| The Calm; The last obstacle... | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: May 31 2016, 07:09 PM (20 Views) | |
| Alejandro | May 31 2016, 07:09 PM Post #1 |
|
The Iron Saint
|
With the events of the past week, Jaime and Tanya couldn't go back to either of their places in Albuquerque or Boston... Instead, Tanya found a random travel site and off they went towards Miami. However, she wasn't content to stay in Miami... She steered the trip towards the Keys. A land to the utmost south of everything in the US. And it was ninety miles away from Jaime's actual home country... The glimmer in her eyes she had when she purchased the Corvette for their rental car... Jaime would only comment. "Hey, baby. I thought I was driving..." Arriving at their hotel in Key West, Tanya pulled into the parking lot with a smile. "See. Told you we would make it before dark. I just had to bend the speed limit a little." "On the Overseas Highway... You went almost 120 miles in less than 2 hours." He looked at Tanya and shook his head. "Did the Stig teach you how to drive?!!" "Nope. Besides you say that like I didn't have control the whole time. We are here, so, do not worry. To relax and forget our life for a while." Tanya grins and kisses Jaime on the cheek as she heads inside to check in. "Right..." He looked out over the smaller and affluent houses in the area. A long time ago, this is where his family came ashore to escape. His mother was not a native of Cuba, but she married his father on a chance meeting... That chance led his family to escaping the isle of their birth. As he looked over, he felt Tanya gripping his hand. "Nostalgia is okay. Just don't get too pensive. Come on, our suite is ready. This will be fun." Tanya looked and sounded confident, that confidence that could convince strangers she could take on the world. He looked down at her and smiled. "Yeah, a lot of memory attached here, really." He walked along with her, as she moved towards their suite. "What suite did we get?" "Second floor with a water view." "I think I can live with that. I think the first thing we could do. Get a nice and fattening Cuban sandwich." He looked at her, almost like a kid. "Oh man I haven't had a Cuban in years. Though I admit, it wasn't a Cuban made by a Cuban." Tanya winked at Jaime as they entered their room so if nothing else the luggage would be put away. Jaime realized that he forgot the luggage, until a young porter brought in their goods. "Thanks, kid." As he moved in the cart and put the luggage down, Tanya shook her head at Jaime. The large man tipped the kid with a hundred and nodded to him. The young guy looked a bit shocked. "Miss, are you sure he's giving me the right amount?" "Call it advanced tips as we will probably be requiring aid again before we are done. Besides management isn't' the only ones who should be able to afford to pay their rent." Tanya winked at the kid as she flashed a warm smile. She had worked for small wrestling promotions and been stiffed on pay. Luckily Waffle House was always value priced. He nodded to Tanya and saw himself out. Jaime looked out the window and smiled. "Vin and I had jobs as porters once upon a time. It was a good way as young teenagers to get out of trouble. When I moved to San Antonio, though. I never really got used to the Texas culture. Except for football and fighting, of course." "One should never get used to Texas Culture. That means you start shopping for decorative Belt Buckles. Though, I do love my sexy cowboy boots." "I like Texas barbecue, don't get me wrong. But give me a Cubano and fried plantains any day." Tanya grinned and kissed Jaime. "Well, perhaps I didn't have ones properly made. I'll give plantains one more chance since I have an expert with me." He held her close to him, around her waist. "More or less. Gotta have the salt to balance out the woody flavor. Bananas are meant to be sweet. Plantains were meant to be meaty and hearty." As they looked out over the water, he thought he saw a boat in the distance. "Look over there..." Tanya looked out past the balcony and onto the water beyond. "A boat... I think I see a sail." "Not much of a sail, but it works." Jaime knew what it was. "Either they're making it to the shore, or the Coast Guard will stop them and send them to Gitmo for repatriation to Cuba." "Ah. I see. Well, hopefully it ends well for them. Whichever way it goes." "These days, the Coast Guard doesn't worry so much about refugees. We may have ended some sanctions, but with Raul in charge... People still want to take their chances in the US. They're more worried about guys with towels on their head." Jaime looked at Tanya again, but a bit differently than usual. Before, both of them would have quipped at each other with some form of sarcasm or smart remark. Yet, something was a bit unusual with them over the past few months. "Either way. So, you think we need some authentic Cuban Sandwiches?" "Yeah. Although, Tampa does theirs with Ham and Salami. The Keys don't." "Well, we are in the Keys so let's do it the Keys way. Besides, Tampa also has the Buccaneers." He chuckled as she mentioned that team name. "Yes, they do. And neither is that good. And roast pork is a hell of a lot better than salami." He headed towards the door slowly, but stopped as she put the keys down on the table. "So, we're gonna walk down the sidewalks. I can live with that." "Well, yeah. Best way to get an idea of what is where around here is to walk to dinner." Tanya grinned, as she cozied up to Jaime. As they walked down the street, the memories slowly went into his mind. "Once upon a time, this was called 'Thompson's Island' after a SECNAV named Thompson. The islands were claimed by Matthew C. Perry. No, not the shitty actor. The Commodore who ended up opening up Japan with the Convention of Kanagawa. Which if you did remember your recent history, is where Gen is from." "I do recall reading a thing or two about Commodore Perry. As opposed to Commodore 64 which thankfully I didn't have to deal with." Tanya smirked as she smarted off to Jaime. "It was serviceable until the keyboard went to hell. But yes, Perry ended up claiming the Keys. Because Thompson's Island didn't stick. Because who the hell would come to Thompson's Island. But from here, we had the Mexican-American War, because Santa Anna was a dick. And then off to Nihon." "Tacos to Sushi. Sounds like a gastric adventure to me. So where should we go to eat?" Tanya made sure to hold Jaime's hand as they walked, the affection subtle but clear. He pointed over to a small cafe where the kitchen was open. "Where we can see what they're doing, of course. Most Cubans are very honest. And the good food is where you can see them making it." Tanya nodded as they headed for the cafe. "Like the old line about never trusting a skinny cook." "Exactly. If he isn't eating his own cooking in good number, why trust him?" With that, the two entered the cafe and sat down "So, we're both not officially working for anyone lately. Do you feel any different that you're not having to report to a company for their shows?" "Not really. I've spent time between promotions and injured enough that it's just part of the whole experience. Biggest thing is I don't feel stressed about the traveling now that I'm working in Canada. Fucking Customs." He shook his head for a minute and smiled. "I've never wanted to stay in Canada, honestly. It's good to visit. But I wouldn't live there." "Yep. Now come on. We promised no shop talk. If we are going to have a long, happy marriage we need to be able to spend time together without wrestling." Tanya said this with a playful and mocking tone. He looked up at her for a moment. “Of course, but I should also warn you a bit. The land has changed over there a bit since I’ve been gone. Since Gen has been gone. Right now, I don’t have any friends over there. You know, like the old days. My other student has been too busy getting into the pants of the other owner slash wrestler.” Tanya nodded and smiled at Jaime, as he spoke. “I usually didn’t have friends. Tag partners but those were always business. Someone to win championships with. You’ll be fine. Now come on, let’s get our eat on.” “Yeah, you’re right. I should get used to it by now.” As the waiter took their orders, he looked back towards the city itself. Tanya had seen this look before. The look of Jaime being somewhere else in his mind. This was the look she had seen many times when she faced him. A compartmentalization of who he was outside of the ring. As he looked, he heard fingers snapping at him. His mind wasn’t on business, mind you. He just wanted to figure out how to move forward at the present time… Tanya spoke with care but also a bit of chastisement as she addressed her companion. “No more of that. You are required to be happy during this vacation. You keep up worrying about the future, and I’ll Skype Kei. I love that sage, but she’s so cryptic even you can get a headache trying to puzzle out her advice.” “You get a headache trying to figure out Socrates and Plato. I’ve seen you trying to read the books in my study before you declare you have a thinky pain.” Jaime smirked at the younger woman from the other side of the table. With a swift motion, the patrons hear a kick from under the table. “That’s not how you play footsie, dear…” “Stop being a jerk. I’m not your daughter or some ditzy ringrat. Remember I can school you in mythology and classic european literature. Just because you are a few years older than me and I find some comfort in your usually mature nature is no reason to play Daddy with me. We are kinky but not like that.” “You know something… You’re right.” Tanya smiled and quit kicking Jaime as the food arrived. “I know I am. We are equals in this and I know deep down inside you know that. You just need to admit it consciously more often. I didn’t fall in love with you because I needed a protector. Just someone who understands why I can be broken but still functional.” As he looked at the sandwich, he thought to himself for a second. “You fell in love with a jerk. Someone who hasn’t made it out of the desert. Someone who hasn’t gotten over his first love killing herself. Someone who hasn’t been a good father. I’m surprised my daughter puts up with me most of the time, to be honest. Hell, I’m more afraid of fucking up our marriage more than going back into wrestling. At least if someone hits me good in wrestling, I won’t…” Tanya puts a finger up to his lips. “And you fell in love with a woman who has spent over a dozen years committing self-destructive behavior due to survivor’s guilt and making it as hard as possible for anyone who wants to be close to her to get a fair chance at that. Face it, we deserve each other.” With that in mind, Tanya took a big bite of her sandwich and enjoyed the taste. “Maybe Leona was right. We do need matching jackets in the nut house…” Tanya shoved his sandwich in his mouth and smirked at him. As he took a bite into the pickle, he did realize something… But his words were muffled by the sound of crunching into the Cuban bread… Tanya savored the taste and waited until she was halfway through her sandwich to speak again. “I know I said I wanted to see the town but I’m thinking after dinner we go back to the room. It’s been a long drive and a good night’s sleep means we won’t sleep all day tomorrow.” “Maybe you’re right. We have a while to see everything, honestly. You can’t absorb everything on the first day here.” As he took another bite, he kept looking around and seeing the city of when he was a kid. Everything looked different, but it also looked the same to him. He polished the last of his sandwich off, and handed his card to the wait staff. “I keep seeing two worlds right now, Tanya… I don’t know why.” Tanya had to do it. She can’t help herself, and she knew that Jaime would interpret what she said before she finished the speech. “Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is a fake cause I lost it in an accident. Since then, I’ve been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other, so I thought I could only see patches of reality, never the whole picture. I felt like I was watching a dream I’d never wake up from… Hmp. Before I knew it, the dream was all over. “ “Well, Spike Spiegel. Do you feel better now that you imparted that wisdom? However, that prick was right. That’s how it goes when you get to be a regretful man. However, somewhere… Both worlds have to come together. So, I have a favor to ask for later tonight. And no, it’s not that.” “Well, of course not. You never have to ask for that. So what is it?” Tanya managed to quiet any more wit from her with another mouthful of sandwich. “Kei told me once upon a time that you and I have to become one. You’ve gotten to see a bit of my world. Hell, you’ve probably stayed in it a bit too long… So, I want to enter your world. I’ve seen you on the days when you’ve talked to the world…” He looked at the table. “I wouldn’t know where to start talking to it. But, if you want me to open up my mind… Then, teach me how, as best as you can.” Tanya stared at Jaime for a second, as she ponders what he is saying. She figured out the meaning, with a slight giggle. “You mean that awareness and spiritual connection that Kei taught me so I’d quit blocking myself off emotionally. I mean I’m still learning it myself but I can show you the basics my love. It’s not so much about talking to the world as listening to it. Losing yourself in it. But yes I’ll teach you what I can.” Jaime looked up at the sky. “Alright. We’ll go back to the room. And we have time until the night sky hits. This place doesn’t get too bad with the noise. So, teach me.” As he stood up from the table, he leaned down and kissed Tanya’s cheek. “And one day, I won’t be this much of a jerk again, as I was moments ago…” Tanya stood up as well and gave Jaime a playful wink and smirk. “Random smartass is okay, just don’t forget that I am here to protect you as much as you protect me. We’ll meditate and gain awareness later tonight. I need to get some rest and get my own mind in the right place first. A nap, some TV, some snuggling. We are on vacation after all.” Jaime sat in the room with a blanket wrapped around him. Tanya laid next to him, peaceful in her own slumber. For the giant Cuban… The nightmares were a part of his world. A part of his brain that cannot shut off. He and Kei tried. The young sage failed to even scratch the surface on it. Kei realized she couldn't devote the time it would take to heal Jaime day by day over the months, if not years, that it would take to cover every spiritual wound. It would take the devotion that Tanya can give as one who gave her heart to Jaime. He looked at the peaceful woman next to him and wondered how he deserved someone like her. Yet, that was a part of the lessons he had to learn. Many times, Tanya had to tell him to stop being who he was. He had to become who he really is. The question was, in his mind, ‘Who am I?’ The answer is never as simple as it comes. But before he could fully be ready for the ring. He had to heal mentally. As simple as it sounds, it’s was never easy for Jaime to calm his mind. He felt a hand gripping his, and he looked down to see Tanya’s sleepy form clutching his hand. Instead of fighting sleep, he laid on his back and looked at the ceiling. As the hand released its grip, it changed to an arm around his chest. The old soldier looked up once more, before everything went to black… |
| |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · The Warrior's Den · Next Topic » |








10:51 AM Jul 11