The Cruiserweight (9 page)

“I’m holding you to that.”

“Karen, I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to
see you.”

“Just kidding. I know you can’t dictate where
you’ll have a show.”

“Maybe not, doll face, but for you, I’ll
arrange something, no matter what it takes or how long. Aren’t we
due to sit down for another interview anyway?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Come to think of
it, we are. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping a close eye on your
future endeavors.”

*****

Two weeks later, Squared Circle Express
expressed interest in acquiring him to appear in one of their
shows. SCE was California’s top independent wrestling promotion and
Gil Preston knew quality talent well. “How about an appearance at
one of our upcoming shows, Kerrigan? I hear you‘re one of the
hottest free agents.”

Brett accepted without hesitation. “Not sure
about hot, Gil, but name the day and I’ll be there!”

Squared Circle Express announced their upcoming
dates during intermission at their sixth anniversary show. “We are
pleased to announce that Brett Kerrigan will appear on August
twenty-eighth and September third.”

His fans were enthusiastic. Brett
was still in the headlines, quite a feat for a cruiserweight who
wasn’t even treated as a major talent in the big
leagues.

“
What will you do between now and
your first SCE show?” Karen asked.

“Relaxing and maybe do some surfing. With
offers coming my way, I’m not going to have too much time to myself
for awhile. I may as well enjoy the free moments while I
can.”

“Brett, you don’t surf. Remember telling me you
never went past the water’s edge because it’s possible sharks are
farther out in the water?”

“I was kidding about the surfing. To be honest,
swimming in apartment building’s pool is sufficient. While on the
subject, The Shark Master says hello.”

“What’s Patrick doing these days?”

“He just landed a movie part.”

“That’s fantastic! What’s it about?”

“One of those dinner theater murder mystery
plots,” Brett told her. “It isn’t going to be a major release, but
as he says, a person has to start somewhere.”

“I’ll have to keep an eye out.”

“That makes two of us. I need some new material
to tease Pat since he’s done nothing but heckle me since I lost my
job. It’s no big deal since I was contacted by Squared Circle
Express. I’m pumped up about the upcoming shows.”

“The fans will love seeing you too. No matter
what you do, they come first.”

“Right, it’s
always
about them. Speaking
of one’s career, I never asked about yours. I’m being
selfish!”

“No you‘re not. This past week has been very
turbulent for you and it’s easy to see why you’re distracted from
other things. As for
my
work, I did a story about your
release, and the book is coming along great.”

“I can’t wait to see your name in all of the
bookstores.”

“That may be awhile. I still have plenty of
editing to do, which is restricted to weekends most of the time.
I’m a little obsessive, but the book means a lot to me.”

“That’s normal. When you’re zealous about
something you love, more energy goes in. It’s what keeps us going
in life. I have a feeling both of us will have more success than
either even considered.”

“To think some people said you had an attitude
problem,” Karen said.

“Yeah, well, that was just about certain
things. Life is going to get better. Free at last from dumb ass
restrictions! Now the world will see who Brett Kerrigan is
really
is.”

CHAPTER 12

In addition to Squared Circle Express, Brett
was announced to wrestle with another wrestling promotion,
Dragonfly USA. In the company’s official press release, founder
Graham Sobeck said he’d searched for a top-name opponent to face
off against him. “Brett Kerrigan is a real superstar, and we plan
to spotlight him as much as possible. “It’s a pleasure to see him
in action again.”

Karen messaged Brett when she heard the news.
“Congratulations! I’m thrilled for you, and wrestling for Graham
Sobeck’s company, of all places!”

“He’s an old friend from my early independent
days and I owed him a favor. I dig Dragonfly’s policies of letting
their talent have no limits in the ring as well as the guys they
have on their roster.”

“I’m sure the Japan office will find you an
outstanding challenger. I don’t recall many other cruiserweights
given such opportunities with independent federations as
you.”

“The good things wrestling independently are
not only are there no longer any barriers of what I can do in the
ring, but also naming my price. What’s shocking is both Squared
Circle Express and Dragonfly honored my requests.”

“You should name your salary. You were in the
world’s largest wrestling company.”

“I know I’m sort of a ‘name’, but I don’t plan
on making the same mistake Patrick did of asking for more than the
company offers. These days, we have to take what is offered without
question. May I add that with Squared Circle Express and Dragonfly,
I’ll wrestle in real matches.”

The best thing about independent scene is
actual wrestling.”

“That’s how Japan-based federations work. In
America, the sport is a joke with more focus on the ‘entertainment’
aspect. In Japan, it’s a respected profession. That’s another
reason I love Dragonfly‘s American franchise. It has the Japanese
value of focusing on pure wrestling.”

“I’m thrilled for you, Brett.”

“There’s something else that should make you
happy. I’m giving up smoking joints.”

“You are? That’s great!”

“Not cold turkey, mind you, but ever since I
was released, I’ve been cutting back. Now that I’m with Dragonfly,
I have more of a reason to put weed out of my life.”

“I know they’re a new company, but are any of
their shows on television? There’s a few other independents that
have cable deals.”

“Not yet. Dragonfly USA was created by Graham.
I think they’ve held two or three shows so far but they’re off to a
good start.”

“I hope they put the show out on DVD or at
least make it a pay per view. I look forward to seeing you in
action again.”

“This is just the beginning sweetheart. My
happy ass can’t wait to get started!”

*****

It was almost five-thirty when Karen finished
putting together an article from her notes. She didn’t realize how
late it was until Phoebe was leaving and stopped by her desk.
“Something exciting must be happening for you to work nonstop the
entire day.”

“Another wrestling story for Mr. Sullivan. He
wants it done by the end of the week. There was a new tag team
signed and he wants us to break the story first.”

“You’re lucky having something always happening
in your field. I would have had better luck working in the United
Kingdom. Soccer is big overseas.”

“There was a movie about wrestling which came
out last year and helped put it back into the spotlight. As for
soccer, they call it ‘football’ in the UK. But don’t tell Terry or
Mr. Sullivan.”

“I don’t think I know any people who are as
crazy about American style football as those two. What I could
never figure out is why do they call it football in this country
when the players don’t use their feet most of the time.”

“I think ‘pigskin ball’ didn’t have such a good
ring to it.”

“How are things with Brett?”

“We had a nice talk yesterday afternoon. He’s
excited about his upcoming appearances.”

“Did he tell you anything?”

“Nothing I didn’t know. There’s something I
have been considering, though.”

“What?”

“First, you have to promise not to tell anyone
else. There are some unused personal days I will lose at the end of
the year if they aren’t taken.”

“Your secret is safe. What are you planning to
do that you‘re in a hurry to use personal days? You still have
three more months to use them.”

Karen outlined her idea, not leaving out any
details. She had thought of it the night before. Karen hadn’t
gotten a chance to talk to Sullivan yet, but had it at the top of
her list for Tuesday morning.

*****

Brett called her that evening, his voice full
of excitement. “Hey, guess who I talked to today?!“ .

She made light of the moment. “The White
House?”

“Very funny. No, but this was someone special.
I heard from Michael Sloane. Remember him? He was one of my
trainers at the wrestling academy.”

“I know that much. What did he have to
say?”

“He wanted to congratulate me on my upcoming
SCE and Dragonfly matches and glad I’m still active. Oh yeah, and
he said for me to ‘kick ass all over the place just like he taught
me.’ Like I would do anything else!”

“
Those words coming from your old
trainer should mean something.”

“Yeah. Michael said he was proud of what a
'little punk eighteen-year-old skinny kid’ became after two years
under his wing.”

“Was it worth all he put you through during
wrestling training?”

“Hell yeah. All those days in a room with no
air conditioning above a dive restaurant in the Texas heat, doing
the same moves over and over until they were perfect, puking our
guts out, and coming back for more. A lesser person would give it
up in a day or two, but I was determined to finish. Earning
Michael’s respect was a bonus.”

“Have you started training for your shows
yet?”

“My two weeks of torture begins eight o‘clock
tomorrow morning,” Brett replied. “Patrick took the liberty of
reminding me that I’m getting ‘a little chunky.’ Some friend he
is.”

“It wouldn‘t kill you to gain a few pounds. The
last time I saw you on television, your rib cage was almost
visible.”

“You’re good for the morale, but I miss my
abs.”

“That will be resolved once you’re back in the
ring. But don’t worry, I still think you’re perfect the way you
are.”

Karen heard a beep on the other end. “Shit,”
Brett said, “Hate to cut you off, sweetheart, but that’s Gil
Preston. Probably wants to discuss the details of my SCE match. Can
we talk online later?”

“Of course. I need to get back to working on an
article anyway.”

She hung up with a smile on her face. “One
thing about having a friend in the wrestling business, my own
life’s been far from dull these last few months.”

What Karen didn’t know was that Brett was
pursuing yet another project, one which would involve
her.

CHAPTER 13

“Come on, Kerrigan! Put some more power into
it. You’re supposed to be killing your opponent! You didn’t get
soft in the last two weeks, did you?”

Brett glanced at Ron Fairchild, the head
trainer who was assisting in the upcoming Squared Circle Express
show. He still had confidence in his abilities and hadn’t lost his
touch in the ring. “Soft and I don‘t belong in the same sentence,
man.”

“See you’re still a smart ass, too. Now do the
move again, this time with more effort.”

Four more hours of this. At least
I’m being trained by one of the best guys in the
business.

Brett was relieved when lunch break was
announced. He was having a nicotine fit and hungry. At a nearby
taco stand, Brett leaned on the counter, stomach rumbling. If he
didn’t eat then, he would pass out from the rigorous practice runs
scheduled for that afternoon. It felt like an empty pit had opened
up inside him. “Hey, my man, think I could get a couple of tacos to
go?”

A man working behind the counter looked at the
blond man Happy to see his customer, he wasted no time coming over
to take the order. “Would you like something to drink with those,
senor?”
he asked, a smile on his face.

“Sure, why not? Spare the hot sauce,
though.”

Brett headed back to the practice center with
his lunch. No one else had returned yet, so he smoked a cigarette
and then wolfed down the tacos. “Oops. Excuse me,” he said after a
loud belch.

“You fucking pig. No wonder you’re getting a
little chunky,” a voice behind Brett said. “Ever hear of a
salad?”

He turned around and saw Patrick standing
there, grinning. “What are you doing here? I thought you were
filming today.”

“I was, but we finished early. The director had
some kind of an emergency. I figured since I was nearby, I would
stop in and see how you were doing.”

“Ron’s been putting us through hell, but I
think I’ll live.”

“Yeah, forgot to warn you about him. He’s a
brutal perfectionist.”