lessons learned by aries reed

fulton county courthouse

atlanta, georgia

“Mr. Reed, despite the fact that you’re a first offender and the circumstances of this case, I can not in good consciousness let the violent nature of your crime go unpunished.”

Darius Reed’s head hung low as the magistrate judge looked up from his position on the bench with the paperwork in front of him. Standing there in a orange jumpsuit with FULTON COUNTY JAIL blazed on the back in large black letters, it made things far too real for all three of us, at the potential of Darius having to go away for an unknown amount of time. For as long as I could remember, there’s always been three of us. Despite our problems, we were family and we always had each others back. I couldn’t speak for Cassius but it killed me knowing that there wasn’t a thing I could do to help out my brother now. Darius held his large hands together in front of him as the public defender, tasked with taking Darius case, placed a hand on my oldest brother’s large shoulder in some sort of passe’ comfort. Sitting in front row of wooden pews in the courtroom behind him, I knew what was coming...there was no justice for likes of us in the state of Georgia.

To them we were nothing but uncivilized and uneducated animals.

They didn’t know us.

They didn’t want to know us.

Hear our story, understand where we come from.

They’d just rather lock us up and throw away the key.

“It is by this court’s decision that I find you guilty of charge of felony aggravated assault. Do you have anything to say on your behalf, Mr. Reed?”

Lifting his large head up to face the judge, his shoulders slumped slowly as he nodded his head slowly. His facial expression didn’t change, he taught me and Cassius long ago that no matter what the world threw at us, we didn’t give them the joy of seeing us defeated.

We were Reeds, goddamnit.

We were never defeated even in the eyes of a loss, we were never defeated.

“Yes, sir. I do.”

“Please proceed.”

Darius slowly turned to face the entire courtroom, which sat over one-hundred people at one time but for this case there was only seven including myself and Cassius. But Darius wasn’t trying to address the courtroom or even the judge at that point, he looked at the both of us as if we were the only two people in the room.

“I never tried to hide the fact of which I was accused of. A man put his hands on my family and for that I made sure that he never put his hands on my family ever again. And for that, I offer no apologies because if given another opportunity, I’d do it again without a second thought. But what I apologize for is the fact that I broke my promise…”

Slowly, Darius turned around to face both Cassius and myself as we looked up at him like a set of lost puppies with no direction and no guidance.

“...I’m sorry that I’m going to have to leave for a little bit. Cassius, you’re in charge now...look after Aries and keep him out of trouble. You’ve always wanted to be the man and now here’s your chance to be exactly that while I’m gone. Set the example, be the better big brother that I couldn’t be. It’s your time, C...make the most of it.”

Cassius looked away for moment and closed his eyes as I glanced up at him. We had our moments, our squabbles, and our knock down drag outs. But he was still my brother and I never seen the look of distraught on his face as his lower lip quivered slightly as he shook his head slowly.

He didn’t want to believe what was happening.

But we both know what reality was going to face us soon.

“Little A, all of your life you’ve been trying to grow up and be like me...before I have to go, you need to know this, don’t be like me. Be better than me. Do all the things that I couldn’t do. Take that scholarship to Southern...go to college and get an education. Get that piece of paper and never come back to Atlanta, get out of here and never come back...never look back. You two have to look out for one another now, you’re all each others got. And Aries..”

Looking up into my big brother’s eyes we meet as I could feel the tears being to well up in the corner of my eyes.

“...never let them see you defeated.”

Slowly he turned his back towards the both of us, as I quickly reached up and wipe the teardrops in my eyes as I composed myself for the inevitable.

“Mr. Reed, I hereby sentence you to 5 years in the State Penitentary, with credit of time served, starting immediately. You will be eligible for release on August 5th, 2013. I hereby find that this case is closed, Deputies you may take the prisoner away.”

The judge slammed his gavel down several times as I jumped slightly with each and every drop of the wooden hammer.

Two Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputies flanked Darius as he slowly put his hands behind his back as a pair of silver handcuffs were slipped onto his large wrists as they clicked into place. Placing a hand on the middle of Darius broad back, he was escorted towards a large set of double doors. Before disappearing into the doors, he paused for a moment and looked back at both Cassius as myself. While Cassius refused to see our older brother in this type of circumstance, but I couldn’t help it. I met my brothers eyes as he nodded his head slowly before disappearing out of our lives for the next 5 years.

“So what do we do now?” I asked as I looked back at Cassius who started to make his way out of the courtroom.

“We go home, A. What’s left of it.”

expro on fx #37

reed v. gresham

hype video i

The bell for class rings as the door to the classroom, opens up as Aries steps into the class room with a briefcase in his right hand. A pair of black thin framed glasses sit on his face as the soles of black leather square toed shoes click against the hard tiled floor with every step towards the desk. Reaching his destination, he places his briefcase down on top of the desk as he looks up at the classroom filled with empty desks.

“Good Morning, class...for those who weren’t here last time my name is...Mister...Aries...Reed.

Aries walks to the chalkboard and grabs a piece of chalk as he begins to write his name on the green board with rather surprisingly enough, good penmanship. Placing the piece of chalk down, he walks over towards a large wooden desk and grabs a clipboard with a single piece of paper on it.

“And today we are going to learn a lesson about being careful when you knock on the Devil’s door kids, because the problem becomes...you don’t know who is going to answer.”

“So today, class if you open up your textbook to Chapter seven, we’re going to learn about what it means to be ‘Gifted’ and what happens to those who don’t understand what happens when that gift goes to waste. So can someone give me a idea of a person who be considered a prime example of a ‘Wasted Gift?’”

Aries as takes a seat on top of the desk as he looks about the empty classroom and smiles softly.

“Anyone? Anyone?”

“Bueller? Bueller?”

“Well, it’s alright, we’re going to start here.”

Hopping off of the desk, he makes his way back around and grabs the piece of chalk as he writes ‘DEMARCUS GRESHAM’ on the board.

“DeMarcus Gresham.”

“Now class, I find it hard to take a man who calls himself ‘Gifted’ in EXODUS when he’s done nothing to remotely come close to that self-proclaimed moniker. Because so far, I don’t find DeMarcus Gresham all that Gifted…maybe slightly above average...mediocre at best, but Gifted…”

“…I think we’re stretching that just a little bit too far.”

“If this man considers himself the future...then I actively weep for the state of this business of ours, class.”

“He loses at the Honor Cup after flapping those gums about how he’s going to help everyone ‘find their way’ when this delusional son of a bitch couldn’t find his way to victory lane even if it was pointed out to him.”

“And I’m supposed to be impressed by this guy?”

“For what?”

“”Because he beat Zack Lifer?”

Aries groans and reaches up to pinch his nose slightly, showing his frustration to even mention his name.

“Really? Zack Lifer?”

“Hell, Samantha Raine could’ve beat Zack Lifer and guess what, like the cockroach he is, he’d come scurrying back to cause all type of destruction and remain a pain in the ass to Collin’s Family.”

“Gresham hasn’t done something special...he’s done what everyone has done before him and just like before, Zack will come right on back.”

“DeMarcus Gresham isn’t ‘Gifted’...he’s simply Overhyped and so far as under performed.”

Aries looks up into the camera and chuckles to himself.

“Nothing to get all of your panties in a bunch about.”

“But it’s all good, DeMarcus...I’ll see to your challenge and I’ll send your uppity ass back to Pride Pro without your pride and a story how a young arrogant black man came, saw, and conquered the supposed ‘Gifted One’ and took his pride and his short-lived EXODUS career and paraded it around like the severed head of a fallen African Warlord.”

“And if what you brought to the ring against Zack Lifer and Vorace is any indication of your ‘Gift’ to Exodus then I hope you kept the goddamn receipt because no one is buying that particular brand of bullshit.”

“I was really hoping that when Battle without Humility II came around that I would get the chance to stand in the same ring with you because honestly, I can’t wait to knock the smug smile off of your face. You spoke of me as if you knew something about me, speaking my name as if we’ve even made introductions to one another. You claim that I have no direction...strange coming from a guy who’s only a total of a handful of matches up to the point…”

“...especially when you fail to realize that my direction in Exodus is simple.”

“To become one of the biggest and most decorated names that Exodus has ever produced or has ever seen beating names like DeMarcus Gresham as if they were…”

“...I dunno, Zack Lifer.”

“The same man, who along with REVOLUTION, made one of the biggest debuts that EXODUS has ever seen putting an entire roster on notice in a matter of minutes.”

“The same man, who along with GRENDEL, is a two-time and its last EXODUS Pro Tag Team Champion.”

“I have no direction? You must be as high as giraffe pussy to make that type of assumption because obviously DeMarcus…”

“...you know nothing of Aries Reed, but you will soon enough.”

“Because I’m the man who will be a future Pacific Coast Champion...a future San Diego Bay Champion...a future International Champion...and soon enough the longest reigning and defending Exodus Pro World Champion.”

Looking at his silver timepiece on his left wrist, Aries hums a soft tune for a few fleeting seconds before turning his attention back to the camera.

“Class is almost over, but before you leave, I want to understand this. You want to tell everyone to find their way well allow me to return to the favor and help you find yours…”

“...find your way out of Exodus.”

“...find your way back to Pride Pro.”

“...or even better find your way back to son when you return from the Unemployment Line.”

“Class dismissed.”