“Overworked?”
(After taking a vacation up to northern California where she spent 4 days...She’s seen at her house still jetlagged from an overseas wrestling trip that she took. She wanted some time to relax, something that never happens that often with her being busy all the time. But she never complains about the workload she has, it’s how she’s programmed. She’s now home after her adventures and vacation time. She can be seen fixing a wheelbarrow that broke a long time ago but she’s just now getting to it. As she’s fixing it, she can feel someone standing behind her…)
Gracie:: Are you gonna just stand there or are you going to do something productive?
(Gracie turns her head and saw her sister standing there. A small smile crept across her face.)
Crystal: You like fixing things don’t you?
Gracie:: Things don’t fix themselves…plus I hate sitting around doing nothing. I always need to be doing something productive.
Crystal: Just like dad?
Gracie:: Exactly.
Crystal: So, what's the wheelbarrow for?
Gracie:: It’s another project I’m doing.
Crystal: Another one!?
Gracie:: Yeah, I’m gonna move those flowers you see by the gate there, and move them to a safe place. All of this grass is gonna be replaced soon, I got tired of paying a huge water bill and trying to fight the water restrictions.
Crystal: Makes sense, and yeah things are bad around here. But I think you’re starting to overwork for yourself, and I know you’re never going to admit it. You’re just like dad…not sure if it’s a pride thing or what…
(Gracie stood up from her seated position with the wheelbarrow and walks past her sister before stopping.)
Gracie:: What makes you think I’m overworked?
Crystal: Working 2 jobs and doing other outside projects like rebuilding that house… and raising a kid.
(Gracie leans on the workbench for a moment before turning around to face her sister.)
Gracie:: Yeah and? I don’t see it as being “overworked”. I see it as getting things done and being productive. See, at an early age, I was taught that if something needs to be done, do it, don’t wait for other people. Then I have people telling me to enjoy the little things as if they know what I do in my personal time. They don’t know me, they don’t know what I do outside of wrestling and yet they can tell me what to do? Fuck em. I enjoy the little things in life, watching my daughter grow up, learn to walk, learn to talk, and as a mother…I don’t have me time anymore and that’s fine. I never complain about being a single parent. I didn’t ask to be a single parent, but it happened.
Crystal: I know you didn’t ask for it, but you don’t have to take it out on people. Your ex-wife is missing out on what your kid is doing, that’s on her, not you... She’s a deadbeat, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. Besides, you have us to help raise her, you’re not in this alone.
Gracie:: I know…
Crystal: That’s why I think you should have someone to help balance the work you have, you could call it a personal assistant or manager or whatever you want but I think it’ll be handy to have.
(Gracie stood there at the workbench for a moment thinking about everything she’s heard from her sister. Deep down she knows Crystal is right but on the other hand, it’s a big commitment to have someone like that hanging around. It’s something that she needs to sit down and think about before making a decision.)
Gracie:: It’s something that I need to think about…besides, why can't you do it?
Crystal: Because I have other things I’m doing, college work, still training to wrestle.
Gracie:: Makes sense, but I'll think it over. I just can’t shake the fact that someone is gonna be following me around like a lost puppy making sure I do things… in a way that’s how my marriage felt like…
Crystal: well, they won’t really follow you around, they’ll just make sure that your schedule is neatly done and not slapped together. By the way, her name is Jordan Andrews. In a couple of days I’ll send you more info and stuff, I know you have a match you should get ready for.
Gracie:: I’m not really too worried about it, there’s nothing on the line. It’s just a random match with a newcomer, who is very talented from the match I saw last week. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do.
(Gracie goes back to working on the wheelbarrow that was taken part to have its arms replaced. Crystal watches her for a moment before she disappears into the house as the scene ends.)
“It’s been a while.”
A day later.
(After fixing the wheelbarrow and thinking about Jordan Andrews that Crystal had mentioned the day before. we’re back at Gracie’s house, the flowers have been removed from the yard like she said she was going to do in preparation for turning the burnt grass into Turf that conserves water. In the house we see Gracie walking around on the phone with a “mystery” person, the same “mystery” person that Jenn was talking to on the last show. It’s towards the end of the phone call….)
Gracie:: …. Well I wanted to make sure that you guys made it off that Island before that storm hit, but you guys will be at the show this week right?
(Gracie nods her head as she hears the voice from the other end, that we can’t hear.)
Gracie:: Great! Jenn and I will show you guys around for sure! PWS is going through some….”changes” with management but I think they would be happy to see you as well, I’m not really positive on that end of things. I guess we’ll see how things go there, and I also want you guys to meet Lexi too. But anyway I’ll let you guys get settled in before we all head out to Ottawa.
(Gracie ends the call with the “mystery” person, with a smile on her face. She’s excited to bring this person around the company and hyped about it too. Just then her sister returns, by knocking on the door before she enters, Gracie already knows it’s her sister. She’s the one who let her in at the front gates anyway.)
Crystal: It’s me again.
Gracie:: Sup?
Crystal: Just wanna make sure how you are before we off to your match soon, and if you thought about the person we talked about yesterday.
Gracie:: Yeah I’m ready for the match and I did think that stuff we talked about over. I guess I could use someone like Jordan in my life, just to help out and make sure I don’t go overboard on stuff, It doesn’t mean I have to like it but I think it’ll be nice to have you know? I would like to meet her though and go through an interviewing process, I don’t want to be just slapped with anybody I want her to understand my ideas and stuff.
Crystal: Of course! It’s not like a blind date. She knows her way around the business and stuff too, so I think it’ll be a perfect fit for you guys.
(Gracie slowly nods her head as she wonders if she doing the right thing or will this end up being a disaster, or it could be her mind playing jokes on her. Time will tell on that. The siblings move to the living room now. Crystal is sitting on the couch and Gracie is sitting in her chair.)
Gracie:: That’s why an interview process will be done. But as far as this match goes, it’s the first REAL match I’ve had in this company since I put my dad into retirement. Sure, I’ve had some simple matches along the way, from the tag team match with Audrey which we won that match and I still have that in my back pocket, because I haven’t decided who I’ve wanted to face for a championship yet, and then I faced…Crystal, who did I face last time?
Crystal: Richard Rider I think?
Gracie:: Yeah that guy, the guy who squealed like a pig when I twisted his arm. But those matches didn’t really have the star power behind them, Outside of Audrey. She’s a great person, she’s a great talent and I’m glad I teamed with her and she IS A STAR, don’t twist my words…. But the opponents, no star power behind them. All did was go through the motions, I didn’t have my heart in it.
(Gracie shrugs her shoulders a bit.)
Gracie:: I guess my dad’s retirement affected me in ways I didn’t think it would. But it was needed, for him, for me, and for this business. It messed with my mind, because my dad was with me for my entire career so far, and now? Now he’s not there. He’s rooting for me behind a glass screen… when he used to be in gorilla rooting for me. I did anything I could to distract myself from the mind games it was playing with me, I went to ball games, vacation time, and I wrestled elsewhere for a different company, which isn’t out of the ordinary for that one. I just needed to get away from this place for a minute.
(It’s been noted that she does wrestle elsewhere, but because egos get involved and drama will happen she just hasn’t said where. She’s the handful of other wrestlers who do work for other places.)
Gracie:: Then, I come back full time now and I see management is a mess with no direction, we have people who think they know everything and then we actually have a world champion that this company is proud of, I know I am! Then we have Carmen, who is actually really talented from the stuff I’ve seen but yet she wants people to bow down to her every movement, kiss the floor that she walks on and praise her every move. I’m sorry but does it look like I care about that garbage? Nope.
(Gracie sinks into the chair even before placing her feet up on the coffee table in front of her.)
Gracie:: I’m sure she hates me and honestly? Good, I won’t lose any sleep over it. Because I’ve seen people like her before in wrestling. They come in and demand this, demand that and they want to take me out, injure me, this that, or whatever and they fail. Then when they don’t get what they want or they have their first loss they throw a bitch fit and leave. I can’t count how many times that has happened over the years and all of the political bullshit I’ve seen and heard backstage. Until she proves otherwise, she falls into that group of people. Don’t get me wrong, I have high hopes for Carmen, I hope she makes it far but she needs to prove herself.
Crystal: Why do you think she hates you?
Gracie:: Probably the same way other people hate me? See, I’m not the most liked person in this business but people still respect what I’ve done. In the other place that I work for.. I can’t walk one step into that building without angry eyes looking at me. Yeah, I’ve tortured people in the past, yeah I threw people through car windows, and yeah I broke someone’s leg…am I sorry for any of that? Nope. Not at all. But don’t think for a second that I can’t be that same bitch again, even though I’ve changed… I can revert back in a snap of a finger.
(Gracie lets out a small sigh.)
Gracie:: Win or lose, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m still one of the faces of this company because I earned that spot. Losing a nothing match on a random show in the middle of nowhere Canada isn’t going to stop the fans from cheering for me because I earned their respect from all of the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve poured into this. They know this, even the mismanaged management knows that. I’m the most resilient person you’ll ever meet and I won’t lay down for anybody and I don’t care if you like me or not…..
(Crystal listens to the stuff Gracieis saying and she couldn’t help but to nod. She can feel that passion that drives her.)
Gracie:: She’s driven by hate, and she can say all the shit she wants about me but I don’t care. It won’t affect me like she thinks it will. I’ve been called a bitch, I’ve been called a daddy’s girl, I’ve been underestimated, but you know what happened? I survived it all. I’m still here, and I’m not leaving just because Carmen wants me to. I’m not a perfect person, I never claimed to be one, but I have respect for this business. Hate me, love me, it doesn't matter. I’ll still have respect for you. The passion I have for this business outdoes hate, outdoes the bullshit politics. Here is what differentiates me from her, WHEN she wins a championship here, I’m going to be there and give the respect she deserves, and I’ll say it on Twitter as well. Because that’s the type of person I am, it doesn’t make me weak, I was taught to respect this business and give it out to people who don’t deserve it.
(Gracie stands up from the chair and starts to head upstairs to pack for the match. It’s going to be a war but she can handle it. She knows she can, she wants to see what carmen can bring. The scene comes to a close.)