beat August Joyce! And now I can take that momentum forward, keep churning out hard fought victories over whoever the Peach State team decided to put me up against… starting at Halloweve!”
August is all smiles, full of life as he seems on top of the world. Just then his long time friend, Benjamin Doi, steps into view and says something quietly into August’s ear.
“What? Seriously? Not on the show?”
August suddenly deflates, visibly so. He hangs his head, slumps his shoulders and shuffles his feet as he puts his hands on his hips. He looks across at Doi who shrugs at him.
“Well I guess that just goes to show what I was starting to suspect. What I was concerned about… I’m no longer the Peoples Choice. If I was I’d be on that card. I’d be there to beat the living crap out of whoever they put in front of me. Jace, Brute, Kaboom, Cambridge… I’d take on anyone. And not only that I’d give them one hell of a match, one hell of a show. Because you know that win or lose August Joyce ALWAYS entertains. But apparently he doesn’t entertain enough to warrant being in Fayetteville on October 1st.”
He kicks some dirt around and turns away for a moment, looking up into the air.
“This win came too late.” He starts. “When I arrived here I was all about making a change in my life, about starting again. I did well too, I picked up some great wins. Got myself the Tag-Team Championships and Wrestler of the Month. I learnt a few new moves, but what else? Everything from there was downhill. I’ve not really changed, I’m the same damn guy I was in Madison, that I was in Vancouver.”
“You ok, man?” Doi asks. August nods back at his friend. “Let’s get outta here. Let’s find ourselves some eats.”
“Plan.” Joyce says as he turns back to his friend. “And then we have to go back to Vancouver, we have to go home, there’s something I need to do.”
———————————–
The Beresford Apartments
Vancouver, BC
Saturday 24th September 2011
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. Just as August Joyce thought his professional career was getting back on track he suffered a crisis of confidence when he wasn’t booked for Peach State’s next show. He read a lot into that situation and went away to re-examine his whole life. He returned home to Vancouver and promptly filed for divorce.
“You ok, man?” Benjamin Doi asks his friend, for what seems like the millionth time.
Joyce nods. “Yea, I’m not so bad. Just thinking about things.”
“You need some time?”
“No, I’m glad of the company.” Joyce says, attempting a smile. “How’s things with you?”
“Things are fine. Selina and Verity send their love.”
Joyce smiles. “I figured they’d hate me. They loved Xanthe.”
“Man, you dumb. They your friends, man. Whatever happens they’s gonna support you. An’ while they sad about the situation and while they still friends with Xanthe, they wanna look out for you. Jus’ like me.”
The two sit in silence for a while, having been playing PlayStation for the past couple of hours. Joyce is laid out on his couch while Doi is sat on the floor in front of him. For some reason he always sat there when they were gaming.
“So, how did this all happen?” Doi eventually asks, breaking the silence. “What was it that made you unhappy?”
August shrugs. “Just the little things, I guess. Little things that annoyed me, times I felt that she was holding me back, controlling me. I just wanted my own life back in my hands again.”
“An’ you feelin’ better about things now?”
“No.” Joyce says quietly, admitting it for the first time. “I miss her.”
Doi nods. “Understandable. You two been through some shit in the past year or two. You talk to her about it?”
“No.” Realisation begins to hit August and he lets out a big sigh.
“Man, you dumb.” Doi shakes his head. “Couples gotta talk out their shit. You don’t talk, shit builds up and one day you jus’ explode and shit hits you like a Stan Hansen lariat. And when Stan hits you hard you do dumb shit, like file for divorce.”
August laughs. “You can turn any situation back to wrestling, can’t you?”
“It’s what I know.” Ben says with a smile. “Apparently I say shit a lot too; but my point is valid, man.”
“I know.”
“Then call her. Talk to her.”
August nods.
———————————–
Dixieland Fun Park
Fayetteville, GA
Thursday 3rd November 2011
August Joyce is stood outside Dixieland Fun Park. It’s late and the park is closed, deserted. It’s been almost two months since August was last here, a win over Chris Jacobs was supposed to be the launching pad for a fresh start, a new singles run and the goal of becoming PSW Champion. But then August went and hit the self destruct button.
Joyce is stood with his back to the camera, his long brown coat blowing in the wind as he looks up at the poster for No Escape.
“Fayetteville… it’s been too long! It’s good to be back here, good to go through those stages of preparation, desperate to get back into the ring, hear the Peach State fans and lock horns with some more guys I’ve never heard of. It’s what wrestling at this level is all about, right?”
August turns towards the camera and smiles.
“To be honest I’m just glad to be here at all. After all the crap I’ve been through over the past few years, especially the self induced bullshit that was the past couple of months, I’m just glad to have this chance. This chance to re-build.”
“And the first step is a big one. Mason, Harrison, Teddy 10, Villain. Four guys I have no effing clue about. A five man match, the kind of match where anything can happen. But if I come through and pick up the victory? I get to face the Michaels girls in December for the Peach State Tag-Team Titles.”
“As much as the thought of being the first two time PSW Tag Champ appeals, being forced to team with some other loser in a makeshift team is not my idea of fun. I’ve been there before.” Joyce waves into the camera. “Hey Jace!” August shakes his head and laughs.
“I’m my own man. And this man wants no part of the PSW Tag Team Championships. This man wants the match that was originally scheduled, the one that’s on this poster behind me. One on one with Johnny Mason. What was so wrong with that? Then along comes Harrison and it’s a three way. Then Villain, a name I thought to be the most ridiculous on the roster until I heard about Teddy 10. What’s with the number, Teddy? Is it a warning about how many venereal diseases you currently have?”
“So these guys come along and suddenly it’s a five man match. Well, technically it’s a one man and four loser match but you know what I mean. I’m thinking, fine by me, a chance to decimate four other people in one fell swoop and push my stock up a little. Get people noticing that August Joyce is back to his best, back to being the Peoples Choice!”
“But no, they couldn’t help themselves. Jody had to go and add the ridiculous stipulation that suddenly flips my world upside down. I still want to decimate these four idiots, but I don’t want the so called prize that goes with it. What’s a guy to do?”
“I tell you what he’s to do. He’s to walk into that building and destroy four other men and prove himself as a dominant force in Peach State Wrestling. And then I’m going to give away my shot at the tag titles.”
“So, ladies and gentlemen of Peach State. You want to get your hands on the Michaels girls? Call me!” August makes a phone gesture with his hands.
———————————–
The Beresford Apartments
Vancouver, BC
Tuesday 15th November 2011
Joyce is sat on the couch in his apartment, staring blankly at the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. His good friend Benjamin Doi walks into view, standing between August and the TV.
“What the hell, man?” Doi says as he folds his arms and looks down at his friend with a face like thunder.
Joyce doesn’t respond.
“C’mon, man, talk to me.” Doi says, waving a hand in August’s face to get his attention. “Don’t go all quiet on me now. Two weeks ago I couldn’t get you to shut up, you were all talk about No Escape an’ Peach State. Now nothin’.”
August looks up at his friend. “I’m done.”
“Done?” Ben snaps; surprise evident in his tone. “What tha hell you talkin’ ‘bout, man? Done with what?”
“Done with Peach State. Done with wrestling.” Joyce sighs. “Can you move? You’re blocking the TV.”
“I aint movin’ nowhere until you tell me what the hell is goin’ on in that head of yours.” Doi responds. “I know there’s somethin’ behind all this. Spill it!”
There’s a long silence as Joyce thinks about everything that’s happened.
“My father was 35 years old when he killed my mother and himself. I came home, aged 7, to the most horrific sight any child could ever see. That was 28 years ago.”
Doi’s brain ticks over as the math comes together in his head. “You turned 35 this year…”
Joyce nods. “In August.”
“Just because you’re the same age he was…” Doi begins. “History is not gonna repeat itself!”
“Back in September I started getting these… feelings.” August explains. “I can’t really put it into words, but I started thinking about Dad and what he did to Mom. I didn’t want that to happen with Xanthe.”
Doi shakes his head. “You fuckin’ idiot! I been patient with you over the past few months; all the shit with Xanthe, which by the way was the biggest fuckin’ mistake of your goddam life. An’ now this? It’s inter-fuckin’-vention time. You are NOT your father. From what I hear you’re about as far away from bein’ your old man as anyone on the planet! Pick up that phone, call your wife. Beg if you have to but get her to come the fuck home. Explain it. Talk it through with her. Fix things. Then call Jody, apologise for bein’ a dick-wad an’ tell him you’ll be back to work in January. Then me an’ you gonna go pick up Spike an’ head to the gym. You gettin’ the mother fuckin’ workout of your life, my friend.”
He lets that sink in for a moment, Joyce looking back up at him with a look of shock and embarrassment.
“An’, for the love of god, why has it taken you almost three goddam months to tell me this?” Doi sighs as he grabs the arm of his friend and drags him up off the couch. “Now… you got some calls to make!”