This Land Was Made for Only Me (First RP)

[Headmaster Bernard Core]

1/26/16- The Core Institute, Hyde Park, New York

The auditorium of the Core Institute is filled with the parents of prospective students. They are chatting, passing time as they await the opening remarks of the Core Institute Open House. Suddenly, the lights dim and a spotlight points to the stage, as if a performance was about to begin. Walking out to the center of the stage is Dean Wolf, wearing an expensive black suit and an earset microphone.

Dean Wolf: Good morning and welcome to the Core Institute’s Open House. My name is Dean Wolf, the school's Dean of Discipline. Before we begin today’s festivities, I ask that you all rise and stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

The parents stand up, face the flag standing on the stage (the same steel pole American flag that Bernard Core will use at Fifteen), and place their hand over their hearts.

They begin reciting the pledge when Dean Wolf begins.

Dean Wolf: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.

The parents, confused by this revision of the Pledge, look at each other and murmur.

Dean Wolf: EXCUSE ME!

The parents stand at attention at the booming, angry voice projecting from the microphone.

Dean Wolf: Please show your country and this institute some respect during the Pledge of Allegiance!

He scans the room to make sure everybody is ready to begin again. When he is satisfied, he continues.

Dean Wolf: …for which it stands, one nation, under HEADMASTER CORE, with UNIFORMITY and STANDARDIZATION for all.

He turns to the crowd.

Dean Wolf: Please be seated.

The parents sit down immediately.

Dean Wolf: I am compelled to inform you that in the event of an emergency, there are exits at the back of the auditorium where you entered and emergency exits to your right and left.

Now that we have that out of the way, I want to bring out the man who has made this school possible. This man is very important to me. He’s someone that I’d jump in front of a bullet for. When I was down and out, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and headed towards a destination that nobody ever wants to reach, he reached out, pulled me in, and got me on a path to success. Because of his commitment to my improvement, I have been clean for 51 days.

The audience applauds.

Dean Wolf: Thank you, but that’s not necessary. Hold your applause for the man that truly deserves it. The man whose commitment to my recovery is as strong as the commitment he’s going to give to the education of your children. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the man who is going to save America, the Headmaster of the Core Institute, Dr. Bernard Core!

“Wing Fortress Zone” by Masato Nakamura begins. A video featuring pyrotechnics and the patriotic images appears on the screen. Bernard Core walks out and waves to the crowd of parents as they applaud him. He’s also wearing a suit and earset microphone. He meets Wolf at the middle of the stage. They shake hands and give each other a hug. Wolf moves off to the side and applauds Core and then walks off stage. The applause dies down and Core begins.

Bernard Core: Thank you, thank you. I really appreciate the fact that all of you have taken an interest in my institution. A lot of people have helped put this thing together; including the laborers who built this school and the administration and faculty that helped carry out my plans for today. However, it would all mean nothing if you weren’t all here, so give yourselves a big round of applause!

Bernard Core begins applauding the parents while they applaud themselves.
 
Bernard Core: You all deserve applause. You deserve applause every day that you have a child that is living and breathing in this world. Raising a child is not easy. I should know. I have a child of my own that just graduated from college.

The crowd begins to applaud.

Bernard Core: Thank you, thank you. I wished he would have gone to a local school so I could have seen him every day. Now that he’s living at home again, I wish the school would have kept him another year!

The parents begin to laugh.

But seriously, if I had no use for him as my administrative assistant, he would have been out on his ass the day he graduated.

Bernard Core: But seriously, raising a child is not easy. It’s the hardest job in the world and what makes it so hard is all the decisions you have to make on a daily basis. Think about it. Every day you are confronted with decisions regarding your children. What should I feed them? How should I clothe them? Who should I let them associate with? What do I do when they ask me about puberty???
The parents laugh again.

Jeffrey never asked me that. The first time he saw hair in his crotch he thought it was a disease and started to cry.

Bernard Core: But the most important decision that you will ever make as a parent is, what school should I send them to? Should I send them to the local public school that my tax dollars go to, where there education will not be their teacher’s top priority, or should I send them to a private school, where I’ll have to spend a bit more money but where the only priority is their education? Your attendance here today shows that you have made the right decision.

The parents applaud at his compliment.

Bernard Core: Your children are a reflection of you, and if you have the presence of mind to make the right decisions for your children, then I am confident in knowing that the citizenry of America will be in good hands when they take our place.

Applause

Bernard Core: Because that’s really what America is, right? It’s the citizens that have built her and kept her sustained these past 240 years. The Declaration of Independence, a piece of paper that changed the course of human history, was written by a citizen. Our Constitution, the oldest written constitution in the world, was written by a group of citizens with varying interests. After the Civil War, when the states disagreed on fundamental issues, it was the citizens that reconstructed the country and found a way to move on. During both World Wars, it was the citizens who sacrificed the goods that they enjoyed in order to stop the forces of evil. And after the first major American tragedy of this century, the September 11 attacks, it was the citizens who showed that they would not be intimidated by thuggish terrorists. Good citizens are what have made America.

Unfortunately, in 2016, those types of citizens don’t seem to exist anymore. No one promotes or lives out our ideals anymore. No one works together anymore to fix our country’s problems. If the people were asked to give up the comforts of life in order to ensure the survival of our country, they would cling tighter to their material belongings. If another September 11 were to befall our great land, God forbid, I’m not sure the people would stand up and show resilience in the face of danger.

As you may or may not know, I was up until recently the commissioner of the New York State Education Department. I thought that in that position I could make a real change in our public schools. I could not do it, but the failure does not lie at my feet. I was one man going up against New York State United Teachers. I was one man going up against the United Federation of Teachers. I was one man going up against the National Education Association.

But there was one union more powerful than any of those three- the parents (none of you, of course). If you came here today, you are clearly not the type of parent that I came up against in my time as the state education commissioner. The types of parents I’m talking about were the ones that were more concerned with their children winning an award for participation rather than being proud of accomplishing something based on their own hard work. The types of parents that protested my every move were the ones keeping their children from taking standardized tests that were designed to measure the students’ progress and the progress of the school that they were sending their children and their tax money to. These tests, mind you, did not count towards their children’s grades, but they were out there, every day, at the town meetings and at the rallies spreading the propaganda that the tests were a new form of child abuse. Child abuse; can you believe that was the term they used?

Some parents in the crowd are murmuring and shaking their heads.

Bernard Core: As far as I’m concerned, the abuse they were suffering from was being forced to sit in a failing school all day!

The parents applaud. Some of them even give him a standing ovation.

Bernard Core: They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results. After four years in the position of education commissioner, I was slowly fulfilling that definition of insanity. I was coming into work every day and doing the same things with little to no results. If I had not been so tied down by the bureaucracy and politics of New York State, I would have been innovative. You parents out there who live in New York, the ones paying tax dollars to Albany, would have seen results; but I was one man, and I knew that I had to stop doing the same thing over and over again if I wanted to change education in this country.

I decided to try a new forum to spread my message of education reform- the world of professional wrestling. It may seem peculiar, but when you look at the reach of professional wrestling- and the fact that I am an excellent wrestler with a superior collegiate background- I thought that I could inspire the citizenry of this country to demand a change in their children’s education. Unfortunately, the only thing I have learned in the last two months is that my fears about our citizenry have been confirmed, to say the least. I’ve seen people that would rather sit on their couches and watch reality programs all day rather than pick up a newspaper and read about the issues that affect theirs and their children’s lives. I’ve tried talking to people who think that the best way to win an argument is to be the loudest one in the room rather than listen first and then think of a well thought out, rational argument. And, of course, the people I’ve met do not like being told the truth, especially if that truth is about their shortcomings, their children’s shortcomings, and the shortcomings of today’s American educational system. These are not people that I would consider leaders. They probably have never stepped up to lead anything in their lives. They are content to lead their own lives, enclosed in a selfish bubble where they will never have to be held accountable for anything.

What these people fail to realize is that citizenship does not mean that you always get what you want. Citizenship does not mean that you always succeed. Citizenship does not hold your hand through life and give you a gold star just for trying. Citizenship means that you get the opportunity to succeed and achieve what you want. Citizenship means that in exchange for getting that opportunity, you do whatever is asked of you to make this country great without question. It is not the country’s job to make the citizens feel good about themselves.

When people abdicate their responsibilities as citizens, they leave the door wide open for the lunatic fringe to assume leadership roles. The fans of the WCF abandoned their responsibility to shut out the radicals of this nation and allowed a man named Mikey eXtreme to assume the duty of leading America into the light.

The image of Mikey eXtreme pops up on the screen.

Bernard Core: By the way, yes, he’s a grown man who calls himself Mikey, like the kid in the Life commercial; “He likes it. Hey, Mikey!”

The parents laugh.

Bernard Core: Yes, it makes me chuckle, too. But what he wants for this country is nothing to chuckle about. He is a man who has conjured up “Mikey’s America,” a fictional land. In the Holy Bible, verse 11 of 1 Corinthians, it states “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child.” When I was a child, I loved to go outside and pretend I was a superhero, but at a certain point, I had to stop pretending and start trying to make something of myself in the real world. Apparently, Mikey didn’t read the rest of that famous passage, the part that reads “but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” I know it’s easy to laugh at the thought of the man you see on this screen resorting to childish things like living in an imaginary world, but then you consider the fact that he’s a violent, vicious professional wrestler. He’s a man that ended the career of another competitor a day shy of a month ago by dropping her face first on a flight of steel steps and then jumping on her as she was being attended to by medical personnel; but the most dangerous thing about him is that he is the man that holds the Championship of the United States.

An image of Mikey with the U.S. Title is on the screen. Some of the parents gasp.

Bernard Core: He possesses the belt that bears our great country’s name. In professional wrestling, titles give you legitimacy. As much as I hate to admit it, Mikey eXtreme is not only a legitimate competitor but more importantly, a legitimate champion. The more he holds that title, the more legitimacy he has and the more legitimate his claim to being the leader of America.

I can’t stress to you enough the need to end the reign of terror that this man has wrought upon our country. He claims that some mysterious force known as The Darkness hovers over this land like a storm cloud. Darkness. That’s what he wants for our country, darkness.

He squints his eyes and makes a confused sort of look. The parents laugh at his attempt to be a ham.

Bernard Core: I don’t know about you, but the word “darkness” doesn’t really have a positive connotation to it. Darkness denotes sadness, evil, emptiness, the inability to see. That’s what Mikey eXtreme sees in this country. Is that what you see in this country?

Parents: No!

Bernard Core: Is that the type of country you want your children to live in?

Parents: No!

Bernard Core: Neither do I. Whatever happened to America being seen as a shining “city upon a hill,” a beacon of freedom for all the world to see? Mikey eXtreme wants to take a permanent marker to a map of the United States. I want America to illuminate, to be seen once again by the rest of the world as the most extraordinary example of freedom on this Earth.

The parents applaud. Even more give him a standing ovation.

Bernard Core: When people think of America, I want them to think “good, decent, happy, wholesome, courageous, visionary;” the words I could use are endless!

The parents continue to clap as he goes through his list of words. When the clapping dies down and the parents return to their seats, he continues.

Bernard Core: But I can’t do it without taking the Championship of the United States away from him first. The more he holds that title, the more power he holds. I did not ask for this responsibility. Writing the closing chapter in the “Book of eXtreme” was not something that I sought; but it has fallen upon me. So many men and women before me have failed at putting Mikey eXtreme’s radical ideology down. The fans of the WCF failed to show enough disdain for this demagogue. All the disappointment and indifference that came before me has led to this encounter, and I gladly sacrifice my mind, body, and soul to restore America’s honor and bring this man down.

And believe me, it is a sacrifice. This is not a standard wrestling match that I am competing in. If that were the case, the stakes wouldn’t be so high. I could beat him easily. I already did once before, however, the official and incorrect decision was a draw. But he has not challenged me to a standard wrestling match. He has challenged me to a match that he believes favors him. He has challenged me to a match where he has to hide behind gimmicks instead of grappling and testing out his strength and skill. The match that I am competing in is a weapons match.

The parents gasp. They murmur to each other, saying things like “Weapons match? What’s that?” “It sounds barbaric.” “Will he be able to survive?”

Bernard Core: Now, now, it’s not something that I am worried about and neither should you. When you fight for something as important as I am fighting for, sometimes you have to take measures that you normally wouldn’t take. That includes willingly stepping into a ring, anticipating a kendo stick smacking up against your flesh.

The parents gasp.

Bernard Core: And it’s not just any kendo stick. It’s a kendo stick with an American flag attached to it.

More gasps.

Bernard Core: I know, it’s disgusting to think of how he’s defacing our flag. But I’m bringing my own American flag, the flag you see to my right, hanging from a steel pole, like it should be.

The parents applaud.

Bernard Core: Kendo sticks are made out of wood. Kendo sticks break. Kendo sticks bend. Steel doesn’t break. Steel doesn’t bend. Steel is what America turned to when it wanted to modernize. Wood is what was left behind.
 
He walks over to the flag and lifts it up.

Bernard Core: And Mikey eXtreme will be left behind this Sunday when my All American weapon of choice neutralizes his threat.

The parents applaud.

Bernard Core: And if my blood is drawn during this match, let it not hit the mat. Rather, let my blood stain the American flag so that myself and my country can be inextricably linked!

More applause. They continue while he speaks, coming to a standing ovation.

Bernard Core: Let my blood mix with the blood represented by the red stripes on this beautiful piece of cloth. Let my blood be just as vital as the blood that was spilt at Lexington and Concord, and Antietam, and Gettysburg, and Normandy!

Roaring applause. It’s sustained for a whole minute. He remains stationary, taking the applause in. He continues when it stops.

Bernard Core: I don’t doubt that at the end of this match, when I win the Championship of the United States for you and all of your children, I will be a changed man. Whether that change will come physically, mentally, or even spiritually, I have no idea. But I do know that I have to do this so that your children don’t have to. It is our responsibility to leave this country in a better position than it was in when we first arrived. Our children- YOUR children- should not have to go into battle with any foe that threatens us like Mikey eXtreme is threatening us now.

He stops to allow the parents to ponder his last sentence.

Bernard Core: You’re going to walk around this school today and see our state of the art classrooms. You’re going to hear about our philosophy of education and why we know it’s the best way to teach children. You’ll see our immaculate building and grounds, like this auditorium you’re sitting in now.

But you don’t really have to see all that to know that this place is the right place to send your children. All you have to know is that this building is being led by a man who is willing to put everything he has on the line to defend everything that is important to you. I am willing to bleed. I am willing to be bruised. I am willing to be injured- for the rest of my life, might I add- just to show you that I care. I care about your children. I care about their education. But most importantly, I care about this country. Does anything in this school have meaning if you don’t know that I care? Would you want to send your children here if you thought that I wasn’t committed to making their futures bright? I know I wouldn’t. I would want to leave my child in the hands of a person who had as much love for them and their best interests as I did.

That is what this institution is.

He pauses again, letting the words sink in for dramatic effect.

In closing, I want to say that I wish I could take all of your children in so that my faculty and administration could mold them into the citizens America needs. If they are fortunate enough to have their name picked in the lottery and get to walk through the front doors of this school, I promise you, they will become the best citizens this country has ever seen.

Thank you. Enjoy your time here today at The Core Institute. God bless you, and GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Standing ovation. Roaring applause. He waves at the crowd, bowing humbly a few times before walking off stage.

Later on, after the open house is over and the parents have all left, Core and Wolf are in the back of Wolf’s Lincoln Town car, being driven back to Core’s home in Albany. They’re both staring out the window, admiring the beautiful Hudson Valley as it passes by.

Dean Wolf: Those opening remarks you made were inspirational, Headmaster Core.

Bernard Core: Thank you, Wolf.

Dean Wolf: I wish my principals had…

Bernard Core: Hold on, Wolf.

Core hears a song on the radio but can’t quite make out what it is. He leans his ear toward the speaker to get a better listen, but he just can’t tell what he’s hearing.

Bernard Core: Stanley, turn the radio up.

Core’s driver, Stanley, turns the radio up. The singer of the song is Woody Guthrie.

“This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.”

Bernard Core: This land was made for you and me?

He turns to look at Wolf.

Bernard Core: Have you ever heard anything so preposterous before? Stanley, change the station, please.

Stanley: You got it, Dr. Core.

Stanley hits the seek button. The tuner falls on 89.7 FM. “Ride of the Valkyries” by Richard Wagner is playing.

Bernard Core: Wagner! Now this is music!

Core sits back and relaxes while the epic piece continues.

Bernard Core: Now, Wolf, keep telling me how great my speech was.

Later that day- Core Household, Albany, New York

Core and Wolf walk into the dining room, where Core’s wife, Claudette, and Jeffrey are waiting for them. Jeffrey has a neck brace on, a sign of the injuries he sustained at the hands of Freakshow and Mikey eXtreme a few nights ago on Slam.

Bernard Core: Hello, family.

Claudette: We’ve been waiting for you for half an hour. Briggs plated the food but you two took so long getting back that he had to warm it back up.

Bernard Core: Well, dear, Wolf and I had a few things to take care of after the open house and then we had to drive back seventy miles to come home.

Claudette: Ah, yes, your open house was today. Did all of the neurotic helicopter parents that showed up buy into your bullshit? I mean, people did show up, right?

Core’s laugh hides his disdain for his wife.

You fucking cunt.

Bernard Core: Yes, dear, people showed up, and they did buy into my “bullshit,” even though I wouldn’t choose to call it that.

Claudette: Well, of course, you wouldn’t. You’ve said so much bullshit over the past eighteen years of our marriage that you just believe everything that spews out of your mouth now.

Bernard Core: If that’s the case, then Claudette, I love you. I missed you today and I’m really happy to see you.

The chill that sits over the dinner table could freeze Mt. Vesuvius. Bernard looks at Jeffrey, who’s not looking at either one of his parents.

Jesus Christ, I have to get out of this house. He’s an asshole and she’s miserable all the time.

Bernard Core: Jeffrey, how’s your recovery going?

Jeffrey doesn’t say anything right away.

Fuck you. I would have liked for you to have been concerned for my safety after you let Freakshow nearly break me in half.

Jeffrey: Fine.

He still refuses to look at his father.

Claudette: His ribs are still bruised. I have to ask, Bernard. What was the wisdom behind putting our son in harm’s way during your little skirmish on Sunday?

Bernard Core: Little skirmish? Claudette, must you demean and belittle everything that I do?

Claudette: Yes.

Core rolls his eyes.

Bernard Core: Jeffrey is my administrative assistant. With that job comes certain sacrifices. I was just talking about this today, wasn’t I, Dean Wolf?

Dean Wolf: Yes, Headmaster.

Bernard Core: I was saying to the parents at the open house that there are no citizens in this country left who sacrifice…

Claudette: Save it, Bernard. You don’t need to bloviate on your philosophies here.

Bernard Core: You know, Claudette, a little support for the things I do would be appreciated.

Claudette: Oh, you mean saving America? Is that what you were doing when you left our son lying on the outside of the ring to be mauled by two men that outweigh him by a couple of hundred pounds?

She’s really pushing her luck tonight.

Bernard Core: For your information, I am talking about saving America. It’s all I do and all I think about ALL DAY.

Claudette: I’ve noticed that, but you don’t seem to set aside any time to think about your family at all during the day. Not that I expect it. You haven’t thought about me ever.

You aren’t worth my thoughts. They’re of better use when trying to fix this country.

Bernard Core: Do you know what kind of stress I’m under on a twenty-four hour basis? I have taken it upon myself to fix the education system of this country. I’m trying to get a school off the ground and become the Champion of the United States all so that people can be inspired by my message and finally realize that what I’ve been saying all this time is the truth!

Claudette: Aw, you’re under stress?

She rubs her fingers together to signify that she’s playing the world’s smallest violin for him.

Bernard Core stares at her and then just laughs to himself. He turns to Dean Wolf.

Bernard Core: Look at me, getting all worked up trying to reason with the unreasonable.

Claudette: I just find it ironic that Jeffrey’s stepmother cares more about his health than his biological father.
 
Bernard Core rolls his eyes again, looks at Jeffrey, and smirks.

Bernard Core: Jeffrey, I’m sorry. You’re playing a vital role for our country. Your injury has not gone unnoticed. Are you happy now, Claudette?

Jeffrey finally looks at his father. His lips are pursed and he shakes his head.

I can feel your insincerity right down to my fucking bones.

Briggs brings the dinners out to the table and serves the Core family and Wolf.

Claudette: May I ask why you keep insisting on having Briggs serve us chicken?

Core begins cutting his food.

Bernard Core: I’m doing a lot of training for the most important match of my life this weekend. I have to eat the proper food to help my muscles recover.

Claudette: Whatever. It’s not like you’re going to win anyway.

Core freezes, still holding his fork and knife in the cutting position. Jeffrey and Wolf both notice that Claudette’s latest swipe has hit a nerve that none of the previous swipes hit before. They stop what they’re doing and look at Core.

Bernard Core: You don’t think I’m going to win this weekend, honey?

Jeffrey: Dad, please don’t do this.

Bernard Core: No, no, no. I value your mother’s opinion.

Claudette: Ha! The last time you valued my opinion was when you asked me what position I liked to do it in when we consummated our marriage.

Jeffrey: Oh, Mom, really?

Claudette leans over to Wolf and whispers loudly.

Claudette: And even after he asked me, we still did it the way he wanted.

Wolf looks uncomfortable at the talk of Dr. and Mrs. Core’s sex life.

Bernard Core: You still haven’t answered my question yet, dear.

Claudette rolls her eyes.

Claudette: I already said that I don’t think you’re going to win.

Bernard Core: And why, may I ask you?

Claudette: Because you’re scared shitless of this guy, Michael Extreme, whatever his name is.

Jeffrey holds his head in his hand as Wolf looks away from the conversation.

Claudette: I can see it all over your face when you’re standing toe to toe with him on TV or someone in this house brings him up. You’re fighting his type of match. Do you have experience fighting with a weapon? I don’t think so. It seems like he knows what he’s doing more than you do.

Core nods his head slowly. He takes his napkin off of his lap and throws it on the table.

Bernard Core: It’s funny you mention that, Claudette. I have been doing a lot of training with my weapon of choice over the past two weeks. You know what I think we should do tonight as a family? A workout! That’s right. We’ll all go down to our gym and I’ll demonstrate my weaponry skills to all of you!

Claudette: I’d rather not.

Jeffrey: Me, too.

Bernard Core: Well, that’s just too bad, because I pay the bills in this home and could just as easily kick you out right now!

He smiles as he threatens. Claudette and Jeffrey are silent.

Bernard Core: Well, as they say, silence means consent, so I’ll take it that I’ll meet everyone down in the gym in a half hour.

Core gets up from the table and begins walking away.

Bernard Core: I’m going to get into my gym clothes right now! This is going to be a lot of fun! I can’t wait!

Half an hour later, Briggs, Claudette, and Jeffrey are in the gym, dressed in sweats and waiting again for Bernard Core and Dean Wolf.

Claudette: It’d be nice if one day, after all the waiting he makes me do, I get a call from the police saying that he got into a car accident and died. That would be nice.

Core and Wolf enter. Dean Wolf has a red and black track suit on while Bernard Core’s track suit is in the design of the American flag.

Bernard Core: Okay! Let’s do this!

Core has got an extra jolt in his step. Claudette leans over to Jeffrey and whispers.

Claudette: Jesus, I haven’t seen him this excited about something since he sold Mentor Me.

I have a feeling something bad is about to happen.

Bernard jumps into the wrestling ring that he’s had installed in his private gym.

Claudette: Bernard, I wanted to ask you about this. What’s with the ring in our house?

Core is doing laps around the ring.

Jesus, did he snort coke or something?

Bernard Core: Well, for one thing, it’s my house. Secondly, how can I properly train for a wrestling match if I can’t train inside the real thing?

He comes to the center of the ring.

Bernard Core: Okay, Briggs, hand me that steel pole that’s lying against the wall.

Briggs finds the pole. There’s also a kendo stick next to it. He hands the pole to Core.

Bernard Core: Thank you. Now, I’m going to need a sparring partner. Usually it’s Dean Wolf, but tonight, I think it should be Claudette. Claudette, come on in here!

Claudette: What? I’m not taking part in this.

Bernard Core: Oh, come on, get some exercise with me. We never do anything with each other anymore.

Claudette: We’ve never done anything with each other.

Bernard Core: Well, now’s a great time to start. Besides, I’m going to let you swing a kendo stick at me. Briggs, give her the kendo stick.

Briggs hands her the kendo stick.

Claudette: Are you serious? You’re going to let me hit you with a kendo stick?

Bernard Core: Well, I HOPE you don’t hit me with it, but that’s the whole point of this training session, right? I have to learn how to avoid the kendo stick this Sunday. Hey, you said it yourself. I don’t have any experience with a weapon. I think the odds of getting a few whacks on me are pretty good!

Claudette considers her chances.

He might be right.

She gets into the ring.

Bernard Core: Alright! Here we go! Now, what I want you to do, dear, is swing the stick at me as hard as you can and I’m going to try to avoid it.

Jeffery: If she’s just going to be swinging at you, why do you need the pole?

Bernard Core: Well, son, there may be a scenario where Mikey and I are both holding our weapons. I have to learn to dodge his offense while still holding on to the pole.

Claudette holds the stick up like a baseball player waiting for the first pitch. A look of determination is spread across her face.
I have been waiting for this moment for the last eighteen years.

She lunges forward and takes a swing at Bernard, but he ducks out of the way.

Bernard Core: Oh, good try, honey!

Core shuffles and bounces around the ring like Muhammad Ali.

Bernard Core: Don’t give up! Look at the look she’s giving me, boys!

She begins to concentrate more on her target. She swings again.

Bernard Core: Swing and a miss!

She’s getting more frustrated now.

Bernard Core: Honey, you’re not trying hard enough. Get motivated! Think of something that really gets you upset. Try to harness that anger and use it to your advantage! Remember that night I wouldn’t let you leave that fundraiser so you could see your mother on her deathbed?

Her face turns angry. She swings harder and misses.

Bernard Core: What about when I forced you to get your tubes tied?

Another swing, another miss. She starts chasing him around the ring, swinging harder and harder each time. She starts breathing hard and sweating.

Bernard Core: Man, you are really working up a sweat. You need to do some more cardio! How much weight have you gained in the last year?

She takes one last swing. She misses and her momentum causes her to fall over. Core grabs her arm and helps her up.

Bernard Core: Alright, alright, catch your breath. I think you’re done.

She takes a few deep breaths.

Bernard Core: You’re good now?

She just stares at him with disdain.

Bernard Core: Good. Now, it’s my turn!

He strikes her in the stomach with the steel pole. She immediately collapses to the mat. Jeffrey goes to move towards the ring, but Wolf chickenwings his arms.

Dean Wolf: I can’t let you do that Jeffrey.

Jeffrey: Wolf! What are you doing?! Let me go!

Jeffrey kicks Wolf in the shin. Wolf tightens the hold and lifts Jeffrey up in the air.

Jeffrey: AHHHHHHHHH!

Jeffrey tries to struggle, but the pain of the hold plus his previous injuries make it impossible.

Dean Wolf: Jeffrey, if you do that again, I’m going to have to make this even more painful. Just be patient and it‘ll all be over in a few minutes.

Claudette is down on her hands and knees. Core stomps on her back and holds her down with his foot. He takes the kendo stick out of her hand.

Bernard Core: Part of my training, Claudette, is to understand the pain that my opponent’s weapon will bring, that way I can fight through it during the match. I’m going to do a little experiment. I want you to tell me which one of these weapons hurts more, the kendo stick or the pole.

Claudette is crying and screaming furiously.

Claudette: YOU PIECE OF SHIT!

Bernard Core: Aw, honey, you don’t mean that.

He takes his foot off her back. He lifts the kendo stick in the air but stops himself.

Bernard Core: You know what? I never train with music on, but I just feel that right now would be a good time to hear some tunes. I heard a song on the radio today, Claudette, and I made up some new words for it. Would you like to hear it?

Claudette: FUCK YOU!

Bernard Core: Very well then. Here we go.

He clears his throat.

“This land is my land.”

He strikes her across the back with the kendo stick.

She screams.

“It’s not Mikey’s land.”

He hits her with the steel pole.

She screams.

“I am its savior.”

Kendo stick.

Screams.

“He is its Darkness.”

Steel pole.

Screams.

“At Fifteen, I’ll be”

Kendo stick.

Screams.

“The champ of the U.S.”

Steel pole.

Screams.

“This land was made for only me!”

Kendo stick.

Steel pole.

Screams.

Core finally stops his abuse.

Bernard Core: Phew!

He throws the weapons to the side and gets down on one knee.

Bernard Core: Now, honey, tell me, which weapon hurt more, the kendo stick or the steel pole?

Claudette slowly lifts her head up. There are tears coming out of her eyes, mucus coming out of her nose, and spit on the side of her mouth. She looks more enraged than ever before.

Claudette: I FUCKING HATE YOU! I HOPE MIKEY EXTREME KILLS YOU AND YOU DON’T MAKE IT HOME ALIVE!

Bernard Core: So what you’re saying is the steel pole is definitely more painful. Got it.

He jumps up to his feet.

Bernard Core: Okay, everyone. Workout’s over. Honey, thank you. You were really a big help. Briggs, take Mrs. Core to the hospital. I’m sure she’s got a few nasty bruises on her back.

Briggs: Yes, sir.

Core climbs out of the ring. He looks up at Jeffrey, who’s still caught in Wolf’s clutches.

Bernard Core: Jeffrey, how did you get all the way up there?

Jeffrey doesn't say anything. He's trying to breath through the pain.

Bernard Core: Wolf, you can let him down.

Wolf lets go. Jeffrey falls to the floor. He cries out in pain.

Jeffrey: GOD DAMN IT!

Dean Wolf: I’m sorry, Jeffrey. Your father has to practice letting go of any regard he has for human life- even your mother’s- if he wants to survive against Mikey eXtreme and become the Champion of the United States.

Jeffrey: What happened to you?

Wolf kneels down beside Jeffrey.

Dean Wolf: Your father gave me my life back. I have to devote my life to serving him, now. You may want to follow my example and do the same.

He stands back up. Meanwhile, Briggs pulls Claudette to the ring apron and helps her get to her feet.

Briggs: Dr. Core, what shall I tell the hospital when they ask how she was injured?

Core ponders the question for a second.

Bernard Core: Tell the doctor she fell out of a really high tree and hit a few branches on the way down.

He snickers to himself. Briggs tries to help her out of the gym but she pushes him away and walks by herself, albeit limping. She keeps her head up as she makes her way out of the gym.

Bernard Core: Well, I’m going to take a quick shower and hit the bed. Jeffrey, you may want to get up off the floor. It doesn’t seem all that comfortable.

Core and Wolf head towards the door.

Bernard Core: Good night, son!

He shuts off the lights. Jeffrey continues to lie on the floor in the dark. He begins crying.

I’m fucking useless. Everything my father’s ever said about me is true. I’m a fucking useless dumbass. I don’t deserve to be called a man.

His cry becomes a wail.

I’m sorry, mom. I’m sorry.