To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. To be honest, my record in wrestling isn’t anything to crow about, but I’ve excelled in some areas and have been beaten in others.
Perhaps it’s the jock mindset that drives me.
As the star running back in high school, the overachiever when it came to PT in the Army, not being the best is a hard fact for me to swallow. Despite not actually being the one that was pinned, the loss in my first Mile High Wrestling match -- a fourway -- was a struggle to cope with. So here I sit on the bench in the locker room, when a movement catches my eye and I see it’s Leah, nursing her noggin after her headbutt battle with Samantha Hamilton.
Another of the casualties of Rise Again.
The outcome was always subject to opinion, to be honest. The new girl needing to get over versus the vet, one of the darlings of Mile High Wrestling looking to maintain her spot on the roster.
It’s a match I will watch over and over again over the next couple of weeks. It was starting to haunt me again. The obsession to win. The desire to be the best. The need to be the star running back once more.
12 YEARS AGO
Sitting outside on the bleachers after the initial outburst in the locker room, Aaron gripped the football tightly to his chest as he stared down at the field. It was the stage in which he performed for all to see, like a circus monkey. And yet, he craved the attention. He loved to hear the cheers when he made a touchdown. To be lifted up on the team’s collective shoulders as they carry him off the field. Sometimes, like now, he’ll sit and relive each moment knowing that one day -- they will all go away.
He will have to become normal.
The outburst? He’s been having more of them. The only person he has confided the reason was his mother. There’s not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of himself as a fraud. A fake.
“Dude.”
The voice startled him as he wasn’t expecting it. Jerry started up the bleachers and took a seat next to him. To be honest, Jerry was his best friend and had been since elementary school. They were practically inseparable until a year or so ago. “Hey,” finally came the response.
“What the fuck was that all about down there? Look, I wasn’t trying to piss you off. I mean, if you’re gay, I don’t care. That shit doesn’t creep me out…”
“That’s not it. I’m not gay.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Because if you had a crush on me, I’d have to punch you in the balls.” He laughed, but Aaron didn’t. Jerry stopped laughing and sighed, “Look, man. We’ve been pals since forever. If there’s something going on at home or with you, you can talk to me about it. We used to be tight, but you about took my head off back there. What the fuck was that about?”
Over the next hour, Aaron would bare his soul to his best friend.
6 YEARS AGO
The hospital was packed, though the evening appointed time for the procedure made it less so. Aaron’s mother was in the waiting room pacing, hoping to hear word any minute about the results of the procedure.
There would occasionally be a doctor that would come in, call for relatives and explain the situation. In most cases, there was relief in the faces of those waiting, in a few -- not so much as they would burst into tears at whatever news they’d been told.
Aaron’s mom finally sat down, wringing her hands. A couple next to them noticed and tried to be comforting, “Hopefully nothing serious. Your husband?”
She shook her head, “My son.”
“I’m sure it’ll all be okay.”
She was sure too. She just wasn’t sure how, in the end, this was going to help anything.
“Mrs. Blumenthol?” Her name snapped her back to the present as she stood up and walked over. “That’s me. How is he?”
“She,” the doctor corrected, “is going to be just fine. Everything went as expected. I just want to monitor her for a few days. This is a major surgery and she is going to need her rest to heal.”
“Can -- Can I see her?”
“We are waiting for the medication to wear off. She’s still asleep so I’d like to wait until she’s at least woken up. It’ll be a few hours if you need to go eat or take care of any personal business. I can even have the nurse call you when she wakes up.”
“No. No, I’ll stay.”
“Perhaps call Mr. Blumenthol to come and bring you a change of clothing?”
“Oh, there’s no Mr. Blumenthol.”
There hadn’t been since the death of Aaron’s father. Another tragedy that Aaron took credit for.
A WEEK AGO
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
It was the worst kept secret in the world of secrets, but Erin acted surprised despite knowing.
“You guys shouldn’t have,” she grins and walks in and takes a seat. She had dressed up for the occasion, a birthday dinner and a night on the town with her two best friends, Casey and Louisa. Neither of them were wrestlers, but they were fans long before she.
She had met them a few years ago after a couple of years in the business after a highly competitive match where she lost a crack at the indy company’s version of the top title. It was close, but the champ had already promised he wasn’t going out against a “tranny” and deliberately got himself disqualified. In the process, Erin made sure he would remember the night, though in the heat of things, she ended up with a shiner of her own which had just been starting to shade when the two walked up to her.
“That was a great match.”
“Yeah, utter bullshit if you ask me.”
“We were about to drink, care to join us?”
They did that. One would say something and the other would follow right up with something else. Come to find out they’d been best friends since grade school and always attended the matches, even since then.
Erin did join them and the trio had been a force to be reckoned with every since.
And they never forgot a birthday. Erin hadn’t celebrated her actually day of birth since her surgery -- instead choosing to use the day of her surgery as a day of celebration, but that all ended when she met these two.
“It’s disrespectful to your mother who spent hours in labor. Don’t be a dick. You can celebrate both if you want, but we will not let you ignore your mama’s contribution to your life.”
And so it was. Every year, she had two birthday parties thanks to these two.
“You realize that every year you try and surprise me but it never really works. I’ve caught on to your shenanigans.” Erin grins and she reaches for her wine glass.
“We know,” responded Louisa.
“Don’t care,” echoed Casey who raised her hand and called a water over. After whispering something into his ear, he smirks and nods. “Right away.”
Erin narrowed her eyes, “What are you up to?”
They both just glanced at each other and offered a wry, “Nothing,” in unison.
“I don’t believe you.”
Of course, probably a wise thing as it wasn’t long until the “Happy Birthday” chorus was starting to be heard and would get louder as the entourage got closer to the group. Erin just rolled her eyes and put her hand up over her face, ducking down in embarrassment. “I’m going to get you two one day,” she promised as the group finally reached the table and finished the song, placing the small birthday cake, complete with candles on the table. “From all of us here, we hope to help make this day very special for you,” recited the waiter who probably had to say that several time daily in his line of work and his delivery showed it.
Erin offers a weak smile, “Thanks.”
Louisa motions to the cake, “Make a wish!”
Make a wish. Erin knew just what to wish for.
It would be a night of drunken debauchery for her birthday, the result the following morning was a massive hangover as she untangled herself from the bodies that were strewn across her bed and she stumbled into the bathroom.
She grimaced as she looked herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. Time to get back to training. Her first singles match for Mile High Wrestling and besides…
...she’d made her wish last night. Time to make it come true.
TODAY
Erin pulled into the parking lot of the gym and as she reached into the back, grabbing her gym bag and locks the door of her car when she’s approached by a camera crew.
“Ms. Blue. The company needs your promo for the upcoming Mile High episode 20, can you give us a few minutes?”
Well, Erin wasn’t especially dressed to be in front of the camera, but what the hell, right?
“Sure, just tell me when.”
As she sets her bag on the hood of her car, she reaches in and grabs a scrunchie and ties her hair back at least to make herself somewhat presentable.
“We’re ready.”
PROMO
“It was a hell of a fight you had with the Titaness, Leah. I have to admit. With us both making our debuts at the Rise Again event, I had hoped to shine as the best newcomer, but I’m going to have to concede that win to you. You had the better fight that night which means I’m going to have to work that much harder when it comes to Episode 20. Which I'm surprised no one has dubbed the "Battle of the Queens.”
“However, I believe that you’re making one hell of a mistake when it comes to meeting me on Sunday. You’re overlooking me by overextending yourself. I see all of your tweets about your upcoming matches in other companies, but you see I have failed to see you one time mention me. Which may serve me best in the end because you see my attention isn’t divided into multiple companies. I have retained Mile High Wrestling as my exclusive company and the only company I will be working for in the near future. In my opinion, this company is the only company worthy of my time.”
“But you go ahead, and this isn’t at all meant to be disrespectful, but you go ahead. Divide your time. In the meantime, I’ll devote a hundred perfect of my time to Mile High Wrestling and work my way to the top. This company has only seen a sliver of what I can accomplish and when you and I face each other in the ring, they will see a side of me that they haven’t seen. I hope you’re prepared and I pray you haven’t taken me lightly.”
“So bring your war cry. Bring everything you have because I will not hold back. Not one bit. Failure in this business is not an option for me. I have to beat you. There’s no other way. And win, lose or draw, you’ve already earned my respect. Now, I plan to earn yours.”
She’s about to tell them to cut, when something causes her to change her mind. She looks back at the camera, “And I swear to God, Wavy Crockett. Say one more thing disrespectful about me during your commentary, I will make you eat your lunch. I have been open and honest about myself to the people of Mile High Wrestling, but that doesn’t give you license to use me as a punchline for your stupid jokes. Do it again and see what happens.”
With that, she grabs her bag and walks away towards the gym as the scene cuts.
