MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO

Slowly the scene fades in. It begins with the sweet-sweet sound of Eddie Kingston. The beautiful bourbon and butter flavor of his voice. This morning, the tenor and tone of The Mad King.


"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: Yo.

Don't adjust your television set or refresh your YouTube page... however you are watching this transmission, I assure you, whatever you're seeing is correct. This isn't coffee with Kev, or cars and coffee with some washed-up observationalist... this is a Tuesday morning with Eddie Kingston. And, in truth, it's not unlike Monday mornings, Wednesday mornings, or every goddamn morning of The King's life. At least for as long as he can remember. It begins something like this.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: I said... YO.

Kingston hurts. His head hurts. His body hurts. His carpal tunnel-ridden right-hand hurts. Hell, even reaching into the pocket of his faded jeans and pulling out his mostly empty pack of cigarettes hurts. What you see is what you get. What you see is what The War King has. But, hey... that's what many have come to know, love, and expect when they hire Eddie Kingston. The man once branded as The Boricua Badass, The King of Diamonds, is a better representation of the former than the latter. Eddie is the type of guy who you hire because you want real... someone you book because you want someone who shows up with nothing, demands everything... and then leaves every last dying piece of himself in the middle of the ring. He's a fighter. A survivor. And, if you ask me... the toughest man in professional wrestling. And that is saying something. It's saying a lot actually considering his opponents in just over twenty-four hours when he steps into a World League Championship Wrestling ring LIVE on Vengeance for the first time.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: It's me... it's me... it's the wild card... the King of New York... The Mad King... Eddie Kingston. Of course... you already know that. My legend precedes itself, no doubt.

There is the sound of a lighter clicking. Then again. Then again. Kingston shakes his orange Bic lighter in his right hand. Then runs his right thumb across the top of it again.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: Here goes nothin'. First gamble of the day... will it... or won't it light? Maybe yes. Heh. Maybe no.

Kingston grins as he sparks his lighter again. Holding it up to his face to lighter first of the day's cigarettes. The first of many.



"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: You know...

Kingston clears his throat, half-ass letting a gravelly chuckle out in the process.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: I just lost my wallet for the second time in ten days. Yep. you heard that shit correctly. I lost everything. That girl's phone number from the titty bar. My ID. My maxed-out credit cards. My expired gym membership card. Everything I had, it's gone. Again. And then again. Quite unlucky. At least, that's what some may say. But guess what... some ain't the same as Eddie Kingston. Some might cry themselves to sleep. Drink themselves to death. Put the rest of 'dey life on hold while they wait for Amazon to deliver their fresh new wallet, their brand new cards... and all the shit they lost that they can replace in about five days. You know, because it's all about perception... that's everything in life... the burden of misfortune doesn't just disappear... having new shit doesn't erase the pain of losing old shit. But, in life, we have to move on. Keep on, keepin' on... at least that is what 'dey say. But you know what makes me different? Heh. A lot of things, obviously. But specifically... when I lose it all, I don't miss a beat. I don't waste my time on this earth mourning the loss of the things I don't have, the things I had, or the things I'll never have again. Hell... I am at my best when I have nothin'... and when I hit the ring, goin' after EVERYTHING.

Eddie, somehow, manages to take a sip out of his coffee cup without removing his cigarette from his mouth.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: You know, some people waste a lot of time sayin' shit like, “Why am I so unlucky…” They beat themselves up repeating that shit to themselves over and over. Do you know what I do?

He pauses.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: I think about the story of that Chinese guy... the farmer. Ya ever heard it? It goes somethin' like this... once there was a Chinese farmer who worked his broke ass farm together with his son and their horse. Or whatever. Well, you see... when the horse ran off one day, the neighbors came by and started saying shit like, “How unfortunate for you!” You know what the farmer said... you know what his response was? The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.” When the horse returned, that horse was followed by a herd of wild horses... like 7 or 8 of them. So, this time... when the neighbors gathered around they all exclaimed, “What good luck for you!”

Kingston inhales and exhales the last of his cigarette.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: An' guess what... the farmer stayed calm and replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.” While trying to tame one of the wild horses, the farmer’s son fell and broke his leg. He had to rest up and couldn’t help with the farm chores. “How sad for you,” the neighbors cried. Again. Same shit. “Maybe yes, maybe no,” said the farmer. Shortly thereafter, a neighboring army threatened the farmer’s village. All the young men in the village were drafted to fight the invaders. Many died. But the farmer’s son had been left out of the fighting because of his broken leg. People said to the farmer, “What a good thing your son couldn’t fight!”

His eyebrows raise.

"tHe MaD kInG" EDDIE KINGSTON: “Maybe yes, maybe no,” was all the farmer said. So, what's that mean to you... because I know what it means to me. It means that reality is neither good nor bad... it reminds me that we have a powerful opportunity in how we choose to perceive the world. And this... well... WLCW... this is MY WORLD.

The scene fades.