Chris
I opened the door and there she was.
It seemed unreal. Two months ago she had left my life, but she was back. I had done nothing to encourage her to do so, but she was on my porch.
I’d dreamed about this moment; try as I might to put it aside it had become as big an obsession to me as preparing for the match. Now it was a reality.
Except, it didn’t go quite how I dreamt it. She was not happy. Her expression was less distraught than when I last saw her, but she was far from positive.
“Okay,” Melanie began, voice calm but firm, “Now we talk about it.”
I let her inside, giving her all the space she needed. Moments later we were in the living room, the same place we’d sat when I explained about the connection between Soudouki and wrestling. Now I had a whole new explanation to make: why I had entered into a relationship with a girl when I was infatuated with her sister.
“I want you to understand,” I started to tell her, “That the mistakes I make aren’t always intentional. That’s, er, not to say I ever willingly decide ‘hey, today I’m going to make a mistake’, but rather that I don’t always do stupid things because, er...”
“Get to the point,” she cut me off bluntly.
“Right, right sorry,” I scratched my head, nerves flaring up. I’d practiced this a million times in my head but actually delivering it to her in person was fouling up my delivery something fierce, “This was not something I did on a conscious level. I never intended to hurt Soudouki – I’m not the sort of person to willingly hurt anybody I care about – and I honestly never thought at the time that my attraction to her was related to Teresa. I mean, it’s not that unheard of to go after somebody that – subconsciously at least - reminds you of an old crush, right?”
She didn’t answer, forcing me to continue.
“I became aware of it eventually, though. I think I had painted a portrait of Soudouki in my mind that was reminiscent of her sister, and it didn’t help that when we first started dating she was really nice. I know that’s hard to believe, but she acted like a kind, caring person back then. Over time, however, the Soudouki I was spending my life with didn’t match that portrait. As that started to happen, I realised that I was holding her up to a standard that was set by Teresa. That’s when I knew I was in this relationship for all the wrong reasons.”
“So why weren’t you honest with her?” Melanie finally asked, “Why drag it out longer when you knew it was a sham?”
“I still felt responsible for her. There was still a connection between us after all, and it’s not like I wasn’t attracted to her as a person too. She lived and breathed pro wrestling just like her sister, there was no mistaking that, and I found that incredibly appealing. I didn’t want to give it up,” I paused for a moment, “I convinced myself that if I put the effort in, it would be worth it one day.”
“To be really honest, though?” I followed up, “It was mostly because I was a coward. Too scared to cut her out of my life, and too scared to be alone.”
“I see,” Melanie commented, “Is that all?”
I shook my head, “Of course not. There’s so much to it, and I regret it like crazy. That had to be why she ended up like... well, you remember. She was a cringeworthy, spoiled brat before we dated, but I don’t think she was ever like that.”
Melanie nodded, and held her shoulder instinctively. Understandable that she’d remember it too; Soudouki seemed downright twisted on that day in Dan’s gym. She had yanked Melanie’s arm back with pleasure and the sound of her voice was utterly chilling. There was something lurking in that mind of hers, and it must have first arrived there as a result of my actions.
“I can’t ever make up for what I did, even if I didn’t mean for it to happen. I can’t ever explain it away or justify it. I just have to live with it and hope those affected will forgive me.”
“Like me?” Melanie asked softly. My mind slowed to a halt. Hold on, what?
“Like you?” I mimicked, “I don’t understand.”
“Why do you think I left that day, Chris?” she asked, staring right at me now, “When Soudouki told me about that, everything changed. I was certain that you were just an innocent moron, but it turned out you were just as bad as her.”
“Now hold on just a second,” I started defensively, taking exception to that accusation, but Melanie cut me off before I could follow up.
“I wanted to believe she was just lying, but that look on your face proved every single word to be true,” she continued, anger slowly building in her voice, “You weren’t the sweet, simple Chris I thought you were. You were just like every other stupid man I’ve had to deal with; letting your desires control your life.”
“On top of that,” she went on, leaving me only to stare at her, “it was why you couldn’t commit to me; why we couldn’t have us. That was the real reason, wasn’t it? Not because of Soudouki. Not because of wrestling. Because of your unrequited lust for Teresa. That’s been consuming you even to this day.”
With those words, the overwhelming barrage that she was hitting me with suddenly felt manageable, like a cold shower finally warming up. I put both hands up in a calming gesture and stepped up to the plate.
“Mel, that’s as far from the truth as you can get.”
She glared at me and folded her arms, as if expecting a damn good reason.
“I got over Teresa years ago. We spoke just before I came back to Torquay in 2008.”
Her eyebrows shot up like fireworks, “Wait, really?”
I nodded. “That’s why I never made mention of her when I explained the Soudouki situation back then. True, she was a key factor towards the downfall of mine and Sou’s relationship, but she never affected how I felt about you.”
“Oh...” was the best Melanie could come out with. I was expecting a sharp comeback, but she seemed legitimately derailed by this.
“What... did you and Teresa speak about?” she probed after a moment of silence.
“Primarily, I explained why Sou and I didn’t work out. I had to smooth things over with her because she was my friend and I wanted to make sure there were no problems between us, even if Soudouki was the one to break it off.”
“I also decided to tell her how I felt. That I loved her and it was that which ruined the relationship. It had been driving me nuts that I’d kept it from her for so long; as you know we were really close friends long before that.”
It was true. Teresa Kobayashi was more than just a friend. A fellow professional wrestler and my tag team partner in the CWA days, she was there for me when I was suffering from that incredible pace and pressure that one felt when in that company. The bond we developed seemed unbreakable... but I never told how her I felt. Then when she and the man known as Derek Verona became intertwined, I was never able to get close to her again. Melanie already knew this story, though. The matter at hand was the result of that old confession.
“What did she say?” Melanie asked, and she seemed almost reluctant to know the answer.
“That she already knew that, and she felt the same way a long time ago. She also said that with our lives the way they were now it could never work between us.”
“Yikes, what was your response?”
“I agreed with her. Any attempt would have died in the water. She was an old friend, just like you, but too many things happened. Times changed; we changed. I just wanted her to know. Through telling her, I felt at peace with it, strange though it may sound.”
“Ah...” commented Melanie and she was obviously not comfortable with all this discussion of an old flame, despite needing to hear it.
“It’s important that you know this, Melanie,” I added, “It was never just some sexual thing. I didn’t have some creepy Asian girl fetish that led me to go for her and her sister. Teresa was important to me as a person - I’d never met anybody quite like her - and because I didn’t originally come clean about my feelings to her it messed me up. If I had done that before it was too late, I wouldn’t have hurt Soudouki.”
“And she wouldn’t have hurt you,” Melanie piped in. I tilted my head, confused by the sudden shift.
“She’s guilty too, though far more than you ever were,” she went on, just feeding my confusion further, “Regardless of what you did by accident, she willingly put you through pain because she’s a selfish little brat.”
“I’m sorry,” I had to jump in, “When did we start hating on Soudouki again? Did I miss a subject change somewhere?”
I’m taken by surprise by one of Melanie’s amazing smiles, and I feel knocked for six as a result of it.
“I guess I was wrong, Chris,” she admitted, and ruffled my hair, “You really are just a harmless idiot.”
“Back it up one moment,” I did my best to regain some understanding of the situation, “I’m almost certain that you thought I was just another stupid man.”
“Jeez, Reto,” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes, “Have a little faith in your explanations, would you? You’ve sold me, alright? I’m stubborn but I’m not that bad. Truth be told, I never wanted to believe any of those things anyway. I was doubting them myself: why do you think I came back to give you another chance anyway?”
I sighed a deep sigh, deeper than I’ve managed in months, “Well I’m glad you did. This has been killing me; I’ve been waiting for ages to see your face again.”
She patted me on the shoulder, “Quit your bitching. Look, I...” she had trouble saying the next part, “I’m sorry I left you, okay? It was an impulsive thing, and I was gone for much longer than I should’ve been. I really ought to have been grown-up about it and let you explain earlier. I felt like I needed to do this, though. And in the end, it really did me some good.”
“Yeah, I imagine being away from me would do that,” I actually manage to joke, and she shoves me with mock aggression.
“Besides, if I, er,” she sheepishly stutters, “If I’m honest, I’ve made similar mistakes in the past. A little reflection early on would’ve helped, I know.”
“It’s fine, we’re past that now,” I waved it off, before saying, “I’m sorry too. I never wanted to disappoint you like I did. I just hope you understand now; I may be a failure at life, but I’m really trying to fix the damage I’ve caused.”
“I’ve got to say, I don’t know how fixable Soudouki really is,” Melanie said, her expression grim, “Though I wouldn’t place all of the blame for that on you. She let herself turn into the monster we both saw.”
“Oh, by the way,” she quickly added, “A belated thanks for contacting Gloria Kortial on my behalf. The last month has been quite something.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, sitting up straight, “How did you two get along?”
“She helped me more than I ever could have foreseen,” Melanie replied, and a cheeky grin began to form upon saying so. She shuffled in her seat, repressed excitement seeming to bubble to the surface.
“I’ve got a story to tell you about that,” she beamed, “And I think you’re really going to like it.”
------
Melanie
It was late February. Gloria offered me a temporary room in Kortial Manor, and since I wanted to continue staying away from home and because this place was simply gorgeous, I couldn’t accept any faster than I did.
She had been training me for a while, mostly in the early evenings after she had to handle maintenance and business with the various companies chummy with the Kortial family, and before she retired to conduct her online peep shows. I find it remarkable how by day she was this refined, classy lady and at night I could hear her moaning for the benefit of her webcam. When I asked her about it, she simply smiled and said “I love to entertain.” I’d call her a strange one, but that already goes without saying.
Anyway, she’d already taught me plenty about submission wrestling in my time here. It was one thing I was still very sloppy with and wanted to iron the kinks out of. She had cleared out an old box room, put down some mats, and for three hours a day she’d demonstrate her submission talents. She knew all sorts of incredible holds, ones that even Dan Kildel didn’t seem aware of, and he was in the business for a lot longer.
While this was a very educational time for me, it was also an extremely humbling one. I remembered on my first day here how I absolutely refused to give in to her holds, and that had impressed her enough to offer me this training to begin with. After running through some holds in our first official session she had me spar with her just like before.
However, even though I was prepared and motivated, she took off the kid gloves this time; and here I thought she was being serious before. Soon enough she had me in a heel hook so painful that I wanted to cry, and I had to tap out. It was humiliating, but she assured me that it was okay and that I would soon learn not only how to withstand that pain, but to prevent holds like that from even being applied.
She was true to her word as I steadily became better and better. It wasn’t a time without suffering though, and the embarrassing tap outs kept happening. The worst was when she demonstrated two particular holds in a row, expecting me to find a way out of them. The first was the Kobayashi Armbar, and though I had to grit my teeth so hard it felt like they were going to splinter, I remembered Chris showing me that technique over and over so I was able to slip out before my arm went numb from the pain. I understood why she chose that hold – it was naturally one that Soudouki used – and the next one I had to survive.
Pro wrestling called it a lot of things; the Scorpion deathlock, the Sharpshooter... whatever it was, it was an especially painful move. It involved crossing the victim’s leg around one of your own and pulling backwards while they were prone on their stomach. Soudouki had made a name for herself on the indies by breaking the wills of even the toughest female competitors with her version of it: the Vanity Mirror.
Gloria applied it to me and I felt my lower back explode with agony. I tried so hard to ignore the pain, to focus on reversing this torturous hold somehow, but I was too weak. For all the suffering I went through to learn capoeira and wrestling, nothing matched up to that move. I had to submit again, much to Gloria’s disappointment.
She told me I had to become tougher or I wouldn’t stand a chance against Soudouki. She also made sure that I understood that since Soudouki specialised in it, her application of the Vanity Mirror would be even more unbearable. When a wrestler picks a hold as a finishing move, they become scarily proficient with it. I knew that from being a fan, but it was a whole new kettle of fish when faced with the prospect of feeling it.
That very night, I became obsessed. I needed to counter that move; I needed to overcome it. While Gloria was busy doing her show, I had found my way downstairs to the library. There was a very specific book I sought out, that Gloria had recommended to me: The World of Submission Holds. Now was the time to study, and study hard.
A spiral staircase led me further down to my destination. As I descended into the bottom of this Manor, it felt as though I was leaving the civilised world behind me. There was a claustrophobic feeling as the light steadily diminished, and by the time I reached the bottom I became very aware of how unsettling my surroundings were. Still, even amidst the drips and squeaks that came from god-knows-where, I ventured on until I finally located the library. Talk about out of the way. I guess the Kortials didn’t need to read that often.
The door creaked open, and I walked face-first into a monstrous cobweb. Coughing and panicking like a complete spaz until I was sure it was gone, I searched for a light switch to prevent any further accidents, and flipped it on as soon as I did. Much to my relief, there was indeed electricity running even down here. The walls around me were filled with books, all slotted into the massive old units installed centuries before. I felt overwhelmed.
After a long search, I finally located the dusty old tome. I placed it down onto a table that still had many opened, dog-eared books laid out atop it. I quickly skimmed through and found the section on the Vanity Mirror’s predecessor: the Scorpion Hold. I spent a long time reading all I could about that hold, but focused on how to escape it. I read and re-read the entry many times over. I had to be absolutely prepared.
I don’t know how much time passed until I felt satisfied, but when I did I went to pick up the book and place it back; but before I could I clumsily dropped it directly onto my toe. I swore loudly and heard my voice echo back in this cavernous place. When the pain had subsided, I reached down and noticed the book had fallen on a certain page.
It depicted a chokehold that caught my eye. I had never seen anything of its kind before. Its judo name was Kagato-Jime, but the main title was what they called it in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Gogoplata.
I was absolutely captivated by it. Perhaps it was my leg-oriented capoeira stylings that made it seem like such a good idea, but whatever it was that drew me to it, I just knew I had to try it.
I placed the book back on the table and became lost in its text and diagrams.
------
It worked. My god did it ever work. They said it was impossible; Gloria Kortial was a masochist as well as a sadist, so making her submit was an unobtainable goal.
I proved them wrong just a few nights later.
We were sparring as per usual, and I let myself fall onto my back, careful to protect myself. I lured Gloria in and she mounted me, possibly for another Kobayashi Armbar. As she reached forward, I caught her arm and used my legs to tangle her up. Before I knew it, I had applied the hold I had mentally practiced in my head many, many times. I wrapped my arms across her neck and pulled her head right into my foot, effectively choking her.
Her sky blue eyes widened in panic and I heard her groan in pain. I’m sure this was a kind of asphyxiation that didn’t appeal to her.
Apparently so, because she slapped her hand against my leg quite frantically in submission. I let her go, and she spent the next minute gasping and coughing.
When she’d regulated her breathing, she congratulated me on being the first person to do that. She also commended my extra-curricular work.
So impressed was she that she called Karen Winshetta, who just happened to still be in town. When the business suit-clad blonde arrived, Gloria had quite the revelation for me. I knew Karen was in marketing, but I didn’t know who she worked for.
It turned out that her client was the LWJ, an independent group specialising in women’s wrestling; the very same company that Soudouki Kobayashi was contracted to.
Gloria instructed Karen to use her connections to arrange a particular bout. Miss Winshetta smiled broadly and said she was happy to do so.
I was stunned when half an hour later, Karen happily informed me of my professional debut. It was finally happening.
I couldn’t believe it.
------
Soudouki
I couldn’t believe it.
It was nothing unusual for the headless chickens of LWJ management to make stupid calls. They did this sort of thing all the time, and needed my wisdom to knock them back to reality and make things right.
This time was just unforgivable. What possessed these snivelling buffoons to even conceive of this moronic venture? What kind of hallucinogenic substance must they have been abusing to come to such an insane decision? Had they truly lost it? Had they let the pressures of running an independent wrestling company drive them utterly bonkers?
It seemed so when I was woken up from my mid-afternoon nap by their message. I’m fine with taking on all challengers. I will quite gleefully wrestle any good-for-nothing wannabe and destroy their credibility for all to see. This... this, however...
...was quite intriguing. I don’t know how she managed to convince them. I don’t know what kind of friends she has. I do know this, though:
I will delight in breaking her.
Soudouki Kobayashi versus Melanie Riggs, eh? It’s ludicrous, alright. And it’s so very perfect.
Face me, Mel. It will end as well as the last time you tried to lock horns with me. Try all you want, but you will not - cannot - possibly succeed.
I’ll see you soon, old friend.
Subject: Filling In The Gaps (Part One) 
Sat Mar 19, 2011 2:38 pm
Must read part two! 
