 |
|
A warm Novermber day on the road to Las Vegas. Shane Jackson glides over the interstate in his navy blue '68 Dodge Charger, an unidentified song plays quietly on the radio. Outside the the driverside window telephone poles, scrub brush and cacti flash by. Rays of sunshine beat off the windshield of the car as Shane weathers the journey to Sin City.
Shane: Never cared much to be driven around like a child. Do it yourself or don't do it at all.
Shane holds tight to the steering wheel with is right hand as he casually moves his left hand down and begins rolling open the window.
Shane: You attacked me more than once, Sterling, about what I do for the fans. It's true you don't see me at most of the functions, I wasn't in Hawaii at the fan fest, I didn't sign poster or pictures for kids. I don't appear in the media spot light every chance, I don't promote myself in the same way you do, I don't hype Glory to everyone I see, for that you've got me beat. What I do for the company isn't visible to the camera, at least not through me anyway. You've taken guys like Thornhill and Kneegrow under you wing, you're teaching them the points of marketing and image projection. I take time to help other workers, when Drew and Creed are overloaded with work I step in and lend a hand. If the ring crew is short of staff I pick up a wrench and help out. I may not use the spotlight or the lense of the camera to showcase what I do, doesn't mean I still don't do something.
In a single fluid motion Shane switches hands on the steering wheel. With his, now free, right hand he hits a button on his stereo and begins cranking up the volume.
Shane: It's a belief of mine that music can sometimes convey something better than a simple spoken word.
Through the stereo a song begins playing. It has a country sound but you can feel it could easily pick up.
Shane: Hope I don't put you to sleep on this one Sterling. If you can force yourself to keep your eyes open I'll tell you why I don't spend every minute of my life meeting fans, showing off to the press, or donating lump sums of Star's Foundation. I'll try and keep it brief but seeing as I'm such an old man I might get caught up in the tale and wander off.
Shane half smirks at his last words, finding amusement in their meaning.
Shane: You know I'm a hold over from an older generation of CWF wrestler. I was one of the top draws, perhaps the biggest face in the company at the time. Then after a strong feud with Travis Smith, I walked away from it. I've never told anyone the full story. Part of it was becasue of how personal the feud between Travis and I got but there was more to it. I walked away because of a friend.
A tone of sadness begins creeping into Shane's voice.
Shane: Have you ever watched someone waste away? Watched their life and energy being sapped away by a disease? Seen the light disappear from their eyes as they take their last breath? I know you can probably say you were there when your Grandma died or when your Grandpa passed on but it's not the same. You're prepared to let them go, you know that someone who's 85 years old could go at any minute. What about someone who's 17? Someone who's a star athlete, has a great attitude, solid in school and is someone almost anybody can get along with.
Shane: One of my best friend's, named Shawn, he had a younger brother, Cory. One evening two and a half years ago Cory began complaining of a pain in his side, next day the pain was still there, worse than before. Cory was taken to the doctor and given several tests and x-rays. When the doctor's got the results back they were in near disbelief. Cory had a cancerous tumor almost enveloping one of his lungs, and a second, smaller one, near his stomach. This kid was 15 years old and in a matter of hours his whole life changed.
Shane: Over the next 2 1/2 years Cory fought. He did everything he was able to to keep going. For months at a time he was admitted in the hospital, funny thing is many of the children looked foreward to him being in the hospital because he's spend hours at a time in the children's ward cheering them up and down playing the severity of his own disease. Times when he should have been resting he spent with the children helping them through their problems. I watched as Shawn, his dad and his family slowly came to grips that Cory was going to be with them forever. At one point I actually started to believe that Cory was going to be ok and that he was going to come through everything alright. I believed that until I found out he was granted a Wish by the Make a Wish Foundation. You only get a wish if there's little chance of you pulling through in the next year.
Shane: This coming January 21st will mark the first anniversary of his death. A 17 year old kid who's body was wiped from the earth. When I decided to come back to the CWF I kept this in mind. In my contract I asked for a stpulation to be added. Half of everything I make is given to charity. Of that ammount of money half of it goes to the cancer society and the other half to the Make A Wish Foundation. The half I'm left with is enough to pay for my home in Cleveland, any expenses I have, with enough left over for me to put away for when I decide to end my wrestling career.
Shane: That's why I didn't donate $10,000 dollars to Jacob Star and his foundation. I spend some of my free time in hospitals trying to bring at least a small piece of joy to a sick child's life. Sure I could invite camera's along, I can ask reporters to snap pictures of my with bald kids, and crippled babies but I don't. I could spend more time promoting the CWF and it's shows, I can show up at more events and sign autographs, I've already said I could.
Shane: Take this promo of mine anyway you want Sterling. I'm not looking for sympathy from you, I'm not trying to be a dark, wandering, lost soul. I'm giving you what you want, you want to know why I'm not infront of the camera all the time, it's because I'm behind it, doing what matters.
Shane: There's no shocking return in store for you this week Sterling. You'll be fighting me and me alone for the Pro Title. Prove to me you're as good as the words that come out of your mouth.
Shane: Keep smiling Paul and I'll keep living the life I'm proud of.
On the stereo the song comes to a quiet end. Shane keeps his eyes on the road as poles and cactus continue to shoot by his window. A new song starts up on the stereo as Shane's Charger barrels down to highway to the shining neon of the city in the desert.
The song featured in this RP is "Rock n' Roll Pain Train" off of Kid Rock's new, self titled, album. The full song appears in this RP giving me no reason to reproduce it below.