Honolulu, HawaiiThere is a reason why Hawaii is considered a tropical paradise in the United States. Generally speaking, when October comes to a close and November arrives, it means the coming of the winter season. While it is still technically autumn, leaves change color and fall to the ground below, and warm temperatures become chilly. Bright blue skies are more often than not gray and overcast, with cold rains and soon - snow - falling from the heavens above. But here in Hawaii…? While November does indeed herald the winter season’s approach in the ‘Islands of Aloha,’ the temperatures remain comfortable year round in the averages of 79°F to 83°F and at night, it drops to around 68°F to 72°F. Even as the year comes to a chilling close in 49 of the other states, it remains comfortable enough in Hawaii to enjoy the islands’s black sand beaches, lush rain forests and those glorious waves.
And here we are, on Thanksgiving morning just outside of the Mahoe residence, a sprawling estate where Tempest and her brothers were raised by their parents. The house was two levels and had a rustic, somewhat old fashioned appeal to it. It was far enough away from the road that ran past that they were comfortably separated from traffic and the nearby neighbors so that their privacy could be maintained. The drive was filled with cars as family had come from each of the islands that had been spread about over the years, but it was one car, a rental in particular, that was to be the main focal point of this tale to tell.
Inside of the deep blue SUV was none other than the woman known to wrestling fans as Tempest, but to her family as Alleyne Mahoe-Kahale. The engine had remained shut off for many long moments as Tempest knew the little passenger to her right was nervous and needed time - and she was prepared to give her as much as she wanted or needed. The nine year old Anela Kahale sat frozen in the passenger seat, her eyes staring straight ahead at all of the cars lined up in the drive.
Tempest: Are you okay?
The little girl swallowed hard, trying to hide it from her step-mother’s attention but it did not go entirely unnoticed. Trying to put on a brave face as she felt her dad would have wanted, the little girl nodded.
Anela: There’s a lot of people here.
To which Tempest smiled and nodded, looking out at all of the cars.
Tempest: Mm. Family came in from all over Hawaii for today. My aunt - your grandaunt - was going to host but then the family changed plans and agreed to have Thanksgiving hosted here.
Anela: Why?
Tempest turned back to look at her little one once again.
Tempest: For you, sweetpea.
Anela looked up at the woman who had married her daddy and she looked to as a mom until that fateful day when her grandma tore her from her custody, an act which unbeknownst to any of them at the time had been highly illegal. The little girl was quite obviously confused and Tempest closed her eyes with a soft smile that seemed almost alien in nature to those that knew her in the sport of wrestling.
Tempest: It’s been a long time since any of them got to see you. My Mom and Dad - your Grandma and Grandpa - were so excited that you got to come home to me, they started demanding straight away for us to visit. And, well dare I say your uncles…
Tempest chuckled.
Tempest: They told me quite specifically that if I didn’t bring you for Thanksgiving so that they could see you again, they’d have flown to Nevada and gotten you themselves.
This time, Anela’s smile matched Tempest's own, to think and feel - to know - that she again had family. Family that cared about her and wanted to be with her. Of course when her Daddy and Tempest had first married, she had met them and until Malulani’s untimely passing, they spent quite a bit of time together. But that was years ago, and now she was almost ten years of age and about to be reunited with this family plus many more members she had never met.
Tempest: Are you ready? I’ll be right there.
Again, Anela nodded albeit silently and she reached for her seat belt to unbuckle and exit the vehicle.
Would things still be the same? Would they like her still?
From the very moment the front door was opened, the delighted cry of Tempest’s mother, Nalani, hands over her mouth and eyes wet with tears as she rushed to greet her granddaughter - well, it was answer enough…
To answer the questions of the curious, yes indeed. Thanksgiving is celebrated as much in Hawaii as anywhere else in the other states. With one key difference; rather than the traditional turkey, Thanksgiving was celebrated much like any luau. The large table in the Mahoe residence had been filled to the point of breaking, the legs of the table threatening to burst from the hefty weight of the feast upon its surface; Kalua pork, Hawaiian poi, chicken long rice, Huli Huli chicken, Laulau, Molokai sweet potatoes, Pipikaula, Poke, Shoyu chicken, sweet breads, Kulolo, Haupia, and so very much more. But it was now the late afternoon, and most of the food had been eaten. Now the house had fallen to a comfortable silence as many of the children were outside playing and the adults inside, talking amongst one another until it came time to draw this visit and the holiday behind it to a close.
However one child had simply had too much to eat and after a long trip, she had all but passed out on the sofa in the living room, her head draped on the lap of one of Tempest’s brothers - her uncle while he and others in the family watched a game on the television. And this loving and endearing would remain forever in Tempest’s memories as she sat at the kitchen counter with a Blue Hawaii drink in her hand, her eyes never leaving the sight she didn’t believe she would ever get to see.
Nalani: I don’t think I’ve seen you smile so much in such a long time.
Her mother broke the comfortable silence, taking a seat beside her daughter with a cup of coffee in her own hand. Tempest’s attention shifted back and forth between Anela and her mother until the truth came forth.
Tempest: I didn’t think I’d ever have a reason to smile like this again.
Nohea: Are you bringing her back for Christmas?
Tempest’s youngest brother had approached, taking time away from watching the game with the rest of the men and a few of the ladies, so that he could visit with his sister and converse a bit about his niece. He leaned against the counter from the opposite side, prompting Tempest and her mother to turn around on their stools so they could speak more easily so as not to be overheard.
Tempest: I’d love to but I have to admit it’s doubtful.
Nalani: Why not? It would be so wonderful! Her first Christmas with the family.
Tempest: I’m aware, Momma, but the flight was rough on her and I don’t want to put her through that again so soon after we go back to Vegas. I was actually hoping for maybe something of a compromise?
Nalani: Such as…?
Tempest: Such as you coming to Las Vegas to spend Christmas with us there.
Nohea: I’m not sure all of us would be able to get enough time from work to be able to make the trip.
Nalani: And that is such a long trip..
Causing Tempest to frown and shrug her shoulders, holding a hand out.
Tempest: You’re asking me and a nine year old child to make the same trip. And might I point out I have a guy I work with that flies his family in from Iceland every Christmas. Now if they can travel all that way…
Tempest leaned back in her seat, satisfied that she just scored the winning point of this little debate. Nohea and his mother shared a knowing look, to which their mother said…
Nalani: We’ll… think about it. I’ll have to talk to your father.
Nohea: You know what the obvious solution to this whole flying back and forth is, don’t you?
Tempest: If you say move back to Hawaii full-time then I am going to body slam you in the leftover poi!
Nalani: Why? Now that you have your daughter back, there’s no reason for you to be so far away from your family.
And Gabriel’s words from their private chat many moons ago returned to tingle her ears, where he had told her that she had family in Las Vegas as well.
Tempest: Momma, I’m not rich. I can’t just fly back and forth between Hawaii and wherever SCW needs me at any given time.
Nohea: Again, the obvious answer is that you don’t ‘have’ to keep wrestling. Your bonds business is a lot more secure than wrestling.
Tempest: It’s also a potential detriment for when I go through with the adoption process compared to wrestling.
Nalani frowned: What do you mean?
Tempest: Momma, if I returned to working at my bonds business, it could cause CPS to look at me as unfit.
Nohea: Bullshi-
Tempest: It is not! It’s a fact! Bonds … bounty hunting… both are highly dangerous and in the eyes of the CPS, too dangerous. They could easily declare my home as an unsafe environment for Anela and that is not a risk I am willing to take! Not now… not yet!
Nohea stood up straight and Nalani sighed.
Nalani: I suppose I can understand that. I do not like it one bit … but I understand it.
Tempest nodded with satisfaction at her mother’s understanding, and then she noted her baby brother had that mischievous glint in his eyes and that annoying smirk on his face he wore ever since he was a little boy. He turned to their mother with that impish grin.
Nohea: Speaking of Christmas, you know what I’d pay to see?
Nalani: Hm?
Nohea nodded his head in the direction of his older sister with a snort of laughter.
Nohea: This one Christmas shopping for Anela.
Nalani turned to Tempest with a smile of her own, causing Tempest to roll her eyes with a haughty exhale,
Tempest: I’ve handled dangerous criminals. I think I can handle a little thing like Christmas shopping!
You’d think so, wouldn’t you?
Las Vegas, Nevada -
Black FridayTempest: What the hell is WRONG with you people!?
Tempest was in the midst of the chaos of what was commonly known as Black Friday shopping at Target! And if you’d listen to her with any trust, she was going to make her baby brother pay dearly for misleading her! He had thoroughly convinced his sister that the tall tales of Black Friday were just that - and grossly exaggerated. She was currently in a massive mob of maddened holiday shoppers that spoke of anything BUT!
And all she was even here for was one particular thing that Anela had her heart set on for Santa to bring her on the most magical of mornings; a Pets Alive Smitten Kitten plush toy. Even when asked “what else” the girl wanted, this was all she asked for so Tempest was determined to get one, no matter what it took.
And luckily – or perhaps not - there was one left on the shelf in the toy department. The problem was that another woman saw it as well. A woman with that typical upswept blonde hairdo that just screamed “Karen” and the sort who even at this hour and indoors, was wearing shades over her eyes as if it was a chic look to be celebrated and admired. The moment their eyes locked and shifted to the toy, both women bolted from opposite ends of the aisle! And Tempest’s height and reach played the advantage as she reached the toy first and scooped it up in her hands successfully! But the Karen was not going down so easily as for people like her, she deserved to get what she wanted for simply no other reason than she desired it – and she desired that toy for her child back home! Karen actually grabbed at the plush toy and tried to dislodge it from Tempest’s grasp, resulting in a tug of war - one that Karen was GROSSLY outclassed in!
Tempest: Bitch! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?
Karen: Let go of that toy! I saw it first!
Tempest: I grabbed it first now let GO!
Karen: Give! Me! That! TOY!!!
Tempest pulled HARD, resulting in the Karen losing her grip and being flung around and into a display of toys, knocking them over but the antagonistic shopper maintaining her balance!
Karen: You BITCH! I’ll get the manager if I have to now give me that!
And that was when the Karen did the unthinkable and SLAPPED Tempest in a woefully mistaken attempt at asserting all her Karen authority! Tempest slowly turned her head back around to glare at the woman….
A loud, piercing shriek of terror is heard clear across the department store as “Karen” goes sailing THROUGH the air and she crash lands into a mob of frenzied shoppers, sending them scattering! Following that, a calm, cool and collected Tempest walks out of the aisle, carrying the desired toy toward the checkout…
“I am not so proud as to refuse to admit when I’m wrong about something or more in particular - someone. I’ve said this plenty of times but I’ve noticed that a lot of people that have taken this business into their hearts have a tendency to only pay attention to what the A-Listers have to say or what they do and to hell with what anyone else has to say or to offer. It’s almost as if time and again, some of us have to fight even harder to remind the fans and the powers that be, what exactly it is that we’re capable of accomplishing when we’re given the opportunity.”
“Case in point; me. I admit that I’m something of a harder case to speak for, given my level of activity inside of the ring - or the lack thereof. I admit I don't get the chance to compete as often as I might want to due to commitments that I have outside of the ring, and for that I truly have nobody to blame but myself. Certain walks of life, even at my age I am relatively new and inexperienced at juggling one with the other. How some of these men and women are capable of merging their personal and professional lives - one with the other - without causing one a detriment at the expense of the other. I admit that I have no idea, but it is admittedly a lesson I want desperately to learn because quite frankly? I am getting a little tired of simply sitting on the sidelines in catering, waiting for the bosses to tell me that they need me inside of the ring! The last time I went through this was at the very start of my wrestling career and look at what happened then. Some of the most beloved Barbie dolls in the Bombshell locker room were made to suffer the price of my neglect and really! Does Ward and Underwood really want to have a bunch of innocent women go through all of that again? Because it is coming this close to reaching that critical point! Or rather, it was.”
“You see, a few weeks ago I was going to get the chance of a lifetime in challenging my own GO Gym girl, Ariana Angelos, for the Internet Championship were it not for little Miss Courtney Pierce. Now after she cost me one of my first chances at a singles title, I thought I was going to have to have a word with the girl in private, but luckily for her, the bosses stepped in and offered me something of a consolation prize. A shot at the Roulette Championship, and the woman who has been a pretty damn impressive champion in her time as the champion. Alexandra Calaway. And see, Alexandra brings me back to my original point of being able to admit when I’m wrong about someone because if I’m going to be honest? When I first laid eyes on her in the locker room, I was not impressed. I mean, she looked like any of the other women who walk around with their boobs hanging out to draw attention away from the boys and the fans, but that right there was where my mistake in judgment was. And I am going to say this directly to Alexandra so girlfriend, I hope to god you’re watching so listen up!”
“When you first came to SCW, all I heard about you was how you were such a badass and all I could manage to do was roll my eyes and think, ‘Yeah, right!’ You didn’t look like anything special to me, like anything different than any other woman who walked through those doors. We heard you talk big about how you could go toe to toe with any woman in any extreme form but the first time you really got the chance to prove it – against Luna as I recall – well let’s just say that you left us wanting. That’s about the nicest way that I could phrase it. Then you got involved in the mixed tag team division with that boy Miles and all I could think was ‘dear god, she’s going to drag that boy right down to her level!’. You got your wins here and there but then again, so did Bea Barnhart so I wasn’t really seeing anything that really stood out about you.”
“Until you set your sights on the Roulette Championship that you currently hold for at least a couple more days at most. Until you stopped limiting yourself and decided to truly show these people what you were capable of doing with the chains shattered and the real Alexandra Calaway turned loose on the world!”
“I was mistaken.”
“Since you did the world a favor and beat the ass of Jessie Salco, you’ve been pretty much unstoppable with a scattered loss here or there. That was just over three months ago and you’ve beaten some of the baddest bitches on the roster, and a few Barbie dolls to match, to keep that belt around your waist and that is why I am so looking forward to this opportunity. That is why I admitted that I was wrong about you and I am DYING to fight you for that title, no matter what scatterbrained stipulation that wheel falls on! When I heard you tell people your age, I thought you were lying through your teeth because you look younger than most of the girls around here! You look younger than me, and to think we are roughly the same age but you still have so much more experience as a wrestler than I do brings things into perspective. I was wrong about you, Alexandra – but in two days I am going to prove myself right about someone else.”
“Me.”
“I’ve already held a championship title here in SCW - one with my closest friend at my side. Austin James Mercer. A championship I hope to hold again soon with that very same man at my side. But this is my first real chance at proving I can accomplish the same with nobody to depend on but my own person.”
“I have nothing but respect for the asses that you’ve kicked since becoming the champion, but respect will only carry you so far, and it does nothing to guarantee your own safety. I’ll even buy you a round afterwards so no hard feelings - but that title is coming home with me. And that is something that I am not mistaken about!”
