4.18.2010
PARKING LOT OF MEYERS FOODS
VALPARAISO, INDIANA
9:13 AM CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME
With a stretch, Terrence Thompson rose from his king-sized bed, and looked around the bedroom of his new motorhome. While small, the room was about as comfortable and luxurious as one could be in the back of a rolling abode.
Facing the front, the bed dominated the left hand wall, on one of the RV's four slideouts to maximize room. Behind the bed, on the RV's back wall, sat a closet with sliding mirrored doors, where the hanging clothes for all five of the RV's residents were kept. On the right wall, a window opened a view to the outside, while one of the RV's two televisions, this one a 42 inch LCD, hung above the portal. Tucked away in the back corner was a litterbox and small pet-bed, upon which slept Chaunticleer, the family cat.
Stretching lazily, Terrence walked to the bedroom door, flinging it open. On his left now sat the RV's bathroom, complete with a toilet, shower, and sink. Beyond the bathroom, the RV opened up into the main cabin. Both sides of the cabin slid out. On the right wall, a small endtable flanked a loveseat-style sofa, where Terrence's three year old daughter, Theresa remained asleep. Ahead of the sofa was the galley, with a sink, microwave, and small range and oven.
On the left side of the main cabin sat another sofa, this one larger, and a hide-a-bed. Normally it would be the sleeping area of Cassie DeSlair, but the young woman was already up, eating a bowl of Fruit Loops at the dinette table to the front of the hide-a-bed. On the other side of the dinette sat a full size refridgerator. The most dominant aspect of the cabin was the 52-inch LCD TV on the back wall.
At the front, of course, sat the cockpit, where Terrence had spent most of the last two days, sitting in the driver's seat as he wove his new toy through the Indians countryside. Wendy had perched herself in the copilots seat, sitting above and behind the driver's seat, but still near enough to where the two could converse.
All the furniture was made of the highest quality ultrasuede, and the overhead cabinets of cherrywood.
Terrence took the scene in with a monstrous grin on his face. It was unbecoming of him to be a snob... but he was the MAN.
"Mornin!" greeted Daniel Pollaski, sitting opposite Cassie at the dinette with his own bowl of Fruit Loops. After Pollaski's suggestion that he and Cassie share the hide-a-bed had been met with a slap to the face, the pudgy manager had agreed to a sleeping bag in front of the kitchen sink. So maybe they all weren't living in luxury.
"Mornin'" Terrence replied, looking around the cabin. Dan and Cassie were eating breakfast, and Theresa was still asleep, but of his wife, there was no sign.
"Where's Wendy?"
"Left about an hour ago," Pollaski mumbled, his mouth full of cereal. "Took that box... and your car."
"What?" Terrence barked, suddenly irritated. "Why would she take MY car?"
"Because you sold hers?" Cassie asked, arching her eyebrows.
Terrence shrugged. Even though Wendy had been cordial to him the past couple days, he could tell that she was still angry with him. She had been especially icy when Terrence had asked her what was in the box, telling him not to worry about it.
Some gut feeling was telling him maybe he should be worried.
"Ah, well" Pollaski broke into his thoughts. "Nationwide got rained out last night, so NASCAR doubleheader today!"
"No thanks," Terrence muttered. "Its Texas."
Pollaski opened his mouth to ask what was so bad about Texas, but caught himself as he remembered. Texas Motor Speedway- where just over two months ago, Terrence's preseason practice- and auto racing career- had been interrupted by the sale of his team.
Ah well, if not for that sale, Terrence probably wouldn't have returned to wrestling, so there was a silver lining. Even so, it was probably best if he changed the subject.
"So, ready for your match with Noah Hanson?"
"Nah," Terrence replied. "I was planning on walking into my singles debut match with absolutely no preparation whatsoever."
Pollaski snorted, and Cassie rolled her eyes at the sarcastic comment.
"Heh," Terrence chuckled. "I still can't believe the guy's actually heard of me."
Pollaski nodded in silence. It was a sentiment Terrence had repeated several times since the Hanson promo aired a couple days ago. Considering that most of the top echelon in the PWX had only heard of the WhirlyBirdz in passing, it was odd that Terrence's first opponent actually seemed to have some familiarity.
He wasn't sure if that was a curse, or blessing. Probably a curse, since he himself knew very little about Hanson.
Fortunately, Terrence had the fortune of employing the self-proclaimed 'greatest manager- EVER', and these were the moments Pollaski came in handy.
"Well, I did some digging around, and Noah was indeed in the WWA, about three years ago. He was in Hudson River Westling and one other region. Never really did too much, but he was considered a decent enough mid-level guy. For whatever reasons, he left. So either the CWC is a bit weak on the talent side to where this guy can win himself an alliance-wide title, or he's gotten better."
"I think I'll assume the latter." Terrence chuckled as.he poured his own bowl of Lucky Charms. "And besides, even if it is the former, its not like the WWA hasn't had its share of undeserving champions. Dragon Jones, Jake Devins, and, of course..."
"Kakuma!" Dan finshed, referring to the controversial figure Terrence won the World Championship from.
"But I think its interesting that you DID mention the CWC, because as far as I'm concerned, this match is more than about my place in the PWX rankings. Everyone knows that the PWX is technically a part of two alliances, the WWA, and the CWC. Now, I'm an Alliance guy, through and through. And I'm guessing that since Noah is a champion over there, he's a Council guy. "
"Ahhh..." Pollaski said, immediately catching on. "Alliance supremacy."
"Well, I don't know about that," Terrence laughed. "I doubt the whole reputation of two alliances will rely on this match. But if I knock off the CWC Hardcore Champion in my first match back, people are going to take note. Not to mention its gonna be some good news, for the WWA, and we could definitely use some."
Pollaski quietly nodded. With Wrestling Midwest announcing their pullout from the alliance, and the still impending takeover by Eric Dane, the WWA could use a bit of a morale boost. He wasn't sure how much of a boost Twister beating Noah Hanson would give, but hell, whatever worked.
"Besides," Terrence continued. "I know that PWX is scheduled for a WWA World Title shot in early May, and I would just LOVE to be the guy to bring the big, bad, Cobra down. But that's not a lot of time for me to prove that I'm the best man for the job, so I better take advantage of every opportunity I can get."
"As far as Noah Hanson goes, it seems we are going in different directions. I'm on a comeback trail. I'm fresh, my injuries are healed, and I've got my sights set on nothing short of the top. Hanson, he's been through the ringer. He's tired, beaten up, and jaded. I can emphathize- I was there five years ago. And I almost feel bad that this whole farewell tour of his is going to kick off with a loss."
Terrence gobbled down a couple of bites of Lucky Charms, then continued. "But I'm not back to give a eulogy. I didn't restart my training regime and buy a half-million dollar RV just to say goodbye. I came here to play. I came back to win. I'm here because I'm not about to let.that egomaniacal bastard Eric Dane tear the WWA down. I'm here because there is one last hole in my resume I need to fill, and that is to emerge from Summer Games as the winner. And I'm here, because twenty-five days as World Heavyweight Champion is way too short a reign for someone of my calibur, and I'm sure as heck not going to take three years to climb that mountain, either."
"All Noah Hanson's to me is a stepping stone. I'm sure that sounds arrogant and mean, but its true. I'm not here for Hanson. I'm here for Brian Hollywood, and that shiny belt he carries. I'm here for Josh Graves and Devon Poole, and their PWX tag belts. And I'm definitely here for Cobra, to cut off the final head of the Hydra and crush the Defiance onslaught. But that's all down the line, whether next week, next month, or even next year. But I'm not going to overlook Hanson. He's a mere speedbump on my road, but everyone knows that a speedbump can mess up your journey pretty bad if you don't pay attention, and my destination is way too far away to have a breakdown now."
"So yeah, Adrenaline 29," Terrence concluded. "Twister Thompson versus Noah Hanson. Will it be a good match? Probably. A little back and forth, probably some big moves on both our parts, and a lot of fans going home happy. But in the end, its going to be my hand getting raised. Because I'm fresher than Noah Hanson. I'm hungrier than Noah Hanson. And I'm just flat out better than Noah Hanson. Why?"
"Because No one can stop the Mechanical Mayhem?" Pollaski asked rhetorically. He then picked up his cereal bowl, drinking the remaining milk down.
"Exactly." Terrence finished with a smirk. "Now.. what the heck is taking Wendy so long?"
In response to that final question, a high pitched whine was heard, growing closer. The three awake occupants of the RV stared at each other in confusion. The whine sounded like an engine, but not the gutteral roar of Terrence's charger. This sounded more like... a weedeater.
Confused, Pollaski got up, and walked to the window over the kitchen sink, looking outside. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "Ha! It's Wendy!"
"What?" Terrence rose from his seat as well, and ran to the window. "What the hell is that thing?" He muttered in disgust. "Where's my car?"
Terrence ran from the window, running to the cockpit, down the stairs, and out the door. Pollaski, laughing turned to Cassie.
"You coming?"
"What's going on?" Cassie asked, thoroughly confused.
"Let's just say there's about to be a pretty good row, as the British would say."
Cassie didn't move, but Pollaski was already running for the door.
Outside, Terrence stared in horror at his wife as she dismounted from her brand new, shiny, bright green motorcycle.
Actually, it was only a motorcycle in the sense that it had two wheels and an engine.
"What... the... hell?" Terrence demanded, as Wendy took off her helmet. Terrence recognized it as helmet Ulfric had given her for their "date" so many years ago. He realized that must have been the contents that mysterious box, and he felt his irritation grow.
Wendy, for her part, was smiling ear to ear as she hung the helmet on the bike's handlebars. "It's a motorbike, Terrence! A Vespa LXV 150, to be exact. I was thinking, and I realized you were right. I don't need my Focus anymore. With us traveling all the time, all its going to do is sit on our driveway. With this, we can take it with us!"
Terrence remained speechless as he stared at the scooter, which he felt was obviously MUCH worse than a compact car. Hadn't the woman ever heard of horsepower?
Behind him, Pollaski exited the RV, and burst out laughing. "Nice! How fast does that thing go?"
"I think they said the top speed was sixty," Wendy said. "But I don't intend to go that fast. I'm more concerned about maneuverability and portability."
"That... THING" Terrence sputtered, "Is not going anywhere NEAR my RV!"
"YOUR RV?" Wendy countered, her smile fading. "Last time I checked, it was OUR RV!"
"Last time I checked, you weren't trying to stick a crappy little sissy-scooter in it."
"What, Terrence?" Wendy fired back. "What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything. I just don't want to have to drive around with that thing hanging off the back."
"Why not?!"
"Its a girl's bike!" Terrence blurted
"Well, fortunately," Wendy snapped back. "I'm a girl!"
"Yes, Wendy, but you're a championship quality wrestler. Wrestlers ride around in limos, or Camaro's, or Porsches, or monster trucks, or Harleys. They do NOT ride around in VESPAS!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Wendy fired back. "I didn't know there was a clause in my PWX contract dictating what I could or could not drive! And what about Dodge Chargers? Do wrestlers drive around in that?"
"Of course! Speaking of which, where the hell is my car?"
"Where do you think?" Wendy responded, breaking into a maniacal laughter that forced both Pollaski and Terrence to step back.
Terrence's face paled. "Y... you didn't..."
"How do you think I paid for the bike, HONEY?" Wendy taunted.
"Dude..." Dan whispered. This marriage was over...
"I... I... spent.... WEEKS on that car..." Terrence stammered. If Wendy had ripped out Chaunticleer's throat with her theeth, Terrence would not have stared at his wife with as much disgust as he did now.
"Its a shame I could only get a couple hundred for it," Wendy continued, smiling cruelly as Terrence gasped.
"A couple.... hundred?" Terrence gasped. "That was a custom built..."
"I believe the phrase 'shoddy workmanship' was used," Wendy laughed.
"BULLSHIT!" Terrence screamed. "Everything was PERFECT! That. Car. Was. PERFECT!"
"Well, now its going to be perfect 'spare parts', from what I heard," Wendy grinned evilly. "At least that's what I heard as I walked away."
"You... you...." Terrence stuttered. Finally, he went quiet. "I gotta get that car back. Where did you sell it?"
Wendy shrugged. "I don't remember. Wasn't really paying attention."
"Dan!" Terrence barked. "Prepare the RV for departure! We'll check every damned dealership in town if we have to. And YOU," Terrence snarled, pointing at Wendy, "better pray we save it!"
"Okay..." Pollaski said uncertainly, not really wanting to spend the day looking for Terrence's car.
"Oh, one problem, Terrence," Wendy said sweetly, pulling a set of keys out of her pocket. "How are you going anywhere?"
Terrence stopped in his tracks. "Give me the keys, Wendy," he said in a deadly tone.
"My Vespa?" Wendy asked, shaking the keys.
For a second, Terrence looked as if he was going to charge and try to wrestle the keys from her. "FINE!" he screamed. "Dan, load her stupid bike up... tie it to the rear ladder or something. I'll go get us ready."
"Thanks, hon!" Wendy laughed triumphantly as she tossed the keys to her husband. Terrence stormed off to move the sliders in, and get the RV ready to move.
Pollaski stared at Wendy after Terrence had gone. "I don't get this idea where you two have trust issues."
Wendy shrugged, and reached into her other pocket, pulling out another set of keys. "Valparaiso University, Guest parking lot, spot G7. I figure we'll let him sweat it for another hour before we tell him I didn't really sell the Charger."
Pollaski stared at Wendy in amazement. "For someone who's so damn nice, you sure have a bitchy side."
Wendy shrugged and smiled, blushing just a bit. "I hated to do it, but I guarantee you Terrence won't be selling ANYTHING of mine ever again."
"But you're serious about the bike?"
Wendy nodded. "I'm not going to rely on Terrence for a ride. Besides, I think its cool."
Pollaski was too amused by the scenario to inform Wendy that she was unlikely to ever be considered 'cool'. "Come on," Dan said, wheeling the bike to the RV, and grabbing some rope from an outside compartment. "Lets see if we can get this tied up."
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