Meeting Gram - ZK/Sammi Collaboration

[Deleted]

"Meeting Gram"   

Zack Knight and Sammi Myers   

(Co-Written by the both of us) 

---

October 13, 2016
Las Vegas, NV

Sammi is nervous as she buckles her seat belt. Her and Zach had spent a few minutes just sitting quietly at Cillian’s grave. She believes in her heart, that it helped to bring Zach a little bit of closure. She knew it wasn’t going to make everything all better, nothing can bring Cillian back so that Zach could tell him in person or right the wrongs done but it gave him some peace of mind. Besides that, she knew that Cillian would have forgiven him. He loved his Daughter and his grandson very intensely even if they had walked away from him.

Zach brushes his hand against hers on the seat belt buckle.

“Hey, don’t be nervous okay? I’m sure everything will be okay with your grandmother. I mean, you certainly are liking me and that has to mean something.”

Sammi nods, lets him squeeze her hand a little before she puts it on the steering wheel and pulls out of the cemetery toward her mother’s small bungalow just outside the main strip of Las Vegas.

“So what is Gram like? I bet she is totesily like you! Super smart, funny, and positive. Am I right?”

Sammi smirks.

“Hardly. Something you should know about Gram. She has a phobia about change. I don’t say that in jest. She has a bit of a meltdown when it comes to doing anything big which is why I had to tell her to stay home and not come to my matches. So, don’t take it personal if she has a hard time dealing with me dating...”

Sammi is pulling into the driveway of the old house. Zach can see that she wasn’t kidding when she mentioned the house needing repairs. Even the outside of it was in disrepair including peeling paint, cracks in the foundation and missing shingles, but even the ones still existing were curled and probably didn’t do much to protect the roof from weather damage.

“So this is where you grew up?”

He looks it up and down, and smiles.

“Well I have my work cut out for me then.”

He teases. A deep breath and he exits the car ready to meet the woman that raised Sammi.

“Just, wait on the porch for a minute... I’m going to prepare her first cuz I kinda couldn’t tell her you were coming ahead of time. It would have caused her to have a panic attack and it’s easier for her to adjust if it’s something she can’t avoid. You trust me right?”

He nods.

“I do.”

“Good.”

She opens the screen door, and he notices that she has to put her weight into because the hinges are sticky. She enters and immediately calls for the woman he was there to meet.

“Gram... it’s me... where are you?”

For a few minutes, he doesn’t hear anything. He looks around the neighborhood noticing that Sammi’s house isn’t the only one that looks a little worse for wear. When the turns back, he’s startled by the face of the elder Samantha appraising him through the screen.

“Oh, hello.”

He offers out his hand towards the door.

“I am Zach. You must be Sammi’s Gram?”

“Are you a pervert?” she asks, not opening the screen and not showing any real emotion on her face.

“What? No! Why would you think that?”

He is caught way off guard.

“My granddaughter isn’t one of these big city girls that just flash their junk. And wasn’t it just a few weeks ago you wanted to end her career? So that’s why I ask, are you a pervert. Do you like girls that don’t have experience or is this a first time thing for you?”

“GRAM!” Sammi says from inside.

“Shhh. You want me to be okay with this then you let me do what I have to do.” she looks at Zach and nods, indicating that she’s not backing away from her questioning.

“Sammi made me realize that my views were being poisoned by my mother who is not a very nice person. Sammi has made me realize how everything I thought and believed was wrong. And I am distancing myself from that very poison.”

He says bluntly.

Sam nods her head but her arms then cross over her chest.

“And what about my Sam not being a worldly woman? You’re not looking to take advantage of hte fact that she’s not experienced this whole... dating thing?”

“Never. To be honest, I’ve never been around someone so amazing. And the last thing that I would want to do is screw her personality up. I mean that. I understand. I’ve been a dick in the past. And had an ego. But I am getting it in check. And Sammi is showing me how to be the best version of me.”

Sam Senior opens the screen and seems to have it down to an art.

“Okay. You can come in but that doesn’t mean that I’m not still watching you Zachary Knight.”

She stands to the side, giving him access to the front foyer.

“I would never ask for anything different. I need to earn your respect and trust. And I have no qualms. I would do the same for a friend or daughter.”

He smiles.

“Thank you for giving me an opportunity.”

Sam nods.

“You’ll be sleeping on the pullout couch in the Den. I don’t believe in any shenanigans before marriage.”

“No shenanigans at all.”

He nods.

“I appreciate you allowing me to even stay. I would never want to invite myself where I am not welcomed.”

“I am reserving full judgement for now because Sammi vouches for you. She’s usually pretty good at seeing who people are underneath the cover but I’m still a protective grandmother.”

Sammi is sitting on a stool to the side, when she sees Zach entering she smiles, getting to her feet and walking over.

“Well she didn’t try to kill you and call the police. That’s a good start.”

Zach smiles at Sammi, his eyes locking with hers. He did not mind the twenty one questions with Gram. It was all worth it.

“Nope. Still alive. For the most part.”

He laughed.

“So this is Casa de Sammi. I like it.”

He looks around. Sammi shrugs shyly. The walls are adorned with pictures of Sammi’s family. She brings him over to a picture of her as a baby in the arms of her smiling mother.

“My mom.”

The first thing Zach notices is that Sammi and her mother look nothing alike, he assumes that she must look more like her father.

“She’s very pretty.”

He smiles.

“Wish I got her looks.” Sammi says.

“But I don’t remember her at all. I was only three when we got in the accident.”

Zach puts an arm around Sammi.

“I’m sorry cutie. But you are more than beautiful yourself. And I truly mean that.”

Before she can comment, her gram pokes her head out from the kitchen.

“Tea is getting cold.”

Sammi smiles and then takes Zach’s hand and leads him toward the kitchen. Her gram is sitting at the round table, a pot of tea in the middle with two empty mugs beside it. She regains her seat, her own cup in her hands. Upon entering, Sammi drops his hand to take the seat in the middle.

Zach takes the seat and looks around the kitchen, taking it all in.

“Tea. Thank you. It smells good.”

For the next twenty moments, Sam watches Zach over the rim of her cup with every sip, before she breaks the silence.

“What made you decide to cut contact with your grandfather?”

She finally breaks the uncomfortable silence with and even more uncomfortable question.

He sets his cup down.

“My mother had me convinced he was holding me back. The way he trained. She made me think that I could do better.”

Sam looks at Sammi and then back to Zach.

“So you had no spine until my Sammi told you to find it then?”

Sammi’s mouth drops open. “Gram!”

“No, Sammi. It is okay. My father had passed away. And my mom would use guilt over it to keep me at home. She would drink herself into a stupor and try and blame my father’s death on me. I trusted every word that she said. And had to do what I could to make sure to have her happy.”

He sighs.

“Sounds like the woman needs some sense knocked into her. When my husband left me, that’s Sammi’s grandfather, I didn’t sit around and have my son pay for his mistakes. I raised my boy right. I could call her if you like, I’m sure that drinking problem wouldn’t be one any more.”

Sammi leans into Zach. “My Gram has a knack for guilt trips.”

Sam raises an eyebrow. “You can only feel guilty about things that you have guilt about Sammi-girl. And that’s a fact.”

“I appreciate that. But I will have to pass. It is something that I am dealing with. But that means a lot to me.”

He smiles at her, taking a sip of the tea.

“I’ve moved out. And I am not allowing her to control me.”

At the mention of moving out, Sam has a look pass over her face. “Living alone I presume?” She then looks over at Sammi as if to try and determine if he was trying to convince Sammi to move in with him.

“Yes. My own place. I am actually building a home. Well, having one built for me. I’ve saved lots of money living at home for my years wrestling. I wanted to buy a house that I would live in for a long time. So I decided to just do it.”

“That’s a big thing for someone so young. I didn’t buy this house until I was in my late 30’s and I did it all on my own too. I used to be a principal you know.”

“Well that explains a lot.”

He chuckles.

“I think that age is a number. It is more about maturity. And since my father died, I’ve had to step up as the main breadwinner. My mom has never worked. She was an Olympian, but that is it. He took care of her. So I think I am more than ready for the home.”

Sam nods her head. “Well, I still don’t trust you, but you’ve got manners and you’re not a punk either.”

She finishes her cup of tea and then stands.

“I’m going to take a nap Sammi-girl. Remember, no shenanigans. I’ll know.”

She doesn’t bother saying goodbye to Zach before leaving the kitchen. Once she’s out of sight, Sammi lets out a breath of air, like she had been holding it the entire time.

“Well.. that went better than I expected.”

Zach turns towards her, taking her hand in his.

“So… about these ‘shenanigans’...”

He holds a straight face for as long as he can and then cracks up laughing.

“Don’t tease Zachie. She’s just looking out for me.”

“I’m sorry. I was just joking. And she is right. I should and will never try to change you or make you do anything you are not comfortable with. Ever.”

He kisses her hand.

“I promise.”

Sammi smiles.

“We can watch a movie or something if you want. Gram will be watching her shows in her room for a while.”

“Sure. Whatever you want to do. I just am happy being here with you.”

He stands up and grabs their empty mugs, running water in and over them in the sink.

“And maybe, I can get another promo up too. You choose what to watch. I convinced Gram to get Netflix last year so we can watch whatever.”

They head into the den and have a seat on the couch next to each other. She hands him the remote as he flips through the different shows and movies. He clicks through until finally coming across something quite funny.

“Ah. Here it is. Let’s watch this.”

He hits play.