A
sparkling sea and a wall of sound greeted me as I ran down the entry aisle to
the center ring
The crowd was taking pictures incessantly and incoherently chanting god knows what
I hoped that the fear didn’t show on my face
A face that I almost hadn’t recognized after the makeup artist had had her five minutes with me
A little foundation
A touch of rouge here and there
And the reddest lipstick I’d seen since…..
Well, since Harvey had gotten up out of the chair just before I had sat down
I’d actually laughed when I’d seen him
With his heavy wrinkled features suddenly smoothed and feminized
To which he’d quipped
“Just wait till she’s done with you, there Tinkerbell!”
Now
As I jogged down to the ring
My black nun’s habit flowing out behind me
I doubted everything
I couldn’t hardly remember my own name
My only anchor to reality seemed to be the red painted band of steel around my wedding ring finger
I clenched my fist to feel it’s warm hard reassurance
That I was still me
That this was really real
That I was about to step into a cage with The Nun
Who happened to be named Harvey
My Ked’s skidded slightly as I got near the ring
Slipping in someone’s spilled drink or vomit
I didn’t look down to see which it was
The stagehands had securely fastened three sides of the cage to the ring assembly already
Leaving the one side open until both of the nuns were inside
Harvey was waiting inside
Bouncing lightly off the ring ropes
Whirling around and playing the crowd
Pointing at me and drawing his hand across his throat
The crowd was going wild for him
This short fat man in a full black nun’s habit
Transformed into The Nun for the crowd
Seemingly a different person than the one that had been sparring with me for the past half hour
I must have looked stupid to the crowd
For Harvey came over and sat on the second rope just as he had backstage
Offering me his hand as a help up
“Hurry up kid
They want action!”
The announcer off to the side gave commentary to all the goings on
“And in a show of sportsmanship
The Nun is offering a hand up to the Junior Sister!
What a gal for getting this match going!”
After I was safe in the ring
The workers quickly fastened the remaining cage wall to the ring
Fully enclosing us on four sides with eight foot tall chain link fencing
The announcer blathered on about this and that
Mostly lies
The crowd was on it’s feet for us as Harvey and I approached each other in center ring
“Just like we went through before
I’ll help you go where you need to be
And remember to have fun”
Harvey reminded me
With just a glint of menace in his eyes
A promise?
A threat?
I’d soon find out
As I had a secret I’d not told him
In my youth I had been Runner Up to State Champ in Heavyweight Wrestling
I planned on making The Nun earn any victory against the Junior Sister tonight
If I could
I was going to take that thousand dollars home with me
Staring Harvey The Nun in the eyes
I kissed my ring
The bell rang
Fight on!
The crowd was taking pictures incessantly and incoherently chanting god knows what
I hoped that the fear didn’t show on my face
A face that I almost hadn’t recognized after the makeup artist had had her five minutes with me
A little foundation
A touch of rouge here and there
And the reddest lipstick I’d seen since…..
Well, since Harvey had gotten up out of the chair just before I had sat down
I’d actually laughed when I’d seen him
With his heavy wrinkled features suddenly smoothed and feminized
To which he’d quipped
“Just wait till she’s done with you, there Tinkerbell!”
Now
As I jogged down to the ring
My black nun’s habit flowing out behind me
I doubted everything
I couldn’t hardly remember my own name
My only anchor to reality seemed to be the red painted band of steel around my wedding ring finger
I clenched my fist to feel it’s warm hard reassurance
That I was still me
That this was really real
That I was about to step into a cage with The Nun
Who happened to be named Harvey
My Ked’s skidded slightly as I got near the ring
Slipping in someone’s spilled drink or vomit
I didn’t look down to see which it was
The stagehands had securely fastened three sides of the cage to the ring assembly already
Leaving the one side open until both of the nuns were inside
Harvey was waiting inside
Bouncing lightly off the ring ropes
Whirling around and playing the crowd
Pointing at me and drawing his hand across his throat
The crowd was going wild for him
This short fat man in a full black nun’s habit
Transformed into The Nun for the crowd
Seemingly a different person than the one that had been sparring with me for the past half hour
I must have looked stupid to the crowd
For Harvey came over and sat on the second rope just as he had backstage
Offering me his hand as a help up
“Hurry up kid
They want action!”
The announcer off to the side gave commentary to all the goings on
“And in a show of sportsmanship
The Nun is offering a hand up to the Junior Sister!
What a gal for getting this match going!”
After I was safe in the ring
The workers quickly fastened the remaining cage wall to the ring
Fully enclosing us on four sides with eight foot tall chain link fencing
The announcer blathered on about this and that
Mostly lies
The crowd was on it’s feet for us as Harvey and I approached each other in center ring
“Just like we went through before
I’ll help you go where you need to be
And remember to have fun”
Harvey reminded me
With just a glint of menace in his eyes
A promise?
A threat?
I’d soon find out
As I had a secret I’d not told him
In my youth I had been Runner Up to State Champ in Heavyweight Wrestling
I planned on making The Nun earn any victory against the Junior Sister tonight
If I could
I was going to take that thousand dollars home with me
Staring Harvey The Nun in the eyes
I kissed my ring
The bell rang
Fight on!
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