(Sarah): Damn him! I wish he never came back. I wish none of them had come back. We were doing fine without any of them, what gives them the right? Veterans my ass!
For the moment she knew she needed to push all that to the side and focus on her match at Havoc with Alexis. She didn’t quite fully trust her yet, but she was almost there. Alexis came in all piss and vinegar, but seems to have pumped the brakes long enough to take a decent look around. She had a good match with Michelle at Havoc and if the sportsmanship she showed then was genuine, she thought things would work fine. Alexis had walked in on their little group chat and she invited her in as a guest, extending the olive branch just one more time, she’ll just have to see how Havoc is going to be where she really tests her motivations. She had slowed the pace of her run, starting to cool down until over the next 5 minutes she had come to a full stop, sweat dripping down her neck. She grabs a towel and wipes her face, then grabs a bottle of water and takes a long sip. She’s about to sit on a nearby bench when someone approaches her. He’s wearing a guest badge with the word “Press” on it in big bold lettering above his name which she didn’t really read.
(Reporter): Excuse me, Sarah Callahan, right?
Sarah nods, a quizzical look on her face.
(Reporter): Jarrell Harris with Sports Illustrated Kids. Mrs. Parker invited us here as a follow-up to our Women’s Day spread in March, you see HWA was just rebooting at the time and we had already gone to print. We’re doing a continuing piece on women in high-profile sports and would love to ask you a few questions.
Sarah relaxes, letting her inner defenses down as she shake his hand.
(Sarah): What kind of questions do you have?
(Reporter Harris): Nothing heavy, this is a kids version of the magazine. The idea is to stimulate young readers so really just getting an idea of your path to wrestling, obstacles and how you overcame them…you know…inspirational stuff.
(Sarah): I can handle that, fire away then.
(Reporter Harris): Alright, that great! Lets jump right in. I’ve got some general bio details that we’ll fill in later, Los Angeles native, your mother is a LAPD officer. Did you attend college?
(Sarah): Yes, UCLA.
(Reporter Harris): Great, and you’re still active in Brazilian Jui Jitsu?
(Sarah): I am.
He continues to scribble notes on a pad.
(Reporter Harris): Okay, that’s great! I think that covers it. So tell us about what got you into Jui Jitsu.
(Sarah): Long story short, I had an abusive father. He never touched me but he’d beat on my mom. He was this macho guy that didn’t want her to follow her dream of joining the police force for a lot of reasons, mainly because she would make more money than him, and it was a higher profile job that he made as a realtor. The 2008 recession had just hit and it was a pretty bad time in the industry, the commissions were few and far between. Anyway, he let his frustrations out on her. We got out of that mess, my mom continued on to the LAPD and she signed me up for classes because she wanted me to be able to defend myself against anyone, especially a man.
(Reporter Harris): Wow, that’s really remarkable, she must be a strong woman.
(Sarah): She is!
(Reporter Harris): So you took classes, obviously you enjoyed it enough and I understand you had aspirations for the Olympics.
(Sarah): I did, even though its not a recognized sport by the commission, there was hope that it would be. That ship sailed and here I am. Eve Torres Gracie was my coach, really my mentor and friend and knowing that the Olympic things as unlikely she thought I might enjoy professional wrestling.
(Reporter Harris): Do you enjoy it?
(Sarah): I did…well, I mean I do? It’s not the same these days as it has been.
(Reporter Harris): Can you elaborate on that?
(Sarah): Its just that we’ve made a big comeback to mainstream, and a lot of former superstars have returned. It’s two different worlds trying to occupy the same space. A lot of them have an old-school HWA mentality and us newer generation, Matt, Sean, Michelle, Jeremy, hell even Alexis…we don’t.
(Reporter Harris): Do you find that more difficult to navigate being a woman?
(Sarah): Not for me, no! It does make me think about how much wrestling has changed for women over the years. Back in the day, we women were almost a gimmick. Then the 90’s came along and if you weren’t blonde and beautiful nobody wanted to talk to you. Today women are just as prominent as the men, and it doesn’t matter what you look like, what color your skin is, the only thing that matters is the skills you have and what you bring to the table.
(Reporter Harris): What do you think about when you look out into the arena and see thousands of kids?
(Sarah): I think about being my best, showing girls of color that they can be tough and beautiful. They can be successful if they put their minds to it. I think about the example I’m setting and hope it’s a good one.
(Reporter Harris): If you had advice for these young kids who see you superstars on tv and want to be like you, maybe even wrestle themselves one day…what would you tell them?
(Sarah): First and foremost, finish school, and develop a skill in something you enjoy. Some dreams don’t come true, that’s just life and you need something to fall back on, or you’re just going to fall on your ass instead.
Sarah gestures realizing she said “ass” for a kids magazine.
(Reporter Harris): It’s alright, that’s what editing is for. I think that’s good for us anyway. Thank you so much for taking the time.
(Sarah): My pleasure.
(Reporter Harris): We’re going to try and get Ms. Rose and Ms. Learner as well in here, we’ve got some other notable names for the spread as well, its going to be a nice piece. We’ll let you know when we go to print.
(Sarah): Sounds great, thank you.
They stand and shake hands and he heads off maybe looking for one of the other ladies. The interview gave her something to think about regarding Havoc and she headed over to the studio to cut a promo for the website. This new equipment was miles ahead of their old stuff, it was so easy to use. Before, they spent more time setting up the camera than speaking and would sometimes forget what they were going to say by the time they did.
(Sarah): So its you and me at Havoc Alexis. I’ll admit, when you came in a few weeks ago, you rubbed me the wrong way, but now I realize something. You never took the time to get to know me, or Michelle, and I didn’t take the time to get to know you. You strutting out there during Michelle and I’s match irritated the hell out of me girl, but I understand why you did it now. You’re not from here, you have experience from other places and maybe that’s what you were taught, its certainly what we’ve seen in wrestling over the years, but it just isn’t how we do things here.
You and me, I’m thinking we have a lot in common. You speak your mind, you don’t seem to take any shit, and you’re not afraid to throw down in that ring. At Havoc we’re going to get to know more about one another. I’m going to see just how tough you are and you’re going to see the same. When we come out of this thing, I hope we’ve earned each other’s respect, because like I was telling the guys…I’m not looking to have eyes all around my head. So if we don’t…anybody wants to come for me, meet me face to face. I’d be happy to have you on my side, but I’m not afraid to have you staring across at me…you can ask Maniac about that. At Havoc, you and me, we’re going to light this women’s division on fire. See you in Omaha!
She pauses for a moment, a more serious look on her face.
(Sarah): Maniac, you’re a piece of shit. You should be in jail right now, and believe me had we been in Los Angeles for Havoc, you would be. Half the police in this city know me, and you damn sure wouldn’t be walking around like it was just another sunny day. Let me tell you something you freakin’ clown, I’m not afraid you. You found that out at Havoc, it wasn’t instinct that or stupidity that flung your ass to the ground…it was determination. You’re bigger and stronger sure, but I’m not a chickenshit that needs a bus to run someone down.
You were the first returning superstar to open your trap, and nothing but trash has come out since. You never wanted to mentor help is? Help us what, we’ve been doing fine. Nothing you said was genuine, because if you meant it, you wouldn’t have been so upset when we all declined your little offer. Instead, you go grab the interview girl Mandy and the camera man to put under your thumb. When she wises up and realizes you’re just using her, she’ll be out the door too if she has any goddamn sense. That stupid face paint may have been intimidating back in the day, but Matt showed us at Havoc….wash all that away with a little toilet water and you’re just an ugly little bastard underneath, and when he gets his hands on you again…you’re going to realize that you never had anything to teach us, because you’re the one that had been taught a lesson.
Sarah, turns her head to the bandage on the side, pointing to it, and the scar on her cheek.
(Sarah): And this? You got me, you knocked me down…but I’m up again, and for my friends…I’d gladly do it all over again. Bye!
She presses a button to finish things off. It was short and sweet and now published. Sarah exits the studio and goes to the locker room. She see’s her phone and a message from Michelle.
“Call me when you get a second, I need to ask you something. It’s about Sean.”
Sarah smiles. She had got the 411 from Michelle her “date” with Jeremy. They girl was nervous she didn’t drink water most of the day because she was afraid she was going to “tinkle” on herself. She’d call her back in the car on her way home. For now she was taking the elevator to the garage below and about to grab something to eat. She was a seafood fiend and being in Santa Monica, there was no shortage of places to go eat. She wanted one of the shellfish platers from Water Grill, but didn’t want folks seeing her put it away by herself. She’d grab a salad and some Halibut and call it a day. She makes it to her car, and starts making her way out of the garage as the scene fades to black.
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