Post by Danger10 on Aug 17, 2014 12:32:39 GMT -5
It's a sunny morning, as Shapiro is going for a short walk visualizing his upcoming triple threat match vs Nikki Dean & Justin Tyger. This is a big match, for the WFWF National Championship. He pays no mind to where he is going, only visualizing and focusing on his attack and strategy. It's been about an hour now and Shapiro has decided that was enough and turns to start heading back in the direction he came from.
"Shapiro?" a voice calls out.
Shapiro looks back and sees a woman looking back at him. She looks to be middle aged, a little bit "fluffy" if you will, clutching her purse she seems to be in a hurry, but willing to slow down for this chance encounter.
"You are Shapiro aren't you? From the WFWF?" the woman asks.
"Yes ma'am I am," he responds, wondering why this woman is approaching him.
"Hi, how do you do? My name is Annette and my son is a huge fan," the woman shakes his hand.
"Thank you ma'am and tell your son I appreciate his support," Shapiro responds with a friendly smile.
"Well, sir, that's why I stopped you; I was hoping you could tell him yourself. He's right inside." The woman says pointing in the nearby building.
Shapiro looks at the building and sees some letters on the outside of the building that reads "Bo s & G rls Clu " and looks back to the woman and responds,
"Ma'am I would love to but right now, I'm running late for the gym, maybe another time," he responded.
"Please, Mr. Shapiro as a single mother my son doesn't have to many positive male role models," the woman politely responded.
Shapiro stops in his steps. Nobody has ever called him a role model before and throw in the fact that this poor woman is trying to raise her son by herself tugged at his heart.
He turned back around with a smile and responded, "It would be my pleasure ma'am."
Shapiro opens the door and holds it for the woman to enter and follows behind. The woman almost instantly disappears into the crowd of children. All the noise of the children screaming, running, playing and having fun reminds Shapiro why he's not ready for children yet. He wanders around the main room while waiting for the women to return with her son. The pool tables are held together with duct tape and the paint on the walls are peeling off, it doesn't take a genius to realize this isn't the upper class neighborhood. He walks to one wall covered with outdated inspirational posters, but there's one that really sticks out to him. It's not a poster but a note, written by a teacher that has become somewhat infamous, it read:
The note seemed to hit home with Shapiro on some levels, as he stood there staring at it silently, lost in time.
"Awe, no way; Shapiro?" a child's voice awakens Shapiro from his trance.
"That's me," Shapiro responds with a big smile.
"My name is Jamal, when I grow up I want to be a wrestler just like you," the child says with a gleam in his eye and the brightest smile he's most likely ever worn.
"You do huh? Well, it's gonna be a lot of hard work, are you ready for it?" He asks the child.
"Yes sir," the child responded.
"Just remember, you're going to have a lot of people tell you you're not going to make it okay, don't listen to them. I never listened to the people who told me I wasn't going to make it and look at me now," Shapiro responded hoping the child will remember the words as he grows older.
"When I become a professional wrestler like you, will you be my tag team partner?" The child asked.
"Sure kid, if I'm still around, I'll be your partner, but promise me you'll have a backup plan in case things don't work out, okay." Shapiro responds with a smile.
"I don't need a backup plan, I'm gonna make it," the child confidently responds.
"Don't get too cocky now, what makes you so sure?" he quizzes the child.
"Because you made it Shapiro, you give kids like me hope," was the child's reply.
Shapiro stares quietly at the child, until his mom interrupts, "How about a picture of you two, the future tag team champions," she states with a smile almost as big as her son's.
"You know Mr. Shapiro, we are having a charity basketball game tonight between parents and members of the community against the kids to raise money for some repairs that need to be made around here, it would be wonderful if you could participate," the woman tells Shapiro.
"Ma'am, I would love to but, I really have to train for my upcoming match, it's a very important match." Shapiro responds.
The smiles seem to dim between the mother and son but they seem to understand as the three of them go their separate ways.
Later that evening...
"Shapiro?" A voice in the distance calls.
"Shapiro?" The voice calls again, it seems to be getting closer.
"What?" Shapiro responds opening his eyes.
Sitting above him are Sean, his mentor and trainer, and the medical trainer.
"Are you okay?" Sean asks.
"I'm fine, what happened?" Shapiro asks.
"I was showing you a new move, the Flatliner," and I kind of knocked you unconscious."Sorry," Sean says sheeplessly.
"It's okay." Shapiro responds.
"What's with you man, you seem to be out of it all day today, not focused at all." Sean wonders.
Shapiro hasn't been able to get the early morning encounter with the mother and son out of his mind, or the teacher's note which was on the wall at the local Boys & Girls Club.
"Nothing, just had a lot on my mind," he replies to Sean.
"Well focus. I'm sure Josh is pushing Nikki to her limits getting her prepared for the match and Soulfire is no slouch either, you have you're work cut out for you," Sean replies.
"Yea, yeah, I know." Shapiro says.
"Whatever it is, it's not more important than this trust me. This is the big one; for the WFWF National Championship," Sean states.
Shapiro ponders his words and asks himself, "is it not more important than my title match. I know I got my work cut out for me with Nikki Dean and Soulfire, but that poor kid needs me to continue to give him hope, to continue to do what's right, to continue to set an example for him."
Sean notices that Shapiro's mind is wandering, "Tell you what, we'll call it for now and come back in a couple of hours, okay?"
"Okay," Shapiro agrees, "but first show me that Flatliner again."
That afternoon...
Shapiro left his apartment early for his 2nd training session with Sean. He plans to take a detour and cruise before training, hoping this will help him focus. He pays no attention to his direction, whether he's turning left or right, simply enjoying the ride. But no matter what he does, he just can't get that teacher's note, the mother and child and the beat down Boys & Girls Club out of his mind. Shapiro comes to a stop and realizes he's right down the street of that Boys & Girls Club.
It's as if his subconscious directed him back. He pulled up outside as random parents and children enter, the light from the inside shine bright outside, almost making up for the broken street lamps. He remembers about the basketball game to raise funds for the children to have decent facilities and how the woman invited him to participate. Just then his phone rings, startling him. As he picks it up he sees the call is coming from Sean. He now notices the time on his phone and realizes he's late for their 2nd training session. But it just doesn't seem right, he stares at the phone with Sean's picture for what seems like an eternity. Then, slowly he hits the ignore button on his phone. He looks out at the Boys & Girls Club and exits his car realizing that sometimes, you just have to put other people before yourself.
"Shapiro?" a voice calls out.
Shapiro looks back and sees a woman looking back at him. She looks to be middle aged, a little bit "fluffy" if you will, clutching her purse she seems to be in a hurry, but willing to slow down for this chance encounter.
"You are Shapiro aren't you? From the WFWF?" the woman asks.
"Yes ma'am I am," he responds, wondering why this woman is approaching him.
"Hi, how do you do? My name is Annette and my son is a huge fan," the woman shakes his hand.
"Thank you ma'am and tell your son I appreciate his support," Shapiro responds with a friendly smile.
"Well, sir, that's why I stopped you; I was hoping you could tell him yourself. He's right inside." The woman says pointing in the nearby building.
Shapiro looks at the building and sees some letters on the outside of the building that reads "Bo s & G rls Clu " and looks back to the woman and responds,
"Ma'am I would love to but right now, I'm running late for the gym, maybe another time," he responded.
"Please, Mr. Shapiro as a single mother my son doesn't have to many positive male role models," the woman politely responded.
Shapiro stops in his steps. Nobody has ever called him a role model before and throw in the fact that this poor woman is trying to raise her son by herself tugged at his heart.
He turned back around with a smile and responded, "It would be my pleasure ma'am."
Shapiro opens the door and holds it for the woman to enter and follows behind. The woman almost instantly disappears into the crowd of children. All the noise of the children screaming, running, playing and having fun reminds Shapiro why he's not ready for children yet. He wanders around the main room while waiting for the women to return with her son. The pool tables are held together with duct tape and the paint on the walls are peeling off, it doesn't take a genius to realize this isn't the upper class neighborhood. He walks to one wall covered with outdated inspirational posters, but there's one that really sticks out to him. It's not a poster but a note, written by a teacher that has become somewhat infamous, it read:
Let's say a prayer and accept responsibility for those children who liked to be tickled
and eat Popsicles before supper and can never find their shoes;
but let's also commit to praying and advocating for those children who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never get desert, who are not spoiled by anyone,go to bed hungry, who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dressers or refrigerators,
who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it, who cry themselves to sleep,
and whose monsters are real.
and eat Popsicles before supper and can never find their shoes;
but let's also commit to praying and advocating for those children who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never get desert, who are not spoiled by anyone,go to bed hungry, who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dressers or refrigerators,
who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it, who cry themselves to sleep,
and whose monsters are real.
The note seemed to hit home with Shapiro on some levels, as he stood there staring at it silently, lost in time.
"Awe, no way; Shapiro?" a child's voice awakens Shapiro from his trance.
"That's me," Shapiro responds with a big smile.
"My name is Jamal, when I grow up I want to be a wrestler just like you," the child says with a gleam in his eye and the brightest smile he's most likely ever worn.
"You do huh? Well, it's gonna be a lot of hard work, are you ready for it?" He asks the child.
"Yes sir," the child responded.
"Just remember, you're going to have a lot of people tell you you're not going to make it okay, don't listen to them. I never listened to the people who told me I wasn't going to make it and look at me now," Shapiro responded hoping the child will remember the words as he grows older.
"When I become a professional wrestler like you, will you be my tag team partner?" The child asked.
"Sure kid, if I'm still around, I'll be your partner, but promise me you'll have a backup plan in case things don't work out, okay." Shapiro responds with a smile.
"I don't need a backup plan, I'm gonna make it," the child confidently responds.
"Don't get too cocky now, what makes you so sure?" he quizzes the child.
"Because you made it Shapiro, you give kids like me hope," was the child's reply.
Shapiro stares quietly at the child, until his mom interrupts, "How about a picture of you two, the future tag team champions," she states with a smile almost as big as her son's.
"You know Mr. Shapiro, we are having a charity basketball game tonight between parents and members of the community against the kids to raise money for some repairs that need to be made around here, it would be wonderful if you could participate," the woman tells Shapiro.
"Ma'am, I would love to but, I really have to train for my upcoming match, it's a very important match." Shapiro responds.
The smiles seem to dim between the mother and son but they seem to understand as the three of them go their separate ways.
Later that evening...
"Shapiro?" A voice in the distance calls.
"Shapiro?" The voice calls again, it seems to be getting closer.
"What?" Shapiro responds opening his eyes.
Sitting above him are Sean, his mentor and trainer, and the medical trainer.
"Are you okay?" Sean asks.
"I'm fine, what happened?" Shapiro asks.
"I was showing you a new move, the Flatliner," and I kind of knocked you unconscious."Sorry," Sean says sheeplessly.
"It's okay." Shapiro responds.
"What's with you man, you seem to be out of it all day today, not focused at all." Sean wonders.
Shapiro hasn't been able to get the early morning encounter with the mother and son out of his mind, or the teacher's note which was on the wall at the local Boys & Girls Club.
"Nothing, just had a lot on my mind," he replies to Sean.
"Well focus. I'm sure Josh is pushing Nikki to her limits getting her prepared for the match and Soulfire is no slouch either, you have you're work cut out for you," Sean replies.
"Yea, yeah, I know." Shapiro says.
"Whatever it is, it's not more important than this trust me. This is the big one; for the WFWF National Championship," Sean states.
Shapiro ponders his words and asks himself, "is it not more important than my title match. I know I got my work cut out for me with Nikki Dean and Soulfire, but that poor kid needs me to continue to give him hope, to continue to do what's right, to continue to set an example for him."
Sean notices that Shapiro's mind is wandering, "Tell you what, we'll call it for now and come back in a couple of hours, okay?"
"Okay," Shapiro agrees, "but first show me that Flatliner again."
That afternoon...
Shapiro left his apartment early for his 2nd training session with Sean. He plans to take a detour and cruise before training, hoping this will help him focus. He pays no attention to his direction, whether he's turning left or right, simply enjoying the ride. But no matter what he does, he just can't get that teacher's note, the mother and child and the beat down Boys & Girls Club out of his mind. Shapiro comes to a stop and realizes he's right down the street of that Boys & Girls Club.
It's as if his subconscious directed him back. He pulled up outside as random parents and children enter, the light from the inside shine bright outside, almost making up for the broken street lamps. He remembers about the basketball game to raise funds for the children to have decent facilities and how the woman invited him to participate. Just then his phone rings, startling him. As he picks it up he sees the call is coming from Sean. He now notices the time on his phone and realizes he's late for their 2nd training session. But it just doesn't seem right, he stares at the phone with Sean's picture for what seems like an eternity. Then, slowly he hits the ignore button on his phone. He looks out at the Boys & Girls Club and exits his car realizing that sometimes, you just have to put other people before yourself.
I dont know good luck 
