No Air

As soon as the final bell rang, Jennifer Yang felt like she could breathe again. She struggled to stand and the referee helped her up to her feet, raising her hand in a hard-earned victory. The cheers from the Richmond crowd that night had been deafening, she could feel their joy and excitement pulsating in the electric air. Their faces beamed in the arena lights and she looked away, her eyes suddenly sensitive. When she opened them again, she saw Wei regarding her with a proud grin. He grabbed her hand and raised it up high in the air. She couldn’t look up without the camera flashes in the crowd blinding her. As if they were the shine of the very gold that the referee was now carrying into the ring. As Wei presented her to the happy masses, she gazed down on Nessa Wall.

Nessa, the Millennium champion, was slowly pulling herself up while glaring at her, her eyes boring into hers. It was a wordless, sharp look that induced an inaudible gasp from her.

She wanted to back away but ended up leaning into Wei instead. That brought out a chuckle from him and without a clue, he led her out of the ring and continued to parade her around for the cameras. She was exhausted, the match had taken so much out of her. Her determination to win back the Millennium championship had pushed her to the limit tonight. Surely he knew that. And surely he could see that she could barely stand without her knees threatening to buckle. But he never did as he held her arm, propping her up and posing for countless photos. Somehow she kept balance, though leaning heavily on him. All that media training he signed her up was paying off big time here. Her smile came on automatically and when prompted by the loyal fans, the words “I’ll be Millennium champion again” rolled off her tongue with ease.

But still, she couldn’t shake off the look Nessa gave her. That look spoke a thousand words that Nessa didn’t need to convey out loud. Jenni knew. It wasn’t the first time she’s seen it, and it always meant the same thing. That Jenni was in way over her head. That she was swimming with sharks and had no chance of surviving. She had gotten this far though, but there was a reason why Nessa was an accomplished wrestler. She had read about her, looked up online for her matches, heard the many stories that wrote why Nessa was smart and oh so dangerous. Being in the ring with her confirmed everything. Not that Jenni didn’t think Nessa was without skill, but her firsthand experience wrestling her opened her eyes to the darker side of the industry that she had always tried to suppress and deny. The side that was opportunistic and would strike when the prey was at a disadvantage. And Jenni did get caught, right in the middle of the trap that Nessa had so cleverly sprung.

The sucky part of it was that Nessa didn’t break any rule either, it was all permissible by the terms of the briefcase. But Jenni had always been a champion of tradition and regulation, and the rule of the sport was that one should always honor and respect the sport and opponent. Even though the briefcase allowed Nessa to cash in for a title shot at any time, in Jenni’s eyes, she did it without honor and respect. And for that, Jenni couldn’t let it go. Preserving the honor in the Millennium championship was too important to her. After what the company had been through and the obstacles she herself had faced to get here, a briefcase cash-in felt like a blindsided attack. And so, she couldn’t let someone like Nessa tarnish the legacy of the title. As the former champion, she felt responsible.

Wei and Jennifer finally headed backstage and at this point, she insisted on walking without help. She hobbled slowly, taking her time and being careful not to accidentally injure her foot or something. Wei, as always, had his bluetooth headset on as he chatted away in a business call. He barked a laugh at something said over the phone, not even once stealing a glance at her. He only ended the call when they reached the locker room. She dropped on a chair to catch her breath before reaching for her shower bag. Wei came over, scooped up the bag and handed it to her. She gave him a tight smile and murmured a ‘thank you’ before taking the bag from him.

With a nod, Wei spoke, “I’ve just booked us a table at a nearby restaurant to celebrate. Don’t worry, you don’t have to dress up too much.”

Wait, what? That sounded like she still needed to look presentable in front of a camera. After the match, she didn’t have the energy for anything like that.

Seeing the uncomfortable look on her face, he quickly continued in a rather dismissive tone, “There’s only one guy joining us for an interview and he just wants a few quotes for an article. Maybe just a picture too. A small one. Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry, he said. He never told her to worry about anything. Not even once.

“And if his questions get too… difficult, you can say no. You don’t have to answer them. I’ll be there next to you so leave it to me. I’ll handle it.”

He always did take care of everything, her darling fiance. There was nothing he wouldn’t. She didn’t even need to ask either.

“Now go shower. And quick. We’re leaving in 15 minutes.”

He practically pushed her towards the door. But before he could close it behind her, she stopped it with her hand.

“What is it, Jenni?” he asked, regarding her closely.

Gently, he touched her chin. If someone were to see them right now, they would compliment on how adorably perfect they looked together. A small but significant gesture of affection. A true picture of lasting love. And they would be all “ooh” and “ahh” over their big day being in just one more month during the Chinese New Year period.

She looked up and gazed into his eyes. “I think I know the match stipulation for Imperium.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Already?”

She nodded with a smile.

“Well,” he said, “What is it?”

He ushered her back inside the room, just in case of eavesdroppers. She waited for him to lock the door and turn back to her.

“So let’s hear it then,” he said.

She smiled and said simply, “A standard singles match.”

His face fell as he repeated her. “A standard singles match.”

She nodded. Sure it seemed basic and maybe somewhat unimaginative but it was perfect. This was all she wanted in the first place. A regular one-on-one match with Nessa where both competitors were prepared to face off each other in the ring for the most coveted prize in Millennium. No bullshit, no shenanigans, just a plain and straightforward contest scheduled for one fall.

“I figured there’s no need for any fancy stipulation. I’ve gone through enough matches in the past where I had to climb a ladder, fight off several challengers at the same time, et cetera. But wrestling isn’t just about that, right? Wrestling is simple. And I just want to wrestle Nessa Wall,” she said.

He didn’t seem convinced though with his blank look. “So a standard singles match…”

“Yes. Let’s get back to basics, as they say. A true display of battle between Millennium’s top wrestlers. Everyone can appreciate that. It’s a good idea, right?”

She looked at him expectantly while he stared at her, seemingly thinking it over. But he was quick to shake his head.

“No.”

She frowned. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

He shook his head again, this time more vigorously as he made up his mind.

“You can do better, Jenni.”

Do better? She was crushed. He looked at her with a heavy sigh.

“Maybe you’re just tired huh? You’re not thinking this properly. It’s okay. We have plenty of time to choose. We can do it tomorrow. No, wait…”

He checked his phone calendar and scrolled through quickly.

“I’ll be away for a few days but when I come back, we can discuss together. And while I’m gone, you can take all of that time to think it through. Standard match… Heh. Brainstorm a little, okay? Think bigger! Think outside the box!”

He grinned as he tapped her temple.

“Okay...” she managed to reply.

“Good. And don’t worry, if you can’t think of anything, I will.”

With a laugh, he then ruffled her hair a bit before opening the locker room door again. He checked his wristwatch.

“Oh, you have to hurry now. We’re meeting the reporter in 10 minutes. Let’s go,” he said while showing her out the door.

As he shut the door, she began making her way to the bathroom area. It really was true, he never told her to worry. He always took care of things. Every single thing. So how could she do better if he never let her do anything?