"What happened to you?" Roy observed his partner, who had just arrived for shift. Johnny turned from his locker shaking his head and started to remove his shirt. He had a nasty scratch on the bridge of his nose and a bandage round his forearm. There were smaller scratches on his neck, chest and the back of his hands.
"I was helping Gil clear his property…the piece of land he has in Pasadena. We were clearing it all day yesterday. It was overgrown with wild blackberry bushes. Roy, they are the worst and most stubborn bushes I've ever come across."
Roy nodded in agreement. "They are pretty bad. Once they get hold."
"The thorns….there was just no way of avoiding them. You should see my shirt….it's ripped to shreds. It looked like I had wrestled with a grizzly not just a thorn bush. Gil looked just as bad." Johnny changed his shirt. "We think we got it all….We made sure we dug up the roots otherwise it'll just take over again."
"He'll still have a few spring up. It's a very persistent plant so he'll need to stay on top of it. It's a pest once it gets a hold." Johnny nodded in agreement. When the paramedics had finished getting dressed they went to line up for roll call.
"What happened to you pal? You look like you wrestled with a cat." Captain Stanley eyed his paramedic at roll call.
"I was clearing a few thorn bushes, wild blackberry bushes actually, on Gil's property. Gil looks just as bad." Johnny looked at his hands.
"You should have worn gloves pal."
"Ah Cap, I did. There's nothing left of them." Johnny shrugged his shoulders. Cap continued with roll call shaking his head at his youngest crew member.
Later that day everyone was sitting in the dayroom. It had been a slow day. Both paramedics looked at each other and figured now was as good a time as any. Roy left to get the signed picture from the wrestling for Chet.
Johnny turned fully around in his chair and watched his partner pull the photo from behind his back. "Chet we thought you might want this." Roy handed him the Polaroid.
"Thanks Roy." Chet sat down on one of the chairs and looked closely at the photo.
"Look…it's signed Chet. We asked him and got it signed for you." Johnny said feeling a bit put off by Chet's casual response.
"Thanks." Again Chet acted very cool. His behaviour puzzled the paramedics.
"Don't you like that wrestler?" Roy asked hoping to find out why their friend seemed to be so uninterested in the photo.
"Oh I like the wrestler….I just don't like who's standing next to him." Chet got up and left the room. Inside he was laughing. He really was pleased about getting the signed picture but he didn't want to give Gage that satisfaction. He couldn't pass up the poke about him standing next to the wrestler.
"He is incredible." Johnny was lost for words.
"I told you we should have given him my signed picture." Roy had a signed picture with the same wrestler but he gave it to Chris.
"Somehow I don't think Chris would want a picture of me with…with…What was his name?" Johnny shook his head.
"I can't remember….Piper I think. I guess you're right about the picture." Roy broke out in a big grin. "I can't wait to go again."
"Neither can I." Johnny was grinning too.
Chet was listening from just outside the door. 'Yep, they're hooked.'
The next morning Roy and Johnny were changing in the locker room to go home, Chet entered to also get changed. "So when are you going to the wrestling again?"
"We are definitely going to the next show. That wrestler in the kilt…aahh…" Johnny was trying to remember his name.
"Roddy Piper." Chet said with annoyance. "You know it would help if you remembered their names."
Johnny gave Chet a dirty look. "Anyway…," he looked at Chet, emphasising each word, "Roddy…Piper….he's going to play the Mexican National Anthem on the bagpipes."
Marco walked into the locker room. "You should come Marco. There's this wrestler, everyone loves him. Chet….Chet….What's that wrestler's name….the Mexican one that everyone cheers." Johnny was tapping Chet on the shoulder much to the annoyance of the Irishman.
"His name is Chavo Guerrero." Chet announced scowling at Johnny for not remembering the wrestler's name.
"Oh I know him. My cousin talks about him all the time." Marco told his friends.
"You've got to hear this Marco. Chavo got real mad at this other wrestler…Roddy Piper…they were going to wrestle each other….Anyway, he comes out with bagpipes…a kilt…the whole thing….Piper said that he'd play the Mexican National Anthem next show…just to demonstrate what a good sport he is. You should come. It'll be great." Johnny slapped Marco on the shoulder.
"Really, he said he'd play the anthem on the bagpipes?" Johnny nodded smiling widely. "I hope he plays better than you."
"Hey."
"So do I." Roy joined in.
"Let's face it…anyone can play better than Gage." Chet told the group.
"I guess I wasn't very good." Johnny looked around sheepishly, not taking offense to the ribbing. He remembered his music kick and how he drove everyone insane. "You've got to admit Marco, just seeing that alone would be worth going to the wrestling."
"Yeah it would...I'll bring my cousin." Marco smiled, Johnny's enthusiasm was infectious. Roy wasn't far behind him.
"This will be great Roy." Johnny was rubbing his hands together.
Roy caught up with Mack and after asking about the young bleeding wrestler, found out where the next show was. Roy told his friend how they had talked one of the crew into coming to hear the Mexican National Anthem played on the bagpipes. Mack warned Roy that anything could happen at a wrestling show.
They all met at the arena. "What's that?" Johnny was pointing to large sheets of cardboard in Chet's hands.
"These are just a few signs." Chet said casually.
"What kind of signs? Can I see?" Chris reached for the signs.
"Ah ah ah you'll have to wait." Chet rolled the cardboard up tighter. Roy and Johnny snickered. Chet caught them and scowled at them. "It's what all serious fans do."
Both paramedics nodded. Chet blinked, he hated it when the paramedics did things in unison, it was like seeing double. "Come on let's go in." Roy announced.
Like the last time, Chet chose to sit down the front while Roy, Johnny, Marco and Chris sat further back. Marco's cousin sat with Chet. He was a keen wrestling fan like Chet. Half way through the show Chris joined them.
It was finally the main event. As usual Roddy Piper received loud boos from the crowd. He was carrying his bagpipes. When his opponent Chavo Guerrero got into the ring Piper announced that he was going to play the Mexican National Anthem in good faith. The audience went silent and waited.
Roddy Piper took his time and finally started to play. It became obvious very quickly that it wasn't the Mexican National Anthem that was being played; it was 'La Cucaracha'. All hell broke loose as the audience which was made up of fifty per cent Mexicans started to heckle and yell. Marco couldn't stop laughing. "I don't believe this."
Chavo Guerrero's face turned red with rage. He grabbed the bagpipes from Piper before he could finish. Holding onto the pipes he slapped either side of Piper's face with the bag part, like you would use a glove to challenge someone to a duel. He then threw the bagpipes out of the ring.
Chavo signalled the referee to start the match. Roddy Piper was thrown out of the ring at least a dozen times during the match. The paramedics wondered about the wrestler's back after continually landing on the hard floor.
Piper, while the referee was distracted, pulled something out from his wrestling trunks. He attached it to his hand and punched Chavo in the face. His opponent was knocked out cold. He pinned Chavo for the count of three. It was all over. The whole arena was booing. Many of the fans were standing and yelling at Piper.
Piper grabbed one of Chet's signs and ripped it in half on his way out. Chet high fived Chris and Marco's cousin enthusiastically. He picked up his torn sign and tucked it under his arm. It was a trophy he would keep to remember the night by.
Chris was smiling from ear to ear as he approached his dad, Johnny and Marco. "Did you see it? He ripped up Chet's sign."
"Yes I saw it." Roy ruffled his son's hair.
"Daaad…leave my hair alone." Chris ran his hands through his hair trying to get it back the way it was.
"That was cool." Marco's cousin was as excited as Chris. It was hard to tell who the biggest fan was.
"Sorry about the National Anthem Marco." Johnny slapped his friend on the shoulder.
"Geez Gage, don't tell me you actually thought he was going to play the Mexican National Anthem?" Chet asked the paramedic.
"Yes." Johnny shrugged his shoulders.
"I thought he was going to play it." Roy added supporting his best friend.
"Well you're both gullible." Chet announced.
"Hang on you never said anything earlier. You thought he was going to play it." Johnny said, not believing the Irishman knew otherwise.
"Nope….knew he wouldn't." Everyone shook their heads not quite believing Chet. "A true fan always expects the unexpected." Chet announced, giving Chris and Marco's cousin a wink.
"You know…Mack said those exact same words to me when I asked him about this show." Roy told his partner.
"I can't believe you Chet?" Marco said to his friend with wide eyes. They all left the arena laughing and joking.
On the way home, Chris and Johnny drove Roy crazy singing 'La Cucaracha', over and over again. It didn't help that Johnny was off key the entire time.