Fade…

“What game do you want to play?” She asked.

She followed her son in through the front door. The cool breeze of the late afternoon pushed in as the door was open. She had rushed him home from the babysitter’s after her shift at the diner hoping to avoid the rain from the impending thunderstorms.

“Candy Land.” He replied.

She smiled and nodded to him as he dropped his book bag onto the floor in the living room. He ran to his room to retrieve the game as she took her hair from its pony tail and ran her fingers through it.

“Take off your shoes before you come back out.” She said.

When he returned he had done what he was told and took a seat on the floor. She said she’d be right there and walked past him into her own bedroom to change. When she returned a couple minutes later he had the game out and was staring at the directions. Tyler looked up to his mother and smiled at her relaxed clothing. Sweatpants and a tank top. It felt good to see his mom relax.

“Can you read that yet?” She asked him.

He shook his head and set the direction off to the side as she sat across from him. She helped him to finish setting up the game and then quickly read through the directions to refresh herself on the rules.

“How was school today?” She inquired.

He took a moment before he answered as he searched through the box to find the game piece he wanted to use. Once he was satisfied he put the cardboard figure onto its holder and looked to her.

“It was fun. We got to learn what an illustrator is. I want to be one. All he does is draw pictures!” Tyler said enthusiastically.

His mother laughed as she put the directions down and began the game. They almost made it five minutes before they were interrupted by the rumble of an engine in the driveway. She sighed and tried to concentrate on the game as the noise ended. The front door opened and an audible clap of thunder was heard before it closed.

Fade…

The roar of the crowd was deafening. Tyler stood in the corner waiting for his opponent to turn around. He stood and yelled intensely, motioning for the man to come closer. When he did Tyler rushed behind him and draped an arm around his shoulder. He lifted up and back, dropping the man down with a Saito Suplex. The thousands of fans in attendance roared as he crawled over and covered.

“One! Two Thr—OH!” The crowd yelled.

Tyler got up and stood behind his opponent stalking him. As he waited for the man to get up he looked around and was brought back to reality as the thousands of fans he thought he heard were really just a couple hundred. Even at that they were simply electrifying.

“Get up!” Tyler yelled.

His opponent did just that, with his back to Tyler. Tyler approached him and leapfrogged over him. In a split second Tyler turned on a dime and exploded forward with a Lariat that nearly decapitates his foe. He covers again and the crowd gets louder.

“ONE! TWO! THREE! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

The bell sounded as Tyler got to his feet and the referee approached him. He waited just long enough for his hand to be raised before slowly exiting the ring. As he dropped through the ropes to the floor he heard a sound that that never got old.

“Ladies and Gentlemen your winner of the match; Tyler Justice!” Said the ring announcer.

Tyler raised his right hand into the air and grabbed the back of his head with his left as he backed up the entrance and pushed through the curtain. As soon as he was out of the fan’s view he brought his arm down and took a deep breath as he removed the tape from his wrists.

“Nice match Tyler.” Said one of the other wrestlers.

Tyler just nodded thanks to the man waiting to go out next and kept walking. He remained silent as he continued forward towards the locker room. A few more people he passed commended him as well, but all the same he walked silently. He walked into the locker room and tossed his tape into the trash. When he looked up at the other wrestlers some where giving him thumbs up and some were just staring.

“Great job tonight Tyler. Please, whenever you have the time I’d love to have you in TCW.” Came the voice of the promotion’s owner.

Tyler turned to his right to see the aging face of Phil Roberts, the owner of TCW. Tyler glanced down just a bit and saw the extended hand of his “boss.” He slowly extended his own hand and shook it gently. Tyler smiled and released his grip before looking to leave. He was sent off by a pat on the back from Phil. The other workers were still looking in his direction as he left the impromptu “meeting.” Not that it bothered him because at this point in his life Tyler was rather accustomed to getting looked at. He diverted his attention to the back corner of the room where a simply metal folding chair sat with a duffle bag alongside.

“Home.” He said to himself.

Tyler reached the chair and took his seat away from everyone else. The cold steel that pressed against his bare back was comforting in a way he never could describe. It was comforting being alone.

It just felt right.

Fade…

He paused as he entered the living room allowing the flash of lightning to light up his face. It was eerie in a way that Tyler couldn’t understand. Why would this man scare him? Tyler diverted his attention back to the board game as the man moved on.

“Hey now. No cheating Tyler.” She said.

Tyler just flashed a smile at her that brought one to her own face. They sat there silently enjoying the time they had together. Another clap of thunder sounded but it was comforting for the both of them. Their peace didn’t last long as a shout came from the kitchen.

“Six thirty and there isn’t any f*cking food on my table?!”

Tyler’s mother sighed and rolled her eyes, trying to ignore her husband. It was her turn and that is what she was concentrated on. She continued playing as Tyler watched on. But soon his glare moved upward from the game board and over her right shoulder. The man’s hand came down and grabbed hers, violently lifting her to her feet.

“What is with you lately woman?” He asked forcefully.

She pulled her arm from his grasp and backed away right onto the game board. She stared right back at him as a small pitter-patter of rain began to fall on the roof. A flash of lightning and clap of thunder filled the air momentarily.

“I worked two hours of overtime at work and Tyler wanted to play a game. I figured you’d be out getting drunk again.” She replied.

This time his mother was forceful in her own right. Tyler slowly began backing away from the game as the rain began to come down harder. It was now he looked at the man and saw the same white and red can in his hand.

“I don’t give a s*it what he wanted. When I get home I expect food on the table. Do you understand me?” He yelled.

He pushed forward until he was right on top of Tyler’s mother. This brought Tyler to his feet, cowering in the corner of the room. He watched his mother raise her hands and shove the man backward. Once he regained his balance he came forward and raised his right hand into the air. Just as it began to move forward a flash of lighting lit up the sky as if it were day and darkened the house like night. A clap of thunder followed and by the time the weather was silent again Tyler could hear his mother sobbing. His six year old body was still cowering in the corner when he heard foot steps in the kitchen and another can open.

“Mommy?” he whispered.

When he got no answer and only heard more sobs his eyes began to get blurry. Soon the taste of warm liquid was in his mouth and he was running down the hall. It seemed like the door was a mile away but he finally got there.

To the closet.

The only place he felt safe.