Title: "Adversity On Gilman: Part 12 of 12"        

         She hasn't called since yesterday. I know she's strong, but even her current situation might be too much for her right now. But what can she do?

         Zero sat in his apartment and thought about Erica. It had been two days since the burial of Matt. It had been one day since Zero had went to Erica's house to explain to Fred Storm, Erica's father, that she was pregnant with Matt's child. Zero took it upon himself to assume Matt's role in the situation. He knew that Erica wouldn't have been able to. It was hard for him to do it, too, but he was holding up well after the tragic loss. When one limb is taken, it's up to the other to provide full support. That was what Zero was doing for the situation with Erica. Someone had to stay emotionally stable in the situation. Erica was trying, but it had rocked her pretty bed.

         Fred didn't take it the news too well. Just weeks earlier, he had lost his job due to his company's downsizing. With the news that his daughter had a child on the way, that alone raised fearful questions of what to be done. He didn't know how to handle the news Let alone, he didn't know how he could afford the child.

         Zero thought back to the scenes inside of the house. Fred didn't seem like a stable person. According to the stories Erica had told him, he had lost it a little after the death of his wife. Ironically, it was to a car wreck. But the news of an incoming grandchild wouldn't help matters any if Fred knew that there would be no father to assume responsibility over that child. The grandparents' role was to be the spoiler, not the spanker.

         Running his hands through his tired, frayed hair, Zero closed his eyes. The world in which he lived had just been dealt a Spade when a Heart was needed.

         He leaned over and took another look at the funeral costs. There had been no one to pay for Matt's funeral. Cremation would have been more cost effective, but Zero wanted Matt to have the proper burial that he deserved. Zero had taken it upon himself to be the one to cover the charges and expenses from it. How he would pay for it, he did not know. But he would find a way. He had to find a way.

         Other things came into thought when his mind drifted to the aspects of money. He Blazer was destroyed. He had money in savings, but not enough to cover another installment of steady car payments for the next few years.

         Too much had happened. It would be bad enough if any one of those three things happened. It's bad enough if a friend dies. It's tragic. But to have everything suddenly flood in on someone at one time can be unbearable.

         There was not a good job that he could apply for. He was living off of a GED diploma with no former positions of importance at any standardized workplace. Minimum wage could not supply what he had to pay for. Every job opportunity represented a dead end for Zero, who already had his back against the wall.

         ...Except for one job opportunity.

         His mind flashed back to December. A man by the name of Terry Nodar had called him about an opportunity in some restarting federation. Zero had been told a contract offer and many other benefits that could possible come his way. But it was wrestling. He had declined the offer, but was told that the offer still stood if he wanted it later on.

         But he had left the world of wrestling. That was long ago and he didn't want to return.

         He took a look back down at the funeral bill. He thought back to a replacement for his vehicle. His mind flashed to Erica and her future child. He thought about Fred Storm and the problems he would have if another person came into that household. His memory pieced all of the culminating problems together in his head.

         But he didn't want to get back into the wrestling world. It had been over half a year since he had left the ring. To return to it would be to go back on the stance he had given to himself once he left. It was that he was to never return. That life was something that he could not be apart of again.

         But the life he had just been dealt was a life that he did not want, or choose, to be in either.

         He didn't even know what was going on that federation, the... CWL. He had yet to even view it. But it would be what his life had to have at that moment. Whether he wanted it or not, it was the ray of hope amongst the gloom that surrounded him. It was a chance... a solution.

         Unwillingly, he searched for the phone number in his caller ID archives. Finding it, picked up the phone and started dialing. 5... 5... 5... 3...

         He slammed the phone back down. He was about to readjust his whole life. He ran his hand through his hair as the questions of "should he?" ran through his head. He thought back to Matt. What would become of his bills if Zero didn't join? He thought back to Erica. What would happen to her once her baby arrived? There would be no support. It was up to him. He was to be the one to carry the load.

         While growing up, no one had ever went out of their way to provide the support that he had needed. At that moment in his living room, he had a chance to be able to at least give to those in his life. It was something that he had never had. Maybe it could help to erase some of the missed opportunities from his past.

         And if he didn't accept the wrestling contract, worse would happen. If he had to sacrifice himself for others, then so be it.

         He picked the phone back up. The dial tone rang for just a moment as he took a deep breath. He shook his head free from any second thoughts and doubts that tried to cloud his judgement. Composed and ready to face whatever lied ahead for him, he raised the phone to his ear and started to dial the numbers...