“The final goodbye”
(The scene opens up at Gracie’s house at night. It’s only being lit up by the small decorative Christmas lights that are hung all around the outside of the house and inside of the house as well. In the front room, we see Gracie, sitting on the couch looking at a box on the table in front of her. She looks at the clock on the wall which reads 3:45 am. Why is she up at this time?
Because her daughter woke her up, and after a quick diaper change, she went back to sleep without a fuss. But Gracie? She’s a different animal…once she’s woken up in the middle of the night, it’s hard for her to go back to bed which is the case now. So, she’s looking at the box in front of her and she’s debating to open it or not. It’s a box with a letter attached to it that her grandfather, Jorge had in his room at the nursing home for everyone to have, which box with a letter attached to it as well.)
Gracie: Alright, this package has been with me for 2 months now… It’s time to open it I think….
(The package has been around for 2 months since her grandfather passed but she wasn’t ready to open it then. She wanted to wait until she was ready. She rips the envelope from the box and opens the letter and she reads it out loud.)
“Hey, Gracie!
“I know you’re reading this at a later time, but that’s ok! I know how you work. You’ve always done things on your time and when you want to do them. See, what’s what I always loved about you, you do things on your time, your willingness to learn, and your willingness to prove people wrong who doubt you. I hope you realize that you got it from your mother. She had all those traits too before she unexpectedly passed away. You may not know this, but as you grew older, you reminded me so much of your mother but at the same time, you’re just like your father. It’s a scary combination.
See, when your mother passed away, I made the choice to help raise you. I know with your dad always on the road, he was going to pass you along to some…questionable family members and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I told him that I’d watch you while he was on the road and make sure you got the education you needed. But somehow you and I ended up on the road anyway, funny how that works, huh? With your dad working and me being the GM of the old PWS. Watching you have fun and exploring the world to your dad being happy all the time, made it better.
I’m going to miss the talks we had, the laughs we shared, and watching you grow into the strong independent woman you became. The regret I have in life is not being able to be around to watch you transition into being a mother and watching you raise your kid. I know you’re going to be an amazing mom, you do so well with Brittany’s twins….”
(A warm smile came across the face of Gracie as she nods her head slightly. She loves to help when she can with Brittany’s kids. Helping to raise them will only help her in the long run. Gracie doesn’t see them as much anymore since they got older, but when they do it’s always a riot between everyone. As far as Brittany goes? She’s living life out of the spotlight. Remarried and enjoyed her time living the “normal” life.)
Gracie: Back to the letter….
(Gracie chuckles picking it back up.)
“With my final message, I wanna say this, don’t worry about me. I’m pain-free now and I’m with my daughter who never made it, I’m with my brothers, my sisters, and the rest of the family who passed on before me, I’m where I’m supposed to be. While it’s a big loss for the family, just remember I’m always there for you and Eddie and the rest of the crazy family we have. If you need to tell me something, stop by at my grave…I’ve always been a good listener. Maybe leave a flower or two as well, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Take care of that kid of yours, and take care of that sister of yours too. Both of them need you, and both need the guidance I left behind to you. I know you’re not a fan of being a big sister but trust me… it’s worth it!
(As she finished the letter, Gracie’s wife, Kayla quietly enters the room and sits next to her.)
Kayla: He always loved you, and he’s going to be so happy that you’re going to dedicate your upcoming match for him. I know he doesn’t like when the spotlight is on him, but he needs to be remembered somehow. The fans always loved him when he came to the ring too. Just like you, they need closure too.
Gracie: Yeah, That’s more or less the plan for this match. It’s us paying tribute to him and saying our final goodbyes as well. Then we can move on and do other things. This match is already big anyway, and this stuff just adds an extra layer to it and I’m ok with it, and I know he would be too. Between us, I don’t think wins or loses really matter but at the same time we have bigger fish to fry…so there’s a balance there. I’ll get more into it soon when I can get my thoughts together, but that’s how I see things right now.
(Gracie starts to open the box in front of her. Some of the things that are in it are pictures of her and Jorge. As well as some collectibles that he had and promised to give her. There was a box as well with a key to a storage unit)
Gracie: A key to a storage unit…I hope it’s that 1965 mustang he promised me…We’ll check in the next couple of days, but for now, I wanna try to go back to sleep before our daughter wakes us up again.
(It would be an amazing Christmas gift if that were to happen for Gracie. She has a smile on her face for the first time a while before she packs the stuff back into the box before both of them head back upstairs to get more sleep before Manny wakes one of them up.)
end
“Years in the making”
(The scene opens up at a storage unit in Palm Springs California and that’s where we find Gracie and Madison this time. Kayla is home with the baby and Madison just needed to get out of the house for a bit. So, they ended up at the storage unit that her dad pointed her towards.)
Madison: I wonder why your grandpa has a storage unit here?
Gracie: Maybe he didn’t want us to know he had one? But this place kinda looks run down though, like it’s been here for a while.
(They look around the place to make it sure it was safe to move around. They didn’t want the place falling down on them or something! Once it’s safe, outside of the exploding toilet that’s overflowing down the way. Gracie inserts the key into the rusty lock and opens it up. The 1965 mustang sat there looking pretty and amazing for its age. Gracie has this big smile on her face.)
Gracie: Thank you, grandpa!
Madison: It’s beautiful!
Gracie: I know right?! There’s a story behind it though. I asked if I could have this car when he couldn’t drive anymore and instead of letting it sit or be turned into parts, that I was going to take care of it. He told me he would think about it, and told me not to worry about it. Here I am 10 years later, and it’s mine! His most prized procession is mine! As promised I’m going to take care of this car like my life depends on it. I’m gonna move it to a more…suitable secure place that this car deserves.
Madison: How are we going to get it home?
Gracie: You’re driving my car….
Madison: You never let anybody drive it…
Gracie: it’s a trust factor and I trust you.
(Madison glares at Gracie for a second to think about driving the car. The idea of driving her car and touching something and breaking the car worries Madison. But she has no other choice but to agree to the terms, it’s the only way back home.)
Madison: Gotcha!
(Gracie throws her keys towards the younger girl with a smile on her face before turning her attention back to the car and madison does as well….they walk around the car until Madison stopped at the back.)
Madison: Gracie, you have something back here with your name on it.
(Gracie makes her way to the back of the car, and she looks at the sign that says “open here”. She follows the sign. She opened up the trunk and there’s another letter. )
“Hey, Gracie! I gave your dad one of these as well, and I wanted to find someone who would take care of the 2nd one and your name popped up. I know you’re gonna treat this well, and it’s something my dad gave me when I was young. I was supposed to give these to 2 strong males of my choosing, but I only found one and I’m breaking the rules just this once. I know my dad would be ok with it, this sword goes back generations in our family. So, you get the honor of protecting this sword and the history behind it. It goes all the way back to the early 1800s.
Love, Grandpa.”
(Gracie opens the case to the sword with a smile.)
Gracie: This….I know what to do with this.
Madison: What’s up?
Gracie: I’m going to a special entrance for my granddad and this sword will fit right in!
Madison: That’s right! You’re gonna do….
Gracie: shhh!! Don’t ruin it! With this sword, everything is complete for it. I can’t wait for people to see what I have in store.
(She’s excited to show people the entrance she’s been planning for a while now, it’s something that her grandfather would have liked as well and this match coming up is a tribute to him. The sword will be a centerpiece of her house once she gets a shadow box for it, and she’s going to hang it proudly in her home and protect it as he would want.)
Madison: I can’t wait to see what you have in store for ……
Gracie: You’re gonna be part of it, you Crystal, my dad.
Madison: AHHHH!!!!!
(Madison grabs Gracie and wraps her arms around the body almost squeezing her.)
Gracie: You won’t be in it if you squeeze me to deathhhhh!
Madison: sorry! I got excited there.
Gracie: You pack a punch, you know that? I don’t how a person like your size could have so much power behind them…
Madison: Hahah! We can talk about that later, but I think we should talk about your match?
Gracie: Yeah, sure!
(Gracie leans on her car because she has a lot to say about this match how it’s so special for her.)
Gracie: This match is special for me, Sure, I’ve had world championship matches, I’ve had women’s championship matches and I’ve shared tag belts with Jenn. But this match feels…different. I’ve been getting ready for this match for a while now and every time I think about it I get goosebumps. This is what I live for, matches like these, where you get goosebumps up and down your body by just thinking about the magic that’s about to take place in that ring. This feeling has only happened a handful of times in my career. The feeling I have is almost like a kid on Christmas eve, just waiting to open gifts, waiting to see people’s reactions, and waiting till morning comes. I have goosebumps talking about it now…
(Gracie smiles a bit before leaning on her car.)
Gracie: For those that are new here, and don’t get our friendship. Lexi and I have known each other for over a decade now after my dad brought her over after a show for some food. Since that day her and I have this unbreakable bond, and she’s always there for me too. I don’t even have to ask if she’s around, she just shows up when she knows I’m in trouble or when I’m not answering my phone. From the miss Alexis days to weddings to the hall of fame events, to me finding out I had a sister, to even the tragic events that have happened in the last 2 months, and she was there when my daughter was born. I can go on and on about the stuff she’s done for me and this family in the last 10 plus years. I appreciate her, and I respect her..hell even all these years later I still look up to her like a sister would. There was this one time that I wanted her and my dad to get married but….I was 12 at the time!
(Gracie lets out a slight chuckle to herself. She did want the two of them to get married but it never happened. She likes this way better, no stress of marriage, no stress of trying for kids just friendship.)
Gracie: She does those things for me, and I return the favor as well. When she has her…issues…I made time during my busy day to make sure she’s fine, make sure she’s eating, and make sure she doesn’t lose control. It works both ways and I’m glad it does.
(Madison nods her head to the stuff that Gracie is saying is true. Just like how Lexi has been part of Gracie’s life, Lexi has been there for Madison too. She helped Madison break the ice with her sister, and stuff like that.)
Madison: She’s part of this family, there’s no way out! I’m glad you brought up the backstory, she’s done so much for this family and we’ve done so much for her.
Gracie: Agreed. Another little story that’ll tie into this match. She was one of the people who helped train me, along with a long list of others. See I started training when I was 12, my dad didn’t really want me too but I did it anyway. That’s the stubbornness and the “doing it my way” attitude. One day I asked Lexi if she could train me and she said yes, with hesitation. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer anyway so… but years later when I turned 18, she had to know that way or another we were going to face each other…..and she had to know it would be for high profile matches like these or championship matches….
(Gracie chuckles a bit thinking about the times those 2 talked about matches like these, and now it’s about to happen.)
Gracie: Lexi, I’m gonna talk to you from here on out, and I’m not going to trash talk you, because normally by this time, I do that to my opponents. Mostly to get under their skin, or just for my amusement as I watch them squirm in defeat. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done in my career, you were then when I was a teenage phenom, and having a crowd size that big when I just started, you told me not to let it go to my head and I haven’t since. I remember on my debut match, 18 years old, I won my first championship and you were one of the first ones there to greet me in gorilla with tears in your eyes, I never forgot that moment. You told me that I would change the business and I have… you also reminded me that I can have all the commercials, the merch, the movie’s but this business is where I’m needed the most, and once again I never forgot that.
(Madison took a seat in Gracie’s car with the door open so she can hear everything that Gracie is saying, but she got tired of standing on her feet on the desert.)
Gracie: It’s rare to have a friendship this long in this business but you have been there every step of the way. While others left me because of jealousy or greed or for their self-ignorance you haven’t left. I appreciate that from you, and I appreciate the time we spent on the road too, but we have many more days, months, years ahead of us on this road. Because I’m not done with this party yet, I know one day you’re gonna retire, when that day comes I’m gonna be upset but the values you have given me over the years won’t go away, ever. They’ll live as long as I do this, then I’m going to teach my daughter those values. So in a way, your memory will never go away in this business.
(Gracie chuckles a bit.)
Gracie: See, this match was gonna happen much earlier for a different company for their world championship. But I’m glad it didn’t. You and I deserved to have this match on a bigger and better stage with eyes on us. That time wasn’t right, it didn’t feel right. It felt forced. But now? Now it’s the right time, right place, the right circumstance. You and I are going to give this city and this arena that it sorely needs. Something this place can hang in their walls forever and be proud of. You and I always give it our call on the biggest show for the biggest matches and this is no different. I’m humbled to share the ring with you as an opponent. The is one of many matches between us going into the future. Let’s make this one something people will never forget. Sure, it may not be for a championship but there’s something bigger looming over our heads. My grandfather, he’ll be watching both of us, and he’ll probably yell at both of us, and he’ll be happy. He’s going to get the best seat in the house to watch his 2 favorite wrestlers… with pride.
(Gracie starts to tear up again, something that she wouldn’t normally let other people see. But everything she’s been through lately she couldn’t help it. It’s also showing that she’s not some heartless person either, that she does have feelings, and that she does care about stuff that matters to her.)
Gracie: I’ll see you at Christmas, but then…that’s we get ready for battle. Then Vacation, something that I sorely need…but don’t worry about it. You’re gonna get the best out of me, the blood, the sweat, the tears….this match could take 40 minutes, 50 minutes an hour, it doesn’t matter…I’m ready for it…I may be emotionally drained but Lexi, I haven’t broken a promise and I’ll be damned if I’ll break this promise.
(Gracie wipes those tears away before she looks towards Madison with a smile.)
Gracie: Cmon, let’s go before the rain comes. I’d hate to drive this car in the rain….
(They pack everything up and start to drive their way back home. Gracie is in her grandfather’s car and Madison is driving her car behind her. As the scene comes to an end.)