After celebrating his victory Dad walks over to help Bobo up, shakes his friend's hand, and then raises it out of deep respect and showmanship based on their actions in and out of the ring.
In response, everyone gives them both a lengthy standing ovation. Dad then asked for a microphone so that he can address everyone in attendance and officially announce his retirement from being an active professional wrestler for over 35 years.
Holding the microphone to his mouth to speak, he paused to look to the crowd with glee and take in all in all while the crowd was chanting "Thank you Jazz Man."
"No, thank all of you!" Dad says while trying to keep his composure. "Man, I tell ya. That was one hell of a retirement match. This brotha right here is one tough rascal, I tell ya." Dad said while looking at Bobo before they started chuckling together.
He went on to say, "I ain't gon keep y'all too long with some long borin' speech, I know it's late and y'all ready to get on home by now. I just wanna take a moment to thank God for blessing me to do what I love, for the people I love, for 35 years, and still able to retire with a sound mind and body and to be a blessing to all y'all here tonight. I love everyone of y'all and thank you for all your love and support. Not only for me but for all of Bayou City Wrestling.
I looked up to see my mom crying tears of joy along with many others in attendance, myself included. Erik didn't seem too bothered by it and just smiled while simultaneously still looking tough with his arms folded. He was a lot like dad, always holding in his emotions. He was always stronger and tougher than me, however, I was more of the intelligent, laid back one.
My dad was a man's man, so he always liked my brother Erik more. It was never much of a problem until that night when my father, the legendary "Jazz Man" Leroy Brown wrapped up his speech by saying "Nah summa y'all know and even met my family before. If y'all hadn't then, there's my beautiful wife Rachel and our two boys Erik and Jacob. Now let me tell y'all something. Jacob, my youngest son, I love him to death but that boy a lil soft, ya know." He said boldly before stopping to laugh with the crowd which in turn made them laugh even harder, especially the ones that knew us personally. It wasn't a surprise since I had already knew he felt that way so I was trying to laugh it off, but the hurt of public embarrassment was too painful to bare. Mom was also not amused or too pleased as my dad was making our family secrets, now public knowledge, all for the sake of a joke at their son's expense.
He continued on saying, "He ain't done yet suckin on momma titty, so ya'll know I can't teach that boy nothin' bout no rasslin."
The crowd laughed even harder, then he would conclude his speech by saying, "Now my oldest son Erik, that's my favorite right there! He the future of BCW. He a big, tough, strong, son of a gun, just like his old man. Not no punk like my youngest. Come on Erik and get in this ring, so these people could have a good look at a future champ!"
It was as if time had slowed down and I could feel my heart break with every step my brother took towards the ring. I could feel the tiny fragments of my heart painfully scratching the deepest depths of my soul on the way down. His words broke me that night.
My mother shook her head in disgust of my father's words and put are arm around me as tears slowly ran down my face. My tears of joy turned to tears of pain with both emotions coming from the words of my own father.
Like I said, everyone has something they wrestle with, whether it's literal, metaphorical, or whether they choose to or not. Since birth I was forced to wrestle for my father's love and acceptance of me, and wrestling with the fact that my older brother Erik was clearly his favorite and better than me in almost everything.
However, later that night while Dad and Erik were talking to fans and signing autographs, my mother Rachel and I left to go sit in the car, stilled fuming over what had just taken place.
We begin talking and sharing how we felt about the whole situation and my mother would tell me something that would change my life forever.
"It's gonna be alright" She said. "Yo daddy thinks Erik is the one who gonna be a star but I never told him about the time I was praying to God when I was pregnant with ya'll. God spoke to me and said you and your brother had two different paths in life and would be separated from each other but the oldest would serve the youngest and that's you. So yo daddy can go ahead and train Erik to be a wrestler and call him his favorite son all he won't to but for you Jacob, it's more than wrestling. Compared to Erik, you're God's favorite and it's God's will for you to prosper over your older brother. And I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure we see to it that His will be done by any means necessary."
YOU ARE READING
MTW: More Than Wrestling
Historical Fiction*Inspired by a true story* A comimg of age tale of two brothers, at war with each other since birth. Both headed down very diffiernt paths with one being destined for greatness.
