| Kaitlyn
Bligh Off Camera 4/27/16 4pm Most people have dreams, goals…ambitions. My life has always been absent of such burdens. As a child I wondered what it would be like to determine my own future. To desire a destiny of my own choosing. Now, I’m no longer concerned with such trivialities. My obligations take precedence over such childish ideals. Such pointless endeavors. I fulfill my familial duties much the same way a knight served their king. Fervently. Faithfully. Lethally. This is something my older sister, Cassidy, has never understood. She chose frivolous fantasy over the responsibility of her blood. Carved out a life separate from the protective wings of the Bligh family. What did it ever get her? A dead husband. Banishment from her beloved Hollywood industry. Emptiness. Though her absence increased my burden, I do not hate her. I would never. She is my blood. I feel sorry for her. She wasted her life, got everything she thought she ever wanted, and then lost it all. That’s where the infantile delusions of a selfish dream always take you. Nowhere. How utterly pointless. No thank you. I gladly accept my responsibilities. Those same obligations of blood have brought me to Baltimore. I am here because my father wished it. Our expansion into the area has fallen behind expectations. That is unacceptable. It’s something that will soon be rectified. As soon as I’m out of the airport, I find an employee and a black Camaro waiting for me. Not what I wanted. I prefer Dodge cars, but this will have to do. The employee is around my age. Apparently his outfit didn’t come with instructions. His shirt is hastily tucked in. His dress jacket doesn’t properly match it color wise. It’s about three shades from coming close. The dumb look on his face does even less to impress me. Poorly Dressed Employee: Miss Bligh, I hope your flight was good. If he’s an example of who we have working out here, it’s not surprising that we are behind schedule. I walk up to him and get uncomfortably close as I light a cigarette. I blow the smoke in his face. My tone is beyond firm. Kaitlyn: Keys… He stammers for a moment while fumbling around his pocket. He lifts the set of keys out and raises them up. I rip them from his hand and walk around to the driver’s side. I open the door and climb in. He reaches for the passenger side. With a press of a button I lock him out. I don’t bother to see what look this brings on his pathetic face. Instead, I drive off. He can find his own way back to the office. Sure, that’s where I’m heading as well, but I just saved myself from sharing cramped space with someone I have no desire to share conversation with. My cell begins ringing as I merge onto the highway at high speed. Probably work related. This better be important. I push the button and hold it to my ear while changing lanes. Kaitlyn: What? My mother was never the biggest fan of how I answer the phone. This is my pleasant. Female Voice: You’ve been on my mind all day. I guessed wrong about this being work related. Say your name so I don’t have to guess who you are. Female Voice: This is Tanya from the other night. Kaitlyn: Oh I know. I had no clue. She’s the one I met at the club that night and went home with. I think. They’re all so the same. Tanya: I really enjoyed spending time with you the other night. Spending time? Pretty sure it was just partying with some drunken sex. Kaitlyn: Me too. Get to the point. Tanya: I really feel like we have a connection. She might as well be saying “I love you”. Kaitlyn: Jesus… I hang up immediately. Maybe she’ll get the hint that our “connection” has been lost. Problem solved. Back to the one at hand. I pull into the parking lot of our local, front company, Devotional Consulting. It’s a Christian-based marketing firm. Not the kind of place people would expect to find people in our business. I’m quick to get out and make my way to the front. I walk through the front doors to find a quiet lobby colored in light blues and off-whites. Behind the front desk is a man in glasses. His sweater matches the d�cor. His glasses are as perfectly straight as his highlighted, brown hair. He doesn’t say anything. Upon seeing me, he pushes a button to unlock a door off to my side. I quickly make my way through it and down the stairs. Time to clock in. I enter a smoke filled basement that opens up into a large area with a few offices and a warehouse full of stacked merchandise. Merchandise that isn’t moving. A dress shirt and tie walks up trying to make small talk. Shirt and Tie: Miss Bligh. We’re so happy you could make it. He’s stalling me for his supervisor. Kaitlyn: Yeah…it just thrills me to have to come out here and clean up incompetence. Where’s Marsh? Shirt and Tie: Uh…uhm..well… Enough. I shove him aside and walk back to the middle office. I don’t bother knocking. I just throw the door open. I find Marsh standing behind his desk talking to some employees. Shock and anger flash across his features at my rudeness. Marsh: Excuse me, but you could try knocking. We were in the middle of something. Well, whatever it was is over now. I look over to the employees. I make sure my tone is one of authority and malice. Kaitlyn: Your little meeting has ended. Get out. They look between Marsh and I for a moment before wisely choosing to leave as he sputters at me angrily. Marsh: You have no right to barge in here and.. I cut him off quickly. I didn’t come all this way to watch spit fly as his mouth flaps. Kaitlyn: Somebody has forgotten their place. You’ve become fat off of my family have you not? He snorts at me before coming around the desk. Marsh: I work for your father, not some snot-nosed princess. Get the fuck out of my building you little bitch! I nod at him and smile. I just can’t help myself. Kaitlyn: I’m going to have to get your attention if we’re ever going to be able to clearly communicate. Marsh: What? It is without hesitation that kick his kneecap. There is a crunch however. Then a scream of pain. He drops to the ground. I reach down in a comforting manner. Brush his face…before digging two fingers behind the jawbone. Now I have his attention. Kaitlyn: Excruciating isn’t it? Now, what were we talking about? Oh that’s right, your failures. As I was saying, you’ve grown fat off of my family, but you are complacent. You are satisfied with mediocrity. We are not. You will do what I say or your family will spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened to you. Do you understand? He grunts in the affirmative. I let go of his jaw and stand back up. Kaitlyn: Oh good. I’m so glad we could come to an agreement. I walk around and take a seat at his desk. I’m almost proud and disappointed that I didn’t lose my temper. Kaitlyn: Have someone remove your stuff from my office here. I intend to stay awhile. You may want to get that knee looked at as soon as possible. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to be alone for now. I light myself a cigarette while watching him pick himself up off the floor and hobble away angrily. He’d best move on from the thoughts of revenge I could see in his eyes. Acting on those would be rather unfortunate. Now, I have a market to take over. ------------------------------------- On Camera 4/29/16 A grainy, black and white image comes into a focus. The brick wall is full of various imperfections. It’s pock-marked surface managing to withstand the erosion that always comes with time. There’s a beauty to its uneven surface. A majesty of sorts. Sitting in front of it is a woman. Her back resting against the cool brick. The features of her face aren’t fully visible as she stares down at the hands she currently wraps in white tape. Her movements are slow and methodical. A routine she is obviously used to performing, but that she also takes some sort of strange pride in. She speaks quietly, but in an even tone. Kaitlyn: My name is Kaitlyn Bligh. You haven’t heard of me. If you were expecting to me to come out and brag about my greatness…tell you about my accomplishments…then you will find yourself rather disappointed. There are no titles. No trophies. No stories of an over glorified past. I won’t be bragging about how amazing I am. How I’m the best thing to grace wrestling. I won’t talk endlessly about being a monster or how I’ll be holding your titles soon. I don’t have any words about an opponent I know nothing about. I don’t care. All of that is meaningless. Pathetic. She pauses for a moment to focus on her wrapping job. Then she continues like she had never stopped talking. Kaitlyn: People think if they waste their time with that shit that it’ll impress everyone. I have no desire to impress. That would require caring about you and your thoughts. Your little feelings. I’d rather not. I have no ultimate ambition. No ulterior motive. No future plans for my time in this company. I’m here for me, and me alone. The taping stops. She looks up from her work. Her eyes now fully visible. Grayish, bitter orbs filled with malice. A twisted smile forms on her features. Kaitlyn: I’ll have my fun… |