Paradigm Shift

Prelude

"You will soon embark on a journey. This journey will lead to adventure and fortune."

"You will meet three men. Two with dark hair, one of fair. These three men will change your life forever"

"You will face many challenges, but you will overcome them."

I was reminded of the fortuneteller's words as I gazed out of the of the airplane window. Her first prediction was correct. I was travelling to America, leaving my friends and family behind to pursue my dream of becoming a professional wrestler. The other two, well, I would have to wait and see.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I felt like aliens had beamed me up into a spaceship and dropped off in a different country. 'Englishman In New York' by Sting silently played in my head on a continuous loop. I was starting from scratch and I was terrified. Instead of being asked, "Are you on any medication?" They asked me, "What medication are you on?" Only to be looked at skeptically when I responded with "none". I also had the huge worry of health care looming over me. I no longer had the luxury of the NHS and if I got hurt (which was a very real possibility in my line of work), how was I going to pay for it? I needed Health Insurance. I was officially part of WWE's developmental roster, which came with a decent sized condo near the performance centre in Florida, but the constant worry of bills, visas and my lack of a driving licence was heavy on my mind.

I soon became a novelty amongst my neighbouring newbies. 'Oh, isn't her accent awesome!' 'I know! I could listen to her talk all day'. Okay, so British people were less excitable than Americans, but was I really that remarkable just because I had a British accent?. I threw myself into my work, but as the weeks went by, I became homesick. I had no friends I could speak off, I was miserable, and I was seriously considering quitting, but then I realised what an amazing opportunity they had given me and talked myself out of it.

I'm not a religious person. I don't believe in God, but I believe in fate and when my doorbell rang one night, I believe fate was in full effect. Damien Priest was standing in front of me and I managed a smile, despite my sadness.

"Oh. I think I have the wrong condo. I was looking for..."

He stopped talking and seemed to change his mind about something as his eyes shamelessly travelled over my body

"I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name, Bébé?"

"Jasmine" I answer, "I've only lived here for a few weeks."

"Yeah? Where are you from?" He asks.

"The UK" I answer

"I'm going out tonight with a few friends. Would you like to join us?"

I had noticed that Americans were a lot friendlier than British People and I wasn't used to being invited along to nights out by people I hardly knew.

I hesitated. "I don't know"

"Come on. My friends won't mind" Damien insisted. "Besides, I want you to come"

After agreeing and drowning my sorrows, I confided in Damien and he listened with interest. He, too, had left his home country to pursue his dream, and he understood my struggles.

"There was a point, early on, that I felt like I had no business being here, but you've got to push through, bust your ass and just keep moving forward."

Damien spoke with intensity and confidence, and his words inspired me to not give up.

As the months passed by, we grew closer and, without knowing it, he became my source of strength. I still felt like an outsider and my yearning for home never went away, but I found that distraction was the best remedy. One night Damien hugged me and I broke down in his arms. He held me close as I sobbed and afterwards he kissed me and promised that he would always be there for me.

"You will meet three men. Two with dark hair, one of fair. These three men will change your life forever."

I wondered if Damien was one of the three men the fortuneteller had told me about.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[A few months later]

Tonight was the Hall of Fame ceremony and I had spent almost a month preparing for it. Damien and I weren't in a relationship, but we had fun together and when he asked me to be his date for the Hall of Fame, I couldn't believe it. I was going to attend one of the most important events of the year!. I could afford to buy a new dress, so I had reused my old prom dress. It needed to be adjusted, but luckily I could sew.

As we made our inside and towards the main arena, Damien pulled me aside

"Listen Cariño. I think it's best if I go out there alone"

I looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"If the fans knew I was with someone, it could seriously damage my image" Damien explained

"But we're not together" I reminded him

"Still...I can't take the risk. I'm sorry"

He kissed me, and I cried. I felt humiliated and vulnerable and I just wanted to go home. I wasn't looking where I was going as I rushed towards the exit and as I turned the corner; I walked straight into someone.