Disclaimers: See Chapter One.
Chapter Four
The ride to the arena was a joy all its own. Not wanting to subject his car to the rigors of downtown Norfolk, Brent decided to leave his car home and use Herbie's custom heavy-duty Silverado pickup. Seeing as it was Herbie's vehicle, Brent also decided to let his uncle drive them to the arena.
It wasn't the smartest decision he'd ever made; he quickly learned Herbie was not a 'Southern gentleman' on the road.
"Shit or get off the pot, Billy Yank!" Herbie yelled, blaring the horn (which he'd gotten from an old Freightliner semi truck) at a slow-moving Ford Explorer with Rhode Island license plates as he swerved around and cut in front of it, giving a 'up yours' gesture to the driver of a Pontiac Firebird that deigned to honk at him because Herbie had cut him off.
Kailyn giggled from the back, while Brent sat stoically in the passenger seat, even though his inner self was frantically praying they'd make it to the arena alive.
"Where's the damn exit?" Herbie growled, then swore as they hit a rush-hour crawl. "Damnation...I hate downtown traffic."
"It's the next one, Uncle," Brent replied, and Herbie glanced at the approaching sign and nodded in approval.
"Good." He turned to Brent and Kailyn. "Y'all hang on now, hear? I'm gon' get us out this mess."
Before Brent could ask what his uncle meant by that, Herbie looked at the cars around them before announcing, "Ain't no cops around, so here we go!" and whipped the huge pickup onto the shoulder, gunning the engine. In seconds, they were out of the traffic jam and onto the exit ramp.
Ten minutes later, Herbie pulled into a parking space in a parking garage near the arena.
"Here we are...nothin' to it!"
Kailyn giggled from the back. "It's fun when you drive, Uncle Herbie!"
Herbie laughed. "I drive the way I wanna drive, young'un...the hell with that 'defensive driving' crap."
Brent glowered at his uncle.
"It's a miracle you still have that license, with the way you drive."
Herbie laughed at his nephew's comment.
"I ain't killed nobody yet...guess they're gon' wait 'til that happens before they take my keys from me."
Brent fixed his uncle with a hard stare.
"Maybe they will, but I won't. Think about that, Uncle."
Herbie sobered and nodded, knowing his nephew wasn't kidding.
"All right, son...I'll drive careful when y'all are in the car with me."
Brent nodded.
"I appreciate that, Uncle...I'd like to live to make Lieutenant Commander."
Herbie laughed and clapped Brent on the shoulder as they headed into the arena. The family made their way to a ticket window and Brent spoke to the employee manning it.
"I believe we have three tickets with backstage passes reserved for us under the name Samuels."
The employee looked askance at Brent for a moment before checking her computer. She did a double-take when she realized he was right. After checking their IDs, she handed Brent the three passes.
"Enjoy the show."
Brent nodded and gestured for the family to proceed. Upon glancing at their seats, he wasn't surprised to see that they were ringside, something that made Kailyn very happy.
As they settled in their seats and the arena filled to capacity, Herbie looked around and groaned.
"Damnation...I'm gon' have a migraine by the time this is over."
WWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWE
The night's matches were every bit as good as Brent and Kailyn had hoped. It was a mix show, meaning superstars from all three brands made appearances. Herbie actually got into the matches, booing every time a superstar that was not from the South won.
About halfway through the show, a Divas match was announced. Boos resounded through the arena as Jillian walked down the ramp, climbed into the ring, and started spouting off about how great a singing voice she had before proceeding to give the crowd a demonstration.
Herbie visibly winced before yelling,
"Stop that caterwaulin', woman...you're makin' my ears bleed!"
Most of the people around them laughed at Herbie's comment. Of course, Jillian paid him no heed to him or the crowd's reaction to her impromptu concert and continued to sing. Herbie glowered at her and finally shook his head in frustration.
"That's it...I cain't stand this no more."
He made to climb over the barrier to silence Jillian himself, while Brent frantically grappled with his uncle to prevent this and Kailyn giggled hysterically at their antics. However, they stopped when a familiar theme blared through the arena:
You're not enough for me...(ohhh no no)
Just another man in love with me...(just another man...heeeyy)
Kailyn screamed and ran to the barrier as ring announcer Justin Roberts announced,
"This contest is set for one fall. Introducing first, from Louisville, Kentucky: Jillian! And her opponent, from Palatka, Florida: Michelle McCool!"
The crowd cheered as the blonde Diva ran down to the ring, slapping hands with fans on both sides on the way down. The match was great, with the Florida native pinning her opponent easily. Kailyn cheered as Justin Roberts informed the arena,
"Here is your winner: Michelle McCool!"
Michelle went to each corner of the ring, mounted the turnbuckle, and waved to the crowd, which gave her a standing ovation, when she passed in front of the Samuels', Kailyn shouted Michelle's name and waved frantically. The blonde Diva glanced their way and smiled upon seeing them. Kailyn smiled happily and waved, and Brent sent her a lopsided smile and touched the brim of his baseball cap in a scout's salute, earning him a smile and a wave in return.
As the show continued, a crewmember made his way down to their seats and tapped Brent on the shoulder.
"Mr. Samuels?"
Brent mentally gritted his teeth. He hadn't been called 'Mister' since he was an Ensign. However, he wasn't in uniform, so he decided to let it slide.
"Yes?"
"Would you and your family come with me, sir? I'm to escort you backstage."
Brent nodded and motioned his family to follow the crewmember. Kailyn was bouncing around excitedly, while Herbie smiled at his grand-niece's enthusiasm.
"She ain't excited at all, is she?" he joked, turning to Brent, who smiled.
"Not at all."
It seemed like the moment they got backstage, their escort was dragged off on some production snafu or another, leaving the three of them to their own devices. So the trio made their own way, Kailyn running up to superstars she liked and shaking their hands, always eager to get autographs.
WWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWEWWE
Michelle finished showering and changing out of her wrestling attire, eager to get back to the hotel and get some sleep. She slung her gym bag over her shoulder and headed out of the locker room, stopping and grinning when she saw a familiar fan standing nearby.
"Kailyn!" she called, and the little girl whirled around. A big smile split her face as she took off running toward the blonde Diva, throwing her arms around Michelle's waist in a hug when she reached her. Michelle was pleasantly surprised by this, and knelt down to return the hug.
She is such a sweet girl, the All-American Diva thought. Too bad her uncle's married to his job...where did that come from?
She looked up as Kailyn's uncle and an older man approached, and forcibly tamped down on the butterfiles that appeared in her stomach at the sight of the fighter pilot.
God, he looks good even without the uniform, she thought, admiring his black dress shirt and jeans. The only casual item he wore was the black baseball cap with the words 'U. S. S. Abraham Lincoln CVN-72' framing a silhouette of the ship.
God, she's beautiful. Brent's thoughts ran through his head. He shook himself out of his reverie and introduced his uncle to Michelle.
"Pleasure, ma'am," Herbie replied, bowing over the Diva's hand and kissing it, making Michelle giggle.
Further conversation was interrupted by Mickie coming out of the locker room.
"Hey, Michelle...ready to head out? Oh hi!" She smiled widely when she saw Brent and Kailyn. "Did you enjoy the show?" She asked Kailyn, who nodded enthusiastically and started listing all the superstars she'd met before turning back to Michelle.
"I loved your match!" she told the blonde Diva, who smiled down at her.
"How did you ladies enjoy Norfolk?" Herbie asked.
"I love coming to anyplace in Virginia," Mickie replied. "I'm originally from Montpelier, and I live close to there."
Herbie smiled and elbowed Brent roughly.
"What'd I tell you, boy? The prettiest girls are Southern ones...remember that, now."
Brent rolled his eyes as Mickie and Michelle giggled.
"Yes, Uncle."
"Where are you going next?" Kailyn asked.
"Actually, Michelle's staying in the area for a couple days," Mickie broke in, with a meaningful glance at Brent.
Michelle rolled her eyes at her friend's not-so-subtle attempt at matchmaking. When she saw nothing was going to come of her attempt, Mickie sighed.
"Well, we better go...I need to get back to the hotel."
Michelle nodded and hugged Kailyn one last time before getting to her feet. The two Divas bid the Samuels family farewell before heading toward the exit. Michelle was almost to the door when she heard her name being called. She turned to see Brent walking over.
"I just wanted to say thanks again for the tickets and the backstage passes...all three of us really enjoyed them."
"You're welcome," the blonde Diva replied. "They looked like they made Kailyn's weekend."
Brent laughed. "Try her year. She's not going to stop talking about this for probably the next week."
Michelle laughed, the sound sending a thrill through the jet jock's heart.
Go for it! his fighter pilot instinct urged him, and before he could think twice about it, he spoke.
"Listen, since you're going to be in the area for the next couple days, maybe I could show you around Norfolk tomorrow?"
Michelle quickly hid her excitement. Yes! "I'd like that."
Brent nodded. "Kailyn has gymnastics in the morning...how about I come by and pick you up about 11 and then we surprise her?"
Michelle nodded. "I'll meet you in the lobby of the Holiday Inn near here." She grabbed a piece of paper from her purse and wrote her cell number down.
"Call me tomorrow when you're on your way over."
Brent nodded dumbly, stunned by the fact she'd just given him her personal phone number. Michelle smiled at his reaction.
"See you tomorrow, Flyboy."
Brent's gaze snapped to hers as Michelle gave him a flirtatious wave before walking out the door of the arena. Once she was gone, he shook his head and turned to head back to his family. Tomorrow would certainly prove to be interesting.
Up Next: The date! Also: Anyone care to venture a guess as to who Mickie's mystery man is? R & R, please!