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| Tony Soprano
sits in his therapist's office. His bulk resting in a
comfortable maroon chair. Across from him sits his
therapist. She listens intently and offers advice as he
unloads with pieces of his troubled mafia lifestyle. His
New Jersey accent leds it's self heavily to his words. Tony Soprano: You know where I was last night when you called me? Therapist: No. Tony Soprano: I was outside a whorehouse while a guy dat worked for me was inside fuckin' up the own'a. Broke his arm and put a bullit in his knee cap. Therapist: And how did that make you feel? Tony Soprano: That use'da be me in there. It's an office that many people are scared to venture into. Some make excuses as to why they can't go, others out right refuse. There are preconceived notions about what a therapist actually does. Their image has been forever tarnished by sitcoms and cartoons. The Sopranos is one of the only television shows to actually show the profession as they truly are. Most sitcoms give the view that therapists are just goofy geeks who serve little more purpose than to set up the main characters with easy one liners to crack jokes at. Shane sinks into the burgundy colored chair and waits for the therapist to enter. He's wearing his Adidas sport sandals, a pair of grey surfer shorts, and a black T-shirt with the name "Suffering" Joe O'Brien on it, obviously a throw back to one of his mentors in the ICWA. It only takes him a moment to take look around the room and come up with what type of person this therapist is. In the wrestling buisness you have to be quick to assess your opponents or you won't last. That's how Shane views this therapist, just another opponent. Everything in the office is meticulously cleaned and placed in a specific position. Items on the nearby desk are arranged with careful effort and planning. Nothing in the office is randomly placed, even the chairs are set up to the specific liking of the therapist. Diplomas and certificates cover the wall behind the desk. From roof down to eye level there are easily 40 framed dimplomas from various institutions and schools. Expensive pictures and paintings cover the other three walls of the office. Several large bookcase stand against the same wall as the door. Nothing in the office came cheap. It's clear that this therapist either treats a lot of middle class, mildly messed up people, or a few rich, really messed up people. Even the door to the office looks expensive. It's made of solid Britich Columbia rainforest red wood oak, easily very expensive considering the extensive regulations placed on B.C. rainforest logging. It's been almost 10 minutes since Shane was called into the office. Almost the second he entered the therapist left without saying anything to him. He's slowly becoming annoyed at this situation and is about ready to leave when the therapist re-enters the room. She's a middle aged woman, somewhere in her early 40's. He has brown hair and wears a pair of thin wire glasses. Looking at her you can easily tell that she used to be a knock out when she was younger. Even in her early 40's the years have been kind to her. She's dressed in professional looking blue dress. She enters the room and immediately acknowledges Shane's presence. She picks up the notebook off her desk and moves to the seat across from where Shane sits. As she takes her seat she carefully crosses her legs and opens her notebook. Therapist: Hello Mr. Jackson. Shane: Please just call me Shane, I prefer it. Therapist: Alright Shane. I understand that you have come here because you've been under a lot of stress recently and you're worried that this stress might start effecting your life. Shane: Start effecting my life? It already has. Therapist: What exactly is causing the stress? Is it your work? Home life? Shane: You've obviously never treated a wrestler before. Everything about the buisness is stressfull. Your constantly fighting with people, left and right. The people you fight are always taking shots at you and your life. They try and mess with your head and break you down. Each fight is like a war. Your constantly trying to break your opponent's spirit and conquor him. Tony Soprano: We're soldiers. Soldiers don't go to hell. Therapist: How do you know that? Tony Soprano: We do what we're told. We aren't da ones who started da war, we just have to fight it.
Therapist: I read a little bit in your bio. I understand that in just over a year you've been part of 3 different wrestling federations, 4 if you count the few promotional shows you did with the IWF. Shane: For one reason or another several of the federations I've been with have had to close down. I was then shipped along to the next big federation in line. Being moved about, from federation to federation can cause a lot of problems. I know some guys who've walked away from the buisness all together because of the difficulty in adjusting to a new way of life with a new company. Therapist: I noticed you're wearing a shirt from your first company, the ICWA. Who was Joe O'Brien? Shane: He was the guy that gave me my first real break. He was able to see my future and he knew where I was going to be as long as I had the right teacher. Joe took it upon himself to shape me. He gave me my shot in the ICWA and I quickly rose to the top and carried the company. It was Joe O'Brien saw my potential. Therapist: I want to know. Why haven't you changed your theme music since you started in the ICWA? You're still entering the arena's to "Higher" from Creed. Shane: It's one of the last pieces I have of that place. I've never thought of changing my music because I've never wanted to. Therapist: Maybe you're afraid to face the fact the the ICWA is gone. I know you've said many times that you know it's gone but I don't think you've ever truly faced it. Shane: Maybe. Therapist: What's been happening between you and Travis Smith? Shane: Bastard's trying to destroy my life. Therapist: Your sister's fallen in love with him. Aren't you happy for her? Shane: I've spent half my life looking out for her. It was my second job. I did what I could to be a good brother. In the end she spits in my face. Therapist: Have you talked to her since she's been with Travis? Shane: NO! Fuck her, she's dead to me. Therapist: What are you going to do on Monday when you have to tag with Travis? She's obviously going to be there. Shane: I'll put up with Travis for as long as I have to, until the match is over. Melissa, I don't want to see her. I hope she hides her face behind that paint so I don't have to see it. The only reason that Smith and I were put together is because Smack wants to see us explode on each other. He wants the fans to see a preview of Revolution. Nobody expects us to finish the match together, much less win it. As a tag team the two of us are just going to feed each other to the wolves. Eric 'Enigma' and OG Shane are probably going to pick up the win but I doubt it's going to because they're a good team. Therapist: Who is OG Shane Jackson? Shane: He's the man who I've always been compared to. No matter what I accomplish, no matter how much bigger than him I become everyone always wonders if I could measure up to him. From the first day I stepped into the CWF I was in his shadow. Even though I've outgrown what he's done we're still measured with the same stick. I've eclipsed his career at least 2 times over but I'm still not able to escape the stigma that his presence created because he was the first. Therapist: I want to ask you about Heinrich Himmler. He's made a few comments toward you, like he's calling you on. Shane: That's because he is. I'm going to have words with him as soon as Smith and I have had it out. Therapist: But he's not physically attacked you. Why escalate the situation by firing shots back at him? Shane: As much as you like to believe that the world can talk out it's problems, it can't. Sometime the only way to make someone else see reason is to smack them in the face with a chair and step on their neck. Therapist: That's a little extreme isn't it? Shane: But it works. Therapist: We're almost out of time here. Is there something specific you want me to talk to me about? Shane: There's this strange dream that I've been having fore the last couple of weeks. It starts with me just standing in a grassy field with the CWO World Title around my waist. The wind is blowing, it's not strong but it's just enough to know it's there. As I'm standing in the field people start appearing out of no where. Every person that appears is someone that I know. There's Mike Manson, Jeckel, Oblivion, Grimm, MaXx Graves, Azazel, Bob Decot, Travis Smith, Jake Douglas, Sephiroth, all these people that I've met. They're all standing in this field with me. At first none of us are moving we're all standing, looking in the same direction, suddenly there's a flash of light and everyone's moving. Everyone but me. They're all moving around me, looking at me. None of them take their eyes off me. Then there's another flash of light and I'm laying in the field. My eyes are closed and everyone is gone. I'm no longer wearing the title belt. It's laying an arm's reach away. On top of the belt is a small stone with an X on it. Through the whole dream a song is playing. It's that Sarah McLachlan song "Angel". It plays quietly until the end of the dream, when I'm laying in the field. It suddenly gets louder and you can clearly hear this one part. Therapist: How does it go? Shane's no musician or singer. His rendition of the particular part of "Angel" is more spoken to an off beat than actually sung. Shane: "So tired of the straight line, and everywhere you turn there's vultures and theives at your back and the storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lie that you make up for all the you lack, it makes no difference escaping one last time....." that's where I always wake up. Therapist: It's hard to interpret dreams. If I had to guess I would say it has something to do with you career. Vultures and theives could refer to the CWO. Since you're the champion everyone is reaching for your position. Theives trying to steal the belt and vultures to pick at you after loosing it. It's only a guess though. I'm not going to go through the rest of what the song or dream means because we're out of time. Shane: Alright, hold on. Let me get this straight. The second my time is up you stop trying to help. Wow, you're like a slot machine, run out of quarters and it's game over! Therapist: I have other patients that need to be seen. I can put you down for an appointment next week. Shane: No, you're not going to! Since I've been here all you've done is ask questons. You've provided very little advice, and then when I ask you for some you tell me I'm out of time. I think I'd rather walk around the rest of my life messed up than drop a few more quarters in you, pull the handle and hope I get luck and hit the jackpot. I think I know why you've got such an expensive office. You continually ask and rephrase your questions to get your patients to coming back here for more and more sessions. Shane stand up out of the chair. Shane: Blow it out your ass! The therapists face turns red with embarassment. Without saying anything more to her Shane turns and walks out of the office. After a few mimutes of sitting in her chair the therapist gets up and goes to her desk. She sits down and begins flipping through her rolodex until she finds the number she's looking for. She picks up the phone and quickly dials the number. Therapist: Hello, is Dr. Pepper there? Secretary: Yes, he is. Therapist: Could you tell him that one I need to speak to him? After a few moments on hold she finally gets through to the doctor. Therapist: Hello Dr. Pepper, it's Anne. Dr. Pepper: What's wrong? Therapist: I've just had a major conflict with one a patient and I'm not sure how to emotionally deal with it. Dr. Pepper: Well I can't see you today Anne, but I can scedule you in for a session tomorrow at noon. Therapist: Thank-you. She hangs up the phone. She takes a second to compose herself before going out to the waiting room to call the next patient. As she leaves the room the picture switches to a shot of the card she just used in her rolodex. Written on the card is: Dr. Henry Pepper. Clinical Psychologist and Therapist. Fade out Angel by Sarah McLachlan |