Rezin
Your recommended auditory companion: THE CURE
A diner in Anywhere, USA. Midday.
The bell chimes when the door opens. Rezin walks into the establishment, his normally bare chest covered beneath a pastel blue polo shirt, along with his normally wild-flowing skullet and beard combed to complete a prim and proper look.
There’s an excited, endearing smile on the Goat Bastard’s face, and a hand hidden behind his back. A hostess greets him as he enters, but he is looking past her, scanning the room for someone familiar.
“Hello!” she says cheerfully. “Table for one?”
“Oh! No, thank you. I’m here to meet somebody. They should be…”
His face lights up as he spots his special somebody.
“There she is!”
He waves and moves past the other tables to one in the far corner where his date his waiting. He pulls out a chair and seats himself.
“Hey, honey! Sorry to keep you waiting! Oh, and also…”
He finally reveals what he’s been hiding behind his back: a bouquet of luscious red roses, which he sets onto the table.
“Happy four month anniversary!”
In the chair across the table from him, the Five Star Championship of PRIME forces a smile when it sees the gift.
“Flowers, wow Rezin… you shouldn’t have,” says the strap.
Rezin’s smile wanes, as he can plainly see that something is bothering his dear championship belt. “Something wrong, babe?”
The Five Star Championship sighs.
“It’s just… we need to have a talk, Rezin. About us…”
The Escape Artist shrivels in his seat.
“Oh gosh… is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah…” says the title belt, fighting back tears. “I just think… it’s over between us Rezin.”
Rezin draws in a heavy breath and lets it out slow, trying to remain calm as he processes everything.
“Well dang… that’s some bad news.”
A waitress approaches, but can see by the look on the Five Star Title’s gilded face that the two probably aren’t there to order anything, and moves on.
“I mean, we had a good run,” says the belt. “But I just think we don’t have any room left to grow together. Things have just gotten a little… stagnant is all. And I think it would be best for both of us to move on, is all I’m saying.”
Rezin says nothing, but nods in agreement when he realizes deep down that the championship belt is right on this.
The Five Star Championship sighs again, working up the courage to bring out the next words. “There’s also another thing…”
The Goat Bastard’s heartbroken face braces for more. “…there’s someone else?”
Shamefully, she nods.
“Golly… I should’ve known,” bemoans Rezin with a despondent shake of his head. “I should have been there more for you. I’m sorry, babe…”
“Rezin, don’t apologize. This isn’t your–”
He reaches across the table and snatches her straps into his hands, his eyes staring directly into her embossed stars.
“You listen to me,” he whispers softly. “You know me, and you know how hard I fight for the things I want. And I’d be DAMBED if I told you I didn’t want to fight for you right now. But if what we had between us is real, then I gotta be willin’ to let you go, so that you can be the best damb championship belt you can be. You helped me in ways you can’t imagine. You helped me find… ME. And now you gotta go do that to someone else who needs to find himself. So if this is it, then this is it… I accept that.”
Streams of tears fall down the gilded face of the Five Star Title.
“Rezin… thank you. Thank you so much.”
With nothing left to say, Rezin rises back up to his feet.
“Well… guess I better be hittin’ the ol’ dusty trail,” he says as he pops his collar. “Well… I guess this is goodbye then.”
The Five Star Championship sniffles. “Good-bye, Rezin. You’ll always have a place in my heart.”
“And you in mine, baby. As black as it may be.”
Rezin heads for the door, and the bell chimes as he steps back outside.
Outside, the rain begins to fall. Paying it no mind, the Escape Artist takes a stroll.