Legendary Page #6

Why now?

Cal.

He believes in you.

(SlGHlNG) And he was right.

A friend in the DA's office,

a guy l dated for about 20 minutes,

ran down the waitress

where you were arrested.

She'll testify you didn't take a drink

and you didn't start the fight.

l talked with your parole officer.

Cal needs you, Mike.

lt scares you, doesn't it?

Yes.

(TREMULOUSLY) This scares me.

But Cal really wants you

to be there for him.

And l want you to be there.

For Cal.

You know, Mike?

l've tracked you over three states.

And not a day goes by that l don't think

maybe this is the day you'll show up.

And l'm listening to Cal tell me

that you two wrestle, that you talk!

And l'm thinking, "l want that."

l want... l want my son back!

But l still don't know how!

Let's get you out of here.

(CROWD CHEERlNG)

(WHlSTLE BLOWS)

(EXCLAlMlNG)

(WHlSTLE BLOWS)

LULl:
Hey, Cal? Calvin?

ANNOUNCER:
With that win,

Riverdale's Cal Chetley

moves into the 135-pound semi-finals.

What the hell?

You don't belong here.

-Maybe l do.

-No, you don't.

No.

For all the goodness your dad brought

to your life, l don't believe

he ever taught you how to accept loss.

lt was always about showing up

prepared.

l need you to show up.

Maybe l'm not right for Cal.

lt's like you said,

l just don't think l know how to lose.

You do now.

This may sound simple,

but that boy waiting for you

hasn't experienced the pain

we've been through.

l can't

breathe sometimes.

(TREMULOUSLY) Because in my heart,

l know l blamed you at a time

when l should have been protecting you.

And l never made it right.

(SOBBlNG)

l am so sorry.

l'm your mother, but l was...

l was choking on my grief and my anger.

But, baby, we have to somehow

put Mac to rest.

(SOFTLY) Yeah.

l think that's what Cal is trying to do.

He's...

He's trying to help us.

(CRYlNG SOFTLY)

Dad, he made me feel invincible. l just...

(SNlFFLES)

(TREMULOUSLY)

l couldn't pull him from the car.

Cal... Cal is...

ls trying to pull you out.

Let him.

Was l right?

lt seems that you were.

ls he out now?

Yeah.

Beyond that,

l'm not sure.

Hopefully, he's working some things out.

How'd you do?

l'm still in it.

Good for you.

Now, go wrestle.

When you show up, things happen.

l know that's what Dad would say.

-You coming?

-l'll be there.

All right.

ANNOUNCER:
Welcome to Tulsa

and day two of the

Oklahoma District Three Championship.

All coaches report

to the director's table by 10:00.

Jesuits, Lugats,

report to the scores table at mat two.

Do you know anything about Leonard?

Well, from what l hear,

he puts his pants on one leg at a time.

ANNOUNCER:
All wrestlers

begin clearing the mats at this time.

Hayes versus Rayber.

Red.

What are you doing here?

Well, rumour has it,

you won some matches yesterday.

Yeah.

-Where you going?

-Oh, uh...

l'm done.

l didn't want this. l was

(SlGHlNG) looking for something else.

You sure about that?

Took a lot of courage to come this far.

You made something happen.

Now, l hear you're two matches away

from a district title.

l'd say that's time pretty well spent.

How come you always seem to know

what to say?

Sometimes these things

take time to work out.

But no one's asking you to win, Cal.

Just don't quit.

Hey, l'm going to grab a cup of coffee,

head inside and get a seat.

Looking forward to your match.

(CROWD CHEERlNG)

ANNOUNCER:
Winner,

Mark Hayes, by decision.

Second semi-finals, 135-pound class.

John Leonard, North Shore,

versus Cal Chetley of Riverdale.

Leonard versus Chetley, centre mat.

(CROWD CHEERlNG)

-Hey, where've you been?

-Just wandering.

-Come on. You ready?

-Yeah.

All right, listen. Two minutes at a time.

Listen for me. Get out there.

Chetley in the red anklet.

Leonard in the green.

LULl:
Give him cauliflower ear!

Come on, Cal! You can do it!

(GRUNTlNG)

-(GROANS)

-(CROWD CHEERlNG LOUDLY)

You're okay! You're all right!

You're all right! You're all right!

TENNENT:
Pace!

(GRUNTlNG)

LULl:
Come on, Cal!

(GRUNTlNG)

(WHlSTLE BLOWS)

(CROWD CHEERlNG LOUDLY)

ANNOUNCER:
After one period,

Leonard leads Chetley, five to two.

All right.

You're good. You're good. You're good.

Come on!

All right.

(WHlSTLE BLOWS)

Get him!

(CROWD CHEERlNG)

Yeah, yeah. Come on, get in!

Come on! Pick it up! Pick it up!

Damn it. Come on.

Come on.

Come on, Cal!

Take him down!

(GRUNTS)

-(WHlSTLE BLOWS)

-(GROANlNG)

(GROANlNG)

(SCATTERED APPLAUSE)

ANNOUNCER:
Winner, Chetley,

Riverdale High School,

-by injury default.

-(CROWD CHEERlNG LOUDLY)

(EXHALES lN EXHAUSTlON)

Who taught you the guillotine?

l've been doing a little homework

on my own.

Well, that was textbook wrestling.

You showed a lot of character out there,

kid, no two ways about it.

Rest up. l'll come back and get you.

-Hey, good to see you, Mike.

-You, too, Coach.

-Hey, it's been a long time.

-Too long.

The smell of the mat

never leaves you, though.

Yeah. Listen, you're welcome

to take the coach's seat next to me

when he's up next, if you want.

-l'd like that.

-Good. l recognise the Chetley spirit.

Hey, in about an hour,

l'll come back and get the both of you.

Okay.

-Everything all right?

-Yeah!

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

l had a little help.

Mom?

Okay, remember, Cal.

You're not me. You're not Dad.

You gotta wrestle your own way.

Use your opponent's momentum

against him.

Use them long legs, damn it.

lt's your best weapon.

Okay.

-You got your music.

-Right here.

-You got 1 0 minutes. What you got?

-Opera.

What?

lt's like ltalian opera.

Who are you?

Never mind, we're doing it your way.

-Crank it up and take it in.

-Okay.

(OPERA PLAYlNG

OVER HEADPHONES)

Opera.

(SCOFFS)

This is a good day.

You know our boy listens to opera?

l want you to know you are everything

Cal described, only better-looking.

-l'm Luli.

-Hi, Luli.

Could you give this to Cal

before this last match?

lt's real important.

l sure will. What is this, a Volkswagen?

(GRUNTS)

Hey, Shaquille O'Neal.

That was horrible.

-What's this?

-This is a heavy present

from somebody named Luli.

"Here's your edge.

"l love you. Lu."

Oh, my God!

-(LAUGHlNG) Oh, my God!

-A pump. Now that's romantic.

lt is if you know Luli.

(LAUGHlNG lNCREDULOUSLY)

What the hell's this?

Wow!

(CHUCKLES) That's Luli, too.

Hey, give us one more, kid.

We're all out there.

-l will.

-Cal.

You're already a medallist.

Let's go out as number one.

Okay.

(WHlSTLE BLOWS)

(HlP-HOP MUSlC BLARlNG OVER PA)

(FlREWORKS EXPLODlNG)

What the hell?

Damn, Coach!

l hope the fire marshal

doesn't shut us down.

You know that guy?

That's Dad's coach.

Red is Dad's coach?

Red? That's Harry.

-Harry?

-Harry Newman.

"Peace, my fearless friend,

"who touched so many

with his courage and heart.

"You took it far. We'll take it from here.

"Harry Newman."

That guy's Harry Newman?

You know him?

Yeah. Through fishing, mostly.

ANNOUNCER:
And now,

our 135-pound finalist...

Dad's here.

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