EPISODE 53: Brainseed

EPISODE 53: BRAINSEED

Saturday October 16
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
6:45 PM Local Time

“Ah, this is the life” Daniel Pollaski said, popping the top of his Dr Pepper as forty-three stock cars raced full speed towards a waving green flag. “Watchin the race, downing a couple cold ones. Nothin’ like guys night.”

“I’m not a guy!” protested a small female voice, and Pollaski grinned over at Theresa, who had turned towards him indignantly.

“Bah, you’re an honorary guy tonight,” Pollaski said with a wink, as he ruffled Theresa’s hair.

“Ick!” Theresa protested again, before turning her attention back to her Capri Sun drink.

“Dude, don’t say things like that,” Terrence Thompson admonished his manager, although he fought back a chuckle as he did. “That’s the kind of stuff that’s going to end her up in the school psychologist’s office.”

“Sorry,” Pollaski said, although he certainly didn’t sound it as he turned back to watching the race. Unconsciously, Pollaski set his can of Dr Pepper down on the end table, as the cars on the television came around to finish the first lap of the race. Over the next couple of laps, Pollaski shot Terrence a couple of nervous glances, but everytime Terrence turned to look at him, Pollaski’s head snapped back to the television.

“What are you doing?” Terrence finally demanded in exsperation.

Pollaski looked over at Terrence, then over to the stairs, as if afraid someone would come walking down any minute. Finally he shrugged. “Gwendolyn?”

“Dude...” Terrence said warningly,shaking his head. “Don’t go there.”

“I’ve known her for ten years! How the heck could I have...”

“Because she hates it,” Terrence interrupted, shooting a nervous glance at the stairs himself. “I didn’t even know myself until the week before we got married, when we went to get the marriage license. I told her she had the wrong birth certificate, and she punched me.”

“Oh, so THAT’S why you had a fat lip at the wed-”

“Just don’t bring it up around her, okay? She’s really sensitive about it.”

“Fine.” Pollaski acquiesced, turning back to the television.
=======================

Saturday October 16, 2010
The Nest- Master Bedroom
Indianapolis, Indiana
6:51 PM Local Time

“Gwendolyn, what is this?”

Wendy Briese looked up from folding a small stack of laundry, at her grandmother, who had just emerged from the master bathroom, a stern expression on her face. A puzzled expression on her face, Wendy peered closer to see what her suddenly irate grandmother held in her hands.

Suddenly she gasped in horror, as it hit her like a John Ojeda chairshot.

Birth-control pills.

“Where did you get those?” Wendy demanded, dropping the t-shirt she had been working on. “You went through my medicine cabinet?”

“Why are you taking these?” Constance O’Reilly demanded. “You know what the church’s stand on any form of contraception other than abstinence is.”

Her face turning red, both in anger and embarassment, Wendy ran a hand through her hair. “You had no right to-”

“Gwendolyn, its your sacred duty as a mother and a wife to provide as many children for your husband as you can,” Constance replied, completely ignoring Wendy’s indignation. “Now, granted, you didn’t exactly make the wisest choice concerning the father, but that’s the bed you made...”

“T...Terrence and I decided that we were better off waiting before we had more chil-”

“Dear, it’s not your decision, its God’s.” Constance replied simply. “Why would you take away a chance to have one of his greatest blessings bestowed upon you?”

Wendy ran her hand through her hair again. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation...”

“Sometimes you need a wake up call, dear,” Constance replied, smiling placidly as one by one, she dropped the remaining pills into the toilet, then flushed. “You’re almost thirty years old now. You’ve been married five years, and you only have one child. Surely that’s too old to be running around, playing at this wrestling deal. What happened to the theater you were running?”

“I got fired. For... for a... for a disagreement with my boss,” Wendy responded, a half-truth to be sure, considering she had punched the man in the face. “Nana, I love my job. I get to travel, I can spend time with Theresa. Every week is a different exciting challenge...”

“But that’s what YOU want,” Constance said simply. “Did you ever stop to think about what GOD wants? What’s best for your family? Your daughter?”

“Loads of times,” Wendy confessed. “But I always felt that... if we were careful”

“Gwendolyn, you were just in a match where a man fell twenty feet into electrified barbed wire. How can you call that being careful?”

Wendy gulped. “You... you saw that?”

Constance smiled, a look that made her look almost like a hawk, swooping down on an unsuspecting rabbit. “What if that had been you? You’re playing a dangerous game, dear. With not only your life, but your child’s as well. What if something happened to you, and rendered you unable to take care of Theresa? Did you ever think of that?”

Wendy stared at her grandmother. “It’s my greatest fear,” she whispered.

Constance smiled again. “I know you have a match next week, and I’m sure you legally can’t back out of it now. But think about it, Gwendolyn. Is this so-called ‘sport’ something really worth risking your future- and your daughter’s future- over?”

“I’ll think about it,” Wendy said flatly, although she crossed her fingers behind her back as she did. “I promise.”

The hawk-like smile returned again. “That’s my girl. Now give me a second. I brought some of me old photo albums from Ireland. I thought you would be interested in looking at them.”

“I would,” Wendy said, arching her eye brows. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be right back,” Constance replied, as she hobbled out of the room.

Wendy made certain her grandmother was completely out of the room before she sniffled, and wiped away the moisture that was now shining in her eyes.
=================================

Saturday October 17, 2010
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
9:46 PM Local Time

[Wow, poor Wendy]

[It probably hasn’t helped matters that Wendy’s grandmother decided to show up during Belmont week, when emotions were already running high. And that conversation- well, needless to say, it certainly took some of the wind out of Wendy’s sails, that’s for sure.]

[Nonetheless, we open the scene in the living room of the Nest, where Wendy is sitting on the couch, once again stiff as a board. Still, there’s a small smile across her face as she looks into the camera.]

“I think its safe to say that this is a match that everyone’s been waiting for.”

[Her smile widens just a bit]

“I knew from the moment I signed a PWX contract that this match was inevitable. I’m actually surprised it took over six months to happen, to be honest. But its finally here, the WhirlyBirdz and the Belmonts are to face off, for the first time ever, the tag titles on the line.”

[A small sigh]

“I suppose my position on the Belmont’s attitudes is fairly well known by now. But I can never put into enough words how much respect I’ve had for Jeremiah and Valerie as competitors. I know I told the story enough- the first time I ever watched Pro-Wrestling X was Legends Never Die, when Valerie Belmont outlasted five other men to become the Next Generation Champion.”

[A small, nostalgic look comes over Wendy’s face, but she quickly manages to shake it away.]

“When I turned on that television, I was certain I was done with wrestling, that September 2005 had marked the end of my career. I never once had regretted my decision to leave the sport. But that night, watching a girl who looked so much like me performing those moves- well, it brought so many memories flooding back.”

[Wendy sighs, and looks away from the camera, her face falling for just a second, as the events of her conversation with her grandmother come over her again. But she sighs, and shakes those thoughts from her head]

“I’m not going to be so cheesy as to say that Valerie Belmont was the reason I renounced my retirement, but I won’t lie. It was watching people like her that made me remember just how amazing and exciting this sport is.”

[To be fair, she probably wishes Valerie Belmont was the reason. Way better than the ‘my worst enemy cost me my job and blackmailed me to return’ method that actually happened]

“But I will say this is a dream match for me. Two of the best tag teams in wrestling history set to face off, the winner to walk out the tag team champions. Unfortunately, when first envisioned this match, I imagined this rivalry being a bit... friendlier.”

[A small, sad sigh from Wendy, and again she looks away.]

“Unfortunately, the four of us seemed to have spent the better part of the past six months rubbing each other the wrong way. I know my husband can be a bit... boisterous sometimes, and I know that his jokes have annoyed the Belmonts. And I know my refusal to play along with their insane vampire gimmick has somehow offended them...”

[Wendy shrugs. She can’t actually understand it, really]

“At the same time, the Belmonts increasingly sour attitudes, and the endless array of potshots they have taken at my husband and I, got on my nerves just as much. So much so that I felt that I had to confront them last week.”

[Wendy nods her head slowly.]

“I’ve heard a lot of people wondering why I elected to confront the Belmonts by myself. The fact is, I felt that involving Terry probably would have made matters worse. As much as the Belmonts don’t like me... I’m pretty sure they HATE my husband”

[Wendy grimaces for just a second, then shrugs. She saw Terrence’s promo, and she’s not entirely happy that Terrence decided to stir the pot just a bit more.]

“Normally, in a championship match, the burden of proof relies entirely on the challengers. After all, they’re the ones that need a pinfall or submission to walk with the belts. Any other conclusion to the match, and the champions walk away with the titles. But I think if you look at each participant in this match individually, there’s no doubt who has the most to prove in this contest.”

[Small pause]

“Me.”

[Wendy nods a couple of times, then smiles weakly at the camera.]

“While Terrence has had tremendous success against the Belmonts, I have not. I faced Valerie in a tag match back in May, and managed to pin her partner, and then Ashley and I got utterly decimated by the Belmonts a couple weeks ago, thanks to a brilliant strategy of isolation.”

[A rueful smile]

“For reasons I can’t understand, the Belmonts are viewed as being fairly equal with each other, while I seem to be viewed as second-rate to my husband. I’m not going to say I’m jealous of it all, but...”

[Small pause. Wendy finally rolls her eyes and sighs.]

“I am jealous. I’ve been here six months, I’ve only lost two matches, and I haven’t even been so much as mentioned in the same BREATH as a singles title. It’s not Terry’s fault. It’s not the Belmonts fault. I don’t even know if its ANYBODY’S fault. But it is...”

[Wendy takes a deep breath]

“It’s damned frustrating, okay?”

[Wendy’s voice raises just a bit for that last line, and she suddenly looks almost ashamed of herself.]

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off there. It’s been a long weekend.”

[Small smile that more or less says “you have no idea”]

“Getting back on track, I’ve long believed that champions aren’t determined by those who win the belts, but by those who defend them, and prove themselves by fending off challenger after challenger. Anyone can luck their way into winning a title. Those who can retain their titles, however, who can amass months, years of reigns with many vanquished challengers notched into their record, those are the true champions.”

[Pause]

“Terrence and I aren’t there yet. All we’ve done is beat a clueless loudmouth, and his dizzying array of partners whom he backstabbed the moment we repelled his challenge, and a makeshift team of two newcomers who also disappeared quickly after we defeated them. That marquee victory, that gold star that we can stick on our belt to prove to the world that we are the champions- that hasn’t happened yet.”

[Small smile]

“That opportunity is here now. Regardless of what I personally think of Jer and Valerie, their track record speaks for themselves. Jeremiah is a two time Grand Prix Champion, Valerie is a former Hybrid Champion, two accomplishments I cannot claim for myself. A win here, and we’ll have finally managed to stake a claim as the best team in PWX. We won’t just be the holders of these belts, we’ll be the true champions.”

[Wendy’s voice gets quieter. Almost a whisper.]

“And maybe I’ll finally be able to silence some of these doubts.”

[Fade]