Shocking Visit

“How many times do I need to tell you to stop watching that stupid wrestling?” she asked her son, Derek.

Derek didn’t really pay attention to her as he watched Captain Nuke clothesline Mister Slick.  The audience cried out with excitement with Derek joining in with a whoop.

“Did you hear me?” she asked as she grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

“What are you doing?!” he cried out, jumping up from the sofa.  “You know Captain Nuke is my favorite wrestler.”

“This wrestling is all fake,” she said with a stern look.  “It’s also violent and quite sexual for your age.  For being a so-called family oriented show it’s far from it.”

“Who cares if it’s family oriented or not?” cried out Derek.  “It’s not like we have a family here.”

His mother just stood there staring at him with a look that made him cringe.

“If this type of crap is going to make you speak to your mother this way I better never see you watching this junk ever again,” she demanded then left the room.  “I mean it!”

Derek plopped himself on the sofa, and sulked about his predicament.

He just turned eleven years old, and recently found his love in wrestling.  To watch numerous wrestlers beat the crap out of each other.  At first, he thought it was all real, but after trying a move or two with friends he figured it had to be fake for the most part.  Also, there were times he saw the wrestler punch another, but he could definitely see there was no connection.  But Derek could care less.  He enjoyed watching it.

“I’m heading out to the grocery shop,” his mother said, coming back into the room with her grocery bags.  “I would appreciate it if you watched a more kid appropriate show while I’m gone.”

“Sure,” he mumbled out.

His mother came over and kissed him on the forehead and left.

Derek just sat there looking at the screen of the TV.  Thoughts of being at his friends house a few days ago came to mind.  Him and Greg were in the backyard performing some wrestling moves.  Greg watched wrestling religiously, and liked rooting for the bad guys while Derek favored the good guys.  They weren’t far into it when Greg’s dad came out.

“Care if I joined in for a bit?” he asked them.

“Sure dad,” Greg said with excitement.  “I like kicking your butt.”

His dad chuckled as he got on his knees and started wrestling with them.  Greg’s dad was quite gentle as he body slammed them and other moves.

“Let us show you a match we have,” Greg told Derek.

Derek stepped back and watched as they wrestled away.  He envied the situation for he didn’t know his father having left his mother right after he was born.

“Taking care of a baby was too much for him so he left,” his mother told him.

Derek would ponder ever so often if what she said about his father was true.  If only he could talk to his dad to ask him.

There was a knock at the front door that brought Derek back to reality.  He looked over at the front door wondering if the knocking was for real.

Knock!  Knock!  Knock!

“Someone is at the front door,” he muttered.

“Do not answer the door when I am gone,” the voice of his mother came to mind.

Knock!  Knock!  Knock!

Derek stood up, figuring he wouldn’t open the door, but peek out the window.  He practically tiptoed to the window so the stranger couldn’t see him, and moved the curtain enough to look out.  His mouth dropped open as he leaped back from the curtain.

“Hello!” he heard a deep voice call out.  “Anyone home?”

Derek stood rooted to the ground trying to compute what he just saw.

“This can not be possible,” he thought.

Knock!  Knock!  Knock!

The knocks brought him out of his paralysis, and he went to the door and opened it.

“Captain Nuke?” he asked.

The man didn’t wear his costume, but this was definitely his favorite wrestler.

“You can call me that or just call me dad,” he said with a gleaming smile.

“What?” Derek said, taking a step back.  He wondered if he fell asleep and dreamed.

“I’m here to finally see you,” the wrestler said.  “This is way overdue.  Can I come in?”

“My mom told me not to let strangers in.  i shouldn’t be answering the door.”

“I understand,” the man said, pulling out his wallet.  “The reason why I brought this picture.”

He showed Derek a picture of his mom and Captain Nuke side by side with beaming smiles, and holding hands.

“You are my dad?” asked Derek.

“Sure am,” his father replied.

Derek took a few steps back still trying to figure if this is reality.  He didn’t have any bad vibes running through, trusting what this man was saying.  Is it because it was his favorite wrestler?

Derek went over to the sofa and sat down.  His dad went over and sat in the chair his mom sat in all the time.

“I suppose you have many questions for me?” his father asked.  “I know I want to hear about your life?”

Derek had questions, but couldn’t figure out what to ask first.

“Before we chat,” his father said.  “I just want to say I’m so sorry it took so long to finally see you.”

Derek looked at the sincere expression on his father’s face.

“Why did you leave?” he blurted out.

“It was best between your mom and I,” his father replied.  “I’m constantly on the road, and honestly not ready for a kid.  We figured it would be best if I departed.”

“My mother hates wrestling.”

“She does?” his dad asked with a chuckle.  “How do you know that?”

“I watch it all the time.  You are my favorite.”

His dad laughed, slapping his legs.  “I think the dislike is more toward me than wrestling.”

“Why are you here now?”

“I act like a superhero in the wrestling world, but living as superdud in reality.  Here I have a son that I have only seen in pictures or from a distance.”

“Does she know you are here?”

“No.  I was hoping to see you first to have this conversation.  Your mom might now want me to see you or make the conversation difficult if she was here.”

Derek figured he would be angry with this man, but at the moment he couldn’t.  Maybe later.

“So you watch wrestling?” his dad asked.

“I love it.”

“Let’s go in the backyard and you can show me your favorite moves.”

“What if mom comes home?”

“We have some time,” his dad said standing up.  “Let’s go.”

The two went into the backyard, and Derek ended up having one of his best days ever.  As they did the moves a thought came to mind.

“I can’t wait until I bring my father over to visit Greg and his dad.”