VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 18:18:54 10/01/00 Sun
Author: Chris Damm
Subject: One Last Time...





Tuesday, Sept 26, 2000
Ancona & Seiben (LINY)


::He sat in the chair, a chair that had become so familiar to him as one in his own home. He knew where all the bumps were, where the chair may be showing signs of wear and tear. He knew exactly where to sit in order to be comfortable. If he closed his eyes, he could mistake it for his favorite chair...he had become so accustomed to sitting in it. Still, the fact that he knew it so well, that it was indeed very comfortable and comforting, it was still not his chair. More than just that, it was a chair belonging to a place he had come to depend on. Everything in this room acted as an anchor for his soul to latch onto, to keep him from floating away in a sea of misery.::

::The pictures on the wall, the degrees haning in their classy frames...everything was a reminder of the crutch he leaned upon when there was nothing else for him to hold on to. He needed this place, needed the comfort of it's four walls. Needed the serenity it brought him. This room, this chair....the paintings...the degrees....even the cluttered desk, had given him the only reprieve he was allowed when his mind was so cluttered with mixed emotions. It was the one place he had that could save him from the constant dreams....the horrific visions. This room....this chair, was his sanctuary.::

::His fingers tried to reach under the cast, in a futile attempt to soothe the perpetual "itch" he felt underneath. Trying to poke under the hard shell, he thought back on the reason why he was wearing the damn thing in the first place. Despite the itching sensation and any other nuisance the cast caused, he couldn't help but smile as he looked at the black cast. A smile came to his lips.::

::Doctor Ancona sat across from him, watching his movements, or lack thereof. He remained quiet, allowing Chris to think over what he wished and to begin the session at his own say so. He'd learned early on in knowing him, that Chris liked things a certain way....and while he was often lenient in some areas of his life, he knew the sessions were to always be dicated by the patient...not the doctor. Of course, the reverse was really the truth...but Doctor Ancona would never reveal such a thing. He watched him....and waited.::

::Damm leaned forward, as if to say something....then leaned closer to the coffee table, picking up his glass of water. Taking a bigger gulp than he really needed, he let the cool water refresh his system. Placing it back on it's coaster, he left the glass on the table, leaning back to lounge comfortably in his chair.::

~Such a cozy little chair, isn't it?~


::Damm looked at the doctor, wondering how long he would last until he cracked. He had a laugh to himself at that line of thinking. The Doc had been doing this A LOT longer than he had...he knew he would never crack. As the moments ticked by on the clock on the back wall, Damm realized he should start talking, or he'd waste entire session with his futile little test.::

Damm: You know, I went to a hypnotherapist.

Ancona: No, I didn't. Were you looking for something in particular by going to that place?

Damm: Well, like you said, the dreams may have come from a past problem....so I figured why not get hypnotized and see if you were right.

Ancona: Was it a fruitful journey?

Damm: It's funny....cause according to Ms. Pell, she was the hypnotherapist...the hypnosis didn't take.

Ancona: That's very common, skeptics can bar the progress of even the most proficient hypnotherapists.

Damm: What's your take on hypnosis, Doc?

Ancona: I think it is a viable resource into the discovery of the human psyche.

Damm: Viable source. So, what you really mean is....it's all mumbo jumbo, right?

Ancona: ::smiling:: Certainly not. While I do not practice the methods, it does not mean I am against them.

Damm: Mumbo Jumbo?

Ancona: It's not mumbo jumbo Chris, it's just a conflict of opinion.

Damm: ::laughs, then suddenly grabs his side, rubbing his tender ribs:: Mumbo Jumbo. It's cool Doc, I thought so too.

Ancona: So, I take it you were not happy with what happened during your...visit?

Damm: No, I am happy with it. Ms. Pell said it didn't take, but it did. I had a dream right there in her office.

Ancona: A dream?

Damm: Well, no I guess not. Since I was awake, I guess it was more of a vision.

Ancona: What happened during this vision?

Damm: I figured out what my problem was. I figured out that I was going about it all wrong...that what you were saying was right. I was just to thick-headed to admit it.

Ancona: So, I take it that with this sudden revelation, you feel better?

Damm: Oh, my situation is improving by the day now. I figured out it wasn't really about what was happening around me....but.

Ancona: ::interjecting:: It was your reaction to those same events.

Damm: ::smiles:: Yeah. Exactly. It's really wierd. With that one simple conclusion, it's really opened my eyes. Things are looking up now....and everything in my life is falling right back into place.

Ancona: Do you have any fears the a return to normalcy will harbor a feeling of complacency?

Damm: Not at all. My life is FAR from normal Doc, you know that.

Ancona: ::smiles:: Yes, I do....I was simply making sure that YOU knew that.

Damm: Well, I guess I owe it all to you after all, huh?

Ancona: You owe me nothing, Chris. Without your own drive and will, I could do nothing. As I said in our first session a few months ago, I can only open the door....

Damm: I have to go in. Yeah, I remember. Still....if it wasn't for you poking me in the back, prodding me in a particular direction, I'd still be running around like a chicken with his head cut off.

Ancona: I doubt that.

Damm: Well, I think that's what would have happened....so you have to agree.

::The two men share a laugh at that...Damm is cut off as the pain in his ribs begins to throb again. He leans forward, trying to rub the pain out, taking another gulp of his water.::

::Nestling back into his chair, he felt the comfort again. He felt the serenity wash over him. How odd that a chair could give him such a feeling....a simple chair. Or was it the chair at all? Was it the whole room....sort of a Feng Shui type thing. He'd never bought into the whole idea that the way you decorate your home can have an effect on your mental and physical health...but this room was beginning to change his mind.::

~What the hell am I thinking? Just listen to me. I'm actually starting to buy into this crap. Who in their right mind would possibly believe the ridiculous idea that if I place my sofa exactly 45 degrees off the center of the living room, that I will always be happy and healthy? Leave it to brainless yuppies to ruin the entire infrastructure of the human mind. I'll put my ottoman where I damn well please....it's up to ME to be happy. Feng shui.....I bet it's japanese for "stupid sheep". That's what all these people think we are. Well...if a "shepard" comes my way.....I'll bite a chunk out of his ass and make a mantlepiece out of it to raise my spirits.~


::Still, the chair WAS comfortable. He felt more at ease today than he ever had before in the chair...but he always felt slightly better when he was in the Doc's office. Maybe it was the room....or the chair....or even the doc. Could that be it?::

Ancona: Is there anything about your vision that you'd like to discuss, Chris?

Damm: Not really. Why dwell on it right? I think that was the point of the whole experience....that I'm making problems for myself that don't really exist. Dwelling on stuff got me to where I was....it was only when I decided to leave it be for a moment, and let someone else share the burden, that I realized my problems were mostly superficial and self-inflicted.

Ancona: Well, I must admit...it is very invigorating to hear you say that.

Damm: Not half as invigorating as it is to actually say AND believe it.

Ancona: So, where do you go from here, Chris? Move on with your life and career?

Damm: Of course. My career has taken on a whole new persona now....but I think I'm ready for it. As for my personal life, it's great to look across the table or wherever, and see someone looking back....see someone that will always be looking back. I can't really be sure of what's going to happen down the road, but I'm no afraid to face it anymore.

Ancona: ::smiles:: Remarkable.

Damm: What is?

Ancona: Oh, nothing really. It's just unusual to see such a big transition in so short a period of time. Often, as in most cases, it takes years to find the path that you have found in weeks.

Damm: Don't jinx me doc! I'm not saying I'm totally cured....I'm just saying that I know what I need to do....and how to live my life.

Ancona: Well then, I'm both proud of and happy for you. You've come a long way Mr. Damm.

Damm: Thanks doc.

Ancona: ::eyeing the cast, as he had been throughout the discussion.:: Chris, I know it's really none of my business, but I couldn't help but notice the cast.

Damm: Oh this? ::holds his arm up to display it.:: Yeah....it's a little...gift.

Ancona: A gift? A broken arm is a gift?

Damm: Yeah, sort of a reminder of what happened on Sunday.

Ancona: You don't seem upset by it.

Damm: Nah, the guy who gave me this got his own reminder. ::grins:: As far as this cast goes...the rewards greatly outshine the costs.

Ancona: I take it you accomplished an important goal on Sunday then?

Damm: See! That's what I love about you doc. Half the time I turn my TV on and I see all these wrestlers hanging around the living Wrestling stat machines. It's as if they want us to believe that every average Joe on the street knows the entire life story of the wrestler they happen to bump into.

Ancona: I don't think I understand.

Damm: It's just that I want to know who these guys think they're fooling. Do they really think people can't recognize a set-up like that? Let's put it like this. When you walk down the street, does every person you see come running up telling you how great a shrink is...and fire off stats and crap on all of your patients?

Ancona: Well, of course not.

Damm: Exactly. But these yahoo's plant these stat freaks on the streets so they can beef up their egos...it's like they can't handle the fact that they're just not important enough to be a household name. It's pretty sad. I've tried to spread this message before, but it seems like no one's listening.

Ancona: Then why keep bringing it up?

Damm: Reiteration is the mother of all learning, Doc.

Ancona: ::laughs:: True.

Damm: With these guys, it's like trying to dig a hole into solid steel with a plastic spoon....nothing gets through their thick skulls.

Ancona: Quite an analogy. Back to more serious topics though. Anything else you'd like to discuss?

::He thought about the doc's question for a minute, easing back into the wingback chair that he'd sat in since his first.....session. He hated calling them that. He knew he wasn't crazy...at least, he knew that now. Saying the word session....or even referring to the doc as the dreaded "P" word made him think of something horrific, not something helpful as these.......meetings........were. Meetings....that sounded so much better. Discussions...an even better word. Anything but "sessions".::

::He still dwelled on the question, though the memory of the words faded as he sank back into the comfortable chair. Again the thoughts came. Was it the room that made him so comfortable? The chair had made him forget everything around him again, as it had done many times before today. Looking around the room, the familiar sights detached him further from the question. Comfort. That's what this room was all about...making you comfortable.::

::Was it still working? Was he comforted by the room, or the new sense of determination he'd found during that vision? Had the familiarity of the room....the comforting, soothing feeling given off by the various items placed throughout the room brought him to this newfound purpose? Did he still need to depend on the comfort of the chair....the softness of the cushions....the plush feeling of the armrests? Did he need these things.....or was he finally able to stand on his own, to step out of this room, the man-made comfort zone, and find peace in everything and every place? There was only one way to find out.::

Damm: Actually, Doc. I think I need to be leaving.

Ancona: ::looking to his watch, then the clock:: Are you sure, we still have plenty of time left?

Damm: Oh I'm sure. I think it's time I let go of this crutch.

Ancona: ::smiles:: Yes, I think it is.

::Both men stand, their hands reaching over the small glass coffee table. They each shook the other's hand with a firm grip. Not the kind of firm handshake exchanged between two men vying for physical superiority...but a grip that stemmed from their mutual respect and admiration towards their starkly contrasted choices in life. In that silent room, with a small window to the outside world, these to men; of different backgrounds and personalities...were equals in each other's eyes.::

Damm: Thanks again, Doc.

Ancona: Thank yourself Chris....I just had the pleasure of listening and accompanying you on your journey.

Damm: Well then...thanks for coming with me. ::smiles:: See ya' around, Doc.

Ancona: When you get my bill, I'm sure you'll be back ::Winks::

Damm: Oh, it's like that, huh?

Ancona: Of course....therapy doesn't come cheap.

::They both share another laugh, Damm clapping the good doctor on the shoulder. After a few more exchange pleasantries....Damm exited the room, Ancona following him out. In the waiting room, Alexis stood up, putting the magazine she was reading back on the table before her. Going over to meet the two men, she pulled Doctor Ancona off to the side, hoping to get a word with him in private. She offered a hand to the doctor, who shook it obligingly::

Alexis: Thank you so very much Doctor Ancona.

Ancona: Call me Doc....I rather like that name. ::smiles, more to himself than to her::

Alexis: Alright....Doc. Thank you again.

Ancona: It was my pleasure. You two take care of each other.

Alexis: No appointment next week?

Ancona: I think both of us already know that Chris no longer requires my services.

Alexis: ::smiles, a beaming smile tinged with a sigh of relief.:: I really think he's hit a crossroads.

Ancona: He has...and he. YOU BOTH will be fine.

Alexis: Thank you Doc.

Ancona: Take care of him Miss Winston...he may be making a change, but something tells me he's still more than a handful.

Alexis: ::laughing:: Oh that he is! And then some!

::After saying their goodbyes, Alexis joins Chris, the two of them walking out of the office together, hand in hand. Getting into the car, Damm starts the engine, letting it sit as he stares at the steering wheel. Alexis, not noticing at first, just goes through a few things in her day planner. As she flipped through the appointements, she noticed they weren't moving. Looking up, she saw the blank stare on Chris' face. A slight twinge of worry coarsed through her body as she barely managed to speak past her crakcing, suddenly dry throat.::

Alexis: Are you alright, Chris?

Damm: ::looking up from the steering wheel, a wide smile on his face.:: We have a week off Ally.....let's get away for a while.

Alexis: What did you have in mind?

Damm: Nothing really. I just really need to get away from everything for a bit. The way things are now, I'm gonna have a big freakin' bullseye on my ass for a while....so I might as well have some fun before I go back to the office.

Alexis: Alright....let's do it.

Damm: GREAT!!! But.....where do we go?

Alexis: We'll think of something.

::Damm put the Blazer in reverse, backing out carefully, only to revert to his usual self....tires screeching as he zipped through the parking lot onto the highway. Alexis gripped the handles in front of her, still to this day, hating how he drove. Hoping to relieve some of her anxiety, she continues the conversation.::

Alexis: How's your arm feel?

Damm: Damn cast itches like crazy. My ribs are still a little sore...but not too bad.

Alexis: Oh.....::leans into him, her eyes cast up in a sympathetic gesture.:: Poor baby.

Damm: ::hoping to milk this for all it's worth.:: Yeah....they're really killing me though. Sometimes, it's hard to breath.

Alexis: Oh dear. ::pulls away, sitting back in her normal position.:: Suck it up.

Damm: ::laughs, his ribs throbbing again.:: That's cold Ally. Really cold. Aren't you supposed to be like the nuturing figure or something? Protect and care for me....that kind of stuff?

Alexis: Do I look like Mother Theresa to you? Get over yourself....it's not the first time you got hurt...and I know you're screwing around to get exactly that type of attention. I'm just letting you know it won't work.

Damm: I don't want special attention.....I just want to get laid! ::flashes her a debonair smile::

Alexis: Sorry....you said your ribs hurt...don't want to aggravate your injuries, do we?

Damm: ::laughs, ignoring the pain in his sides.:: Well...should've seen that coming. That's okay though....you'll be begging later.

Alexis: HA! We'll see who begs...

Damm: What do you mean?

::Damm looks across the car at her, Alexis giving him a cheshire cat-like grin.::

Damm: What do you mean Ally?

Alexis: Keep your eyes on the road Andretti. I'd like to make it home in one piece.

Damm: That's not right, Ally. ::smiles:: Not right at all.

::Damm looks back at the road, picking up speed, weaving through the traffic yet again. In her seat, Alexis grabbed the handles in front of her again, fearing for her life.::

...Later That Day...
Chris Damm's Home (LINY)


::After getting home and settling in, Alexis went off to make arrangements for their little vacation. Sitting in the study, Damm was looking over a few bills when he heard the ringing of the fax machine. Going over to the desk, he waited as a page printed out. Picking up the paper, he looked at the contents of the page, a wide smile coming to his face. As he was reading, Alexis came into the room, carrying a pad of paper in her hands.::

Alexis: Alright, I made the arrangements....we leave tomorrow morning.

Damm: ::still smiling, turns to her.:: Great.

Alexis: What are you smiling about?

Damm: Oh nothing....just got notice of my match next week. ::laughs, handing her the paper::

Alexis: Bock and Cage for the tag titles?

Damm: Yeah.....I guess because they paired up they're a title contender.

Alexis: Just like that, huh?

Damm: Hey, it's not their fault we're so hard-up for tag teams around here. At least it's not Artillery or the Kindred again. Well.....in name anyway.

Alexis: What do you mean?

Damm: No difference as far as challenges go. Storm's ill-equipped clone and a guy who looks like he grabbed powerlines when he was a kid. Looks like Johnny is still hunting for titles....even if he can't get them.

Alexis: Well...I'm sure they'll have plenty to say.

Damm: Do we have any tapes of matches they were in?

Alexis: I doubt it....but you fought them both at the Pay Per View.

Damm: I did?

Alexis: Yeah, they were in the Gladiator Title match.

Damm: Oh. Like I can remember...::smirks:: I kicked the crap out of 15 guys....I'm supposed to remember these two?

Alexis: So, should I call and cancel the reservation?

Damm: Not a chance. I need some rest.....

Alexis: What about your arm?

Damm: This? ::holds up the cast.:: Oh, I'm sure Storm is happier than a pig in sh** about this. Let's see what he thinks when he realizes what he REALLY did.

Alexis: And what's that?

Damm: He gave me a hard....blunt weapon that I can use without worry to beat the piss out of his little buddies. He won't be so pleased when he watches me beat them with the cast.

Alexis: ::smiles:: I guess not!

Damm: If he wants these titles so badly....and wants these two crack babies to get them....he should've put me in a body cast. It's really kinda sad. He knows everytime he comes for a title.....I'll beat his ass. Now he's throwing these poor kids to the wolves. Too bad....as much as he annoys me, I don't think I can EVER get tired of kicking Storm's ass around a ring.

Alexis: Well, if we're still going.....we should start packing.

Damm: I just need to run to the store for a few things first. Do you need anything?

Alexis: I don't think so.

Damm: Alright....I'll be back in a few.

::Alexis goes to the bedroom to start collecting her items to be packed as Damm heads downstairs, grabbing the keys off the table in front of the door. Hopping in his truck, he turns the keys and drives off. As he's going along....he makes a mental list of what he's going to need to buy. Knowing what he did now....and knowing what to expect in the coming week, he'd need a few key items to prepare himself. First on the list however.....was a small tape recorder.::

(To be Continued)



YES FOLKS...HE IS THAT F@!#'N GOOD!!!





[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.