Post by Roger Wright on Nov 30, 2020 2:33:59 GMT -5
FIVE DAYS BEFORE TAG WARS II
Johnny waved the card in front of the digital lock, the door clicked and he pushed it open. Just as he stepped over the threshold he stopped, the door shutting behind him. There in the living area of his Hotel suite sat Roger Wright, both feet up on the table, and a bottle of Whiskey in his right hand. For a moment Johnny just stood and watched, thinking maybe the man was asleep, then finally he stepped forward and Roger raised the bottle to his lips and took a swig.
“You were right. Do everything the right way, give it all you have, and in the end you are stuck holding the empty bottle while the asshole rides off into the sunset unscathed.” Roger took a long pull on the bottle, exhaled and lowered it to his lap. “There is no good and evil, just winners and losers.” Again he raised the bottle to his lips.
“What the phuck are you doing here?” Johnny asked as he triumphantly strode over to the armchair sitting next to the couch and plopped down, placing both feet over the arm.
“I was thinking to myself, who should I go talk to, I mean, my first thought was Shane. We both know he doesn’t understand, all he wants is for me to stay the course ya know, be the good guy and it will all work out. It doesn’t work out though does it? You do everything you think is right, play by the rules, do it all, and what do you get? Kicked in the dick, left laying on the ground holding your manhood while the bad guy rides off with your girl.” Roger tipped the bottle up and took a big swig.
“After 12 years you are finally ready to listen to me?” Johnny chuckled. “I have been phucking telling you this for years, but no you had to be the almighty Roger Wright, the man with the unshakable standards. What has that gotten you? A friend that found himself addicted to smack, a woman who had your baby then left you for me, and now the woman you thought was probably the one, is with me as well now. Being the good guy gets you dick, or in your case kicked in the dick.” Johnny pulled out a blunt, lit it and took a drag.
“I’d whine about it not being fair, but that seems oddly boring in the moment. Instead I just want to kick your ass.” Roger stood up, wobbled on his feet for a moment then lunged for Johnny but fell short, his head hitting the base of the armchair. Johnny stepped over him and flipped him over. From the ground Roger stared back up at him, his face full of confusion. “Just do it, you’ve taken everything else.”
Johnny’s fists balled up and he lurched down but stopped. “You aren’t even worth it. I have already beaten you, just look at you. You broke into my hotel with the idea that you were going to get drunk and have me beat your ass? No I am not going to do it, because it’s exactly what you want me to do. You want me to take advantage of you because in your dumb ass mind it will vindicate you and then you will think it’s ok to keep pretending to be the good guy, so no, no I will not phucking beat your ass tonight.” Johnny extended his hand and helped Roger back to his feet and to a seat on the couch.
“Instead, I’m going to teach you the lesson you should have learned all those years ago when I turned your phucking mooch of a friend Shane into a smack head. Nobody really likes the good guy, what they like is watching the good guy phucking fail. And you have given them all they can handle lately. First you caused your woman to have to join the syndicate, then you romped around trying to fix it, and did nothing but make things worse. Worst of all, I told you how to fix this but no, Roger had to assume he was the smart one, the one that could fix this without anyone’s help, look at where we are now, you drunk on my couch drunk begging me to beat your ass.” Johnny relit the blunt and took a hard drag.
“You want to know why you are there, and I am here?” Johnny blew the smoke into Roger’s face as he spoke. “Because I don’t phucking care about them, I don’t phucking care about you, I only phucking care about me. Your opinion of me doesn’t mean shit, their opinion doesn’t mean shit, it’s all about me. Until you realize that Roger, you will simply be the sad sack of shit that sits before me on my couch, now get the phuck out of here.” Johnny yanked Roger to his feet and pushed the stumbling man to the door, Roger slamming into it chest and face first. Johnny pulled it open and shoved the drunk Roger Wright out into the hallway.
TODAY
Shane pulled into the driveway of Roger’s Ranch house. He saw the lights on in the upstairs window of Marie’s room, then looked at his watch, 11:45 at night. Shane slipped out of the truck, shut the door and checked his phone, the last message from Marie at 11:15, ‘My daddy won’t stop drinking, he’s scaring me.’ Shane clicked over to another contact and typed ‘ETA?’ the response came back quickly ‘10’. He smiled a little and strode up to the door, pushing it open.
Inside Shane found Roger lying face down on the floor, bottle of whiskey next to him, half its contents surrounding him. Shane pulled the unconscious man to his feet and set him on the couch. He took a cold cup of water and tossed it onto Roger’s face, Roger bolting to life. “Who...wha...yuh.” Roger damn near managed to fall off the couch from a seated position his head spinning.
“You missed a rather important meeting tonight Roger.” Shane said as he handed him a cup of coffee.
“What meeting?” Roger said as he sipped the coffee and made a sour face, setting it down, his eyes fixing on the bottle of whiskey on the floor. “You pour out my whiskey?”
“No you were passed out in a puddle of it, probably while your daughter was upstairs crying that her dad was going to hurt himself, or while the board of directors of your company was voting to take your power away, either way, you chose that fucking bottle over the things that you should have been worried about.” Shane kicked the bottle away under the coffee table.
"Marie’s fine, and I own the fucking company.” Roger swayed on the couch, just getting those words together seemed to tax him.
“Yeah you do, but you have zero say in it right now. And your daughter, well she can’t stay here with you, you…” Shane paused, clearly building himself up for what he was about to say. “You are unfit to be her father at this moment. Hell you can’t even take care of yourself. It’s so fucking pathetic that I would say I told you so about that woman, but it isn’t even worth it.” Shane just swatted the air as he stood up and strode over to the door.
“No one takin my daughter from me.” Roger barked, trying desperately to turn around on the couch to see Shane but failing as he couldn’t even maintain his balance to stay seated.
Shane opened the door and in strode VooDoo. “He’s over there on the couch.” Shane pointed and walked out of the door, Voo just shaking her head as she rounded the arm of the couch to see Roger flailing like a dying fish trying to sit back up.
Voo squatted down and got to eye level with Roger, his eyes meeting hers. “This is no place for you little girl, you are in no condition to take care of her, you can’t even take care of yourself.” Voo reached out and took his hand. “I am going to leave here with her, take her to my home where she will be safe and okay, while you get your life back together. When you are sober, you can come see her, until then I don’t want you anywhere near her. Do you understand?”
Roger’s eyes sank and that was the only response that Voo needed. She patted his hands and grabbed a blanket from the opposite couch, putting it over him. “Get some sleep.” She said before going upstairs and getting Marie.
Johnny waved the card in front of the digital lock, the door clicked and he pushed it open. Just as he stepped over the threshold he stopped, the door shutting behind him. There in the living area of his Hotel suite sat Roger Wright, both feet up on the table, and a bottle of Whiskey in his right hand. For a moment Johnny just stood and watched, thinking maybe the man was asleep, then finally he stepped forward and Roger raised the bottle to his lips and took a swig.
“You were right. Do everything the right way, give it all you have, and in the end you are stuck holding the empty bottle while the asshole rides off into the sunset unscathed.” Roger took a long pull on the bottle, exhaled and lowered it to his lap. “There is no good and evil, just winners and losers.” Again he raised the bottle to his lips.
“What the phuck are you doing here?” Johnny asked as he triumphantly strode over to the armchair sitting next to the couch and plopped down, placing both feet over the arm.
“I was thinking to myself, who should I go talk to, I mean, my first thought was Shane. We both know he doesn’t understand, all he wants is for me to stay the course ya know, be the good guy and it will all work out. It doesn’t work out though does it? You do everything you think is right, play by the rules, do it all, and what do you get? Kicked in the dick, left laying on the ground holding your manhood while the bad guy rides off with your girl.” Roger tipped the bottle up and took a big swig.
“After 12 years you are finally ready to listen to me?” Johnny chuckled. “I have been phucking telling you this for years, but no you had to be the almighty Roger Wright, the man with the unshakable standards. What has that gotten you? A friend that found himself addicted to smack, a woman who had your baby then left you for me, and now the woman you thought was probably the one, is with me as well now. Being the good guy gets you dick, or in your case kicked in the dick.” Johnny pulled out a blunt, lit it and took a drag.
“I’d whine about it not being fair, but that seems oddly boring in the moment. Instead I just want to kick your ass.” Roger stood up, wobbled on his feet for a moment then lunged for Johnny but fell short, his head hitting the base of the armchair. Johnny stepped over him and flipped him over. From the ground Roger stared back up at him, his face full of confusion. “Just do it, you’ve taken everything else.”
Johnny’s fists balled up and he lurched down but stopped. “You aren’t even worth it. I have already beaten you, just look at you. You broke into my hotel with the idea that you were going to get drunk and have me beat your ass? No I am not going to do it, because it’s exactly what you want me to do. You want me to take advantage of you because in your dumb ass mind it will vindicate you and then you will think it’s ok to keep pretending to be the good guy, so no, no I will not phucking beat your ass tonight.” Johnny extended his hand and helped Roger back to his feet and to a seat on the couch.
“Instead, I’m going to teach you the lesson you should have learned all those years ago when I turned your phucking mooch of a friend Shane into a smack head. Nobody really likes the good guy, what they like is watching the good guy phucking fail. And you have given them all they can handle lately. First you caused your woman to have to join the syndicate, then you romped around trying to fix it, and did nothing but make things worse. Worst of all, I told you how to fix this but no, Roger had to assume he was the smart one, the one that could fix this without anyone’s help, look at where we are now, you drunk on my couch drunk begging me to beat your ass.” Johnny relit the blunt and took a hard drag.
“You want to know why you are there, and I am here?” Johnny blew the smoke into Roger’s face as he spoke. “Because I don’t phucking care about them, I don’t phucking care about you, I only phucking care about me. Your opinion of me doesn’t mean shit, their opinion doesn’t mean shit, it’s all about me. Until you realize that Roger, you will simply be the sad sack of shit that sits before me on my couch, now get the phuck out of here.” Johnny yanked Roger to his feet and pushed the stumbling man to the door, Roger slamming into it chest and face first. Johnny pulled it open and shoved the drunk Roger Wright out into the hallway.
TODAY
Shane pulled into the driveway of Roger’s Ranch house. He saw the lights on in the upstairs window of Marie’s room, then looked at his watch, 11:45 at night. Shane slipped out of the truck, shut the door and checked his phone, the last message from Marie at 11:15, ‘My daddy won’t stop drinking, he’s scaring me.’ Shane clicked over to another contact and typed ‘ETA?’ the response came back quickly ‘10’. He smiled a little and strode up to the door, pushing it open.
Inside Shane found Roger lying face down on the floor, bottle of whiskey next to him, half its contents surrounding him. Shane pulled the unconscious man to his feet and set him on the couch. He took a cold cup of water and tossed it onto Roger’s face, Roger bolting to life. “Who...wha...yuh.” Roger damn near managed to fall off the couch from a seated position his head spinning.
“You missed a rather important meeting tonight Roger.” Shane said as he handed him a cup of coffee.
“What meeting?” Roger said as he sipped the coffee and made a sour face, setting it down, his eyes fixing on the bottle of whiskey on the floor. “You pour out my whiskey?”
“No you were passed out in a puddle of it, probably while your daughter was upstairs crying that her dad was going to hurt himself, or while the board of directors of your company was voting to take your power away, either way, you chose that fucking bottle over the things that you should have been worried about.” Shane kicked the bottle away under the coffee table.
"Marie’s fine, and I own the fucking company.” Roger swayed on the couch, just getting those words together seemed to tax him.
“Yeah you do, but you have zero say in it right now. And your daughter, well she can’t stay here with you, you…” Shane paused, clearly building himself up for what he was about to say. “You are unfit to be her father at this moment. Hell you can’t even take care of yourself. It’s so fucking pathetic that I would say I told you so about that woman, but it isn’t even worth it.” Shane just swatted the air as he stood up and strode over to the door.
“No one takin my daughter from me.” Roger barked, trying desperately to turn around on the couch to see Shane but failing as he couldn’t even maintain his balance to stay seated.
Shane opened the door and in strode VooDoo. “He’s over there on the couch.” Shane pointed and walked out of the door, Voo just shaking her head as she rounded the arm of the couch to see Roger flailing like a dying fish trying to sit back up.
Voo squatted down and got to eye level with Roger, his eyes meeting hers. “This is no place for you little girl, you are in no condition to take care of her, you can’t even take care of yourself.” Voo reached out and took his hand. “I am going to leave here with her, take her to my home where she will be safe and okay, while you get your life back together. When you are sober, you can come see her, until then I don’t want you anywhere near her. Do you understand?”
Roger’s eyes sank and that was the only response that Voo needed. She patted his hands and grabbed a blanket from the opposite couch, putting it over him. “Get some sleep.” She said before going upstairs and getting Marie.