A New Opportunity

[Gary Bloomfield]

***The scene opens in the parking lot of ‘1440 Minute Fitness’, the only full-featured gymnasium in the rural town of Tillock, Utah. A luxurious black sedan pulls into the sparsely populated lot. The driver-side door opens and PWA owner Damion Black steps out. He exhales and smoothly places his sunglasses in a slim leather case, and tucks the case into the pocket of his pressed, black slacks. As he makes his way to the glass double-doors of the gymnasium, a loud, rhythmic clanging can be heard echoing out the door. Black raises an eyebrow as the door opens and an uncomfortable looking elderly couple in sweats scurries out with intimidated looks on their faces. Black steps beyond them and enters the facility. Inside, the metallic clanging continues to resonate through the air. The few patrons inside the building shuffle between the fitness machines, stealing uncomfortable glances in the direction of the source of the noise. One single polo-shirt-clad employee stands rubbing his temples and he watches helplessly as the clanging continues. Black approaches the employee and smirks.***

BLACK: “Kind of loud in here isn’t it?”

***The employee turns to face Black with an exasperated look on his face.***

EMPLOYEE: “You’re telling me. That guy… he just won’t quit. He’s scaring off all the regulars!”

***Black looks at the other end of the gymnasium. Ronnie Lassiter is laying on a weight bench hefting a pair of 100lb weights high in the air. At the apex of each lift the weights clang together like shotgun blasts. Lassiter wears a look of intense concentration as sweat drips from his creased brow. Black smiles and regards the employee.***

BLACK: “Thought you all had a policy against this sort of… behavior.”

***The employee turns and glares at Black.***

EMPLOYEE: “YOU want to be the one to tell that monster to stop?”

BLACK: “You just have know how to talk to people. And you…., well, YOU need a spine.”

***Black laughs under his breath, straightens his tie, and walks toward Lassiter. As he approaches, Lassiter glances briefly in his direction, but does not stop his aggressive workout. Black parks himself near Lassiter.***

BLACK: “Ronnie. How is your workout going?”

LASSITER: “It’s going, boss.”

***Black makes a show of looking around the gymnasium again, and then back to Lassiter.***

BLACK: “You know, places like this… they don’t understand the kind of work and intensity athletes like us require to mold ourselves into something better. I know we’re on the road, but why on Earth did you choose this place?”

***Lassiter waits to finish his reps, then sets the weights down. Moping his face with a sweat rag, he takes a moment to catch his breath before responding.***

LASSITER: “Truth be told, boss, I just wanted to be alone. Besides, we’re in the middle of nowhere. What choice did I have?”

BLACK: “There’s always a choice, Ronnie. Sometimes, you have to be creative when looking for other options. Take me, for example. We are in the middle of nowhere and this is the only public gym in this…. hamlet, but frankly, I wouldn’t be caught dead in a place that serves high-carb pizza next to the weight rack. But clearly, I still need to work out, right? So, I bring my own, personal gym on the road with me. It’s an added expense, sure, but it’s a small price to pay to stay in prime condition, don’t you agree?”

LASSITER: “I guess so. The Shooter always- Uh, I always heard you should travel light and work with what you’ve got.”

***Black smiles.***

BLACK: “There is wisdom in those words, but… what if you could do something more with what you’re handed. ‘Making do’ is fine for those who are content, but contentment breeds complacency, and complacency breeds failure. This is a lesson I’m sure you know all too well.”

***Black maneuvers himself in front of Ronnie and looks at him squarely in the eye.***

BLACK: “Allow me to be frank with you: I have invested a great deal in you, Ronnie. I believe it’s a sound investment because I believe in you. You have the drive, the passion, the physical gifts to do anything you want and go as far as you want to go in this sport. Now, there are those who will try to get you to just be happy with what you’ve got and play nice. Those people are like this scam of gym: they tell the sheep what makes them happy so they don’t have to work hard and just collect the sheeps’ money. That’s not good enough for you. You have a NEED to push yourself. And for my part, I want to see how far you can go.”

***Lassiter’s face darkens as he considers this.***

LASSITER: “Mr. Black, I don’t mean any disrespect, but… you believed in Spencer Watts pretty hard, too.”

***Lassiter starts to speak again, but closes his mouth.***

BLACK: “And Spencer Watts failed, on multiple occasions, and when it came to the World Championship, he didn’t just make me look bad. He made EVERYONE at PWA look bad. Everyone in the locker room was worse off when he went down to Billy Cody, especially when Cody then lost the title to a 98 lbs. nerd. Being in charge of this company, sometimes I have to make hard decisions, but I make them for sake of my company and all of its athletes, yourself included. But I don’t think you’re going to fail me like that, are you, Ronnie?”

LASSITER: “Mr. Black, you back me, give the opportunity, I will work my ass for you.”

BLACK: “I anticipated you saying that. As you may have heard, Brian Fury was unfortunately injured at PWA Battery and will be off the wrestling cards for the next couple of weeks. I have already put you in as the Heavy Champion’s replacement. This is your opportunity to wrestle in the champion’s place and show me that you have what it takes. Mind you, this is not simply trying to elevate your status. I am going to be watching you with a critical eye. But, I also want you to have every opportunity to succeed. That being said, stop limiting yourself by coming to dumps like these to try and eke out a decent workout. Use my personal gym, any time. All you need do is ask.”

***Lassiter nods, thinks for a moment, and sticks out his hand.***

LASSITER: “Mr. Black, you’ve got a deal.”

***Damion shakes Lassiter’s hand and the camera fades.***