Thursday December 29, 2011
Citrus Bowl- Section 142
Orlando, Florida
9:01 PM Local Time
“Well, that’s it,” Wendy sighed as she watched the remaining seconds tick off the clock. All around, she could hear the garnet-clad Seminole fans cheering, singing their fight song as the players and coaches of the two teams met at midfield to shake hands and congratulate each other on a good game. The Champs Sports Bowl was over, and once again, the Irish had committed too many costly turnovers and let a promising game get away from them, losing 18-14. Once touted as a potential National Championship contender, or at least a major-bowl participant, the Golden Domers were going to finish yet another mediocre year, 8-5, and unranked.
“Are you sad, mommy?”
Wendy looked down at the seat next to her, and saw her daughter looking up at her. Despite the melancholia that was setting in, she smiled, squeezing Theresa’s shoulder. “No, hon. I’m a little disappointed, but football is like everything else, you have to take the winning and the losing together.”
“Its not fun to lose,” Theresa said, frowning in a slight pout. “I get sad whenever you or daddy does.”
“Yeah, but its a part of life,” Wendy replied. “Besides, when you know what losing feels like, that makes it all the better when you do win. But someone once said, it’s rare that we ever learn from our successes.”
“Well, your boys ain’t learning from their failures either.” Wendy turned to regard her husband, who was muttering as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “They giftwrapped that one, just like they did to South Florida and Michigan.”
Wendy nodded, and looked around the stadium. While the Florida State fans were still standing and cheering, most of the Notre Dame fans had already cleared out of the area, leaving a rather sizeable gap of empty seats around her and her family. Still, she was in no hurry to get out- the shuttle back to the hotel wasn’t leaving for another half-hour.
“Jesus... five missed calls?” Terrence’s voice dragged her thoughts away from the emptying arena and back to her husband. Terrence was flipping through his phone, checking for any messages. His eyes went wide, first with surprise, then with excitement and expectation. “One of them’s from TI!”
“Oh, good!” Wendy exclaimed, her heart suddenly beating a little quicker as well. Terrence had called Texas Instruments as part of his hunt for a sponsor for 2012, but Wendy had almost given up hope that he would ever get a return call from them. Then again, with just a couple days looming until Diamond Motorsports’ January 1 deadline concerning the status of Terrence’s race team, Wendy had almost given up all hope of Terrence finding anyone.
Wendy watched, an expectant expression on her face as she watched her husband quickly dial his voice mail, and enter in his password. She watched as he listened to the message, first showing the same expectation she did, but gradually, his face fell the more and more he listened, until he looked absolutely miserable as he hung up.
“Not good news?” Wendy asked, as unnecessary a question as she’d ever uttered.
“We’re sorry, but under the current economic climate, we simply don’t feel that another athletic sponsorship would be practical at this juncture,” Terrence responded, sinking back into his chair. Wendy sighed inwardly, feeling a wave of emotion rising up in her at the defeated expression on her husband’s face.
“Terry, I’m sorry...” Wendy whispered.
“Not your fault,” her husband replied, shrugging, although his shoulders slumped. “But they were kind of my last hope.”
“I know,” Wendy sighed, sitting down next to him, and putting her arm around him. “So... what do we do now? Find another team?”
Terrence nodded. “Yup. Someone will want me. Although there aren’t many other teams like Diamond out there. For the first time in my racing career, I honestly thought I was going places. It’s going to suck going back into the midpack.”
“Well, you could always return to wrestling full time.” Wendy responded, flashing a quick smile. “We could team in SVW...”
She trailed off as Terrence solemnly shook his head. “No. I’m not giving it up this time, Wendy. I’m not walking away. Even if I have to take a step back this year, and wait it out until I can get on a better team, I’m going to keep at it.” He turned and looked at her, and gave her a half-smile. “Although I’m still looking forward to being with you Saturday night.”
Wendy smiled back. “Well, there’s still a couple of days before the deadlines up. Maybe something will come up by then.”
Terrence chuckled, and shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m resigned to this Wendy. Have been for a couple weeks now. Hell, I didn’t even expect Texas Instruments to bother to call me back. I just let myself get my hopes up for a couple minutes. I should have known better.”
Wendy sighed, and squeezed her husband’s hand. “Well, keep your head up, Terry. Everything will be okay, and I’m happy with whatever you decide to do, just so long as you’re happy as well.”
“I know, and thanks,” Terrence replied, standing up, helping Wendy to her feet as he did so. “But right now, I want to head home, have some dinner, and get us ready to head to DC. We’ve got a match to win.”
“I know,” Wendy replied, looking around the stadium again. Even most of the Seminole fans had left the stadium, the janitor crews emerging to clean up the debris that had been left behind. “You ready Theresa?”
She smiled as her daughter nodded. “Then let’s go.”
===============================
Saturday December 31, 2011
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, DC
2:17 PM Local Time
The scene opens up in the National Mall on what appears to be a rather pleasant afternoon. Terrence and Wendy are onscreen, standing at what appears to be the base of the Lincoln Memorial, with the reflecting pool and the Washington Monument situated behind them. Wendy is grinning at the camera, although Terrence turns to look at the Monument, regarding it for a second, before turning back to the camera, pointing his finger behind him at the obelisk.
Terrence: “For the record, mine is totally bigger.”
Wendy’s grin evaporates completely, and she turns to her husband, a scandalized look on her face. Terrence merely grins at her, and takes a deep breath, letting out a “Whoo!”, that manages to startle some other nearby tourists.
Terrence: “Have to say, it’s been what? Nine months since I’ve done one of these. Kind of feels weird to be in front of a camera without someone shoving a microphone in my face asking me why I nailed the wall in turn three.”
Wendy’s smile returns, and she glances over at her husband.
Wendy: “Well, it’s a great night all around, Terry. I mean, it is a veritable who’s who of the wrestling world that will be in the Verizon Center tonight. The best of the two biggest wrestling companies on the planet are going to collide, and every match seems to be FFW against SVW... it will be remarkable!”
Terrence nods in agreement, except he pauses...
Terrence: “But... Stark & Stone are an SVW team. So... that would make us the FFW team...”
Wendy giggles at that thought.
Wendy: “Well, I think our match is one of the exceptions to that formula, Terrence. After all, I’m FFW, Anders is SVW, you’re neither, and Cara is both. So, at least as far as we’re concerned, it’s not about company pride. This is simply two of the greatest tag teams of our generation going at it in what should be an epic match!”
Terrence: “Correction, Wendy. ONE of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history will be stepping in the ring with a couple of good kids who can’t seem to get that marquee victory. After all, they’re still searching for their first title while WE are the SEVEN-TIME, SEVEN-TIME, SEVEN-TIME, SEVE...”
Terrence’s voice trails off as Wendy shoots him a very nasty glare. Although whether it’s because she’s annoyed with her husband’s cockiness, or the fact that saying how many times you won the title that many times got annoying sometime around 2004, it’s not clear.
Terrence: “I’m just saying... there’s a reason why THEY’RE looking up to US. Not the other way around.”
Wendy: “I guess you’re right about one thing, Terry. Stark & Stone haven’t done a fraction of what they’re capable of doing, and what they’re going to do during their careers. They have that drive, they have that passion, and they have that talent. They’ve had a bit of bad luck, of course, but we’ve had our share of setbacks and disappointments over the course of our careers too. The important thing is to keep on trying, and you know people like Anders and Cara aren’t going to give up.”
Terrence: “Well, that’s good. I’d hate for them to retire after we whoop their butts.”
Terrence grins, although Wendy merely rolls her eyes.
Wendy: “Of course they won’t. Even if they think that this ‘Dream Match’ would become a nightmare should they lose to us.”
Wendy’s voice is teasing, and she flashes a grin, although Terrence shrugs.
Terrence: “I just wish those kids would get their facts straight. With all due respect to the dude putting on the show tonight, do they really think that Mark Horton TALKED me into this? Fuck that, this was MY idea, baby! I don’t have anything going on until January, why the hell not? Terrence Thompson can put on the boots and kick a couple asses one last time.”
Wendy: “Well, I’d like to think I kind of helped come up with the idea too.”
Terrence: “Of course you did, hon. But I think that it’s important that we give credit where credit is due here. And the fact is that this one night thing? Totally me. So, to all you fans who are tuning in to watch the WhirlyBirdz fly one more time... you’re welcome.”
Terrence flashes another cheesy grin to the camera, although Wendy just rolls her eyes again, and sighs in exasperation. Although there is definitely an aura about her that suggests she’s at least mildly amused by all this.
Wendy: “Even so, we’re definitely appreciative of all that Stark & Stone said about us. You know, we’ve been in a lot of tag matches, but I don’t think I’ve been in one that has had this much mutual respect in a long time. Heck, outside of the ring, we consider both Cara and Anders friends.
Terrence: “But that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to monkeystomp those two all over our nations capital. Because sure as hell didn’t come back for a night to end it flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling. Stark & Stone better be expecting a flat-out brawl when they walk down to that ring tonight.”
Wendy nods.
Wendy: “Because while I certainly appreciate the drive Stark & Stone has to get over the proverbial hump, the fact of the matter is that this match means a lot to Terrence and I too. Because while Cara and Anders are looking at this match as a launching point for 2012, Terrence and I are looking at this as... well, something special.”
Wendy’s voice takes on a bit of emotion towards the end, and even Terrence looks a bit somber.
Terrence; “When I decided to pursue my auto-racing career again, there was no time for goodbyes. There was no one final match. There was no farewell ceremony. There was a quick discussion, a release paper, and a ‘wish you well in your future endeavors’. Now, granted, our last company wasn’t exactly one we were all that eager to stick around in, but still...”
Wendy: “As a tag team, we never had a chance to say goodbye, and thanks for the memories.”
Terrence: “Well, this is our chance. And I’m not going to guarantee that you’ll never see Terrence Thompson in a wrestling ring again- when I walked away the first time, I never thought I’d be back. And who knows? I might have a chance to do another one-off match like this again.”
Wendy: “But we don’t know when that will be. So tonight, at New Years Retribution in Washington DC, it might not be the last ever match of the WhirlyBirdz VHS... but we’re going to be out there wrestling like it is.”
Wendy pauses for a second, and quickly wipes her eyes, and Terrence puts his arm around her, giving her a squeeze.
Terrence: “To us, this isn’t about whether or not a torch gets passed, or whether momentum is built for the coming year. This is simply a special occasion, a moment that we didn’t think we were ever going to have. And it’s going to be a moment we’re going to take advantage of for all its worth.”
Wendy: “But we couldn’t have gotten a more perfect opponent to do this against. I know Cara and Anders, and they’re going to be ready. But I want tonight to end on a happy note. I want it to end with Terry and I having our hands raised in the air. I want it to end with the WhirlyBirdz flying high one more, perhaps final time.”
Terrence: “So bring the best you have Stark & Stone. We’ll be ready, and we’ll be in that ring. And I wish you well against the Abusement Park and OMGWTF in the future, but tonight, you and all the rest of the wrestling world will be asking themselves one last time... “WHO DAT THINK THEY’RE BETTER THAN THE WHIRLYBIRDZ?”
For the first time ever, Wendy doesn’t roll her eyes, or frown, or look annoyed by the obvious cheesy, ripped of line. Insteady, she simply smiles at the camera, and takes one last deep breath.’
Wendy: “Who dat?”
Fade
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