Breakdown 11-18-21 #1
{{Monday, October 18
Gretna, LA
BlackOut Academy}}
Despite not being booked, Spencer and Amy had traveled to Breakdown the last two weeks, just in case Spencer was needed. As it happened though, he was not. Spencer made sure to keep his now-regular trysts with Desiree under the radar, although he knew that Amy knew. She hadn't said anything specific about it since the morning she told him off about it, talking about perception and other shit, but she would make pointed comments that left no room for doubt as to her disapproval. Spencer nearly told her off when they got back to New Orleans after the most recent Breakdown. Her comment wasn't any worse than others she had made - “Made it another week without blowing up the dirt sheets, congratulations.” But enough was enough. He had opened his mouth to pop off, but then she smirked, and Spencer decided to let it slide, she meant it as a joke. Besides, picking a fight with Amy wasn't part of his plan. Despite the way she occasionally acted more like a mother than a manager, for the most part he respected and admired her. He just wished she would get off his ass about what he chose to do in his free time.
It was now Monday after Breakdown, and Spencer was at BOA participating in class as usual. Sure, he had an actual contract, but he was still a rookie and couldn't afford to skip training. He was sparring a few striking drills with Jodi Jennings. She had seemed to accept that he didn't want to get into anything serious, and had been content with the time he spent with her when he was home. Spencer felt bad about the way things had progressed, or rather, digressed, between them. He really did care about her, as evidenced by the fact he took her with him to Caleb's to escape the hurricane. It was just that he couldn't allow himself to care too much. Because that meant letting his guard down, and that meant talking too much... and that meant ruin. When Spencer came to New Orleans he had no intentions of getting involved with anyone at all, not beyond a hook up here and there, because hey, a man has needs, right? Not only was it dangerous because when he let someone in, it was fully, but also? Once he pulled the trigger on his mission here, things would get messy and Spencer didn't want to drag anyone through the trenches with him. As he and Jodi went through the drills, Spencer thought back to the day he started this mission, coming on on two years ago now....
* * * * * {{ February 2020 – Beaumont, TX }} * * * * *
It was late February, Anna Pryce had passed away on the 18th of the month. She was unmarried and had no significant other, so it fell to Spencer and Caleb to take care of her affairs. Caleb's father, Clarence, had stayed on good terms with the Pryce family despite the nasty breakup he'd had with Anna, and offered to help out, but there were some things the boys wanted and needed to do on their own. Anna had been laid to rest, and so Spencer and Caleb set about going through her things in the house the three of them had called home since Spencer was small and before Caleb was born. They were in her bedroom, cleaning out the walk-in closet. They had already folded her clothing away into a few large plastic totes, ready to be donated to a local shelter. Their task now was to sort through about a dozen bankers storage boxes full of paperwork, pictures, old mail, and the like, to see what was important enough to keep. Spencer suspected that ninety percent of it would be trash, but they wouldn't know without going through it. A few boxes were simply tax documents, and were set aside to be shredded. Spencer grabbed one labeled 'pictures' while Caleb dug into one marked 'letters.' Spencer opened his box, and found a few photo albums, along with a pile of loose pictures. Most of them were things he'd seen before, many times. Him and his mom when he was very young, progressing to including Clarence, then Caleb. It was the four of them for a while, until Caleb was around five and Anna kicked Clarence out. The rest of the family pictures were just the three of them, with the occasional aunt or grandma appearance.
“I guess I'll keep all these, unless you want the ones with your pops.”
“Yeah man, I'll take those. I'll go through it later.”
“Alright. Slide me that box there, the other picture one.”
Caleb did as asked, then turned his attention back to the box of letters he was sorting through. Spencer noticed one in Caleb's hand, it stuck out because it wasn't addressed like a regular letter, the envelope simply said “Anna” on the front, with no address. No stamp. It must have been hand delivered. Caleb was reading with a strange look on his face.
“Bro... what's up?”
“You need to see this.” Caleb handed Spencer the letter, and the envelope. Spencer paid no attention to the letter at first, because there was a picture in the envelope. He removed it, and stared. It was his mom, standing with a tall man Spencer had never seen before. They were smiling, the man withs arm around Anna's shoulders.
“Holy shit... did you see this?”
“Yeah man. I think that guy is your father.”
“What? Come on...”
“Read the letter, Spence.”
Spencer was almost afraid to. All his life, his mom refused to tell him anything about who his father was. Only that he left her when she got pregnant. He stared at the folded piece of paper, asking himself if he really wanted the answers he always thought he did. He looked back at the picture, the tall smiling man with his arm around Mom.... yes. Spencer opened the letter...
“Annababy,
Do you remember this day at the park? We had such a good time, just walking and talking. I know you were looking forward to the carousel and we didn't make it, but maybe next time. I finally had film developed from that day and knew you'd want a copy of this.
Til next time, B”
Spencer read it three times, each time hoping the ending was different, and there was a name rather than just a letter as the signature. Obviously, it didn't change. He stuffed the letter and picture back into the envelope.
“What makes you think this dude is my father?”
“This whole stack is from him.” Caleb held up a pile of about six or seven more letters. Spencer reached for it, and Caleb handed them over. Spencer went through them quickly, each one flirty and at times sappy. The last one though made him think maybe Caleb was right...
“Annababy,
This will be the hardest letter I have to write. I think you know this is coming, and I'm sorry but I have to do it. I can't keep coming back here. I have a training opportunity that will give me a much better chance at following my dream job. It leaves very little time for travel though, which means... I can't see you anymore. It's not that I don't want to, I wish there was a way to make this work, to continue this beautiful thing we have going on. But I think we both know that long distance never works out, and it's better for the both of us if we accept that now and move on. You'll always have a piece of my heart, Anna.
Love, B”
“Sonofabitch.”
“See what I mean? This dude just walked out on Mom.”
“It doesn't say anything about a baby though.”
“Maybe he didn't want to put that on paper, you know? Leave a trail?”
“Maybe. I guess a coward would think that way.”
Caleb pulled another picture from the box, and stared at it. He then looked up an Spencer, and back to the picture.
“Bro. Look at this. This has to be him.”
Caleb handed the picture to Spencer. It was another one of their mom with the same guy, but this one was more of a close up. The man's eyes made Spencer uneasy. They looked an awful lot like his own.
“Shit.” Spencer flipped the picture over, curious if there was anything on the back. There was: AP + BL, with a heart drawn around the initials, all in red ink. Spencer stared at it, two initials were better than one, and more information than he'd ever gotten about his father.
“Fuck Mom, why couldn't you have just told me the motherfuckers name?” Spencer sighed, and tucked the picture into the last letter he read.
“Oh shit!” Caleb yelled, with another piece of paper in his hand.
“What now?”
“Here.”
Spencer takes the paper, and reads. It's another letter, this one typed up. It reads like a cover letter for a resume, except instead of job skills, it lists athletic skills and
accomplishments. Maybe it was for a college application? Football and wrestling stats were listed. There was a handwritten note in the margin: “B – I noted typos & corrections. Retype this!” Spencer recognized it as his mom's handwriting. The bottom of the letter though was the most interesting part – it was signed with a full name.
“Got you, you sonofoabitch.”
* * * * * {{ Present - BlackOut Academy }} * * * * *
Spencer kept all of those letters from B, the four or five pictures he and Caleb found of Mom with the man, and that typed cover letter or whatever it was – the only thing he had with a whole name on it. It was what led him to New Orleans and this academy.
Spencer and Jodi were between drills, taking a water break, when a small ruckus near the doorway interrupted. Both Spencer and Jodi turned to see what the commotion was, and Spencer smiled. Bree Lancaster had walked in, and the students who saw her first ran over to say hi, congrats, and all manner of other things. Bree had made a habit of coming to BOA once a week or so earlier in the year, before she came up pregnant and temporarily moved to the west coast. Spencer had worked with her quite a bit, mostly on improving technique on his submission skills. Even though all the students seemed surprised to see Bree here, all of the trainers seemed to have expected her. Spencer watches as Simon, Jeff, Kara, and Shane speak to Bree, and then Amy comes out of her office and joins the group. Amy and Bree hug, and the small group continue their conversation.
“She looks good, don't you think?” Spencer turns to Jodi, who's smiling.
“She looks the same as always.”
“No she doesn't! I think I see a bump!”
Spencer eyes Bree's stomach, and decides that Jodi is seeing what she wants to see; Bree looks the same to him. “Maybe.”
Spencer could tell Jodi wanted to go talk to Bree, but didn't want to interrupt the conversation. Soon though, the group disperses, the trainers go back to work with the students, and Amy and Bree disappear into Amy's office. Jodi looks disappointed.
“Hey, I'm sure she'll come out and say hi to everyone she missed.”
“You think so?”
“I don't think she came all the way here just to hide with Amy in the office.”
“Yeah. Probably. Okay. Back to sparring?”
“Sure.”
Spencer and Jodi spent the next twenty minutes or so going back and forth. Suddenly Spencer noticed that they had an audience. Bree had taken a seat at ringside and was watching them. Spencer stops mid-step, and Jodi gives him a look. Spencer gestures towards Bree.
“Don't stop for me. I'm just checking out your progress.”
“It would be rude if I didn't come down there and say hi.” Spencer smiles and exits the ring. Jodi slides out right behind him. Bree stands up to greet them, a handshake for Spencer and a hug for Jodi.
“It's so good to see you, I didn't think you'd be back here til next year!”
“You do know my brother owns the building, right?”
“Right... of course.” Jodi shakes her head, slightly embarrassed. “What I meant was... like, here. In class.”
“I'm not really here. I'm only in town until tomorrow. Today is sort of a family day for us, I couldn't let Dom's movie keep me from coming by.”
“Oh, is it someone's birthday?”
“No... it's the anniversary of my brother's death. I go to his grave every year.”
Jodi claps her hand over her mouth. “Oh. Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know.”
“You're fine, babe. Really.”
Jodi smiled. One thing Spencer really liked about Jodi was her innocence. “Okay. I'm just glad you stopped by. We miss your input.”
“After we come back home I'll come around more. I just thought that since I was in town, I'd come up here and say hi.”
Jodi starts to say something, but an alarm goes off. She glances at her smart watch. “Shit... I'm really sorry but I have to go. Need to be at work in an hour.”
“I wouldn't want you to be late. Good to see you.”
Bree and Jodi hug again before Jodi sprints off towards the locker room.
Bree gives Spencer a look. “You and her have something going on, don't you?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I was watching you spar. You barely touched her.”
Spencer grins. “Picked up on that, huh?”
“I am very observant.” Bree sits back down, Spencer assumes she's probably tired from traveling.
“Yeah... it's kind of a thing. Nothing serious.”
“Probably for the best. You're on the road and she isn't.”
“That's what I keep thinking.” Spencer has a thought, and points to the chair next to Bree. “You mind if I sit with you here a minute? I kinda want to ask you something.”
“Not at all.” Bree smiles as Spencer takes the seat. “Is it about SCW? I've seen you on TV. You're doing really well, just as I expected.”
“You mean when they bother to book me? I sat backstage doing nothing the last two weeks.”
“It just happens that way sometimes. It's not anything against you. Besides, Amy told me you're on next week.”
“Yeah, finally. In a meaningless match in between Trios.”
“No match is meaningless. Just because it seems random doesn't mean the boss isn't watching.”
“I know, I know. Every coach here drilled that into our heads. It's a little different when you're actually there though, you know?”
“I do know. Believe me. That's why I'm reminding you. It's far too soon into your career for you to be cynical.” Bree grins. Spencer laughs.
“I'm not cynical! I just want to work, you know?”
“I get it. I was like that when I first started, and VWA ran monthly, imagine what being left off a show there felt like.”
“I bet. So um... my question, but can you promise not to be offended?”
Bree sits back a bit. “That depends on the question.”
Spencer then remembers what Bree had been through a few months ago. “Oh no, nothing like that. It's actually about Amy. Since you're so close to her and all.”
Bree visibly relaxes. “Oh. Okay. Sure.”
“Well... I was just wondering, has she always been so.... overbearing?”
Bree just looks at Spencer a few seconds... then laughs. “That's a word. Um... yeah, sometimes. At least for me.”
“How so?”
“Well, she was almost sixteen when I was born, and good friends with my brothers. Obviously. So when I was little she babysat me a lot. I guess she's always felt responsible for me in some way. So she was, and still is in a way, really protective of me. If you want to call that overbearing... yeah, on occasion she can be. Why do you ask that?”
Spencer hesitates, he isn't sure if he should tell Amy's sister-in-law about his frustration with her managerial
style. But, maybe if he did and Bree said something to Amy, Amy might back down just a tad bit.
“Just the way she.... hovers. When we're traveling. I'm grateful she agreed to be my manager, SCW is actually pretty intimidating, there's a good chance I'd get lost in the shuffle without someone putting my name out there. But she's got strong opinions about what I should and shouldn't be doing away from work." Spencer shakes his head.
"What did you do wrong?"
"Nothing! I just-"
"Wait, let me say that again. What did she say you did wrong?"
Spencer looks around, he didn't want anyone to overhear him. For a half-second he hesitated telling Bree about this, but he'd known her for months and had a pretty good feeling that if he asked, she would keep his secrets.
"Look, don't say anything, but... I had company in my hotel room."
"Oh. Well I don't see the problem with...." Bree looks over Spencer's shoulder, where Jodi is sprinting across the gym, leaving for work. It clicks. "Oh. Because of Jodi."
"Right. I get maybe Amy thinks it's more than it is, but it's also none of her business, right?"
"That depends on how you look at it."
"What does that mean?"
"What you do with your relationships and, um... in private, isn't her business, you're right. But knowing Amy as I do, I can bet that her worry was how it would look if word got out you were playing the field on the road while a lady waited at home."
Spencer sat back in awe. "That's almost exactly what she said.... some shit about perception."
"Bingo. I used to hate that word, but the reality is that the wrestling business is based more on perception than anything else. Look how long people thought - and still think - I'm a gold digger, because I married Blake Mason. They conveniently ignore the fact I didn't get anything from him in the divorce, because I didn't want it. But, one or two people made a comment when we first started dating, and it stuck."
"I do remember that."
"So, if the first thing the general public hears about a rookie wrestler is that he's a player... that's going to follow you for your whole career. Is that what you want?"
"No, of course not. I get that point, I really do. But does she have to be so.... motherly, about it?"
Bree laughs. Spencer didn't find it all that funny. "It's the only way she knows how to be. Look at it this way... she only acts this way over people she feels protective over, which means she cares about you."
Goddammit. Spencer hadn't wanted to be in the wrong over this. He really though his manager was overreaching. "So what you're saying is... I should accept her constructive criticism with a smile?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying. I'll go further and say that you should actually take her advice. She's been through a lot. Not just in the business, but in life. She knows her shit, if she has a concern, you should really listen to her."
"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."
Bree grins. "I am. Several times over. More than once she warned me about different things. And look, Cheryl and Bob Lancaster might not have raised any fools, but they did produce three stubborn children.” Bree grins. “So, I did what I wanted anyway. Yet, every single time, Amy was right."
"So, no more road fun?" Spencer smirks.
"I didn't say that. Just be careful. Perception is real, and you want to make sure you control it, not let it control you. I fell victim to that for too long."
"Like everyone thought you were a bitch, so you acted like one?"
"Exactly. It was expected, so I played into it. But I don't really like it. I'm sure you don't want to be known as a cheating asshole, right?"
"No one does. Okay. I get it. I'll try to keep what you said in mind next time Amy starts to lecture."
Bree laughs, and Spencer joins. "Oh God, her lectures can be the worst. But they come from a good place. It's just that she cares, you know?"
"Got it. Thanks.” Spencer smiles. “I should get back to training. Always good talking to you.”
"You too.”
Spencer got back to work, and he noticed Bree stayed about an hour, watching class and talking to a few other people. He wasn't sure what made him decide to ask her what he did, but he was glad he followed the impulse. He had a better understanding of why Amy treated him the way she did, and with that... a better understanding of how to work around it.