There is a common and misguided notion that just because you share the same blood as another, that the fact alone marks you as ‘family’. And because of that, you are obligated toward them. It does not matter whether that person is estranged from you or that they wronged you in any way. You had it drilled into you that “family is everything” and you must let bygones be bygones. If they wronged you by stealing from you or insulted or betrayed you, then it is simply in the past and - if anything - YOU should apologize to THEM in order to keep the peace. As the person who wronged you is always somehow the victim.
If you are one of those who have been taught the above? Shake your head like an Etch-A-Sketch until all of that nonsense is erased. And once you’re in the clear, take into account the words uttered by Hector Xtravaganza;
“Blood does not family make. Those are relatives. Family are those with whom you share your good, bad, and ugly, and still love one another in the end. Those are the ones you select.”
5416 Peninsula Dr SE,
Olympia, WA
If there was one thing that the state of Washington was well known for, and before you say anything, I am not referencing it being the birthplace of Starbucks, it is the fair weather they experience almost the year around. While much of the country is seemingly baking in triple digits under the hot sun with little to no room for relief outside of either the miracles of AC or simply biding your time and waiting for those glorious Autumn months, in Washington the weather was in cooler temperatures with skies that were overcast. In the summer months, the temperatures rarely rose above the 79° range.
A much welcome relief compared to the searing temperatures of Las Vegas which had been currently nearing 110° as the sleek, jet black Ford Mustang weaved its way around the familiar territory of Lake St. Claire, its top down so the wind could whip through the hair and across the exposed, tanned flesh of both men within.
“You know if we were in Vegas doing this down the Strip,” Miles said as he drove behind the wheel, sneaking a glance at his fiance who was leaning back in the passenger seat, eyes closed and arms stretched behind his head. The epitome of relaxation. “The top would be up and the AC would be cranked up to ‘freezing me arse off’.”
“One of the many added benefits aside from visiting family in Washington.” Carter withdrew his arms and sat up straight as the Mustang [proceeded down the asphalt path that led to the grand house that he had inherited from his deceased father, and in only a matter of weeks, would be the location of his and Miles’s impending nuptials. And until then, it also served as where Carter’s mother and Grams, and Miles’s own Mom Mora were staying until the wedding. Carter had finally yielded complete control over everything regarding the wedding ceremony and gave his favorite ladies the green light to be in charge of the decor. This simple act thrilled all three women as Carter had been a self-proclaimed control freak from day one and all three women had wanted to help in any way possible. This one compromise meant the world to all three women who would soon become family by marriage through their boys.
“You know,” Carter spoke idly. “Even after these months processing, I still have no ideas what I’m going to do with this house. I refuse to sell it.”
Miles shrugged in thought as he pulled up behind the cars that were jointly his mother’s as well as Joan and Joanna’s shared one. He said, “Well what we’re doing could be an idea. Use it as a wedding site? Or maybe a vacation rental?”
“Maybe.” Carter said. “I’m just not sure how I feel about strangers staying here when I haven’t even bothered to stay the night.”
Once the car had slowed to a crawl and ultimately, a stop, both men climbed out and headed inside. And once they had set foot across the threshold, they looked around for any changes the women might have made for the upcoming wedding but found few, which was altogether surprising considering the ceremony was only weeks away and last they had heard, the three were well into the planning stages.
“Mom?” Carter called out, still looking around. “Grams?”
And soon enough, his call was answered as Joan, affectionately coined by Carter and now Miles as “Grams” hurried around the corner. She said, “You’re early!”
“Not by much.” Miles said as he turned at the waist the jet a thumb at the foyer and spoke, “I thought you were going to…”
“If it’s about the decorations, hush.” Grams all but commanded. “Most of the interior decor are floral arrangements and what goes with it and that comes the morning of the set up. We have a few things to bring in before then but we’ve been more focused on the dining and outside.”
Grams proceeded to weave herself behind both young men and with a hand on each of their backs, she gently prodded them forward and along a very deliberate path. Carter raised a brow, “Outside?”
“Well you did say to your mother and me that you would like an outdoor ceremony.” Grams stated matter-of-factly.
“No, I know but what if the weather doesn’t agree with our plans?” Carter asked with obvious concern and Grams waved away his worries and stated simply, “Then Mother Nature will just have to deal with your Mother.”
As they were led through the house, Carter and Miles were impressed to see that indeed the three ladies had been kept busy as they had transformed the dining room and surrounding rooms into where the reception would be taking place; with all furnishings having been moved temporarily and replaced by elegant dining tables and chairs, covered in lavender, lace tablecloths. The settings were already in place, complete with textured plates and utensils, wine and water glasses and each setting had a name card already in place.
“Wow…” Miles half muttered and that was high praise enough for Grams as she cast her soon-to-be grandson-in-law a fond look from over her shoulder.
Grams then pointed out, “Miles dear, your mother has wonderful taste and I dare say has been a tremendous help. I don’t know how she got orchids and violets for the wedding but somehow she pulled it off.”
“She’s a miracle worker when it comes to her kids.” Miles stated the obvious, considering neither flower - both which were Carter’s favorites - were in season and his Mom wasn’t even a U.S. citizen.
Carter asked, “Did the caterer get back to you?”
“Oh yes “ She answered. “Everything is finalized and scheduled my darling. Don't you have a worried thought in your head.”
“Oh Miles!” Mora’s voice came from out of nowhere and Miles’s own mum appeared and wrapped her son in a fierce, motherly embrace. “I am so glad to see you!”
“I am too.” Miles responded, reluctant to let go of the hug that only a son and mother would understand. “We meant to come here more often but the SCW scheduling has been kicking our butts!”
“Not to mention an impending hospital stay?” Carter's Mom, Joanna, said as more of a statement than it was a question. Miles stared between all three women like a deer in headlights and Mora spoke up, “Yes dear, we saw what you did in that match against that Vaughn boy.”
Miles had the good grace to look sheepish and scratched at a blind spot in the back of his head while Carter just mused, “Busted!”
It was then as Miles sought to mollify his Mom and Grams that Joanna slipped in and took Carter by the arm and whispered, “We need to talk.” Before escorting him into the kitchen. Joanna walked to the fridge while Carter leaned against the island counter and watched as she removed a pitcher of freshly brewed sun tea, a favorite of herself and Grams. She turned to Carter and held the pitcher up in a silent offer to which he nodded.
“Please.” He stated. “Now what’s going on?”
Only after pouring two small glasses of the tea did Joanna return the pitcher to the fridge and turn to her son, answering with a resigned sigh, “I tried to phone you before your flight but couldn’t get through to warn you. Your Grandmother called.”
“My Grandmother is standing right there in the other room.” Carter answered back. “Laying classic Grandma Guilt on my fiance.”
“You know who I mean, Carter.” Joanna said. “Your ‘other’ Grandmother.” To which Carter’s face immediately fell from the euphoria he had been feeling since his arrival and was quickly clouded over by emotional bleakness.
“She’s on her way over.” Joanna finished, and Carter rolled his eyes and exclaimed, “Mom…wh-why!?”
“I don’t know, Carter.” Joanna shrugged her shoulders. “I can only think it has to do with the will and your father’s belongings.”
“Unbelievable!” Carter sighed with a shake of his head, taking a drink from the glass in hand as if it would cool off the roaring fires he felt within. “It’s been two months and she still wants more…”
Joanna interrupted, “Carter, this is the first time she called me to speak since the arbitration happened in March.” And this particular revelation caught her son unaware as he slowly withdrew the glass from his lips and blinked.
“She hasn’t come to you about Dad’s things yet?” He asked, to which Joanna shook her head. Carter’s face, a mask of frozen perplexing, simply asked, “...Why?”
“I have no idea.” Joanna answered with all honesty. “Considering how she and her sons were acting up until then, I expected her to contact me the same day. Only, she didn’t.”
“Wow.” Carter came unfroze to drain his glass and he set it down on the counter, but felt his mom’s judgmental eyes fall on both him as well as the glass. He immediately felt like a child again and picked it up and carried it over to the kitchen sink and rinsed it out. Setting it upside down to dry, he turned around to his Mom and asked, “When is she getting here?”
And as fate would have it, the doorbell rang and Carter just looked off in the distance before staring a hole in his Mom. “Seriously?”
“I did say I tried to call and warn you.” Joanna answered back, and the two stared at one another until Joanna prodded him. “Well?”
“Well, what?” Carter frowned and she replied, “Dear, this is your house now. Answer the door.”
Carter huffed and left the kitchen, followed closely by his Mom. They walked past the others and Carter quickly caught Miles’s eye and ever the protector, Miles followed while the three ladies waited behind.
“What’s going on?” Miles asked as they arrived at the front door. “Babe?” But Carter just gave Miles an exasperated look before he opened the door and there stood Fiona Macguire, Carter’s other Grandmother. Conspicuous by their absence, were Carter’s uncles and her ever-present sons, Conor and Liam.”
“Carter…” Fiona had started to say, but Carter just interrupted her as if she hadn’t said a word, “Fiona.” And if Miles had not been paying such close attention to the brewing situation, he would have sworn he saw a stricken look in the old woman’s eyes when his fiance referred to her by her given name and not Grandma.
Carter stepped aside in a silent invitation, his only words being, “Mom is inside.”
“Thank you.” Fiona said as she set foot inside, Miles noting a surprised look on Carter’s face at being greeted with a politeness rather than the open scorn the two seemingly flung at one another each chance they crossed paths.
As Carter led the way to the house’s interior, Fiona broke the uncomfortable silence, stating, “You look well.”
“Please!” Carter exclaimed as they headed further inside. “Can we spare one another these senseless platitudes and just get this business done and over with so we can finish planning our wedding?”
“Wedding?” Fiona asked. “Who’s…”
“Miles and I!” Carter spun around to confront her as they arrived in the living room where Joan, Joanna and Mora waited. “Disappointed? Disgusted…?”
“Carter…” Miles interrupted his tirade, knowing full well that if he allowed Carter to build up too much a head of steam, there’d be nothing left of Fiona by the time this business was concluded.
Fiona looked around and most present were surprised by the smile on her face and she nodded, “It does look lovely. I’m sure it’ll be a wonderful ceremony…”
“You’re not angling for an invitation, are you?” Carter scoffed, the bitterness he felt inside remaining deep. He followed up by saying, “Because I’d sooner invite Donald Trump than…”
“Carter, that's enough.” Joanna stepped forward to put a stop to this. Carter yielded, albeit with much reluctance, as Joanna turned to her former mother-in-law and observed, “Where are your sons?”
“Yeah, don’t you usually bring them to do your dirty work?” Carter started to fire back but one look shot from his mom quickly silenced him. Fiona just nodded and said, “I came alone. Liam and Conor don’t know that I’m here.”
It was only poor Mora who seemed completely out of place and if truthful, surprised at Carter’s behavior as to date, he had acted anything but this way when around her.
“We can talk here.” Joanna said as she took a seat on the sofa, and a silent invitation prompted Fiona to do the same in a chair opposite her.
“Come dear.” Grams said as she escorted Mora outside, saying, “I’ll explain later…” And behind them, Carter started to take a seat beside his mother until Joanna surprised him by saying, “Alone, Carter.”
“What?”
“I need to speak with Fiona. Alone.” She stressed.
“Mom…” Carter argued. “It’s my house…”
“Carter…” Miles placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. Carter looked up at him sand Miles jerked a head toward the kitchen. “C’mon…” Carters frowned but found himself allowing Miles to bring him to his feet and walk him toward the kitchen. Only once the room was cleared did Joanna turn to Fiona with a hard stare and she asked, “What’s this about?”
The elderly woman looked so fragile, clutching her beaded purse in her lap and the simple fact was; she was not that good of an actress. Fiona waited seemingly endlessly before she looked up to Joanna with watery eyes, and she asked, “Could you tell me about my son’s last days?”
“Miles…” Carter pulled his arm free and turned on the spot to confront his fiance. “Why did you take me out of there!? I wanted…”
“To be there for your mom and find out what’s going on.” Miles nodded, finishing his thoughts for him. “I know. But I had to get you away before you said something you might regret.”
“Regret?” Carter wrinkled his brow. “You think I could regret anything I’d say to that harpy?”
Miles sighed and asked, “Love, would you consider me a good judge of character?”
Carter blinked and answered, “You asked me to marry you so…”
“Be that as it may…” Miles jested to which Carter’s mouth fell open and he exclaimed, “You ass!”
Miles just paused and smiled, but walked around the counter to stand before his man. He placed his hands on Carter’s slim shoulders and said, “I was looking into your other grandmother's eyes while she was talking to you. And do you know what I saw?”
Carter responded dryly, “Eyes that would scare Medusa?”
But Miles simply said, “Regret.” The one word was met by a stony silence as Carter stared at Miles in complete disbelief. He shook his head and asked, “Are you actually standing there, defending my grandmother? After everything she and my Dad’s brothers did? After what she wanted to have done to me!?”
“No, babe… of course not…” Miles tried to explain but Carter was not hearing it. True emotional pain caused by family ran deep as Carter exclaimed, “Because I can't just see her as some lonely old woman looking back on the mistakes of her life and wanting to make amends!”
This was when Miles was at his most sympathetic, and daring as his strong hands rubbed Carter’s shoulders as he responded, “At the obvious risks of repercussion for what I'm about to say, why not?” Carter frowned and Miles reiterated, “Because babe? That's exactly what happened with your dad.”
Carter’s lovely blue eyes seemed frozen as he stared straight into Miles’s own and he stepped back, thus removing himself from his fiance’s comforting grasp. Carter just silently shook his head and turned around, leaving the kitchen and Miles behind him. Miles closed his eyes and sighed, “...hit…”
And Carter stepped through the pantry and was about to push the swinging door to walk back into the living room when he was stopped by what he overheard. The voice familiar, but the words alien.
“I was foolish to let family pride and prejudices ruin my family. I acknowledge that I wasn’t strong enough to break the mold my own mother had set for me. Her and our church’s expectations. My son gave up on me a very long time ago. Before the two of you ever got engaged, I suspect. Not that I blame him. But everything that I've done lately... To both him as well as what I tried to have done to Carter, brought me to one conclusion that I wish I had never been forced to learn.”
Joanna’s voice was heard asking, “And that is?”
“Parents... Should never outlive their children.”
Carter could do little more than close his eyes.
The view was from high above the six-sided ring in the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs. From way up here, one could see the stands and rows of floor seating where thousands of fans would soon be crowded within and cheering on the Superstars and Bombshells of Sin City Wrestling. And drawing back only slightly, it would come to be revealed that Carter McKinney aka Helluva Bottom Carter, was perched up on the very top of a twelve foot tall ladder.
He surveyed everything around him as he quietly observed…
“When you’re in the heat of the moment, you just don’t have the chance to take a pause and reflect on everything and everyone that’s out there. Especially when you’re trying to both climb a ladder like the one that I’m on right now, while keeping both eyes in the back of your head so someone doesn’t either drag you off or throws the ladder over and takes you with it! At best you’ll hit the ropes and bounce back into the reign, your bell rung but none the worse for wear. At worst, you’ll hit the ropes and just keep going! Needless to say, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of ladder matches. Too much risk and potential for injury, but the fact is, I've been through worse. And at the very least? This time, this match isn't for an SCW championship. Those I believe should be decided in straight up matches. No gimmicks. But this one? This one is different, and I can't help but approve.”
“You see, we have our good King Guy to thank for this because he's put us in a situation that has never happened in all the years SCW has held the Golden Briefcase matches. This time, it's not a championship on the line but the Golden Briefcase itself! I think under most circumstances, it's never happened before because the winners of those briefcases never gave the powers that be the opportunity to force them to defend it! The briefcase winners have always taken almost immediate advantage of their prize and cashed in soon after, most of the time becoming a champion in the process!”Carter shook his head with a subdued expression of disappointment.
“Not so much this time around, and I have to admit, I'm disappointed. It's been years since there has been a Golden Briefcase winner. The last time I can remember one being held was down in SCU before I ever even signed! But I had hoped that it would be a sign of things to come when we crowned two new winners this past year and….”He shrugged.
“It was anything but. Neither winner, not Georgie Robertson or Rodrigo Afonso, did anything to showcase what they had won. Of course they both had a full year, but when did you ever actually hear either winner say anything? Bring up a championship or Champion that was in their sights? Anything at all! The only time Georgie did was when she laid out the three women's singles champions and made her threat clear. And Rodrigo? He hasn't even done that. When he conducts a rare interview, you wouldn't even know he was the holder of the men's Golden Briefcase!”
“That backed alone has had some of our peers openly accusing Rodrigo of being unworthy of being the holder of the Golden Briefcase. It might even be why good King Guy booked this match in the first place and became the first to make a winner defend the Briefcase. Maybe somewhere in that Looney Tune mind of his, he doesn't think Rodrigo deserves to be the holder of the Briefcase.”Carter points towards himself.
“I am not one of those people. I am not one of those who is going around bellyaching that Rodrigo does not deserve to be where he is right now. Reason being, if he didn't deserve to be the holder of the Briefcase, then he never would have won it in the first place! I am saying it now, and I want everyone else in this match to hear me! Rodrigo holds it because he earned it! The only bad thing I might have to say about the man himself is the fact that he did nothing to follow up with it. And yes, that's on him. That's why he's been put in this spot against five other men to defend his Briefcase! To defend his opportunity at possibly once again becoming a champion! Rodrigo? I have nothing against you. You won some, and you've lost some. But the situation you're in right now? You have only yourself to blame.”
“I may sound bitter in this observation but I honestly don't understand why King Guy put Peter Vaughn in this match. The whole point of the golden briefcase is to allow somebody to challenge a champion at their discretion. But Peter Vaughn is already a champion, now isn't he? Granted, he's a bit of a tainted champion…”Carter paused in thought, his bottom lip jetted out and he shrugged.
“Okay let's be honest, he's a fraud. The only reason he won the championship he currently has right now is because he had to cheat in order to put Miles's shoulders on the mat for the three count! And the rematch between them? Anyone out there saw he only won because of pure, dumb luck. He practically passed out on top of miles! Now granted I know what that's for well like, but under different circumstances! My point is, he has a championship and the Golden Briefcase is for people who do not! And that only leads me to believe that man is just standing backstage practically salivating at the chance of grabbing that briefcase and using it to cash into bigger and better things.”
“Well Peter? I remember how you managed to steal the Internet Championship from Miles. I remember how you used chloroform to knock my ass out so you could get the win over me in that tag team match! Anything it takes to win, right? Well I hope you understand that it works both ways, champ! Because this isn't the type of match you can just freely bend the rules with when they're really are no rules to bend! And come hell or high water, I am going to do every damn thing I can't make sure you're not the one holding that Briefcase at the end!”
“And when it comes to Enigma, it's almost like visiting an old friend, isn't it? Because I can remember him and I having our little go around inside the ring a few months back. He came into that match practically salivating at what he was going to do to me, all but ignoring what I had already accomplished in the past. Ignoring the fact that I was the last man to pin the shoulders of Michael Harris, then the World Heavyweight champion, to the mat! I was a grand slam champion in SCU! I beat some pretty impressive names there and here, some of them being former world champions and Hall of Fame inductees!”Carter held his arms out in amazement, his face and obvious replica of what he was feeling inside.
“And yet you thought you were just going to run over me like a Zamboni over the ice at a hockey game! And yet it didn't quite turn out the way that you expected, now did it? You came in all ‘Grr!’ and ‘Snarl!’ and snapping at me like some psychotic, bloodthirsty dog! And by the time our mattress over, it was my arm that was being raised and you were walking to the back with your tail tucked between your legs! That's where we are now, Enigma. Only now the world is starting to see you as you truly are while that mask slips. You're not the mystery you want us to believe that you are. And you are not going to walk away with that briefcase!”A smile surprisingly crossed over Carter's face as he prepared to talk about the next opponent.
“I suppose I have a bit of an apology to make where Artie is concerned.”Carter chuckled but quickly composed himself.
“I honest to God don't know where it came from, and I don't know why I chose to do it. Especially to you, Artie. But it apologies are to be made for the Donut Puncher, then by all means please allow me to make them! I am sorry, and I do promise I won't use that move in this match… against you at least. And I know I've tried to help you get ready for the ring when you were in Blast From the Past, but whatever help I offered is out the window buddy. I'm actually surprised that you're even still getting in the ring All things considered but you want to prove yourself, and for that I can actually relate. Respect! You don't want help?”Carter shook his head.
“But here's the good news. You're not going to get it. This is a match where it's every man for himself, and if I have to knock you off the ladder to make sure that I'm the one grabbing that briefcase at the end of the night? Well I guess I'm going to have to have more apologies to make to Bobbie and yourself because this is the big wind that I've been looking for.”
“No I suppose you noticed that I have left one name off of this list so far, but it's not because I forgot about him. It's because it's only polite that you save the best for last. And J2H is nothing if not the best. This is the guy that literally scratched and clawed his way from the bottom up, going from a jobber to the Stars that everyone thought was a joke, to being the very best that SCW had to offer!”
“There may have been a time where this guy was overlooked and belittled, but this is not the time. That was years ago, literally! And if anybody out there thinks that J2H was overlooked after shocking the world with that very first world title win, you know, the one that broke records when he held it for over a year? The longest rain ever! Well then, those armchair critics just haven't been paying very close attention.”
“J2H is the best at what he does for a reason. But strangely enough, this isn't his environment. This isn't an ordinary match where he excels against opponents bigger and more experienced than he is. This is a ladder match where anything can happen, and that puts him at just as much of a disadvantage as the rest of us are in.”Carter nodded eagerly.
“I'm excited for this opportunity to get inside of the Ring against you, J2H, and I hope you and I get a little one-on-one time before all hell breaks loose! You gave me mad props more than once which is almost unheard of, and I appreciate that more than you can imagine. But you've been there. You've been at the top.”He jetted a thumb at himself.
“I haven't. Not yet. And this is my opportunity to prove to you why, when you chose me as one of the Elite Eight, it was only a sign of things to come.”Carter stood up from the perch on the ladder, his eyes boring down into the camera.
“I'm looking forward to this gentleman. I can only hope that you are as well!”That being said, Carter jumped off from where he was standing on the ladder, and dropped out of sight.
