Baptism
“Abuelita, I’m home!”
“Come on in, neida. I’m in the kitchen.”
It was a little after six in the morning when Scarlett strolled into Mama Sandoval’s house in Tempe, Arizona. She had been living with her grandmother for the past year, ever since her eighteenth birthday when she moved out of her parents house…
They happened to live across the street, actually.
But even with how cool her parents were, Scarlett found a comfort around her grandmother that she knew she could never quite have with her parents- they weren’t just tied together by blood, they were legitimate friends.
It was Mama Sandoval who opened her ears to country and Motown at the age of seven. It was Mama Sandoval who gave her X’s first album with a joint snuck inside the paper sleeve at thirteen.
She wasn’t just her grandma. She was her cool older roommate that Scarlett completely adored.
The scent of being back in the kitchen was intoxicating. Dried meats and fruits hung from the ceiling as various herbs and spices lined the walls.
Mama Sandoval sat comfortably before the kitchen table, holding a large mug of tea in her hands. Scarlett walked up to her with a smile and kissed her on the cheek.
“Mornin’ Mama.”,
Scarlett said as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and reached out for the old tin container where they kept their morning stash in.
“You’re in early. I wasn’t expecting you ‘til noon.”
Scarlett sprinkled some weed into the glass pipe and brought it close to her lips.
“I caught an earlier bus… I’m sorry I didn’t call or anything.”
Mama Sandoval waved her off.
“It’s fine. You’re home early, that’s what matters. There’s a pot of champorado on the stove.”
Scarlett took a long hit off the pipe and gave herself time to let the smoke and the THC sink in before looking at her grandmother with a chuckle,
“Some champorado would sound awesome right now.”
Mama Sandoval motioned herself up, but Scarlett opened her hand and waved her down. “It’s fine, I can get. I need to burn off a little feul before I crash anyway.”
Scarlett shrugged as she took a clean bowl from the sink and opened up the pot of champorado; the South American breakfast meal that consisted of sticky chocolate rice porridge with a swirl of sweet evaporated milk.
It was milky, and sticky, and chocolaty, and gooey; easily hands down, the best stoner breakfast you could ever ask for.
Scarlett poured herself a heaping bowl full before yanking a spoon off the rack and kicking the fridge door open to reach for that can of evaporated milk.
Scarlett set herself on the table across Mama Sandoval and reached out for her spoon, ready to dig the hell in, when Mama Sandoval reached forward to stop her.
“What do we say before meals?”
“We’re really doing this?”
“Humor me, neida.”
“We pray.”
“Good.”
Mama Sandoval got up and poured herself a bowl of champorado.
“You lead it.”
“I lead it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“This is your first meal back home from your first tour as an active wrestler. Miraculously, you got home fine. So before we eat, say a little thanks.”
“You’re right.”,
Scarlett nodded, agreeing whole heartedly.
“Thanks, Abuelita.”
“That’s not what I meant”
“I have to thank God, don’t I?”
“Yes you do.”
It just seemed a little silly. And not because she didn’t believe in him (or her- you never know), because she totally did. And the idea of believing in him or something like him was better than not believing in anything at all. So she was covered there… But the act of praying, it just seemed pretty conceited as far as she was concerned.
Like why ask the guy upstairs when you could just do it yourself?
“Alright.”,
Scarlett held out her hands before bringing it close to her chest.
“Dear God,
…
…
… Thanks.”
“Scarlett!”
“… For everything?”
“Scarlett Quinn!”
“What? You told me to thank him!”
“Not like that!”
“Do I really have to thank him for every little thing?”
Scarlett and Mama Sandoval suddenly faced themselves upon a stare down. This was it. The gloves were off. The hands were on the table… They were going to get into it.
It could either end pretty well or pretty bad.
It all depended on how far they were willing to take it.
“… So?”,
Scarlett swallowed her first spoonful of champorado.
“Am I really going to have to thank him for every little thing?”
Mama Sandoval replied wisely. “Not everything. Just the things you’re grateful for- that’s all.”
Looking up, Scarlett closed her eyes and held up her hands in prayer.
“Dear God, thank you for the marijuana we smoke upon this glorious morning. Thank you that the cab driver from the bus station didn’t try to rip me off. Thank you for giving me a negative read on the pregnancy test I took the other week- I swear, when I skipped my period I totally freaked.”
Mama Sandoval shifted a gaze that read, ‘Girl, don’t push it’.
“Hmm… What else am I thankful for? A yes, I’m thankful for getting that other negative result for the HIV test.”
Scarlett opened her eyes and looked at Mama Sandoval.
“… I got bloodied up during a match and the promoter required me to take an HIV test. Standard thing.”
“Oh, I know.”
“You do?”
“As much as I don’t like it, I’ve spent a better half of my life unfortunately surrounded by wrestling. I know how it works. Now, how about we cut the crap and have breakfast?”
With a nod, Scarlett kept quiet and began working through her bowl of blissful champorado; deep inside her though, a warm fuzzy feeling shot through her and she looked at her grandmother again, trying to hide whatever smile that was trying to creep into her face.
“What is it, neida?”
Scarlett looked up at her grandmother and smiled.
“Nothing. I’m just glad to be home.”.
<***>
Scarlett got out of bed a little after four in the afternoon and as soon as she was dressed and ready, she drove straight over to her the gym/wrestling school her dad founded a little over a decade ago, The Eclipse Wrestling Academy.
Scarlett was blasted with the sound of classic eighties new-wave tuned up at such a high pitch that the treble level gave a glorious scratch you couldn’t really find these days in music.
The sound of all this new wave, particularly New Order, meant only one thing: her mom was in.
Her mom and dad were such a strange pair. Wayne, some gruff biker guy who smoked so much that it was a miracle he’s healthy- a guy who grew up on seventies radio and country music. And there was Vanessa, with dervish of a woman from Montreal.
It isn’t supposed to work, but it does.
And for that, they openly exploit it with a level of affection that could suffocate even the coldest cynic.
… Her parents were awesome like that.
She never had anything to complain about.
“Why hello there, stranger!”
“Hi mom!”
Her mother was always a strange figure to be hold of… There was this air of grace and mystery that surrounded her like an aura. She hadn’t aged a day past twenty seven and she had that big head of red curls that Scarlett somehow lost growing up.
Scarlett leaned over the front desk counter and gave her mother a kiss.
“So, how are things?”
“Been alright. Can’t complain.”
“Don’t you hate bullshitting like this?”,
Scarlett asked, dropping her chin on her palm;
Her elbow on the counter.
Vanessa crossed her arms and leaned back, kicking her legs up the counter- leaning her feet against her daugther’s forearm.
“I do, especially when my daugther’s doing a piss job of pretending to be a client.”
Scarlett turned and walked away, only to return with her shades slipped down her nose as she strutted up the counter.
“You know me babe, I’m just a regular here.”
Scarlett leaned back against the counter.
“You know, one of the guys?”
Vanessa suddenly jumped over the counter, taking to the air with a perfect corkscrew and landed gracefully on her feet in front of Scarlett.
“Jesus, its scary when you do that.”
“Come on.”,
Vanessa nudged Scarlett on the shoulder as she tied her hair back in a ponytail.
“Lets get in the ring! Fifteen minute time limit.”
Scarlett slapped her mother across the face and got into the ring.
Vanessa stood where she was, holding her chin from the slap, looking at Scarlett inside the ring, smiling…
Vanessa raced into the ring with a slide to which Scarlett took advantage of by springing a dropkick across her mother’s back, but Vanessa managed to roll back to her feet and follow up with a dropkick across Scarlett’s face.
Vanessa hooked Scarlett’s leg for the cover, but Scarlett managed to kick out before the two count.
Scarlett rolled outside of the ring; keeping herself at bay by the apron as she wave herself a moment to regroup.
Inside the ring, Vanessa launched herself off the ropes with a suicide dive, which Scarlett countered by taking the air and knocking her mother off in the face with a stiff forearm shot. With Vanessa dangling from the ropes, Scarlett took a couple steps back before coming over with a vicious yakuza kick across Vanessa’s face. Scarlett rolled back into the ring, dropped her mother back to the canvass and hooked her leg for the cover.
Vanessa kicked out at two. Scarlett took her mother by the hair and led her back to her feet, but Vanessa exploded and knocked Scarlett with a stiff forearm of her own. Scarlett stumbled back and received another forearm shot across the face the moment she turned over.
Vanessa grabbed her daughter’s hand and pushed her into the ropes, Scarlett bounced back, but Vanessa shoved her to the opposing ropes when she leapfrogged over her. Scarlett sprung back and Vanessa caught her with a dizzying hurricanrana that dropped Scarlett on her head.
Positioned over her, Vanessa hooked her leg for the pin, but Scarlett pushed her off right before the three count. Vanessa got to her feet and began circling around Scarlett, bringing her hands together in a series of claps that enticed her daughter to stand again.
Clutching the back of her neck, Scarlett managed to get herself off the canvass. She pushed herself against her mother and then shoved her into the corner, unloading a fury of forearms enough to sink Vanessa down to the bottom rope.
Scarlett choked her out for a moment with her foot and then paced back as she sprang forward with a stiff dropkick. Quickly, Vanessa evaded the dropkick by locking the legs around the ropes and swinging herself away as her daughter’s feet collided into the hard steel post of the turnbuckle... With Scarlett wounded on the mat, Vanessa capitalized by propelling herself on her daughter with a springboard 450 splash. But Scarlett managed to cradle her knees up, knocking Vanessa out upon impact.
Vanessa and Scarlett by the corner of the ring, side-by-side; as opponents, as mother and daughter.
Under the guidance of instinct, both women rolled to their sides and as they struggled to stand up, both women leaned against each other; helping one another gain ground; helping themselves gain ground.
Vanessa and Scarlett closed their eyes and held themselves against each other for a moment.
“The last stretch, sweetie.”,
Vanessa hushed.
“You ready?”
Scarlett nodded.
“I’m ready.”
Both women took long deep breaths and within moments they pushed themselves off each other and collided back to each other in a furious exchange of blows and shots.
Vanessa pushed Scarlett of and motioned for her patented dragon roundhouse kick.
Scarlett ducked it and pressed forward and big boot.
But Vanessa ducked it with a back kick of her own.
Scarlett evaded it and motioned forward for a clothesline across the back.
But Vanessa ducked that as she locked her legs around Scarlett in an inverted cradle as she swept her daughter off her feet for a cover.
Scarlett rolled the cover to her favor at the two hooked her mother’s legs.
Vanessa rolled the cover over to her favor for the pin.
Scarlett now with the roll up in her favor.
But Vanessa rolled back.
Now Scarlett rolled back.
Then Vanessa rolled back.
Scarlett rolled back again.
Both women fought off the other’s attempt to roll and because of that, Scarlett and Vanessa ended up rolling the other over, planting them down to the mat in a stalemate.
“Didn’t expect this, did you?”
“You know what?”
Vanessa sighed.
“I kinda almost did.”
“… Thought so.”
With that women held themselves together in a knuckle up. Vanessa rolled over, propelling herself and Scarlett back to their feet. Scarlett took a cheap shot by kicking Vanessa’s arm, releasing her right hand from the knuckle up.
Scarlett put her mother through an arm wringer and followed with an Irish whip that seemed bounded for a forearm shot across the jaw. But Vanessa ducked it and clubbed Scarlett in the back of the head with a stiff roundhouse kick.
Scarlett collapsed to the mat and Vanessa hooked her leg for the cover.
Scarlett kicked out at two. Vanessa kept herself kneeling on one leg, holding her daughter by her ponytail as she gave her a moment to recover.
Scarlett blinked for a moment and looked up, catching her mother’s gaze.
“Hey Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Vanessa caught Scarlett’s foot as she attempted a kick to the face.
“I love you too, baby.”
“Shit…”
“I know, right?!”
Vanessa chuckled.
“Call it even?”
“Hmmm….”
Scarlett gave herself a moment to think about it and then swung around, grabbing Vanessa by the jeans in a modified school girl roll-up.
1..
2…
3…
Scarlett Quinn got the victory!
<***>
With the sun beautifully settling down over downtown Phoenix, Scarlett and Vanessa kicked it back at the bench behind the gym.
Both ladies enjoying diet cokes from a straw; Vanessa sitting with her legs crossed, Scarlett lying down with her head on her mother’s hips.
“So, how was it?”
“How was what?”
“What else am I asking about?”
Vanessa sipped her diet coke as she tapped Scarlett on the cheek playfully.
“… The tour.”
“Oh that.”
“Yes that.”
Scarlett blinked and sipped her diet soda.
“You know, you’re the second person to ask me that today.”
“I guess you didn’t tell Mama Sandoval about it either.”
“Not a chance in hell.”
“Well, that’s weird.”
“I know, right?!:
Scarlett shrugged
“And I’ve told her things I haven’t told you yet.”
Vanessa glared at Scarlett, to which Scarlett acknowledged by playing innocent as she blushed and held up her arms, hiding her face in defense and defiance.
“I’m sorry, Mommy.”
“You know that stopped working when you were nine, right?”
“Doesn’t mean I can still get away with it?”
Vanessa smiled at Scarlett and playfully slapped her on the cheek again.
Scarlett mocked pain, rubbing her jaw.
"What was that for?”
“Remember awhile ago when you asked me what the mistakes your father and I made in raising you?”
“Just like I asked yesterday.”
“You did ask yesterday. I still have the text.”
“… I was very bored.”
“Oh, I could tell.”
“So, spill it out Mommy!”
“… We spoiled you.”
“Of course you spoiled me!”,
Scarlett shot out in defense
“I’m your only kid!”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you and Dad failed to produce another offspring.”
“It’s never too late for that.”
“Don’t you two dare.”
“Why not? I mean, you know us, we can’t keep our hands off each other. And you’re already old enough and to be honest, having another baby in the family actually sound wonderful.”
“Yeah.”,
Scarlett nodded; quickly in complete aggravation
“Another kid would sound perfectly wonderful when it wakes you two up at two o’clock in the morning, interrupting God only knows what you two do in there!”
“Look at you.”,
Vanessa sighed, smiling softly
“… You’re jealous.”
“Psh.”
Scarlett scoffed
“How could I be jealous of something that’s nothing more than a thought?”
“… For now.”
Now, that was just mean.
… Scarlett didn’t even know how she was going to follow that.
Pointing up her index finger, Scarlett looked at her mother.
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”
“Come here.”,
Vanessa sighed and with those words, she held her daughter in her arms and hugged her tightly.
Scarlett’s first instinct was to resist her mother’s affection, but hey, she was the one who hugged first… Scarlett couldn’t just let the woman hang there?
Scarlett softened into her mother’s embrace and hugged back.
“Remember.”,
Vanessa whispered softly
“You’ll always be our baby.”
A small tear slowly began watering itself beneath Scarlett’s eyes in puddle.
“Mom?”
Scarlett broke as she quickly wiped the forming tears from her eyes.
“… Shut up.”
Vanessa took one look at her daughter and rolled her eyes to allow what just happened to sink in and then, looking down upon Scarlett with a chuckle, Vanessa broke into a wholehearted laughter that seemed to transcend her entire being.
Maybe it was some of what she said,
Maybe it was how her Mom reacted,
… Whatever it was, Scarlett was laughing too.
Laughing real good.
<***>
Scarlett spent the rest of the day trying to track down her father. What people failed to tell her was that he was busy over at the small convention center a few blocks away, putting together a wrestling show for the evening that would showcase the talent from the school.
It was something Wayne started doing monthly a little while back. There wasn’t much opportunity for the kids at the school to work for a local audience, so with no other choice, Wayne started putting up wrestling shows. He went through his contact list and got friends, established veterans spots on the upper-card and the main event. Wayne reckoned that not only would it stimulate ticket sales, but it’d give the rookies a good boost getting a chance to share a card with main-event caliber talent.
Scarlett strolled into the mid-sized convention hall just as the rookie kids were setting up the ring. It didn’t take long for her to find her dad…
Wayne sat on the bleachers. Smoke in hard, a notebook in the other; keeping himself on the lookout for anything that could happen that night.
“Hey, you just gonna sit there the whole night?”
Wayne looked away from his notebook as he brought his cigarettes close to his lips, smiling at the sight of his daughter. Wayne stood up and waved Scarlett his way.
“Get your ass over here, Honey Bunny!”
Scarlett grinned and ran up the bleachers only to be met by her father’s large arms as it wrapped itself around her.
Scarlett closed her eyes and held him close.
“I’ve missed you, dad.”
“I’ve missed you too. How was the tour?”
“Bum a smoke and I’ll tell you about it?
[/color]”
“
Sure. Let’s head on over to the back.”.
Wayne told the boys to take five and get into their gear once the ring was secure enough. He took Scarlett to the makeshift locker room behind the entrance curtain and tossed her a pack of Luckies.
Scarlett caught the pack in her hands and tapped the top of the pack against her palm before slipping out a stick, lighting it, and handing it back to her father.
Both father and daughter sat across from each other in folded out steel chairs as they used to an old beer bottle as a makeshift ashtray.
“
You do a good job of keeping busy.”
“
Is that so?”
Wayne pulled the cigarette from his lips; breathing out smoke
“
It is.”
Scarlett nodding, brining the cigarette closer to her lips for another drag
“
You won’t believe the trouble I had in tracking you down.”
“
We live right across the street from each other.”
“
You weren’t home. Neither was mom.”
“
You could have went to the gym.”
“
Mom was there.”
“
Good.”
“
You know what I meant.”
Wayne leaned forward and tipped ash over the rim of the beer bottle and leaned back, crossing his legs as he took another drag.
“
No, I don’t.”
“
That’s a load of a crap and you know it.”
Scarlett snapped, laughing as she tipped the ash off her cigarette over the rim
“
No, it’s not.”
Wayne crossed his arms, smiling.
“
What can you tell me that you can’t tell your mom or your Abuelita?”
Scarlett bit her lip and closed her eyes.
“
What is it?”
“
Nothing.”
“
But?”
“… I just missed you, that’s all.”
Scarlett sighed and took another drag
“
And those things you said, about it not being easy…”
“
Yeah?”
“
Well, it was a load of crap! I had a blast! I got treated like shit, I barely got paid, and I made some really awesome friends.”
Wayne’s smile grew into a whole hearted laugh.
“
One day you are going to be taking back those words.”
“
Yeah.”,
Scarlett shrugged, gazing upwards
“
I know I am. But It’s not happening now, so I guess that makes me fine.”
Wayne smirked as he took another drag himself.
“
Yeah.”,
Scarlett shrugged again, gazing back at her father
“
I know I’m only fine because of you and mom, but you gotta be smart enough to get where I’m coming from. All my life I was taken as ‘Wayne and Vanessa’s kid’ and for the first time ever, people actually took me as just another bum and I loved it.”
....
…… “
Come on, Dad. Say something, you’re killing me here.”
“
What can I say that you haven’t already said, kid?”,
Wayne shrugged
“
You’ve already got a good head for someone your age, and really, that’s all I could really ask for.”
“
I get that, but it’s just that.…”
“
Yeah?”
“
…I don’t know if I’m doing good though.”,
Scarlett sighed, ditching her cigarette in the bottle.
Wayne took another drag and tipped ash on the rim of the bottle.
“
What do you mean?”
“
I lose matches just as much as I win them… After awhile, the crowd all becomes a blur, and I just think I’m starting to become numb to it. I don’t know. I just feel-“
“
-Indifferent?”
“
Exactly. And I don’t know why?”
“
It’s all part of the process.”,
Wayne replied
“
You can’t expect yourself to go out there night in and night out and enjoy it. It’s going to get on your nerves.”
“
Why? Why can’t it feel like heaven every night I step through there? Why am I already getting tired, when I’ve barely even begun.[/b]”
“
You think too much.”
“
Gee, I wonder where I get that from.”
“
Your mom’s right you know?”
“
Oh is she?”
“
Yeah.”,
Wayne nodded, chuckling
“
We spoiled you.”
“
What is with that? That is like the second time I’ve heard that today.”
“
Look, when your mom and I started out, we didn’t have each other. That could have been what attracted us to each other in the first place… At least you have people who’ve been there that you could talk to. We didn’t have that. We just bottled everything and soldiered along until we found each other.”
Scarlett didn’t say anything; she didn’t know what to say, really…
Wayne pushed his chair closer to Scarlett and leaned in.
“
Let me try to put it this way.”,
Wayne began
“
Do you like doing what you do?”
“
By what count?”
“
Let’s say a basic average.”
“
Yeah.”,
Scarlett replied, not having to think twice
“
Good. Do you enjoy getting paid for what you do?”
“
If people pay on time, I’d enjoy it a hell of a lot more.”
“
Fair enough. Can you see yourself doing this in ten years?”
“
Come on, you already know that.”
“
Hey”,
Wayne leaned back
“
Just making sure.”
Scarlett nodded nonchalantly.
Wayne killed his cigarette beneath his boot and ditched it inside the beer bottle.
“
Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just keep on doing what you’re doing, the right stroke will find you. But rest easy that we’re here for you if you need us.”
“
I know, Dad. Thank you.”
Scarlett got up from her chair
Wayne stepped up and gave his daughter a hug again.
“
I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Wayne and Scarlett pulled away from the hug and turned their heads over to find Trace Demon leaning against the doorway, enjoying a smoke himself.
Scarlett took a look at Trace,
“
Hmmm, let’s see. I’m back home for the first time in two months, finally having the chance to pour my heart and soul to my father, and as we shared this beautiful and intimate moment, you stand there.”
“
It’s good to see you again, you little piss.”,
Trace sighed, chuckling as he playfully knocked Scarlett on the shoulder
“
You too, Trace!”
Trace looked over at Wayne and asked,
“
Just because I know the routine, I’ll ask again. Am I interrupting something?”
Scarlett turned to her father and raised her eyebrow,
“
I don’t know, was he interrupting something?”
“
He was about to.”,
Wayne replied, resting his hands on his hips as he turned to Trace
“
We were just about done anyway, right?”
“
Sure.”
“
It’s amazing you used to be a heel.”
“
Well, now that the party’s effectively over-”
“
Thank you.”
“
You’re quite welcome, Scarlett.”
Trace turned back to Wayne.
“
Shall we get on to the business at hand?”
“
Let’s see what you’ve got!”
A big grin grew across Trace’s face as he stepped forward with a garbage can filled to the brim with various tools of hardcore goodness.
“
What’s going on?”
Trace turned to Scarlett,
“
I’ve been booked for the main event against Keith Prodigy. Hardcore match. Figured it’d be fun and you know me, I’ll do anything for a friend.”
“
Of course you would.”
“
-Prodigy no-showed.”,
And then Trace wrapped his arm around Wayne’s shoulder,
“
And your old man here was kind enough take his place.”
“
You’re wrestling tonight?”,
Scarlett asked Wayne.
“
Just for tonight.”
Grabbing the trash bin, Trace unloaded all its contents around the floor… Scattering bits of thumbtacks, a ball of barbed wire, a chair, a tennis-racket, and a couple stop signs that Scarlett could have sworn Trace ripped from the highway on the drive over.
Wayne grabbed the wad of barbed wire and held it up,
“
Trace, what the hell did I tell you? No barbed wire.”
“
Come on, man. If we’re going to give these people a solid main event, why not go all the way? Besides, barbed wire doesn’t mean anything these days. Kids younger than Scarlett are tossing themselves into this garbage.”
“
Yeah, just because a few sixteen year olds are doing don’t mean that two grown men should.”
“
Wayne.”,
Trace shrugged, placing his hand on his shoulder
“
This is 2012. Barbed wire is the new steel chair- it has been for awhile now.”
Slowly, Scarlett began stepping back as she crossed her arms and watched Trace and Wayne sift and argue over the heap of weapons.
It was strange. During their time working together, they never once stepped between the ropes and faced each other. And now that her father was retired, they had become the best of friends… Trace has been a Saturday night fixture at the McGurk household for ages now.
… And here they were, two friends arguing over the weapons they planned on brutalizing each other with later that night.
On one hand, you had to wonder how it was possible that these two even became friends in the first place.
But on the other hand, Scarlett had to admit that the whole thing was pretty sweet… They were like two grown-ups- two husbands, two fathers- asking for permission to hurt each other.
… And that really had to be bond that tied everything together.
It actually gave Scarlett something to think about.
<***>Scarlett hadn’t even been home for less than twenty four hours and already, she was packing up her stuff to leave.
Truth be told the whole stop home turned out to be one unexpected pit-stop. But there was one thing she knew for certain… She wouldn’t be seeing her Dad, her Mom, her Abuelita or even Trace for awhile.
So, Scarlett did what the could: soak up every little moment with the people she treasured as her family before she completely gave herself up to wrestling.
With her clothes washed and everything she needed for the next eight weeks shoved into her backpack, Scarlett walked out of her room and made quiet steps out the front door.
“
Leaving so soon?”
The sound of Mama Sandoval’s voice frightened her for a moment… What was even more frightening though was the way she was sitting out there on the porch, on her rocking chair, sipping from one of her home-made tea blends- a joint in her hand. And the way all that reflected with the rain and the moon… It was spooky.
“
Yeah, I kinda have to.”
“
I know, neida. I didn’t expect you to stay long anyway.”
Scarlett slung her backpack over her shoulder and took a seat beside her grandmother.
“
Really?”
“
Call it mother’s intuition.”
“
But you’re not my mother.”
“
Grandmother’s intuition then.”
“
It sounds a hell of a lot more serious.”
“
You have no idea.”
As tears slowly started to well beneath her eyes, Scarlett smiled knowing that the sight of it would be hidden beneath the rain and the darkness.
Scarlett walked up to her grandmother, kissed her on the cheek and wrapped her arms around her neck.
“
Wish me luck, Abuelita.”,
Scarlett whispered
“
I love you."
“
I love you too”,
Mama Sandoval whispered back
“
Good luck.”
Reaching her hand over, Mama Sandoval unzipped Scarlett’s backpack and tossed in a baggie of weed.
“
Just in case… You never know.”
“
Thank you, Abuelita.”
Kissing her grandmother’s cheek one last time, Scarlett smiled before pulling away.
Scarlett could barely see the smile on Mama Sandoval’s face, but she knew it was there… She didn’t have to see it, she could just feel it.
With a deep breath, Scarlett turned away, slipped on her hoodie and left the porch, braving the rain for the walk to the bus station.
Scarlett didn’t turn back to wave at Mama Sandoval… She just kept on walking and she didn’t know why. But it just felt like after she made that first step, turning back to even do something as simple as wave seemed like a stretch she couldn’t find the will to face.
She was out here… And there was no turning back.
This was it.
No running home.
No more excuses.
And no more being fine without Mom and Dad.
… It was all her now.
Everything she wanted.
… Why did it have to feel so lonely and scary all of the sudden.
Halfway to the bus station, Scarlett pulled down her hoodie and closed her eyes, lifting up her face as she felt the drops of rain water tap lightly against her skin.
Scarlett slung her backpack over her shoulder again and dropped her back against a chain-linked fence that just seemed to stretch and stretch.
“
I guess this is it, huh?
The start of that great career in wrestling that I spent my whole life dreaming of…
Jesus, since when did all this become so hard? I remember growing up, it seemed like I could wrestle anyone, anywhere, anytime and the beautiful thing about that, the thing that made it all so pure was that there was nothing on the line but children running, screaming at the top of their lungs… Having fun.
That used to be me. I used to be that girl. But somewhere along the way, that girl grew up. She learned that life wasn’t as easy as she thought it was. She learned that people are these complex beings that weren’t worth dealing with on her worst days… And she leaned that if she wanted to do anything in this life, she was going to have to sacrifice a little bit in order to truly deserve it.
… Regardless of the kind of carrot they tried to lure in front of her.
She never bought.
She resisted.
And every once in awhile, what the hell. She took the carrot and had herself a free meal.
I guess the point of this story is that here was a girl who was given all the love and understanding she could ever want, but somewhere along the way, she realized that the love and understanding bestowed upon her was really the one thing that held her back all along.
… She became to sheltered. Her armor a lot thinner than she imagined.
But that didn’t stop her, she still kept at it. Taking hit after hit after hit, until one day, that girl pulled off that armor and realized it was all slanted and bent in a way that would take a million years to ever fix back.
I just let everything go.
I just left my family for this- for wrestling.
And this isn’t just about growing into a better wrestler- a great wrestler. This is about knowing who I am, as a person. Where I’m strong and where I’m weak, because if anything comes my way, I want to be plenty prepared for it.
And I know there’ll be times when I’ll wish I was six years old again, hiding beneath my bed as I wish for fairies dust to take my into my own magical little world, I know I’m going to have to bare through all the stumps ahead of me.
Because all day, in my head, all I ever hear myself repeating is, ‘Girl, if you can’t even overcome this, how can you accomplish anything?’
And I don’t know about anything else, but that’s the kind of attitude that gets me out of bed in the morning, regardless of how I’m feeling. That’s the attitude that gives me a fighting chance in this world and I better think twice about ever letting that go, because as of tonight, that is officially all I have.
No money,
Barely a career,
Zilch.
Nothing but me and this attitude that keepin’ me alive right now.
And that’s exactly what I’m brining with me come June 23rd, Slamathon III.
Last week at Rapture, I was given the chance to tell all the fans of Premium Championship Wrestling exactly who I am. And come the 23rd, you’re going to see that in tag team action when Lucas Silva and I take on Hana Brightly and Mindy Alexandrov.
We’re all strangers and relative newcomers to PCW, and if the rain that hangs over my head is an indication of a baptism, then maybe, it is my chance now.
Hana Brightly, Mindly Alexandrov. I’ve got nothing against you two. I’ve heard things about you, seen some tapes, but there’s really nothing I can gauge my expectation towards other than what happens after the referee rings the bell.
… And girls, I’ll tell you this, bring it on!
Give me a good fight.
Give me a reason why my name is even on the Slamathon III line up.
Give me everything and if you do, I’ll toss you enough of myself to satisfy your hunger for a victory.
It just all boils down to who’s arms get raised and who’s arms stay down.
I’ve anointed my loyalty to this sport since the day I was born and now, after nineteen years of training, nineteen years of waiting… I’m proving to everyone why I belong in Premium Championship Wrestling.
Because you know what, this girl isn’t just here to stay. She’s here to win. She’s here to carry titles. And she’s here to do the one thing she knows she does better than anyone else: wrestle.".
Soaked from the rain, Scarlett took a deep breath and fished her pockets for the feel of her squiggly ear-plugs that led her to her iPod. Switching on the sound of New Order’s “Ceremony”, Scarlett slipped up her hoodie and continued her walk to the bus station.
-FIN-[/center]
