Road Trip
Part Two
By Melody
Michelle made her way out the building when she was stopped by Shane. “Hey,
what the hell was that?”
“Look, I’m sorry. I got a little pissed off.”
“Sorry? Don’t be sorry! My dad want’s you in tomorrows show. Maybe an
explanation? Work on it with the writers. They loved you out there!”
Michelle gave Shane an I-don’t-believe-this look and continued outside. Only
problem was, she was in a new state, had no car, not much money, and no where to go.
She sat on the curb out by the parking area in disbelief.
Someone came up behind her and then sat next to her. It was X-Pac. “So what’s
going on?”
“You already know what’s going on. You and the rest of the phony’s in there that
didn’t have the balls to tell me. Including Brian.”
“Tell you what?”
“About Brian’s wife?”
X-Pac shook his head. “We figured you knew.”
“You actually take me as that kind of person? That I would still be with him
knowing he has a wife? God I can’t believe you.”
“Hold on sister, you got some misinformation. Let me guess, Mr. Ass
himself?”
Michelle looked at him with tears in her eyes. “The one and only.”
X-Pac wiped a tear from her cheek. “I think you need to talk to Brian about this.
There’s a lot more to this story you don’t know. Actually not too many people do
know. But Brian and his wife have been separated for at least a year now. She filed for
divorce last month. He just got the papers two days ago.”
“Yeah, and decides to rebound with me.”
“There’s no rebound. He knew it was over a long time ago. And he accepted that.
You gotta understand, this isn’t an easy life. We’re on the road about 300 days a year.
Doesn’t leave much time for family life. If you’re family’s not with you, there’s a 90%
chance of divorce around here.”
“So you’re saying I just made him lose for no reason?”
“Well, I’m sure he can get the title back tomorrow. And I heard Shane, the crowd
loved ya. Go talk to Brian.”
Michelle shook her head. “I can’t. Not after what I did. In front of all those
people.”
“Come on, that happens to us everyday. No one ever believes it’s real, why should
they start now? So you show up in a few more episodes, it’s all part of the story.”
Brian came walking out and X-Pac stood up. “So I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said
to her as he walked over to Brian. “Jess, your buddy opened his mouth about your
wife.”
“That’s the reason I gotta huge hill on my skull?”
“Come on, chairs don’t hurt you anymore. Don’t play on my sympathy. I told her
what I knew, hope that’s cool.”
“Yeah man, thanks. I shoulda told her before.”
“Hey, I’m no judge. But I hear she’s a real hit with the McMahons...might be your
replacement!” X-Pac slapped him on the back before returning inside.
Michelle didn’t look at him as he sat down next to her. “So I guess you know the
whole story now.”
She still didn’t look at him.
“Look, I know I should have told you before. But I didn’t think of it. It’s been
over for such a long time.”
Michelle ignored him.
“Okay, so I know you’re mad. That mean you’re never gonna look at me
again?”
She still kept her silence.
He ran his hand through her hair. “Come on, please look at me.”
He turned her head gently, revealing the tears on her face. “Hey, please don’t cry.
I don’t know what to say that can fix this.”
She wiped the tears off her face. “I don’t know either. All I know is this great
guy came into my life, uprooted me from a stable environment to a year of the unknown,
and failed to mention he received divorce papers the day before yesterday. And stupid me
actually started having feelings for him.”
He looked into her eyes. “No one calls my girlfriend stupid. Not even you.”
Then he leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the lips.
Michelle and Brian were together the rest of the night. He filled her in on the
problems at home. His wife’s deal was that she never saw him, didn’t even know him
anymore. Brian tried to work things out, but it’s hard to patch a relationship over the
phone and through letters.
Michelle was confused. She still felt like the rebound woman. And knowing that
made her emotional walls come back up. She had been hurt several times before, and was
not going to do it again. But Brian made that very difficult.
They returned to the hotel room. Brian excused himself to the shower while
Michelle waited in the room. She saw the flashing light on the phone and called the front
desk. “Yes, there are two messages for you. One is from Vince McMahon, wishes to
speak with you when you get a moment. The second one if from Mrs. Armstrong.”
Michelle thanked him and hung up the phone. Some ending marriage, she
knows where he is and still calls him. Michelle wrote Brian a note and took off to the
McMahons’ suite.
When she entered the room, she realized now how Kings lived. The suite looked
more like a mansion, decorated in the finest art and furniture. Shane let her in, and
showed her to the couch. “So Michelle,” Vince began, “I’ve heard the reasons for the
stunt earlier this evening. And though it wasn’t planned to bring someone in for Road
Dogg, now we have no choice.”
“Look Mr. McMahon, I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to go intruding on
your show or anything. I understand if you want me to leave.”
“Nah, leaving was never discussed. Although Road Dogg was supposed to win
tonight, we can arrange that tomorrow. After tomorrow, we only have some house shows,
so we have time to work on a story. We were thinking just another cameo appearance
tomorrow night. After Road Dogg wins, we’ll show you standing at the top of the ramp,
and Brian realizing your there. He’ll come running to you, say something like “I’m sorry,
it’ll never happen again, whatever. Then you can slap him again and leave. We’ll think
up next weeks stuff later.”
Michelle thought about it for a moment. “What’s the angle going to be? I mean
what’s the reason I’m so mad at him?”
Shane spoke up. “Same as real life. We usually do that once in a while. Brian
fools around with you, you find out about the wife, and it’s revealed that Brian was
married but fooling around with you.”
“Does Brian know about this?”
“I’m sure he expects it,” Vince said. “We do it to everyone else.”
“I don’t know if he wants his problems exploited like that. I’d feel better knowing
that he’s okay with it.”
“We’ll leave it up to you to tell him. Tomorrow night, just come to the stadium
with him and report to makeup and wardrobe. We’ll have the actual script sent up
tomorrow morning.”
Michelle stood up and shook their hands. So far this trip was very interesting.
Brian paced around the room. “Come on Jess, you’re making me dizzy. At least
sit down.”
Brian sat on the couch opposite Sean. “Came out of the shower and there was a
note. She said she went to see Vince, and that my wife called.”
“Did they speak?”
“Nah, she checked the messages. I don’t know why she’s calling. Thought it was
over.”
“She probably watched the show. At least your kids probably did.”
Brian shook his head. “Damn, forgot to tell Michelle that too. I’m destroying this
before it even starts.”
“No your not, she’s still here, right? Sit down with her and tell her everything.
She’s come this far Brian, and after only knowing you what, one night? Either she’s
crazy, you’re crazy, or it was one of those ‘meant to be’ things. I hear Vince loved her
though, will probably use the divorce angle in the show.”
“I figured that. It’s actually the only explanation really for her coming out and
bashing my skull in.”
“Go talk to her man. Sitting here ain’t gonna help the situation.”
Brian returned to his hotel room. Michelle was in bed, back towards him.
“Michelle, you awake?”
She replied, “yeah” and didn’t turn over.
“So, do you have a minute?”
“I have a whole year, remember?” She turned on the light and sat up. “Vince
wants to use the divorce thing in the show.”
“I figured that. No big deal, happens all the time.”
“So did you call your wife back?”
“No. Nothing she has to say makes a difference anymore. Sean thinks she
watched the show tonight.”
“Why would someone who’s soon to be your ex watch you on television?”
Brian sat on the bed next to her. “There’s a little more to the story that you don’t
know about.”
“What could possibly top the wife?” Michelle asked, then realized her own
answer. “This just keeps getting better. How many?”
“Two,” Brian answered. “Four and three.”
Michelle nodded her head. “I see. So they probably watched the show.”
“That’s my guess. Look, I know I did a crazy thing by asking you to come along
with me. And I don’t expect you to stay. Hell, don’t really know what we got going here
anyway. But I like you. I like being with you. You are the first person in a long time that
didn’t expect me to be ‘Road Dogg’. Hell you didn’t even care about that. And now
you’re just finding out more about me.”
“Yeah, but Brian come on. Usually when someone goes into a relationship it’s not
because of a one night drinking binge. And usually both people know about both people.
Wife and kids is a pretty big thing to forget to tell me about. You have to understand my
point. You invite me here out of nowhere. And everything goes great for the first day.
Now you have two kids and a wife. She sees me on TV and already she called. I must be
crazy for agreeing to come with you.”
“Since you’ve been with me, they’ve already agreed to give me a story line. Do
you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a story?” He brushed her face with his hand.
“And it’s been even longer since I’ve been happy. Please say you’re not mad and that
you’ll stay.”
Michelle looked away from him again. “You are this amazing guy that falls out of
nowhere and takes me away from all my problems. For a year no less. And I agree!
Now I’m trying to decide whether or not to trust you, whether or not to fall in love with
you. And the odds are against that because of the last few hours.”
“I realize this is a weird situation. Me and her are over. Been over. I’ve got two
kids who see me once a year. This is my life. Traveling, Media, this is it. And I don’t
expect anyone to deal with this life. But you volunteered. At least on a trial basis. Do
you know what my wife said when I asked her to come? She said there’s no way she was
going to be stuck with me on the road that long. And so I got her a house somewhere
where she stayed.”
“Couldn’t have been that bad, you have kids...”
“Yeah. I’d come home or be on tour in the area and go to see her. At first it’s like
we’re in love all over again. Two hours later we hate each other, didn’t ever know each
other really.”
“We don’t know each other Brian.”
“But we can. You’re willing to give me that chance. Michelle, I got two kids I’ve
seen maybe three times. They watch me on television just to know me. What kind of life
is that?”
“Did you ever think about leaving WWF? To be with your family?”
“This is my family. More to me than she has. Wrestling is in my blood. And it’s
all I know. She knew what she was getting into. She just thought she could change me.
Make me into what she believed I was. But I couldn’t change.”
“You shouldn’t have to.” Michelle got up and lit a cigarette. “If you really enjoy
this, then go with it.”
“I loved her at first, I really did. I guess it was the idea of having someone to
come home to. I loved the idea of a family. And I have that, but it’s not the way I thought
it would be.”
“So you screwed up. We all do. But are you sure it’s over? Did you call her
back?”
“No. I’m sure she’s just calling to find out about you.”
“Are you sure Brian? Do you still love her?”
“No. Not for a long time.”
“Where is she now?”
“Home, in Nashville.”
“Call her. See if she’s okay. She is the mother of your children. You owe her
that.”
Michelle left the bedroom area as Brian called his wife. She could hear the raise in
his voice as the conversation got heated.
“What’s it to you? You filed for divorce, remember? Where are the kids? Please
don’t fight with me in front of them...no, we’ve been over this...yes, she is my girlfriend,
okay? You do whatever you want...Fine, see you then.”
Brian came into the living room and walked past Michelle. He went to one of his
bags and pulled out a small box. He began setting up a mirror, pulled out a straw and a
razor blade, and what looked like to be several grams of cocaine. He put some out on the
mirror and began to cut it with the razor. As he formed several lines on the mirror,
Michelle walked over to him. “Every minute I learn something new about you.”
Brian completed his work and cut the straw in several places. He then offered her
one of the cut straws. “Are you going to criticize me or join me?”