All Alone | Stanley Uris

Chapter 46 : Wrestlers Are Real People

I slide on my boot tops and make sure they're tight enough. The ring on my middle finger catches my eye. It's always been on my left hand but never on my ring finger.
"Aradia." I look up at my promoter. "This came for you in the mail. For some reason, it was sent here."
"Thank you." I smile softly and grab the letter. He walks away as I examine the letter. Its return address is Stanley Uris. My heart instantly aches but I keep moving to open the letter. I flip the envelope open and pull out the letter with shaky hands.
'Dear Losers,
I know what this may seem like, but this is not a suicide note. You're probably wondering why I did what I did. It's because I was too scared to go back. And if we weren't together, all of us alive weren't united, I knew we'd all die. So, I made the only logical move; I took myself off the board. Did it work? Well if you're reading this, you know the answer. I lived my whole life afraid; afraid of what might come next, afraid of what I left behind. Don't. Be who you want to be, be proud. And if you find someone worth holding onto, never let them go. Follow your own path, wherever that takes you. Think of this letter as a promise, a promise Im asking you to make, to me, to each other, an oath. See, the thing about being a loser is you don't have anything to lose. So be true, be brave, stand, believe. And don't forget, we're losers and we always will be.
Love always, Stanley Uris P.s. Deirdre, I know this hurts more than anything in the entire world but I need you to let me go again. I'm sorry I've been the man to break your heart multiple times. I wish i never married anyone that wasn't you, and for that i'm sorry. You will move on, not because you want to but because I need you to. You need to move past me and realise that you're worth so much and any man is lucky to even speak to you. We'll always be ravens, always in pairs. You were my other half and you always will be. With all my heart, I love you.'
I didn't realise the tears were running down my face until they splattered onto the paper. I cover my mouth with the back of my hand and I shake slightly with silent sobs.
"Hey, Aradia, are you okay?" A voice speaks up. I quickly wipe my tears.
"Yeah, Im fine." I nod, slowly looking up at the figure above me. He's my mixed tag partner for tonight. He's a taller man, about 6' like the 'ideal' wrestlers. He's got short dark hair and honey coloured skin.
"Are you sure? You can talk to me if you want to." He sits down next to me.
"Im sure." I nod my head.
"Cant have my tag partner sad before a match." He nudges my arm playfully.
"Im okay." I smile softly at him.
"Come on. Dylan wanted us to wait by the curtain." He stands. I put the letter down in my bag and stand up, following his lead.
"You ready?" He walks me over to the curtain. I take a deep breath.
"Hold on." I tell him before running back over to my bag. I look down at the ring on my finger and realise Stan is right. I have to move on, continue to live the life I wanted to before Pennywise. I pull off the ring and stuff it in my bag. I jog back over to the curtain to be with my partner. We wait for our music to hit.
"Ready?" He looks down at me.
"Ready." I nod back. We push aside the curtain and head into the packed building. I'm ready for so much more than this match, I'm ready to get back into life.