She had caught the first flight she could back to Los Angeles, keeping in touch with her brother along the way. Her mother had a heart attack and by the time Erica made it to the hospital in the morning she has been treated and was recovering. As she walked down the hall to her mother’s room she saw her bother in the hallway. He was 16 and had taken on this event by himself, he ran to her hugging her when he saw her and immediately began to cry.
(Erica): It’s okay…it’s okay Juanito…I’m here.
She had gotten the full rundown from her brother with regular updates throughout the night as she was in route. The doctors believe the heart attack was brought on by a sudden and highly elevated level of stress or anxiety. They got some strong meds in her to relax her and she’d been comfortable since.
(Erica’s Brother): Go on in, she’s been waiting for you.
She walked into the room and her mom was looking out the window. There wasn’t much to see but part of the building and some bit of sky, but the weather was finally starting to turn nice in LA after a rainy weather.
(Erica): Mama?
Her mother turned her head and her mouth began to quiver seeing her daughter. She raised her arms and Erica rushed in for the hug, and her mother sobbed.
(Erica’s Mom): Chiquita, Ohhhh, mi Chiquita!
They pull apart and Erica takes her hand as she sits in the chair beside the bed and started brushing her mother’s bed head with her hand.
(Erica): Mama, I told you not to worry! It’s work Ma, this is our livelihood, I’m tired of us scrapping the bottom of the barrel…I’m finally making it. The house, it’s just the beginning.
(Erica’s Mom): Dis no de way Erica? Escuchame…esa chica era tu amiga.
Anger began to build inside and she stood up.
(Erica): Fuk her…she wasn’t my friend. Fuk all of them! I busted my ass to get that company where it is today. I worked for free, I trained like nobody else, you know this Ma. I was so stupid, so blind by their lies I didn’t want to admit it. Matt this, and Sean that, and Michelle, Michelle, Michelle, and Sarah and Sensei and every time Butch and Wisdom came out for one of their post show reaps in some rinky-dink hall or small arena those are the name I heard time and time again….followed by “And the rest of you for all your efforts!” I stood there like a fuking dummy and clapped and smiled with everybody else like I was part of the team, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t one of them. To them, I was just some wetback bitch they used as a stool to prop their favorites up.
(Erica’s Mom): Erica!
(Erica): No Ma, it’s true…you know it is. How many nights did you stay up late when I came home from 3 jobs, keeping a plate warm for me because you wanted to make sure I ate something and went to bed so I could get up 4 hours later and do it all again.
(Erica’s Mom): I know chu work hard, bery hard, but I’m tu madre, I’m supposed to look after you.
(Erica): No, not anymore. didn’t matter how hard I worked, I never got a single bit of credit. I was always!” They lie and tell people that they don’t know what my problem is because everyone was treated equal…it’s bullshit. Hard work didn’t get me anywhere and when I saw the opportunity to learn from someone in this business who had done it all, done everything and had their hand out for any of upstarts to take…I took it! It’s my time to look after you now, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to get to the top of this business and stay there.
(Erica’s Mom): Dis not de way Mija! Este demonio…
Her mother shakes her head…
(Erica’s Mom): This is not you.
(Erica): It is me Ma, it’s the new me and I don’t care. I won’t be set aside anymore. I won’t be overlooked, underutilized and disrespected. I won’t let them get away with treating me any way they want anymore. One, one t-shirt Ma…that’s all I got, and it looks like shit. Michelle’s three…Sean, I lost count….Stu-E two and his daughter’s got one in every fuking color…Matt just got a new one and he doesn’t even fuking wrestle anymore…this Wolfy motherfuker already has a collection with different dumbass animals and shit on them. It’s not right, it’s not fair and nobody wants to see it so I’ll make them see it.
Erica’s mother sits up a little in bed, her stress levels rising a little but nothing dangerous. She’s well medicated and the doctors don’t expect another cardiac episode right now at least.
(Erica’s Mom): Stop it! Stop it Mija! Sometimes, we no get everyting we want in dis life. We work hard and are grateful for de blessings God give us.
Erica’s eyes turn red and her head turns to look at her mother who yelps out loud covering her mouth and begins making the sign of the cross.
(DreamMaster): God’s blessings?
He laughs, it’s dark and demonic and scare the living shit out Erica’s mother.
(DreamMaster): Two dead sons, and a dead husband trying to progress under the cartel’s thumb while chasing delusions of wrestling grandeur. A daughter who sacrificed her body, her morals, for you all to survive. Are those your blessing?
He grins at her.
(DreamMaster): I almost destroyed her, but her pain…her suffering became too great. The rage inside her, you can smell like fresh baked goods in the air, it made me salivate. I plucked her from that pathetic existence of thankless compliance. You should be grateful to me.
Erica’s mom has pulled her body to the opposite side of the bed and is clutching onto the handrails in fright. Erica’s eyes return to normal.
(Erica’s Mom): Stop it!
(Erica): I don’t want to stop it, why should I? They haven’t! Hans came to your house and lied to you, he sat there and lied to you and flew you all the way to the show because he thought the shock of seeing you would silence me and he could keep his secrets. Then what did he do…he challenged me to a match. Go back Ma, go back and look at the look on your face when you realized he fooled you to. You thought you were coming to help me, but he used you like he used me. Sean, the spoiled fuking brat gets everything he wants, and everyone’s darling Michelle.
Erica holds up her cell phone.
(Erica): The whole world is talking about her right now, you should see the comments. Everyone’s praying for her, pitying her, what about me? No, nothing for Erica…”she’s just a worthless #####, that bitch doesn’t deserve anything.” Do you know when I go out now kids….little kids see me and start pointing and taking pictures calling me “Skinky Skank?” That Wolfy and his name calling…and people think its funny. Parents are laughing right with their kids, there’s no values being taught there. Jeremy got what he deserved because he tried to get in the way. Jesse and Kratos and all the rest of them they all have the same thing coming. We’re going to see to it.
Erica reaches for her mothers hand and she withdraws it, looking away from her. She can’t help but feel a little sting from the gesture and stands up straight.
(Erica): We’ll let you rest then.
He hand goes up to rub her mothers head but she puts it down, she turns and leaves. She walks outside and her brother is in the hall still on the phone. She pulls out her wallet and hands him some money.
(Erica): Here’s about $500, get something to eat, they’re letting her go home later right? Make sure she has everything she needs, get anything you need and call me if you need anything.
He gives her a hug and has pleading eyes.
(Erica’s Brother): Can’t you just come home? All the stuff people are saying, this is crazy. Maybe you can just do something else. I’ll get a job after school, I can help.
(Erica): No! We’re not breaking our backs and scrounging for scraps, those days are over. I’ve got this!
Erica turns and leaves and as she exits the hospital her phone pings. She looks and sees that she has a text message from “HWA Official.”
“Ms. Martinez, your mandatory presence is required in our main offices today at a time of your choosing prior to 7:00 p.m. Failure to appear will result in the immediate termination of your contract.”
She rolls her eyes in frustration!
(Erica): Fuk! What the fuk do they want?
Erica gets to her car, looks at the time and figures she might as well go now. It was only 8:00 a.m. and she had shit she wanted to do. She was hungry, wanted a fuking drink, maybe so dick, and definitely needed to reply to the chatter from fellow wrestlers and fans she’d seen online that she hadn’t had the time yet to address. Santa Monica and HQ was about 30 minutes away in this traffic. She started the car and headed down Westwood Blvd as the scene fades to black.
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