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The grayness of London had changed to a mild black. The coldness remained, most of that chill surrounding my heart. Not many tall structures polluted London’s skyline, so the contemporary Erotic Gherkin could be seen from almost everywhere. It was actually the Swiss Re Tower, but the locals loved calling it the Erotic Gherkin, maybe because it was smooth and looked like an exotic vibrator rising from the ground. Hard to believe that Foster got away with that architectural design. If he had put two round buildings at the base, it would’ve been a dick pointing at the sky. Arizona said, ”Good job, what you did in Lakenheath, good job. Now you’re the champion…” I didn’t say anything. Didn’t want to rejoice in my wrongdoing, Sure I defeated and road out Bucky from the NLCW, and became something I’ve dreamed of becoming since I came to this promotion. But it still never gets easy, killing others dreams, other reigns…And to top it off my idol Michael Jackson also died this week… She said, ”After what happened this morning in Chinatown, I started thinking.” ”And those thoughts were? ”Come work for me. Exclusively.” ”Other shit is on my mind right now.” ”I’m listening.” She had boarded the Stansted Express at the Seven Sisters platform. She smelled top-shelf. She had on an expensive business suit, long black coat, boots, hair pulled back in a bun. ”If I wanted to work for somebody, I’d get a nine-to-five” She flipped me off I said, ”You get my messages?” ”I get a lot of messages. Remind me of your messages.” ”Guy from the plane. Red shirt. High-end suit. Broken nose. Saw him again.” ”That guy, where?” After Chinatown. You ran away and when I turned around, he was behind me.” ”The wingman you left me a message about.” ”You thought I was bullshitting? What happened?” ”I went after him. Lost him. He vanished somewhere in Covent Garden” ”So he was behind me.” ”He was behind us. He could’ve hid out in the market.” She bounced her leg. I asked, ”How many people are after you?” ”About half as many as should be after you.” I repeated, ”When you ran away, I turned around and he wasn’t too far behind me.” We’d just straightened out the Dutch boys. Maybe Bucky used him as backup.” I shook my head. ”Doubt it. He was on the flight from the US with me.” ”Maybe it was Lakenheath, maybe Sergeant Bucky tried to get to me before I got to him.” ”Wasn’t Bucky” ”Why so sure he didn’t put a hit out on me too?” ”Because he offered me a contract on you.” ”How much?” I told her. She remained poker-faced, but her leg bounced a little faster. ”The guy in the suit, black, white, European?” ”Could be all of the above or none of the above.” ”Bald.” ”Yeah” ”A hit man shaves his body to get rid of DNA” ”Wait, Bucky said he had a partner. A women” Arizona didn’t say anything. Her face told me she knew ”His partner, the bitch he was dealing with, she’s in Holland.” ”So she arranged the Dutch boys?” ”The bitch did. She sent them to rape…she sent them.” Arizona was nervous. Her discomfort was as subtle as the sweat on the tip of her nose. ”I need you to go to Amsterdam” ”Get me a package” Her cell rang. She looked at the number and took the call. She frowned a little, then frowned a lot, then looked at me, when she hung up, she cursed and shook her head. ”What happened?” ”The replacement to that reverend you kill, showed up dead” That got my attention. I asked her when that happened. She told me that it was this morning. He’d been killed after I made it to London, around the time I was bedding Mrs. Jones. ”How?” ”My contact said his van exploded.” That was her answer. ”He and his family were having a family outing in Trinidad. At least ten members of his family were inside the van.” ”His family? His wife and kids?” ”Wife, Kids, Parents, In-Laws, Everyone was piled in the same van.” Fear was in her eyes, or maybe that was just a reflection of what I felt at the moment. ”Consider my offer, work for me. It would benefit both of us.” ”I get it, you need me. You need protection.” ”I fear no one but God.” ”You’re afraid. If I hadn’t been on it and saw the cats at Starbucks, you’re worried about what would’ve happened. You’re scared because right now you’d be laid up in London Hospital. Every bone in your body broken while the police asked questions and brought a rape kit.” She swallowed. Had never seen her this rattled before. ”Be my partner.” ”Answer me. How many people are after you? Who else would come after you?” ”All business. Without the sex. I think I need a male partner so these ignorant fools will take me seriously. And you, Carmine, would be perfect. You’re a champion, when people hear your name and know they are about to take a shortcut to hell. Hey, what’s that puzzled expression all about? I lose you?” ”So those days are behind us.” ”Draw your own conclusions.” ”You’re killing me over here We’d have to be professional. Anything else would be a disaster. And how would a man with my impeccable resume fit into your fine organization You could travel with me. I have a lot of business going on. I’d school you, bring you up to speed on the various operations I have going on with this aspect of the business. While you’re playing one-minute manager, would I get to wear high-end suits? I love a man in a suit. You know I do. I can get you the best, only the best I’m not interested in being your replacement for Scamz No one is Scamz, Carmine. Scamz is irreplaceable. She reminded me of Lil’Kim, still obsessed with Notorious BIG. We stared at each other a moment, then she looked away. My contempt wouldn’t let me turn my head way. Your reputation is growing, becoming almost mystical. Come work for me I shook my head. My throat tightened. After what the Dutch boys said they had been paid to do, I felt like I was betraying her. She’d get over it. Everyone betrayed in this business. At Liverpool we dropped that conversation, left the train, and found our way to the tube. As we breathed polluted air, the train rocked and pitched, One commuter stumbled. Others held on. There was enough noise to keep our conversation away from other ears. I rubbed my hands together, touched Arizona’s leg, said, I’m close to a Million dollars Your point? This girl I met at this pool hall in North Hollywood, back when she was half-naked and hustling, trying to feed her mother, hustling to take care of her sister, I had a thing for her, and I was bold enough to ask her to be mine. She told me if I had a million dollars she would be mine I bet that young girl was broke and needy, probably had low self-esteem Or would’ve done what it took to take care of her mother I bet her mother is dead now. Bet her mother died with a needle in her arm I heard she took care of her little sister too That’s what a big sister does when her mother is in the gutter smoking crack. Somebody has to grow up. Somebody has to become the adult. Somebody has to sacrifice Arizona turned away. People boarded the train and our conversation died You have more work for me? I do, and I need your help on the Amsterdam problem. And all of this madness and drama is connected to the same FEMA problem? Need you to take the contract without question. Want that part of my life over. Without question Yes. Without question It sounds more personal than business Sometimes there is no difference like I said, get me the package It’s forthcoming, give me a day or two Problem? She hesitated, No problem at all Guy from the plane. Let’s assume you’re being followed. How you want to handle it? Need to make a few calls. See what I can find out about a contract man His nose is broken A contract man with a broken nose We rode, the tube rocking the crowd ever so gently. Next to us a group of professional Chinese women were talking; all of them had cockney accents. Black people were talking in French across from us. I’d been in America too long. Some things I’d never get used to A couple got on, carrying an infant. Arizona looked at them, almost smiled. I moved over and sat next to Arizona You ever think about having babies? This isn’t…I’m not living the have-a-baby lifestyle You ever think about getting out of the business and being a full time wrestler? Too late. I’m too caught up in the world I’m living in now. This is who I am. I nodded I want children. Love. I want the things that make a woman feel beautiful If the time was ever right, down the road, would you want that beautiful like with me? She sighed. My words aged her a hundred years, put stress lines in her forehead I care about you Carmine You say that like it’s a bad thing I want to not have these feelings for you or any man what are you afraid of? I will not let you come into my world and dismantle it I told you I loved you. You rejected me. You’re the one doing the dismantling. I will not allow you to break me into pieces. And it hurts me to say this… Say it Anong gusto mo sa buhay ko? In English You know we can’t be together Tell me why Not like regular people. We’re not regular people. We’re damaged. Carmine, you and I have that in common. We are both damaged, beyond repair She was a con artist. I killed people for titles The woman you met on the plane, what do you know about her? Why? Not trying to get personal. Trying to protect you. You’re thinking with your dick and I’m trying to make sure your dick doesn’t get you killed, the same way leaving the dick in charge has buried so many other men. With that said, what the fuck do you know about the woman? I took a hard breath and exhaled Nothing Was she with the man with the broken nose? Not at all. She sat next to me the whole flight Same flight Yeah Eight hours after you met her Yeah And you fucked her Yeah, I fucked her. You want the details? You have to be careful I am careful When it come to this business, soft legs and pussy is a great disguise I am careful Bullshit. Sleeping with strangers will have you waking with enemies Which are you? Her lips turned down. Unbelievable. You are Unbelievable It was my turn to look frustrated, my turn to age on hundred years. I thought about how Bucky had offered me a ton of money to put Arizona to bed. For a moment, I imagined her gone, dead by my hand, the longing I owned dead as well. How do you meet a bitch on the plane, end up fucking her as soon as you get here? How do you fuck me, then say we didn’t? How do you vanish for months at a time? I threw my hands up. Don’t get mad at me for doing my own thing while you do yours Lets not…Let’s remain professional Fuck being professional. Let’s be personal She leaned forward, looked in my eyes, remained calm Sure lets I’ve worked hard, bent over backward because I wanted to be with you Who asked you to? Who asked me to? That’s what I said I tell you I have close to a million stacked up and you blow me off because I can’t be bought. I’m not a whore What? You asked me how much it would take for me to be with you, like I’m some sort of a whore. I’m not for sale. I’m not a goddamn whore. I’m not your mother. I’m not my sister. I don’t go running to the highest bidder. I’m not my own mother. I am none of those people. My laughter was gone. I gritted my teeth I’m not for sale You said a million dollars. Those were your words, not my price Of course. I said an amount that to me, at the time, years ago, was unreachable So in other words, you’ve always been unreachable to me Maybe it’s the other way around What are you talking about? Like a fool I came to you, came to surprise you, but you had that woman in your bed If you were in my bed, would you be there when I woke up the next morning? Would you decide it didn’t happen again, file it away with Chapel Hill and New York? She nodded This is my business and pleasure should not mix You don’t want me, so what difference does it make who I’m fucking? She reached into her bag, took out a package, tossed it, made it land next to me. Luwak coffee. The present I had given her in North Carolina. You’re giving that back too? Don’t bring me coffee, talk to me for hours, walk around holding my hand, make me start to feel things I haven’t felt in years, don’t be nice to me, do the things in bed…the things you do…don’t do all of that then take some whore to be with you and act like it’s no big fucking deal You run hot and cold, push me away, tell me whatever we did didn’t fucking happen- Why in the hell do you think I came to London? To see you. I could’ve handled this business with you over the phone. Same goes for the business in North Carolina and New York I tell you I have damn near a mill saved up and you - Does it look like I need anything from any man? I’m not that destitute girl you met years ago. I have hustled my way through my pains and heartaches. A million dollars? Before lone I’ll have that ten times over. Your problem is that you’re…you’re…a whore. Just like your mother I dared her to say that shit again Just like your mother. Puta Ka She growled Puta Ka. Putang ina mo Then there were long, hate-filled stares. The tube rocked. People around us. Nothing I could do. Arizona knew that. Arizona, your mother was a cock-sucking, strung out, broke-ass crackhead who fucked strangers and sucked unwashed dick to get high, and you’re disrespecting my like that? Son of a whore. That’s all you are. The son of a whore That’s why Scamz used to smack your ass silly. Smacked you and fucked your sister because you didn’t have what it took to keep a real man. And you still don’t have what it takes She put her hand in her bag like she was about to pull out a weapon. The female British voice announced we were approaching King’s Cross. The train stopped. People rushed off as others hurried on, raced for vacant seats. Others stood, jockeyed for space, got between us with their backpacks and luggage, separated jealousy and anger How do you suck the Jesus out of my dick at a movie, get your nut, and then leave like a goddamn whore? How do you do that? Learn that from your mother? Her mother? Do I suck dick better than your mother? That shut me down. Flames rose in my eyes Bitch I gritted my teeth, my voice a deep growl I’ll fuck your ass up Arizona said some things to me in Tagalog, and judging by her expression they were vile and horrible things. She struggled by people, exited the tube, rage pacing her stride. I left the Luwak Coffee on the seat, bumped around people, made it off the train just as the doors shut, more people separating us, chased her toward the way out sign, ran up the stairs after her like a damn square. She hurried away. Arizona knew I was there, heard me calling her name. Both of us were beyond upset I was losing control. Not cool, not cool at all. This was too damn volatile. Needed to turn around. But I chased her. I was dynamite chasing a woman made of nitroglycerin She headed toward the escalator, got on, and moved with the impatient people on the left side, kept up with the ones who walked and ran to the top. Her slender legs pumped as she moved by people standing to the right, as she held her coat and bag tight to her chest, worked her heels and sprinted by advertisements for both the yellow pages and the theater. Halfway up she slowed her pace and scowled back at me, her small mouth tight, her body rising up toward the surface. We traded scowls until, once again, she vanished. Grimacing, I went back to the tube, decided to let Arizona handle her own problems. I battled London’s cold and dreary weather. London was a scandalous woman and I knew her sex and music district well, took to the small alleys with the clubs, places that were scary from the outside and not much better inside. She was here I could smell her I’m surprised I didn’t sense she was here The stench of Chinese food and heinous memories had battered my senses. A boy in his late teens asked me if I was looking for girls, told me he had three upstairs. That there was no charge to look. I asked what his working women looked like. He described them, said all the girls were Russian. I shook my head, moved on. Another man handed me a business card and walked on. The advertiser was half-naked, a dark-skinned woman, her hair had dark roots, turned pink as it left her scalp, becoming fire red, wild hair that shot out like a fireworks show on the fourth of July. The card said she worked in Central London, on Edgware Road; her rates started at 80 Euros for an half an hour, for full and personal service she charged 140, outcalls started at 250 Euros for one and a half hours It wasn’t her I dropped that card and moved on I was close. If she was still here, this would be her postal code. Some places left their doors open, signs welcoming American money. Around 60 Euros for half an hour of sex. Girls were selling themselves all over Chinatown and at shepherd’s Market. I’d find her If she was here, I’d find her London was another hedonistic place, not the best, but far from being the worst, just had to know which rocks to turn over, which alleys to walk to rent pleasure I knew where to go. Outside of being Pleasure Alley, Soho had a strip of places for cultured businessmen to stop and buy hard-core porn before going home to the family. Soho was where the whores went to work undisturbed by the law No matter how long it took, I’d find her tonight The anger I’d received from Arizona, it would get used before I went to bed I needed my own vengeance, needed to blow off steam if I would ever keep a sain mind and my championship My rage was looking for a whore A whore I should’ve killed in Amsterdam…. - [ * * * ] – Time really does fly when you’re having fun doesn’t it, I mean just four months ago I was making an impact in a tournament which resulted in a second place finish. Now here I stand the NLCW Undisputed Champion. And just like four months ago I set to do battle against a future hall of famer, this time for the right to be called champion. Dom…Four months ago, you and I battled to the very end. In fact I owe everything to you Dom, you pushed me at the sultan, you pretty much put me on the map, made people take notice. And I owe you for this. And I know it’s been a long, hard road to get to this very moment, but Dom are you finally ready to take the plunge? We all know you can go to heights that another may take you but Dom until you become the one take his opponent to places he has never gone you will never truly know ecstasy. You will never appreciate the taste of blood on your hands…you will never truly be great. Dom, you need to start to be willing to push the envelope. Plenty of people can shock the world and light it on fire…but Dom as soon as you learn to shock yourself and light yourself on fire…then…then you will be ready. Ready for your final chapter to be complete, but Dom can you take me to places that I have never been, can you push me to limits I have never reached? I simply don’t fuck around when it comes to this wrestling shit Dom, the story may be all about your final chapter, the return coming full swing, the quest finally reaching its end point, but what the story should be about is this young buck who stole the show. Who for the last part of two months has been carrying this promotion on his back. Dom you’re the legend but you haven’t done anything to save this place. Hell the only difference between yourself and other Hall of famers is your still here. I’ve been wrestling every week, never taking a break, doing everything I could to keep this promotion from folding under. While you’ve done nothing but cash in a championship opportunity. But Dom, would you have this opportunity if I didn’t put in the extra work? Would you have this shot at redemption if I followed people like Bucky, like your partner Isaac? If you ask me, you owe this final ride and everything extra to me. Welcome to the jungle, Dom. You got your chance. I don’t need a spotlight so I’ll turn it to you for a moment. You can relive all your past glory once more before it’s taken from you. You can relive your times with Chris Champion before I take it away from you. It’s just funny that when you don’t get what you want, you drop like flies. When someone else, named The Lion, is atop of the mountain, you all scramble out of the light like cockroaches. Why are you just know cashing in your championship shot? Why didn’t you take the shot at Bucky? Why? Why? Because it’s my name is in the bright lights and it kills you. The reason you’re in the main event this week isn’t because of your talent. It’s because, on the marquee it reads ‘CARMINE VESTIERI IN ACTION TONIGHT!!!!!!” People pay to see me, Dom. Do I need to go into this bit again? Do I need to remind you that I’m The Lion for a reason? You can’t doubt what I’ve done for NLCW today. You cannot question that I have brought the excitement and passion back into NLCW when others were ready to quit. If it was just you, you would bore people with your words., and your flashbacks memories You’re just boring. I’ve never seen you do anything spectacular. I’ve never seen you do anything that stands out. You follow the motions because you’re the last of a dying breed, the franchise if you would. Much like a franchise owner, you follow the standard. You get the standard things, you follow standard rules and you embrace the standard. You don’t branch out and do things differently. You don’t take chances because behind your mutton chops you’re afraid. Behind your bullshit you’re afraid. You are afraid of taking that risk. It’s why no one cares what you are now. You’ve been on the same shtick for years. Give it up, man. Just give it up. Don’t even show up at Eternity. If you do, you’re going to meet living, breathing violence. The result of are showdown Sunday, well be the complete opposite of what took place four months ago. Don’t take this as a jab at your accomplishments. You’ve done some very great things…In the past. I’m simply showing you what the current future looks like, it’s not my fault you’re not a part of it. Think of this as your referral to the principal’s office before I dismiss you from NLCW for good, thusly ending this final chapter once and for all. It will feel good to finally get rid of the thorns in my side. I’ve been waiting four months… Tell me you’ve heard this before because even if I did it’s a lot better than the shit you spew off. This final chapter has become the Never-ending Story. This is your final shot Dom, and there is nothing for you to grasp. What are you going to do Dom? You gonna tell me I am too cocky and that the gimmick is dumb? You gonna tell me that I am going to be knocked off the mountain soon? You gonna tell me about my past and all the things I did in the past? You gonna tell me I’m mediocre at best. That’s the best one, especially when I beat those guys in the ring. Then that makes them trash, but they already were. You gonna tell me that I got handed everything in NLCW? That’s another classic too. You gonna tell me I’m nothing compared to you? You gonna tell me at Eternity I’m (insert catchphrase or a clever quip on my catchphrase). You’ve said this some of these before, hell everyone I ever face who put any sort of effort has said one of those questions, so I expect it. So, keep that at your side when you’re sitting in front of the camera. Have a black backdrop instead of being in your living room, like myself. Sit there and shake while talking. Have some water to drink so you can clear your throat before you read off the paper. You’re a joke when you try and talk shit to me and you’re an even bigger joke in the ring. You’re not a threat anymore. You’re just Dominic Pericolo a man past his prime So Dom, we’ll see what you’re made of against the Last of a dying breed, against the Universal champion. We’ll see if you still have it or if you’re pretty much done. This could be your crowning moment or the end of your career. I don’t think you have what it takes to take me down. Few do. -- That’s a Wrap! -- |