Chapter 130: Favor For Evelyn
<November 13, Longham Wrestling Arena, Longham City>
Rob felt an undercurrent of tension seeping into every corner of the arena as he passed through the corridors. Hushed whispers and harsh mutterings filled the corridors, creating an atmosphere akin to a volcano about to erupt. He could already feel it affecting him already.
Turning around the corridor, he came face to face with the door of the women’s locker room and halted his steps. For the first time since he took over the women’s division, he felt a bit hesitant to enter. It wasn’t apprehension per se, but there was a subtle sense of anxiety in his heart. He didn’t know what awaited him behind those doors and for a moment, it made him pause.
Behind those doors were people whom he was responsible for; whom he had power over; whom he once thought to be his supporters in his aim to revolutionize this industry. He had considered them to be his friends, accomplices and even fellow coconspirators. But, he wasn’t sure of it anymore.
Events of last week had made it clear that he was naive to think such things.
It was not just Marie’s decision to walk away that made him think like that. The tension in the locker room last week, the divide he had felt between him and the women, and how they seemed hesitant to discuss things in his presence. Those things made him realize that no matter how much he wished and acted like a friend, he would always remain as someone from management to the wrestlers.
And the subtle distance between management and workers can never be bridged. No matter how he tries, it was inevitable for the divide to be present, at least in their hearts.
He knew neither he nor the women in there were to blame for that. It was the nature of their positions that caused the divide to exist. Your butt decided your perspective. Until he had power over their trajectories, the divide will always exist.
And Rob was coming to realize that he liked to have that power.
So, that’s that.
When he took over the women’s division booking, he had initially considered them to be mere puppets to realize his vision. But, as the interactions grew, he had unknowingly tried to bridge the gap between them.
The events of the last week was a wakeup call to him. A booker can’t be affected by sentimentality. A booker is like an author. Just because an author has a favorite character he couldn’t make the plot favor that said character without reserve. All characters must serve the plot.