Post by Tommy Grace on Dec 23, 2012 0:19:08 GMT -5
It was December 6th at one of the many bars in Philly. Tommy Grace was sitting alone, drinking a bottle of beer at a table. He glanced idly at his watch, a scowl present on his face as waited. He thought it was a waste of time, and so did his other voice. Tommy had traveled from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia during the day with one purpose: to talk to Joe Summers. He was a man whose career Tommy almost ruined, but at the same time the only man that Grace felt he could talk to, in his own twisted way. He had told himself he would give Joe fifteen minutes to show up. If he wasn't there by fifteen minutes, he would leave.
Tommy Grace wanted to talk to him, and if Joe was interested, the two of them could meet on December 6th. Though he initially had his doubts, Joe decided that it was in his best interests to see what Tommy wanted, even in spite of the battles that the two of them had been through in recent months. And as soon as he noticed Tommy sitting alone at a table with a beer in hand, Joe sighed to himself as he made his way over. "Uh, hey...?"
Grace was surprised when he noticed Joe Summers walk over to him. He just looked up at Joe and shook his head, chuckling quietly before taking a long sip of beer. He pointed at him and said in an almost bitter voice, "You actually came."
Joe took a seat at the table and nodded his head, "Yeah, I guess I did. I heard you wanted to talk about something, and, well...I let curiosity get the best of me."
Tommy gave Joe an annoyed look before replying with spite. "And you actually came. You're unbelievable."
"Isn't that one of those things that you hate about me? You know...that I'm too stupid for my own good?"
Grace stared at Joe before downing the rest of his beer and set it down on the table with a bit of authority. He then got the attention of a passing waitress and told her to bring over two beers before looking back at Joe. "You doing alright?" He said the words in a petulant sort of way-- not as though he cared terribly.
"I've been better. My ribs still hurt a bit, but I'll live." He shrugged, completely ignoring the tone of Tommy's voice. "How about you? How've you been?"
Sucking in a breath, Tommy leaned back in his chair as he glared at the man across from him. "Are you really just talking to me like this? Like I didn't just almost end your career, Joe?"
"You almost ended my career. You didn't actually do it." Joe flashed a quick grin at Tommy as he shook his head. "You didn't have to end the match then, Tommy. It was a decision you made on your own. That counts for something, right?"
Tommy watched Joe as he spoke and just smiled bitterly. "You really know how to piss me off, you know that? That you can even sit here and smile at me right now--" Grace stopped himself and briefly paused before speaking again. "You just really piss me off, Joe..."
"Well, I figured I piss you off. You probably wouldn't have tried to end my career if I didn't." Joe chuckled for a moment, before sighing. "What about me pisses you off, though?"
The waitress set down the drinks for the two men, but otherwise kept her distance as Tommy replied. "Joe, I am not about to explain to you why you piss me off. Do you really need me to get back into that right now?"
"Not really." Joe shrugged. "But I don't really think that we need to get back into it, either. We don't have anything to prove to each other anymore. Don't you think we've put each other through enough?"
Grace heaved a sigh and then grabbed his fresh beer and took a sip, glancing at the table. "No, we don't need to get back into it again..." He spoke in an almost solemn voice.
"We didn't really accomplish anything, if you think about it." Joe grabbed his own beer and took a drink from it. "I mean, I feel better that we got it out of the way, but...that's it. I can't say I'm excited to get back in the ring with you anytime soon."
Tommy Grace shook his head, before looking back up. "It didn't feel good, what I did. In fact, I didn't feel anything from it. I thought it would just... make everything better. Everything in my life feel better." Tommy then shrugged his shoulders, frowning. "I just... felt the same as I always do."
Joe took another of his beer and gave a half-hearted shrug. "That's because you're fighting for the wrong reasons."
Grace laughed, then stared up at the lights above them with a sour smile on his face. "Oh, please. Tell me how to fight right, Joe."
"Have you ever noticed that bringing people down to your level never actually seems to accomplish anything?" Joe laughed as he shook his head. "You've always been worried about hurting other people, or making them miserable...you know, stuff like that. But...it's never been about what makes you happy, you know? It's like you've never taken a step back to think about what you want."
"I thought this would make me happy!" snapped Tommy briefly. He glared at Joe, but then settled back in his chair, still fixing his gaze on him. "I have tried for so long to try and make myself happy. The only reason I was facing you is because that's the only time I ever felt... like I did, back then. Competitive. Loving what I do." He cleared his throat and glanced down. "...But then something came over me. And that wasn't... important."
"Think things would've been better if you never lost sight of that?" Joe frowned. "I'm not going to tell you that there's one right answer, because there isn't. Different people fight for different things. It's just a matter of keeping things in perspective. We all lose sight of things every once in a while. Remember when me and Denni decided to get our revenge on Axl?" He sighed. "For almost a year we weren't really ourselves. We were too worried about getting revenge. But then, Axl almost killed her, and we realized...it isn't worth it. We took a step back, reminded ourselves of what was important, and we focused on that. Maybe you need to do the same."
Tommy kept his gaze on the table as Joe spoke and took it all in before speaking carefully. "I'm... not right, Joe-- mentally. There's something wrong with me. That I just wanted to wrestle you... and then I wanted to kill you. I think things would've been better if I didn't lose sight, but I did. And I couldn't help it."
"Maybe you need to take some time for yourself to find something that you care about. And I mean, really care about." Joe shrugged as he took another drink of his beer. "You aren't a bad person, Tom. If you were, I probably wouldn't be here right now. You just need to find something that keeps you sane. Family, friends, a renewed love for competing...anything, really..."
"Yeah, well..." Tommy trailed off, thinking for a moment. "I don't have family now. I don't have friends. ...I can't compete as I am." Grace rubbed his forehead. "I need to get my head right, first."
Joe nodded. "Do that, and everything else will probably fall into place. People will notice if you start to be happy with yourself again."
Grace took a deep breath before downing a good portion of his beer, steeling Joe with a look. "I'm going to tell you something, Joe. And don't you dare say anything to piss me off after it, okay?"
"I'll try not to."
Tommy took another drink to will himself enough to speak again. "I wish I was you. I wish I had... the happiness you have. Loving your job. Having a loving wife. Family crawling out of every crack in the wall that loves you. I really wish I had that. I really wish I was you." Tommy then narrowed his brow at Joe. "I just want to be a you that isn't so damn stupid."
Joe sat in silence as he looked at Tommy and tried to think of an appropriate response. A few seconds later, he took a sip of his beer and smiled. "Thanks." He sighed. "Believe me, I've got my problems, but...thanks."
Grace scoffed. "Yeah, I guess when you don't have assholes like me trying to ruin your life, you have a problem with your life being too perfect."
"Life's never perfect. There's always gonna be someone or something to drag it down. It's just a matter of making the most of what you have." Joe shook his head. "Speaking of which...I'm really grateful that you didn't decide to end my career a few weeks. I have a feeling that I'm gonna be dealing with a new asshole in a week or two."
Tommy smirked a bit, letting out a small laugh. "Probably... And that's why I don't want to ever be you. You ever consider... not letting anyone pull that shit on you? Or taking them out before they can go too far?"
"I've thought about it. Don't really know why I haven't done it yet, to be honest with you." Joe chuckled. "I guess I'm not too good at being you."
"You don't want to be good at whatever it is I do, Joe." Tommy took a sip of beer. "...Just keep being your stupid self. You've been alright doing that so far."
"I'm sure it'll catch up to me one of these days."
"If it hasn't by now, it won't..." Tommy thought for a few moments, then spoke up again, looking away from Summers. "Listen, Joe. All of the shit I've put you and your wife through. I'm sorry for it."
"Don't worry about it. It's cool." Joe shook his head. "It's too late to change the past. Just worry about trying to improve yourself, Tommy. That's all that matters now."
Tommy crossed his arms, frowning at Joe. "You're going to need to pass that on to Dennielle too, because I won't say it to her. I still hate her."
Joe laughed. "That's fine with me. I can do that."
Grace then smiled somewhat gratefully before focusing his gaze on his beer. "...Thanks. For coming to talk to me, Joe."
"No problem. I'm glad we could put all of this behind us." Joe grinned as he took another sip of his beer. "I think it'll make both of our lives a lot easier..."
"Yeah..." said Tommy as he thought for a moment. "...So hey, I don't know what you got going on, but I think they're going to play the 76ers and Celtics game here soon." He cleared his throat, scratching at his neck. "If you wanted to stick around and check it out."
"That sounds good to me." Joe nodded. "I'm not leaving until Saturday, anyway."
"Cool," was the simple reply from Tommy, who smiled only a little bit. They enjoyed the basketball game that night, talking like friends rather than enemies. If Joe was so easily able to put aside their differences and talk to Tommy Grace like he wasn't the psychopath that everyone else thought he was, Tommy figured he could at least attempt to do the same.
Tommy Grace knew he had to change though. When he asked for Joe to have a talk with him, he didn't expect it to go as well as it did by a long shot. All Tommy really wanted from talking to Joe was a sense of closure, or a confirmation of what he needed to do. He needed to get his mind set straight; and he wasn't about to do anything else until he had that resolved. Tommy Grace was going to be a happier and more well-adjusted person, of that he was sure. He just didn't plan on doing it Joe's way.
Tommy Grace wanted to talk to him, and if Joe was interested, the two of them could meet on December 6th. Though he initially had his doubts, Joe decided that it was in his best interests to see what Tommy wanted, even in spite of the battles that the two of them had been through in recent months. And as soon as he noticed Tommy sitting alone at a table with a beer in hand, Joe sighed to himself as he made his way over. "Uh, hey...?"
Grace was surprised when he noticed Joe Summers walk over to him. He just looked up at Joe and shook his head, chuckling quietly before taking a long sip of beer. He pointed at him and said in an almost bitter voice, "You actually came."
Joe took a seat at the table and nodded his head, "Yeah, I guess I did. I heard you wanted to talk about something, and, well...I let curiosity get the best of me."
Tommy gave Joe an annoyed look before replying with spite. "And you actually came. You're unbelievable."
"Isn't that one of those things that you hate about me? You know...that I'm too stupid for my own good?"
Grace stared at Joe before downing the rest of his beer and set it down on the table with a bit of authority. He then got the attention of a passing waitress and told her to bring over two beers before looking back at Joe. "You doing alright?" He said the words in a petulant sort of way-- not as though he cared terribly.
"I've been better. My ribs still hurt a bit, but I'll live." He shrugged, completely ignoring the tone of Tommy's voice. "How about you? How've you been?"
Sucking in a breath, Tommy leaned back in his chair as he glared at the man across from him. "Are you really just talking to me like this? Like I didn't just almost end your career, Joe?"
"You almost ended my career. You didn't actually do it." Joe flashed a quick grin at Tommy as he shook his head. "You didn't have to end the match then, Tommy. It was a decision you made on your own. That counts for something, right?"
Tommy watched Joe as he spoke and just smiled bitterly. "You really know how to piss me off, you know that? That you can even sit here and smile at me right now--" Grace stopped himself and briefly paused before speaking again. "You just really piss me off, Joe..."
"Well, I figured I piss you off. You probably wouldn't have tried to end my career if I didn't." Joe chuckled for a moment, before sighing. "What about me pisses you off, though?"
The waitress set down the drinks for the two men, but otherwise kept her distance as Tommy replied. "Joe, I am not about to explain to you why you piss me off. Do you really need me to get back into that right now?"
"Not really." Joe shrugged. "But I don't really think that we need to get back into it, either. We don't have anything to prove to each other anymore. Don't you think we've put each other through enough?"
Grace heaved a sigh and then grabbed his fresh beer and took a sip, glancing at the table. "No, we don't need to get back into it again..." He spoke in an almost solemn voice.
"We didn't really accomplish anything, if you think about it." Joe grabbed his own beer and took a drink from it. "I mean, I feel better that we got it out of the way, but...that's it. I can't say I'm excited to get back in the ring with you anytime soon."
Tommy Grace shook his head, before looking back up. "It didn't feel good, what I did. In fact, I didn't feel anything from it. I thought it would just... make everything better. Everything in my life feel better." Tommy then shrugged his shoulders, frowning. "I just... felt the same as I always do."
Joe took another of his beer and gave a half-hearted shrug. "That's because you're fighting for the wrong reasons."
Grace laughed, then stared up at the lights above them with a sour smile on his face. "Oh, please. Tell me how to fight right, Joe."
"Have you ever noticed that bringing people down to your level never actually seems to accomplish anything?" Joe laughed as he shook his head. "You've always been worried about hurting other people, or making them miserable...you know, stuff like that. But...it's never been about what makes you happy, you know? It's like you've never taken a step back to think about what you want."
"I thought this would make me happy!" snapped Tommy briefly. He glared at Joe, but then settled back in his chair, still fixing his gaze on him. "I have tried for so long to try and make myself happy. The only reason I was facing you is because that's the only time I ever felt... like I did, back then. Competitive. Loving what I do." He cleared his throat and glanced down. "...But then something came over me. And that wasn't... important."
"Think things would've been better if you never lost sight of that?" Joe frowned. "I'm not going to tell you that there's one right answer, because there isn't. Different people fight for different things. It's just a matter of keeping things in perspective. We all lose sight of things every once in a while. Remember when me and Denni decided to get our revenge on Axl?" He sighed. "For almost a year we weren't really ourselves. We were too worried about getting revenge. But then, Axl almost killed her, and we realized...it isn't worth it. We took a step back, reminded ourselves of what was important, and we focused on that. Maybe you need to do the same."
Tommy kept his gaze on the table as Joe spoke and took it all in before speaking carefully. "I'm... not right, Joe-- mentally. There's something wrong with me. That I just wanted to wrestle you... and then I wanted to kill you. I think things would've been better if I didn't lose sight, but I did. And I couldn't help it."
"Maybe you need to take some time for yourself to find something that you care about. And I mean, really care about." Joe shrugged as he took another drink of his beer. "You aren't a bad person, Tom. If you were, I probably wouldn't be here right now. You just need to find something that keeps you sane. Family, friends, a renewed love for competing...anything, really..."
"Yeah, well..." Tommy trailed off, thinking for a moment. "I don't have family now. I don't have friends. ...I can't compete as I am." Grace rubbed his forehead. "I need to get my head right, first."
Joe nodded. "Do that, and everything else will probably fall into place. People will notice if you start to be happy with yourself again."
Grace took a deep breath before downing a good portion of his beer, steeling Joe with a look. "I'm going to tell you something, Joe. And don't you dare say anything to piss me off after it, okay?"
"I'll try not to."
Tommy took another drink to will himself enough to speak again. "I wish I was you. I wish I had... the happiness you have. Loving your job. Having a loving wife. Family crawling out of every crack in the wall that loves you. I really wish I had that. I really wish I was you." Tommy then narrowed his brow at Joe. "I just want to be a you that isn't so damn stupid."
Joe sat in silence as he looked at Tommy and tried to think of an appropriate response. A few seconds later, he took a sip of his beer and smiled. "Thanks." He sighed. "Believe me, I've got my problems, but...thanks."
Grace scoffed. "Yeah, I guess when you don't have assholes like me trying to ruin your life, you have a problem with your life being too perfect."
"Life's never perfect. There's always gonna be someone or something to drag it down. It's just a matter of making the most of what you have." Joe shook his head. "Speaking of which...I'm really grateful that you didn't decide to end my career a few weeks. I have a feeling that I'm gonna be dealing with a new asshole in a week or two."
Tommy smirked a bit, letting out a small laugh. "Probably... And that's why I don't want to ever be you. You ever consider... not letting anyone pull that shit on you? Or taking them out before they can go too far?"
"I've thought about it. Don't really know why I haven't done it yet, to be honest with you." Joe chuckled. "I guess I'm not too good at being you."
"You don't want to be good at whatever it is I do, Joe." Tommy took a sip of beer. "...Just keep being your stupid self. You've been alright doing that so far."
"I'm sure it'll catch up to me one of these days."
"If it hasn't by now, it won't..." Tommy thought for a few moments, then spoke up again, looking away from Summers. "Listen, Joe. All of the shit I've put you and your wife through. I'm sorry for it."
"Don't worry about it. It's cool." Joe shook his head. "It's too late to change the past. Just worry about trying to improve yourself, Tommy. That's all that matters now."
Tommy crossed his arms, frowning at Joe. "You're going to need to pass that on to Dennielle too, because I won't say it to her. I still hate her."
Joe laughed. "That's fine with me. I can do that."
Grace then smiled somewhat gratefully before focusing his gaze on his beer. "...Thanks. For coming to talk to me, Joe."
"No problem. I'm glad we could put all of this behind us." Joe grinned as he took another sip of his beer. "I think it'll make both of our lives a lot easier..."
"Yeah..." said Tommy as he thought for a moment. "...So hey, I don't know what you got going on, but I think they're going to play the 76ers and Celtics game here soon." He cleared his throat, scratching at his neck. "If you wanted to stick around and check it out."
"That sounds good to me." Joe nodded. "I'm not leaving until Saturday, anyway."
"Cool," was the simple reply from Tommy, who smiled only a little bit. They enjoyed the basketball game that night, talking like friends rather than enemies. If Joe was so easily able to put aside their differences and talk to Tommy Grace like he wasn't the psychopath that everyone else thought he was, Tommy figured he could at least attempt to do the same.
Tommy Grace knew he had to change though. When he asked for Joe to have a talk with him, he didn't expect it to go as well as it did by a long shot. All Tommy really wanted from talking to Joe was a sense of closure, or a confirmation of what he needed to do. He needed to get his mind set straight; and he wasn't about to do anything else until he had that resolved. Tommy Grace was going to be a happier and more well-adjusted person, of that he was sure. He just didn't plan on doing it Joe's way.