DISCLAIMER: I don’t own any of the guys or gals of the WWF, but I can dream. The characters I own are: Kaylee, Jen, Ninja, Eric, and all minor, non wrestling related characters. And Kay, don’t take my ownership so personally……
RATING: PG-13…questionable…some language, some content, nothing too harsh
NOTES*** OK, I didn’t use a lot of the wrestler’s real names, because it makes it easier for some of my less fanatical friends to know who I’m talking about. This story assumes that wrestling names=real names unless otherwise stated. Most of us know that isn’t the way it is, but let’s go lightly on those less informed…lol
This is a pre-story to The Wedding…
Tripped Up
After nearly 2 months of self imposed isolation, I finally accepted Jenny’s invitation to go to the Continental for some drinks and dancing on one unbelievably boring Saturday night. Not that I had been in total isolation, just…well, OK, I am the queen of drama right now. I have been socially isolated for 6 weeks, thanks to Hunter’s and my breakup. I still venture out to work, but every evening has been spent at home, doing nothing. Not that I’m heartbroken or anything like that. It’s just the urge to go out and socialize and think up witty commentary for a bunch of drunken morons doesn’t sound like a turn on to me right now.
Anyway, as I was saying, I had just finished dressing and was waiting for Jen to show. (She is always late) I tried not to keep looking at the clock and calculating how many hours I could stay with her before coming home. Too few and she won’t leave me alone, thinking something’s wrong; too many and she’ll accuse me of overcompensating for my loss. But I can’t make her understand I am so totally over him. He is nothing to me; he is over, the past, forgotten.
Anyway again, her car pulled up and she was leaning on the horn, aggravating me even more. I slammed out of my house, and slid into the passenger seat. She grinned at me and gunned the engine. Giving her what I hoped to be a mood wrecking frown, I buckled up and she ripped out of my driveway and pointed the car toward the city.
"Sheet, Jen, trying out for the Indy 500 again?" I sarcastically told her as the g-forces pinned me against the seat.
Laughing, she flicked her perpetual cigarette out the window. "They won’t let me in, I’d make all the guys look like grandma out for a Sunday drive."
I should stop and explain some things about Jen here. While she drives like a demon from hell, she is the consummate nerd. Ever since I’ve known her she has been shy and…well, clumsy around people. Everyone seems to think I have rubbed off on her, as her social skills have improved greatly since we became friends 15 years ago. She’s a sweet girl, but she is always getting in trouble with guys. She has picked some real losers in the past. Oh, and the smoking thing. I myself introduced her to the habit, but she has become a regular locomotive with the Camel lights she packs around. I managed to quit for a while, but…wait, I’m not going to think about that right now; let’s just say I recently reacquired the habit.
Thinking about her now, I realize I should have known there was something strange going on. I mean, socially inept Jen dragging me out to a club should have set off major flashers in my mind. Jen hates going anywhere "too public". She won’t even go see a new release movie due to the crowds. The only time she really loosens up is when she drives, and it’s then that I am the most tense.
As she lightly applied the brakes and sped around a corner, I thought we should open yet another discussion about her driving ability.
"You know, Jen, whenever I ride with you, I wonder what the big red signs on the tall sticks mean."
She snorted, and sped around another turn, and I grabbed the dash to keep from sliding over into the driver’s seat with her.
I tried again. "Do you have any paper in the car? And a pen? I suddenly feel the urge to make out my will."
Shaking her head, she lit up another cancer stick and floored the accelerator. "Why is it I get the impression that you fear my prowess behind the wheel, Kaylee?" she asked me, blowing smoke out of her nose.
"I wish you wouldn’t do that. Next you’ll be pawing the ground and starting a stampede." Looking at her outfit, I modified that statement. "Or is that ‘trampede’?" Emphasis on the Tramp. For a nerd, she pulled out all the stops, in a skintight halter dress. Bright red, no less. "For a brainiac, you sure look like a painted whore."
Another laugh from her, but looking back I realize it was nervous laughter. "I just thought I’d do this right for once, and not go out to a bar looking like a pile of dirty laundry." She took her eyes off the road, making my heart skip a beat, and glanced at what I had on. "You don’t look like you’re on the way to church either."
It was true, I had actually gotten tired of ratty jeans and T-shirts, and was wearing my favorite black leather pants and dark purple silk midi shirt. And my ‘combat boots’, which added a good 2 inches to my height.
"Yep," I said pulling down the visor to glance at my hair, "just 2 sluts looking for some action."
She laughed again as she swung the car into the parking garage underneath the hotel. The Continental is a 15 story building, the first 3 used for the garage. It’s a world-class hotel, but the real reason everyone went there is because of the club on the 4th floor, called The Other Place. Technically, it takes up the 4th and 5th floor, the upper level for the ‘country’ crowd, the lower lever for the younger, more rowdy crowd. We climbed out of the car on the second floor, and I did my usual ‘I just rode in the car with Jennifer and lived to tell about it’ dance as she looked the doors with the remote. As we walked toward the elevator, I couldn’t help but think of Hunter. This was where we would hang out when he was in town visiting, or traveling through with the other wrestlers.
I pushed the memories aside and boarded the elevator with Jen. She pushed the button for the 4th floor, and I gave her a strange look. Usually we go straight to 5, and I get her settled in a corner table where she is unobtrusive and can watch the line dancing.
"Has it been so long you forgot the pattern?" I asked her.
"No, but in this dress, all the breath-holding and everything to get into it, I thought I would live it up and run with the wild crowd," she said, adjusting the hem-line primly. I had to laugh at her. Like a kid playing dress up, anyone could see she wasn’t used to wearing an outfit like that. But I was comfy though : in my leather and silk, I knew I looked good, and my confidence went up a few notches when 2 guys got into the elevator at the 3rd floor, and gave me a look-over. One of them was kind of young, but the second one, yummy. Jen elbowed me as the elevator stopped on our floor and we stepped out. I threw a smile over my shoulder at the older one, and walked toward the entrance to the bar.
After flashing our I.D.’s at the muscle head guarding the door, we pushed our way through the crowd to get to a table toward the dance floor that was currently unoccupied. As we got settled in, a waitress came over and took our drink order.
Glancing around, I noticed a lot of security in the crowded room.
"Are they expecting the president tonight?" I asked Jen.
Looking over where 5 or 6 beefy guys stood she rolled her eyes. "They wouldn’t put this much security on the prez." I laughed and gave the waitress the money for our first round. Then I noticed Jen checking her watch.
"Have an appointment tonight, Jenny-poo?" I asked, smiling at her over my drink. To my surprise she jumped up and said she had to go to the restroom. Before I could offer to go with her (which she knows I hate) she was off like a streak of lightening toward the rear of the club.
So I sat there, deserted, and sipped my drink. After about 30 seconds or so, I got the distinct feeling someone was staring at me. Glancing around at my fellow partiers, I didn’t notice anyone being too obvious. Oh, well, just got used to sitting at home, I thought. But the feeling persisted to the point that I had to get up and move. Normally I don’t mind people looking at me, but sometimes the feeling of eyes on me makes me creep out.
So I wandered over to the bar, drink in hand, and hopped up on an available stool. I was watching the back of the club to wave Jen over when she got done ‘powdering her nose’, and didn’t notice the guy sit down on the next stool.
"Hey, baby," said an eerily familiar voice. "Long time no see."
Turning around, I was surprised to come face to face with Mick Foley. Until a few weeks ago he had been a really great friend to Jen and me. I also took note of the fact that he had butchered his hair, it was all gone.
The shock of seeing him there made me speechless for a moment, then I managed to give him a smile and a ‘hi’.
Snapping out of it, I asked, "What are you doing here Mick? I didn’t know there was a show going on around here this weekend."
"Actually, there isn’t. A bunch of us were passing through, and thought we’d stop at a favorite watering hole to tie one on." Then, with a grin, he added, "And what are you up to, you little devil lady?"
"Nothing, I tagged along with Jen tonight," I said truthfully. I wasn’t about to mention that she had practically harassed me into it, or that I had been a total (almost) recluse for about 2 months.
Grinning, he waved the bartender over, and after ordering a drink, spun around on the barstool a few times. Laughing at him, I realized how much I had missed this guy. He was hilarious sometimes, and could lift a person out of any kind of foul mood.
"Who’s with you tonight?" I asked him, sure that he would bring at least one other guy with him so they could fight over who would be the designated driver.
"Just a couple of guys," he said, confirming what I thought. "Steve and me thought we’d have a little drinking contest, but Debra vetoed the plan." He made a face.
Laughing, I said, "Who else? You said a bunch of you were here. Are you staying upstairs?"
He took a minute to think it over before replying. "Yeah, it’s everybody’s favorite hotel. Let’s see, besides Steve and me, there’s Debra, Matt and Jeff, Adam, Stephanie, Glen, Mark," a pause, "and some others I know I’m forgetting. Oh, yeah, the D-O-double G is also in the house."
I laughed at this, too. We always spelled out his wrestling name, just to aggravate him. It gets on his nerves that nobody will call Brian by his real name. Sometimes, I just call him JJ. But that was long ago and far away.
Motioning the bartender over for another drink, I noticed Mick looking over my shoulder at something behind me. As we talked, he kept throwing glances that way. Finally I couldn’t stand it, I had to look at what was getting his attention. I spun the barstool around, and scanned the crowd……
Oh my God, I thought I was seeing things. It was Hunter, looking good, and standing up against the far wall talking to Matt and Jeff. I felt my stomach clench up at the site of him. OK, so maybe I was not completely over him as I had previously stated. Before I could turn around or look away, he glanced up and caught me looking at him. With a smile, he said something to Matt and Jeff, and started walking my way.
I know, I am a coward. I turned the stool around, said a fast, "See you later," to Mick, and was elbowing my way back through the crowd toward the exit. I’ve never done anything like that before. I am a stand up kind of person. I just was not ready to face Hunter yet. I wasn’t as over him as I thought I was. I was finding it hard to breathe as I finally reached the door and pushed it open into the club-level lobby.
I thought about waiting for Jen, after all, she had the keys to her car, but I realized she had somehow found out that the guys were going to be passing our way. She probably won’t come out of the ladies room for the rest of the night, and with good reason. When I saw her again, I was going to kill her. Slowly and with much pain.
Luck was with me, as I stepped to the elevator and the doors magically slid open without having to bang on the call button. I let out a sigh of relief as the doors slid shut. It was like I had barely escaped with my life. As the elevator moved with a jerk, I saw it was headed up. Oh, well, I didn’t care, as long as it took me away from the 4th floor. Of course it stopped on the 5th. If I have learned anything in life, it’s that when you are in a hurry, elevators always stop on every floor on the way to where you’re going.
Impatiently, I tapped my foot as 4 or 5 guys got on. Of course, they were all going to the upper floors. Punching buttons, seemingly at random, I wondered if they were all too drunk to remember where they were going. We stopped on 8, 9, and 10.
"One more to go," I thought as the elevator rose to the top floor. I stared at the glowing number 15 on the window. Then let out a yelp as some hands grabbed me and started to drag me along the hallway. I was going to scream when a hand covered my mouth.
"Calm down, Kaylee, I just want to talk to you." Hunter! Crap. He took the stairs and caught me on the way up. While he dragged me along, I kept thinking, "damn, damn, damn, damn…" you get the picture. I thought about biting his hand and making a break for it, but I was stuck. His buddies would just trap me until he appeared. Like Mick did.
Now would be an excellent time to explain the breakup. Well, actually, our whole relationship. We met about a 2 years ago, when the WWF showed up for a house show at the arena where I worked in the booking and on site security office. We hit it off big time, but he was involved with another wrestler, Joanie. When they finally called it quits, about 3 months after we met, some of the wrestlers were in town for an autograph signing at a local car dealership that sponsors the house shows. As a courtesy, the arena sent a few of us down to help out. Hunter and I hooked up and were ‘insta-couple’, as Mick put it.
Being with Hunter was hard, he was always traveling with the WWF, and we only managed to get together about one weekend a month. Occasionally I would go to wherever he was that night, if it was fairly close. Joanie even stamped her approval on us; she and I became good friends, almost like sisters. Jen often commented she had never seen me so happy.
But all the happy stuff ended a few months ago. Hunter accused me of sleeping around on him. He said some unkind things, and essentially dumped me before I even had a chance to defend myself. This came as quite a shock, as I hadn’t even talked to any of my close guy friends, let alone slept with one of them. So I began my solitary confinement, trying to figure out what was in his head.
He threw open the door to a room at the end of the hall and shoved me inside. Then, smiling, he said, "OK, now you can scream. This is a soundproof room."
Glaring at him, I threw my hair out of my face, "If this is about your eagle collection you had at my house, forget it. I already broke them all into a million pieces." Sarcasm. My greatest weapon when cornered. I thought I was holding up considerably well given that I had no warning of this attack.
"Sit," he said, motioning to the bed. Ha.
So I barked at him. "Ruff, ruff." I hate being talked to like I’m some kind of lower breed of dog.
"Please, Kay, just sit down for a minute," he pleaded with me. I refused to hear the niceness of the request.
"Why don’t you just throw me into a chair or something," I said, rubbing my arm where he had grabbed me. A bruise was forming right above my elbow. Great.
He got this concerned look on his face, and started walking toward me. I took a few steps back and bumped into a desk. Now I had a matching bruise on my leg.
"Christ, Kaylee, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you so hard, I just wanted to talk to you. I guess I just wasn’t thinking," he said.
"You don’t think about a lot of things, Trip," this was what I called him when I was really pissed at him. It hadn’t happened too often, but I was working myself up into a fine rage.
"That’s one of the things I want to talk to you about," he replied, once again stepping toward me.
I held up a hand. "Don’t come near me Hunter. You don’t have to stand so close when you talk. My hearing is fine."
Looking defeated, he turned and paced over to the bed, then back to where he was. Then he turned and walked across the room to one of the armchairs that sat beside the windows. Sinking into it, I could see that he was struggling to find something he could say so as not to make me even madder. Maybe even to calm me down. But I wasn’t about to listen to it. All the crap he had put me through had finally come home to him. I crossed my arms and waited, silent.
"Look, Kay, I know I made a huge mistake with you, with us. But I want to try to fix it. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t know what I was thinking when I made those accusations," he paused a few moments before going on. "I do know what I was thinking. I was so worried about how you were dealing with this relationship. Me being away all the time and not having very much time for you, I knew it was hard. I know you don’t like this kind of comparison. But when I dated Joanie, we traveled together, we lived, breathed, ate, and wrestled together. That’s part of what killed us. Too much togetherness."
Getting up from the chair, he wandered into the bathroom, and I heard the water running. He came back out with a plastic cup, which he sipped from before continuing.
"I know I’m botching this up. It’s like I know what I have to say, what I want to say, but when I open my mouth, all this other crap comes out."
For once, I was mercifully silent. I know when to turn the defensive joke machine off. He gave me a sad smile.
"The bottom line is this. I think I love you, Kaylee. I was on the road and I’d start thinking about you, and wondering what you were doing. My imagination just went nuts. I knew you came to this club with Jen, and that you had all these guy friends. I thought about how beautiful you are, and how no guy in his right mind would let you just pass him by." Hunter took a deep breath. I could see he was sincere about this, and the fact he said he loved me almost made me melt. Almost. But I don’t like being referred to as a slut. Or being accused of the things he had accused me of. I stood there and thought that if he really loved me, wouldn’t there be trust? If he really loved me, why accuse me? Why not listen to my defense?
Hunter watched my face for a few minutes. "Kay, it’s like I can hear you thinking. I was so scared, Kay. I was afraid of losing you, so I pushed you away instead. And then I went back on the road, and I bottomed out. I fell apart. Vince even took me off TV. I’m supposed to be nursing this," he tapped his knee. "A knee injury. I thought of all the stuff I said, and the way I threw you away, and I stopped functioning."
I finally sat on the bed. Taking this for my being forgiving, Hunter walked over and sat next to me and picked up my hand. When I didn’t protest, he slid closer and put his arm around me. Giving in to some strange urge, I leaned against him and let myself be hugged. It felt so good to be in his arms. Too good. I was still too hurt to let him off so easily.
"So, what now? I forgive you so you can get your TV time back, and carry on like nothing ever happened?" I felt him stiffen up. I was so ashamed of myself, it felt so petty. But at the same time, it felt really really good. Gathering my fragmented willpower, I pushed him away and stood up. He just sat there and looked crushed.
"Bye, Hunter," I said softly. "I love you, but I can’t do this. Not again."
I turned and walked toward the door, half-fearful he’d try to stop me. But he just sat there on the bed with his head down. I left the room, gently closing the door behind me, and walked toward the elevator.
I waited for the doors to open, and forced my mind to go blank. I didn’t want to think about this right now. I just wanted to go home and forget things for a while. I wasn’t going to fall into the strange funk I had been in for the past 6 weeks or so. He told me his reasons. And I felt I could make peace with them.
The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped back to allow the guys in it to get out.
"Hey, Kay!" A happy voice said. It was Jeff. Then he looked a little closer, and held the elevator door for me as Matt and Adam walked on down the hall, engrossed in conversation about ladders.
"Is everything OK?" He asked me quietly as I stepped into the elevator.
Pushing the button for the ground level, I straightened my shoulders, and gave him a brave smile. "No," was my simple reply. As the doors closed, tears started running down my face as I said what I thought to be goodbye to this part of my life.
Little did I know. For a few weeks, things almost went back to normal for me. As normal as my life got, anyway. I went to work, I went home, and I occasionally hung around some of my old friends. Except for Jen. After the incident at the Continental, I had decided that I didn’t want to associate with her for a while. For the first couple of weeks, she called me several times a day, at home and at work. She finally got the message that I wasn’t going to thaw just because she was persistent.
And she wasn’t the only one. Hunter had left a few dozen messages on my machine, as did Mick, and Jeff. And I ignored them all. I just wanted to put all this crap behind me. I was moving on. I suppose Hunter did too. I noticed he was back on TV and in good form.
But, being as I worked at an arena that often hosted wrestling events, it was only a matter of time until they booked us again. And I didn’t have to wait long for it. In September we got word that the arena would be hosting a live telecast in December. I alternated between excitement, because I loved wrestling, and wanting to quit my job or take a leave of absence so I wouldn’t have to be around the people who I used to call friends.
But of course, I didn’t quit. I love my job, and figured I had run away from Hunter once. No need to do it again. I would make sure of that. Besides, since my friend Eric was the one who caught the call, he would be in charge. I wouldn’t have to deal with any of them unless I particularly wanted to. And I didn’t want to.
Things didn’t work out that way. On the day Vince and Shane McMahon came to the arena to talk seating and revenue, Eric had called in. It was not his fault though. He was in a car accident the night before and had a broken arm and some cracked ribs. But I made a promise to myself that I would handle it, just until Eric came back in 3 weeks.
So during the middle of September, I gathered all the necessary paperwork and waited in my office for the big shots to show up. They were right on time. I had met both of them before on several occasions. Shane gave me a hug, and Vince raised an eyebrow and looked surprised to see me. I explained Eric’s accident, and we got down to business. It didn’t take long. The WWF had been here many times. Mostly they had to sign approval papers on seating and set-up. It took all of 30 minutes. We talked concessions and floor sales, then ticket prices. Easy enough. After all the T’s were dotted and the I’s crossed, we all shook hands and that was it until December.
As I walked them out the door, Shane asked if I wanted to join him for lunch, and I agreed, then joked about cavorting with a married man. Vince said his good-byes as he left in the limo and Shane and I walked to a nearby café.
After ordering our food, we caught up on what was going on in our lives. Not much in mine, as I had been working on a promotion and it took up a lot of my time. Of course, his is always filled with stories and things going on.
A thought struck me and I asked him about it. "You guys don’t usually come to these meetings, Shane," I told him. "Are you instigating a new policy or something?"
He laughed before he replied, "Sort of. Actually one of the bookers usually takes care of this stuff, but dad is doing an audit and working on some new stuff, so he nominated me to go with him to check out you arena doofs."
"Should I be insulted? I’m only here to collect 80% of your revenue," I said, straight faced, as he laughed.
"Exactly," he said. We finished up our lunch, and said good-bye as he caught a cab to wherever it was he was going. I slowly walked back to the arena, and waited for the security guard to open the door. That wasn’t so bad, I told myself. Maybe I could get through this.
Since Eric caught the call, it would be his responsibility to set up everything for the event. And he would be back well in time for the show. When he came back to work, almost a month later, I handed him the papers and my notes on the event. He looked them over, thanked me and headed off to his office to answer the millions of messages that had collected there.
So I was off the hook. But not for long. Toward the end of November, Eric called me into his office.
"Kay, glad you had some time," he smiled and gestured to a chair as I walked in. At that time, Eric and I were the only people that worked in our division. And with basketball and hockey underway, we were swamped.
"It’s got to be bad news, E," I said. "You look like you’re wife left you for the mailman and took your dog and pick-up truck with her."
"It could be worse. I talked to Vince McMahon, and he seemed very upset that you aren’t handling the show in 2 weeks. In fact, he demanded you be put in charge."
Well, crap, like I needed this now. Traditionally, all the sporting events went to Eric. I handled concerts and special events. Mostly. But the job isn’t hard. It’s just that Eric has an affinity for sports that I don’t have. And the time between Halloween and Easter is our busiest time of year, with more than enough for us to do.
"Oh, come on!" I pleaded with him. I’m already handling Backstreet and Nsync, and in the same month. And then there’s the monster truck thing, and the Garth Brooks thing, and the other thing, and blah blah blah."
He laughed. "Normally, I would tell him it’s me or nothing, Kay, but they are thinking of a pay-per-view for this arena, and you impressed him."
"How, did I say, ‘sign right here’ in a way he’d never heard before?" I was incredulous at the thought.
"I don’t know about that, but he seems to think you have an attachment to wrestling that would give you an edge in helping him."
An attachment, right. A severed one at best. Sighing, I took the folder off his desk.
"So, you say you want to book the Nsync concert." I said rhetorically. Groaning, he nodded and waved me away.
So, no Nsync, but another big event. The WWF didn’t often do live shows in our arena. They would come about 3 times a year and do house show, which aren’t taped. So this live telecast was huge. And looking over the paperwork, I saw the arena sold out and set records doing it. And if we got a pay-per-view, that promotion was a lock in for me. PPV means big money, as they can be stretched into a weekend event, with a lot of appearances and big airtime. And people will travel from other states to get in on a PPV.
I grabbed the phone and called the Titan offices in Connecticut. After being put on hold, Vince himself came on the line and sounded happy. After getting his word that the layout of the show would be faxed to me, and promising him everything would be ready to go on December 18th, I put the final touches on the crew and security.
When I got home that night, I replayed my answering machine messages. Shock. Hunter had called. He hadn’t tried for a month, and I thought he was finally giving up. But no, he is too stubborn for that. And Jen had called me. I started thinking it was time to put what had happened behind me, but I thought I’d let her stew a little longer. I am evil, I know.
I went to bed and was torn out of a deep sleep at 3 in the morning by the ringing of the telephone. For a minute I thought it was the alarm clock and kept smashing the snooze button. When that didn’t work, I picked it up and threw it across the room. When it continued to ring, I finally got through the fog enough to realize it was the phone. Duh.
Attempting to grab it, I knocked the phone to the floor, and as I was reaching for it, wondered stupidly where my alarm went. Clearing my through, I croaked out a bleary hello.
Silence. So I tried again. "Hello? I’d bitch about the ungodly hour, but I think I destroyed my clock."
"Kaylee?" Oh, no. Masculine voice I got shivers. It was Hunter. It was just like him to call when my defenses were not only down, but totally out.
"What do you want?" Which came out as ‘waddayawan?’ I started feeling around for the glass of water I kept on the nightstand.
"I know it’s early, or late, or whatever," he started. "But I can’t get hold of you any other time. I want to talk to you Kaylee."
I let out a shaky laugh. "Like the last time?"
"No, not anything like that. Come on Kay, give me a chance, I want to hear what you have to say. I never let you speak your part."
I must have really been off my defense. "OK, Hunter, OK," at this point I think I would have agreed to marrying Satan if I could only go back to sleep.
"Good, then I’ll see you tomorrow night at your place. Around 7:30." He said a quick goodbye, then hung up after I mumbled the same.
I had almost fallen asleep when I realized what I had just done. My eyes snapped open. For a second I almost had myself convinced that I had dreamed it. But looking at my alarm clock lying on the floor by the closet door convinced me it wasn’t a dream. I got up and ran to the kitchen, where my caller ID sat on the counter. Pushing the button, I saw the last number was ‘out of area’ and then ‘no number supplied’. Damn. So I couldn’t call back and tell him I had died and couldn’t keep the appointment.
I spent the rest of the night pacing restlessly. I don’t know why I was so nervous. I mean, I was over him right? I was. I had found peace with our break up. I wasn’t even mad at him anymore. I could see worrying about someone you love that you never see. But it was the trust thing that got to me more that anything. But if he didn’t trust me, there wasn’t a future for us. I resolved to speak my mind, and listen to what he had to say. Final closure, the end of it, was all I needed right now. And I was finally going to get it.
I spent all day doing stuff I had neglected the rest of the week. Saturdays are my normal cleaning and general catch up day. I managed a quick shower and put on jeans and my favorite Old Navy sweatshirt. It had gotten unusually cold in the south that early in the winter season. At 7:30, when the doorbell rang, I was ready.
I opened the door, and looked Hunter over. As usual, he looked great. Tight jeans, which he knew I loved, and a leather jacket over a black T-shirt. I invited him in and he smiled as he took off the jacket and stepped inside.
"Something smells great," he said, sniffing the air. Earlier I had made a pot of my famous (to some) chili. Being the good hostess I am, I offered him a bowl. I was proud of myself. I was being civil and friendly. I totally ignored the butterflies I got in my stomach every time I looked at him. I couldn’t stop stealing little glances though. It had been a long time since he’d been in my house. It felt, well, good to have him there again.
After ladling out large bowls for both of us, we sat at the kitchen table and were quiet. Eating a few bites each, we looked at each other and started laughing.
"Hard to believe we know each other," I commented. "It’s like we’re starting all over." I didn’t immediately realize what I implied with my words. It was what he had asked for before. He gave me a small smile and took a big bite of chili.
"We always were good friends, Kay," he said, smacking his lips. "Can’t we just start from there?"
I thought about it for a good, oh, 10 seconds. "Nope," I said, pushing aside my bowl and standing up. Hunter looked startled, then scared, like I was going to whip out a butcher knife and take out my frustrations. Instead, I walked around the table, pushed his bowl aside and sat in his lap. Then I got the hug from him I had so desperately wanted to accept that night several months ago.
I could have sworn he had tears in his eyes. But he said the chili was just extra spicy. We spent all that night on the couch in the living room talking. We hadn’t talked like that since we started dating. I told him about the crap I had gone through after out initial break up. He talked about being on the road, and missing me.
I think I really became friends with him that night. We just held hands and talked. Nothing more, nothing less. It was the best date I ever had. We even talked about his current storyline in the WWF. Wiggling his ringless left hand at me, he said, "I married the boss’s daughter, and now me and Kurt are fighting over her."
Laughing, I told him I already knew that. I was still a wrestling fan, even if I wasn’t speaking to him.
"I’m not the only one that’s missed you," he said. "Joanie said if we don’t work something out, she’d kill me. I think she missed you more that I did."
Smacking him on the shoulder, laughing, I knew I was in for a ribbing in a few weeks when all the people I shunned would be here.
"You’ll have to let them all know how sorry I am," I said, growing serious. "I never meant to shut everyone out. I just couldn’t deal with it."
"Consider it done. Hell, it’s 3:30. I guess I should head to the hotel," he said, and looked at me expectantly.
"You can stay here," I replied, then added, "but on the couch. I want to see where we stand before I get in so deep again, Hunter."
He looked downed for a moment, then gave me a grin. "I can live with that. What me to tuck you in?"
Laughing, I got him some blankets and a pillow, and tucked him in. Then I headed into my bedroom and got ready for bed. I had just climbed in, when I noticed Hunter standing at the door.
"I just wanted to say good night," he said softly. Smiling at him, I said good night, and snuggled under my comforter.
"Kaylee," he paused. I waited, an expectant smile on my face. "I’m glad we worked this out."
"Me, too," I said yawning. He smiled, and hesitated again. "Something else?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"No, just thinking. ‘Night." He turned and headed back to the couch, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
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I woke up the next morning at 7, and jumped in the shower. As I lathered my hair I remembered that Hunter was asleep on my couch. I quickly rinsed and dried myself off. Then I got dressed and walked into the living room. I sat down on my wooden rocking chair and watched him sleeping. For me this is a form of entertainment. I debated on waking him up, then decided to let him sleep while I ran to the store to get some breakfast stuff. I don’t usually keep morning food in the house, usually I grab something on the way to work. But since it’s a Sunday, I thought I’d go all out and get a box of donuts.
Hunter was awake when I got back, and his hair was still wet from his shower. I’ll give that to him, the man can shower in less than 5 minutes. I guess it’s a skill he developed on the road.
We sat at the couch and read the Sunday paper and scarfed down chocolate eclairs. Then we spent the rest of the morning talking the business. I am endlessly fascinated by the way wrestling works. So many people to move, equipment to set up, schedules to make, storylines to write. It was amazing to me that such a large machine ran so smoothly. Usually.
Hunter was explaining the snag in his current storyline: he had married Stephanie, he was suspicious of Kurt and Steph fooling around behind his back. His character was sure it was more that just rumors. Vince had decided it was time for Hunter to make the transition to face, or good guy, and he was winning the people over in that regard. But after playing like he was so in love with Steph for months, there had to be a way to break it off clean so he could move on to his next storyline.
Laughing at him, I asked, "Why can’t you just dump her?"
"Character-wise, I would, if I was still playing the mean and evil HHH," he said. "But now that the crowd is starting to back me up, I need to build on that momentum. Me dumping her, even if the crowd hates her guts, is not a very baby-face thing to do."
"Suppose you get video proof of her affair," I said. "Say, an anonymous fan sends you a tape he made of Steph and Kurt having a candlelit dinner at a quiet restaurant. Holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. Then have the fan follow them to a nearby hotel and catch them in a lip-lock." I understood how it could work. "The fan would turn out to be one of the new wrestlers that are coming in. You said there was a chance of you reforming DX. Make the ‘fan’ a new wrestler in the group."
He was nodding his head. Then he smiled. "So I could say it was just a ‘fan’ that sent me the tape, then reveal to them I had her followed? How sneaky. But if we could work it so it seems like I only did it to prove all the rumors false, and caught her being naughty…" he trailed off thinking. I handed him a pad and pen, and left him alone to work on his thoughts. For about a year now, I knew he worked up most of his storylines and then presented them to Vince for inspection and approval. And the crowd ate it up.
After spending the day together, Hunter said he needed to go to his hotel and get his bag. He had to be in South Carolina that night to get ready for the next night’s Raw. I drove him to the airport, and he promised to call me later that night. We hit kind of and awkward moment, when we both thought about kissing or not kissing the other one. We settled on a big bear hug, and he left to catch his plane.
I drove home and thought about the last 2 days. OK, so it was actually one night, not even 24 hours, but it seemed like a lot longer.
Hunter and I had agreed that we were going to take things slowly, and not rush ourselves into a relationship. In a way, his current storyline was funny, in that it had mimicked several things wrong in our relationship. The distrust, the accusations. Now all it needed was the breakup and the forgiveness, I thought to myself, smiling.
The next 2 weeks flew by. Everything was ready for the WWF when they arrived at the arena early Monday morning. At 6 in the morning, the crew was straggling in, looking tired from driving all night to get here. They spent a couple of hours unloading trucks and setting up the ring and the ‘props’, like putting tables under the ring. Then they built the camera stands and set up the Titantron, which is a huge TV screen that shows a video of the wrestlers as their entrance music plays. I directed my crew of workers to pull out the bleacher seating, and set up the floor level chairs. Then I had an hour of telling them where the concessions would be placed, and overseeing the setup of the booths that the WWF would use.
At about 9:30, some of the wrestlers started showing up. Most come to the arena early to use the gym in the training area in the basement of the building. Some come in to get in a few practice matches with their opponent that night. And then there are some that just come to bug me.
Enter Al Snow and Mick Foley. I thought each of them alone was bad enough, but together they could send a person to the funny farm. They tried their hardest anyway.
"Hey, it’s Kay!" Mick shouted at me from a whopping distance of 2 feet.
"Thanks," I said. "For a second there I thought I was somebody else. Al, nice to see you. Don’t touch anything." This got a laugh and a wounded look from Al. Last time he was here, he ‘accidentally’ punctured on of our waterlines that we use when there is a hockey game. The whole floor section was soaked, and Al, of course, denied everything.
"Now, what kind of greeting is that?" Al asked, talking to the mannequin head he perpetually carried around. "And I was so happy to see you," he added, looking at me.
"Ignore the talking lima bean for now," Mick said, stepping in front of Al. I don’t know what’s worse, listening to him rant, or watching one of his matches."
This comment earned Mick a slap on the head from Al, as I laughed at the 2 of them. They made a great comedy team, and were always insulting each other.
"Well," I said. "I have a lot of work to do, so you guys will have to go amuse yourselves for a while."
"Nah, we are going to follow you around today to make sure you get everything squared away," Al said.
"That’s right, as commissioner of the WWF," Mick stated importantly, "it is my sworn duty to make sure you don’t make a big screw-up of my show tonight."
"Your show?" Al asked him. "His show?" Al asked Head, when Mick didn’t answer. "Mick, I hate to tell you this, but Head says you are so full of shit, you squeak when you walk."
"And I hate to tell you this, Al," Mick stated calmly. "By the end of tonight, Head will be so far up your ass…no, wait, she’s already been there. I put her there the last time we fought, which is the only time the audience didn’t fall asleep during an Al Snow match."
Snickering softly, trying not to laugh out loud at them, I eased away from them and made my way, alone, to the loading dock where the wrestlers were coming in. I made sure all the security guards were alerted to the fact that wrestlers would be arriving in larger groups soon, and they needed to be on the dock.
I had functioned pretty well all morning. I was waiting for Hunter to get there without actually appearing that I was waiting for him. In the past 2 weeks, we had talked on the phone every night. I couldn’t wait to see him. I was practically jumping up and down when I saw Billy’s rental car pull up. No matter what city, Billy always rents the same car, or clone of the same car. Dark green, tinted windows, usually a Chevy. And I was right. Billy, JJ, and Hunter all piled out of the car. Billy gave me a wave as he unlocked the trunk, and the others turned to look at me. Hunter smiled and came jogging over.
"I have a huge surprise for you. I got you a front row ticket for tonight," he said. This made me laugh. If I wanted front row tickets, there were always some made available to me through the arena.
"What kind of present is that?" I asked him.
Trying to look fierce, he growled, "The kind you should accept gracefully woman!"
After accepting hugs from Billy and JJ, and being admonished by JJ for calling him JJ, I walked the guys into the building and down to the locker rooms. I was just settling down in Hunter’s when my CB radio squawked.
"Kaylee, get your skinny rear up here to the dock now!" It was Joanie.
"I told you she missed you," Hunter said, laughing. Telling him I’d be back, I went upstairs and got crushed by a giant hug.
"Where have you been hiding yourself? I was worried to death about you!" Joanie never was one for small talk. She always got directly to her point. "Hunter’s not giving you any more trouble is he? I’ll kick his ass for you if he does."
Laughing, I assured her everything was fine, and agreed to come visit her tomorrow before she left for wherever they were headed next. I gave her another hug, and went off to finish the final preparations. I got word that Vince had arrived, so I hunted him down. Together, we did a walkthrough and I showed him all the key points we had discussed in the earlier meeting.
Smiling, he left to find Shane, and I headed back downstairs to tell the guys I’d see them later. The building was theirs until I came back at 5, to make sure everything was running smoothly before the show.
Hunter wasn’t in his dressing room, so I was walking toward the gym to see if he was working out with some of the other wrestlers. As I rounded a corner, I was almost knocked down by a power-walker going the other way.
"Hey," it was Jeff, smiling down at me. "I tried to call you. Last time I saw you, you looked awful rough."
Grinning back at him, I said, "I know, sorry I didn’t stop and talk to you. Everything is cool now."
"So I heard. Going to be at the show tonight?" he asked.
"I guess so, since I have a front row seat and everything," I laughed.
Jeff looked at his watch, and smiled again. "I hate to run off, but…"
I cut him off. Laughing, I finished his sentence for him, "Sharon is expecting me to call this morning before she goes to class." Sharon was his girlfriend of several months. Apparently their long distance romance was working out.
"Am I that predictable?" he asked, laughing.
"You are when you’re in love," I said, and gave him a hug. He jogged off toward the phone room that had been set up at the end of the hall.
I stepped to the door of the gym and looked in through the glass. Hunter was working with free weights in the corner of the room with Billy, who was still rehabbing his shoulder. I decided to say my good-byes and head for home to get a little sleep, since I had been up since about 4 that morning.
Giving hugs to all the guys I hadn’t seen in so long, I made my way over to the corner. After telling Hunter my intentions of going home for a quick nap, he decided to walk me to my car.
In the parking lot, he opened the car door for me and stopped me before I could get in. Sweeping me against him, he gave me a kiss that made my knees go week. Then, grinning, he held open the door for me. I promised him I’d see him before the matches got started, and I’d be in the front row that night. With a last wave, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed to my house for a catnap.
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I returned to the building late that afternoon. Walking around the upper deck, I was amazed at how quiet it was. Usually at about this time before a big event there are people running around, screaming, yelling directions, and practicing moves. I was starting to get spooked when I rounded a corner and spotted Jeff on the phone. Rolling my eyes at him, I mimicked a yacking mouth with my hand. He grinned at me and gave me a thumbs up.
‘Well, that’s one person accounted for,’ I thought, as I stepped into the service elevator to go downstairs. Stepping off the lift, I walked up to the door of the ready room, when large groups held meetings. It appeared everyone was in there discussing storylines and strategies with Shane. Several of the wrestlers looked up and greeted me when they noticed me standing in the doorway.
Waving at them, I decided to spend what little quiet time I had in my office upstairs. I had just sat down in my chair when my intercom buzzed.
"Yes?" I said when I picked it up.
"Kay? It’s Sean. What’s up babygirl?" Groaning, I settled back in my chair.
"Not a lot, Seanie…where have you been hiding yourself today?"
"Ah, I’ve been around. I was bored so I decided to play with this bat phone. I couldn’t resist, it was sitting right in front of my." I had to laugh at that. In a fit of poor taste, some joker, pun intended, had put red intercom phones in the locker room.
"Well, when you see Alfred, tell him to get up here and clean up my office. It’s a mess."
Laughing, he replied, "Sure thing. But he’s kinda busy right now, washing my cod piece."
"There’s a disgusting thought, thanks for the image," I said. I talked with Sean for a few more minutes, then got off the phone. Shaking my head, I left my office to make sure the ticket windows were churning out the sales.
Out in front of the building, a large crowd had already gathered, waiting for us to open the arena doors. Walking over to one of the security guards, I glanced around looking for people I knew.
"Hey, Kay!" said Roy Kendall. Roy, who I call Ninja, was a ‘rent a cop’. We often called on him to help out when we had a big program going on. I hadn’t seen him in several months.
"Ninja, where have you been hiding? It’s been a while since we had to call the fire department," I laughed. Last time he was here, he inadvertently threw a cigarette butt into a garbage can, and caused a panic during one of the college basketball games we had.
Frowning, he scratched his head. "Got a new partner on the force, haven’t had time to come around. Why haven’t you called if you were so worried?"
Rather than getting into a big explanation of my recent episodes, I just smiled at him and asked about the crowd.
"Pretty big already, and still 4 hours til we can open the doors. I just hope they don’t get too rowdy out here. I already told the chief that he might want to have a few guys floating around to help out." Ninja is with the city police, which is why we value him working here so much, fire or no fire. We can always use the extra back up. I said as much to him.
"Well, I don’t mean to be prejudiced, but the wrestling shows tend to bring out the…hmm…I don’t want to say it but….nut cases. All the rowdies come out when people watch other people throwing other people around." He put in some significant pauses.
"I wouldn’t call them nut cases, Ninja. But it is good for the old adrenaline. Oh well, we could stand here and argue the fine points for hours, but it’s good to have you guys around. I better get back inside and do my last walkthrough."
Saying goodbye, and promising to see him after the show, I went back inside the building. I decided to go to the arena floor to see the set up of the ring.
Walking down the stairs, I saw that everything was ready to go. The Titantron was set up and running. All the barricades were up, fortunately. Last year, some wit stole some them right after one of the WWF’s cards. Kind of a strange souvenir, but who am I to talk? Last time they were here, I snuck into Gangrel’s dressing room and swiped one of his poet/vampire shirts to wear on Halloween. I never got around to giving it back either.
I made my way to the front row and sank into one of the chairs. Kicking my feet up onto the guardrail, I stretched out and stared up at the ceiling. It was pretty quiet in the arena, and sort of spooky. I personally thought the place was haunted. But I wasn’t thinking about the ghosts. OK, maybe I was. When I heard a voice behind me I jumped out of my seat.
"I see you found your seat."
Turning around, I saw Chris Jericho standing there. "Sheesh, does everybody know my business around here?"
Grinning, he sat in the seat next to me. "Well, you and Hunter are the hot topic of conversation right now. And Hunter’s the one with the loose lips."
Sinking back into the chair, and put my feet back up on the guardrail. We sat in companionable silence for several minutes, both lost in our own thoughts. Then I realized I had forgotten about Chris getting married several months ago.
"Congrats on tying the knot. How’s it going with the little woman?" I asked, innocently enough.
Chris made a face, and thought for a minute before answering me. "It’s not everything I thought it would be."
I couldn’t hide my shock. Chris and Jessica were what everyone thought to be a perfect couple. They’d only been married for a short time, and it was surprising they were having problems already.
Looking at my face he sighed and looked back at the ring. "She is pushing me to slow down. And to stay with her more. Or to let her travel with me more. I don’t think she understands if you slow down in this business, you might as well retire. And I don’t think she should give up her entire life to follow me around everywhere."
Quiet again, we both sat for another minute before I said, "She didn’t do that before the wedding?"
"No," said Chris. "I thought she liked having me gone. I know it sounds weird. But it made the time together better. Now she doesn’t want to let me out of her sight. She even wants me to give up the band."
"Not Fozzy," I said, incredulous. Next to wrestling, the rock band he fronted was Chris’s passion. I couldn’t imagine anyone asking me to give up my job. Or any of the other things I love to do. Might as well cut off an arm.
"Yeah…" Chris rubbed his head, and closed his eyes. "It’s starting to wear me down and it shows. I’m surprised she hasn’t shown up here yet. I’m sure she will, though. Especially since I told her to stay home."
"She is going to come all the way here? For what? To make sure you have clean underwear?" This was crazy. Their house was at least 800 miles away, maybe more.
This got a tired smile out of him. "I don’t know. I’m so tired right now, I could fall asleep right here. The locker room is too noisy."
Settling back, I told him, "Jeez, Chris, go ahead and take a little nap. I’ll wake you up in a little while. Nobody’s going to come in here for at least 2 hours, so it’ll stay quiet for a while."
Thanking me, he stretched out on the seats and pillowed his head on his arms. Shaking my head, I leaned back and stared out at the lights suspended over the ring. I heard a noise behind me, but didn’t see anything when I turned around. Sighing, I quietly got up and made my way to the announce table. Once there I sat in Jerry Lawler’s chair, and played with the headset. I reflected on relationships in general. It was funny how other couples could seem so right, and then find out they had problems just like all of us that were struggling. Hunter and I had our problems, but above all that I felt we were still friends. Chris and Jessica seemed like they were falling apart.
Checking my watch, I reminded myself to wake Chris up in an hour, and headed up the ramp through the curtain. Several members of the production team were testing lines and wires, and the costume people were running around trying to find the guys that needed fittings. Overall, it was a feeling of controlled chaos.
I wandered around for a while looking for Hunter in the mess of people who were running around backstage. I spotted him at the end of a long hallway talking to someone, probably a costume designer. As the woman left and went the opposite way, Hunter looked at me with an empty expression that stopped me cold. Turning, he went the same way as the woman, away from me.
All of a sudden, a knot formed in my stomach. What the hell had happened just now? The thought kept going through my mind as I stood in the hallway, oblivious to the people around me. Resolving not to let my imagination run crazy, I finally remembered how to walk and took off after Hunter. I was practically jogging down the hall. He was nowhere to be seen, so I detoured to his locker room. Tapping the door, I opened it a crack to see if he was in there. I heard noises from around the corner, and entered the room.
I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I slowly walked around the corner. Hunter was throwing street clothes into a bag, and mumbling to himself. He was already in his wrestling attire, probably to have a practice run with Kurt.
He finally looked up at me and I had to take a step backward at the coldness in his eyes. He didn’t say anything for several minutes as we stood there and stared at each other. Finally, his shoulders slumped, and he turned away.
"What’s going on Kay?" He asked. And it scared me. Not the question, but the total lack of any kind of emotion in his voice. It was like he was dead.
"What are you talking about, Hunter?" I tried not to let my voice tremble, but it did. I was totally confused by his attitude toward me.
"You and Jericho. What’s going on? You guys were in the arena getting awfully close, I hear." Still no emotion in his voice. He wasn’t even mad, which I think I could have handled.
"Hunter, we were just talking," something struck me then. "That woman you were just with…that was Jessica wasn’t it?" I could tell by the way his face tightened up that I was right. "My God, Hunter. What did she tell you? She found us all tangled together practicing some naked wrestling moves? Compromising positions?" As I spoke, his face got harsher, but at least he was showing some emotion now.
"It doesn’t matter what was said, Kay. I just want to know what’s going on with us here. Or with you and Jericho. Either way…" he didn’t finish, just threw up his hands.
I don’t think I’d ever been this angry. It was the same bullshit all over again. "I’m not going to answer that Hunter. Why do I have to keep explaining myself to you? How many times do I have to tell you I love you before you believe me? How many times am I going to have to tell you that you’re the only man I want? I just…" I broke off there, fighting back tears of rage. "Just forget it, OK? It’s obvious to me that things aren’t meant to be for us, Hunter. I’m just sorry it took so long to figure it out." With that I turned and hurried out of his dressing room.
As I ran back to the arena to wake up Chris and let him know his woman had arrived, I passed several of the other wrestlers who were giving me strange looks. I didn’t notice. I was going to wake Chris up and then get the hell out of there. And stay gone until the WWF was long departed.
I made my way to the front row, and gently shook Chris’s shoulder. His eyes slowly opened, and he gave a small smile. I noticed he looked a little better. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then took a second look at me.
"God Kay, what happened to you?" He still sounded groggy, but was alert enough to notice the tears drying on my face.
As I explained to him what had happened, his face took on a grim expression.
"Let me apologize now for Jessica, Kay. I am so sorry about this. I didn’t know she’d sink this far." He shook his head, and stood up with me. "I better find her and get her out of here before Joanie hears about this and kills her."
I couldn’t help but laugh at that, because I knew it was true. Joanie and Jessica had never gotten along, and when Joanie found out about this, well, there’s no telling what would happen.
I told Chris I was leaving, then used my walkie-talkie to contact Ninja. After getting assured that everything was under control, I explained that I suddenly wasn’t feeling well and would be leaving the event in his hands. Wishing me well, he assured me it would run smoothly.
I took the service elevator to the loading dock to avoid anyone in the arena. When I was safely locked in my car, I finally let the tears fall. I sat there for a full ten minutes drowning in sorrow. Then I made myself start the car. As I drove off the employee lot, I waved to several people I knew.
I promised myself that no matter what, I wouldn’t let what had once again happened keep me from my friends I had made here. I had done that once, and that was the start of a lot of problems. I could still have my friends without Hunter.
Heaving a large sigh, I made it to my house and let myself in. I sank down onto my couch and stared at the blank television. I felt hollow, a familiar feeling. But I had promised myself not to sink into the same funk I was in the last time Hunter and I broke up. And I wasn’t going to let him ruin a night that I was actually looking forward to. As I said before, I am a fan of the WWF.
I got up from the couch and went to my bedroom. After selecting my favorite Al Snow T-shirt, I rushed into the shower and got dressed. I grabbed my front row ticket off my dresser and before good sense got the better of me, jumped into my car and headed back to the arena. I was going to spend the night as a fan, not an employee, or a girlfriend. And I was determined to enjoy myself.
At exactly 9:00 PM, Raw is War was on the air. It turned out to be a great show, and the crowd was into the action in the ring. Since we don’t often get television tapings here at the arena, the audience was really roaring for the guys as they trash talked then proceeded to beat the hell out of each other. By 9:45, I was pretty well lit, having consumed several alcoholic beverages. That’s crap. I was drinking beer until I couldn’t see straight…which didn’t take much, considering I’m not a big drinker anymore.
I sat in my seat and didn’t make too much noise, although when Al Snow came out I marked out for him. He always was a favorite of mine. I also cheered on Chris as he won the Intercontinental title. Mick Foley came out and had the crowd laughing at his bumbling leadership skills. I felt good about that night though, as the people in attendance were having a great time, and the guys were really putting on a great show.
When Chyna was up, to face off against Val Venis, she looked in my direction and gave a huge grin. Joanie was in good form that night, as she pinned Val and scored a victory against the group known as the RTC. It was almost main event time when Kurt Angle came out to his music.
As he proceeded to tell the world about how great he was, and that he and Stephanie McMahon were just friends, Hunter’s music started playing, and like everyone else I stood up to get a look as he came down the ramp.
Climbing into the ring, with a smirking Stephanie by his side, Hunter grabbed the microphone out of Kurt’s hand. He walked around the ring several times letting the anticipation grow. I could see people around me leaning forward in their seats, waiting for him to talk.
"Kurt Angle," Hunter began. A long pause. "Olympic crybaby. I’m gonna give you something you’ve been asking for. Not jewelry polish for your electroplated ‘gold’ medals, not a title shot, not a young and willing boy." At this the crowd started hooting wildly. A long running joke was Hunter trying to tell Kurt he was gay.
"No, tonight I’m not going to give you any of that. I’m going to let you have something else." At this, he pushed Stephanie in Kurt’s direction. "It’s no secret to anyone, except maybe your boyfriend, Kurt, that you have a thing for Steph." More hooting and screaming in the crowd. I couldn’t help but notice that Stephanie and Kurt both looked absolutely stunned at what Hunter was saying.
"Consider our ‘marriage’ annulled Steph," Hunter said. "She’s all yours, Cutie Kurt." Still looking confused, but playing along, Kurt pulled Stephanie to his side.
"On to more important business." Hunter said when the yelling and catcalling had quieted down once more. "Earlier today I made a big mistake. Not the first of it’s kind either. The reason I can’t stay with Steph, and I’m graciously pimping you out to Kurt, is I’m in love with someone else." While this was not news to Stephanie or Kurt, they both started acting outraged at Hunter’s disparaging remarks.
"I invited this lady here tonight, and I pissed her off. Because, well, let’s face facts here…I have a little bit of a hot temper. But I figure, she’s a fan…she’s bound to be watching this. And I think the only way to make it up to her is to embarrass myself on national television." The crowd was in stunned silence. I could have heard a pin drop in the arena as the audience waited for what he was going to say next.
"Kaylee…" I think I almost passed out when he said my name. "I love you. I’m sorry. If I have to get down on my knees in front of millions of people and beg for forgiveness I will." At this he sank down to his knees. I could feel my face turning beet red as he hung his head.
All of a sudden, the Rock’s music hit the loudspeakers. As the Great One himself came out at the top of the ramp, the crowd started screaming again. Still in shock over what Hunter was doing, I remained frozen in my seat.
The Rock raised the microphone to his mouth. "Triple H, while you’re down on your knees, instead of simply begging for forgiveness, the Rock says maybe you should be asking another question." This immediately caused an uproar in the crowd. "In fact, the Rock thinks that all of the Rock’s people want to hear you ask that little question. So ask it, before the Rock lays the smackdown on your candy ass."
The audience was eating this up. Apparently thinking it was some kind of work, they started chanting ‘ask her, ask her’.
"Rock," Hunter finally said. "For once I think we agree on something here." Looking right at the camera, he took a deep breath.
"Kaylee, I do love you. And the question is…will you marry me?" At this the crowd went nuts. The large body of Jim Dotsun, the WWF’s head of security, blocked my view. I stood up and asked him to help me over the barricade. Hunter looked over at me with a shocked expression on his face.
I could see from the corner of my eye the camera man was coming in my direction as I slowly climbed the ring steps. Kurt held the ropes apart, and I slipped between them into the ring. I walked over to Hunter and he gave me a smile. I kept looking into his eyes for several long seconds.
"Kaylee," came the Rock’s voice from behind me. "The Rock says he wants an answer. The Rock says the people want an answer. The Rock says Triple H wants an answer. The Rock says even Kurt Jabroni and Stephanie Macfloozy want an answer. The Rock says to give your answer loud and clear so we can all smell what you’re cookin."
Once again, the crowd erupted in cheers, and then waited as a gently took the microphone from Hunter. Still looking in Hunter’s eyes, I raised the mic to my mouth and said, loud and clear, "Yes."
The resulting crowd roar was so deafening that for a moment nobody moved, we just stood…or in Hunter’s case, kneeled, and waited for it to die down a little. Then Hunter was standing up and grabbing me in his arms and kissing me. I forgot where I was, even thought the crowd once again was raising the roof with their screams. A held tight to Hunter, as he swung me around in a bear hug, and whispered in my ear, "I’m sorry, I love you." Over and over. It was enough for me. I silently reminded myself to thank Chris when I saw him. I knew he had to have been the one to talk some sense into Hunter that day.
Our little lovefest in the middle of the ring was interrupted once again by the sound of music. This time it was Mick Foley’s entrance theme. He stepped out onto the ramp and looked at us in the ring with a smile on his face.
"It has come to my attention," Mick began, "that we now have a problem of a different kind. You see…Hunter, you are supposed to face Kurt tonight in that very ring, and since you now don’t have a good reason to beat the hell out of him…I’m gonna give you the night off." This elicited some cheers from the crowd. "The real problem is our main event. It’s pretty much gone down the tubes."
"The Rock says hold up Foley. The Rock says that tonight, in that very ring, as a wedding present to Triple H and Kaylee, the Great One himself will layeth the smacketh downeth on Kurt Angle’s candy ass, just because the Rock is in a mood to celebrate. If you smell what the Rock is cookin."
"That’s fine with me," said Mick. "What do you think about that, Kurt?"
Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the Rock, "It doesn’t matter what you think, jabroni." The crowd roared laughter as Kurt Angle looked like a fish on dry land, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly with no sound.
Hunter took my hand, and led me through the ropes and back down the ring steps. We made our way up the ramp, and through the curtain amidst one last round of cheering. The relative quiet in the back was a relief. After their matches ended, most of the guys were already headed to the next stop on the tour.
As we walked through the halls, Vince McMahon approached us and offered us his congratulations. "I just wish," he said, shaking his head, "you had given me some warning of this, Hunter. This isn’t what we had planned out for you at all."
Grinning sheepishly, and hugging me tight, Hunter said, "Sorry Vince, but for once I couldn’t let it be business as usual."
"I can understand that. And way to get over with the crowd. By the way, Kaylee, I’m prepared to offer you a job with us if that will make things between you and Hunter any easier."
I stared at him, and then smiled and gave him a hug. Shocked, he hesitated before returning it. I thanked him, and said I’d love to come on board with the WWF.
With his promise that he’d call me tomorrow, Vince headed on down the hallway, whistling. Hunter then took me into the privacy of his dressing room.
"So this whole thing…wasn’t planned?" I asked.
"No," Hunter said, grinning. "I knew Vinnie wouldn’t approve a thing like this for weeks. Chris was actually the one who came up with it. And he said to me it was public humiliation, or living without you. So I thought to myself, ‘How long are you going to be able to live without Kay?’ And I thought the answer was pretty obvious. I was an asshole, and I hurt you again, but I promise you right now I’m never going to do it again. I love you, Kaylee."
Standing on my toes, I pressed my lips to his and gave him a long kiss. When we finally parted I looked in his eyes, and said, "I love you, Hunter. And that’s a promise I’m going to make you keep."
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