WORLD OF RAWR

After several months of talking back and forth, the planets and stars aligned, allowing us to meet in a nearby city. The place was Clemson, SC.

The texts had been more frequent that week, but on the day of the meetup, they were even more frequent. Locations. Whereabouts. Delays. "I'm in the shower." "I'm on the road."

As I made my way up, the drive was scenic with a beautiful sunset and dramatic cloudscape. I arrived at the hotel about an hour and a half later and let Alan know that I had arrived. Previous to my arrival, he had a number of matches set up that ended up being cancelled. Being that I was the first match that hadn't cancelled, he was ecstatic and it showed.

If I had to describe it, I would say he was excited and nervous - somewhere between Christmas and his 21st birthday. His greeting was enthusiastic and we walked inside. As we headed to the room, we talked about what he was doing in the area and why he was there.

When we arrived at the room, I sat down for a whole two minutes before he nearly ripped my shirt off. Apparently it had been years since he had last wrestled and so he was a bit more than eager to finally get back into the swing of things. I obliged with a chuckle.

Alan had spoken extensively about scissoring and how much he enjoyed giving and receiving them, so I asked him to teach me how to do them properly. After taking a few moments to learn, we went into hours of tumbling and grappling and, eventually, scissoring.

I'm not in a dominant position normally and I am bad at finishers when I do get the dominant position. I got plenty of practice with both of those concepts during this match. Alan was certainly skilled and that came through...

...but it didn't stop me. :)

There was laughter and taunting along with water and breaks in-between. He noted that I wrestled with a smile and that he didn't know how strong I was. It seems that I was full of pleasant surprises that night, but then again, that night was full of pleasant surprises for me as well.

We're already planning our next match. Of course, the best parts of this match are things that are unsaid. Then again, that is how every match works; they are all unique in their experience and the magic that makes them work when they do is something that only the people involved can understand.

In sum: I have the world champ for a pet and he enjoys that arrangement. ^_^

This year has brought good things my way for sure. I wonder what is next. It needs to include Alan for sure.