In Holy Matrimony
Chapter 5
I never quite realized how great of an operation the WWE was until I entered their corporate building. It was huge, to say the least. I was thankful that the woman I had spoken to on the phone—a soft-spoken employee named Linda—had given me precise directions. As was the brunt of all the jokes about me in my family, my directional skills were zilch. Same goes for my cooking skills...but we won't go there.
Anyway, it was about ten in the morning, Thursday, when I walked on in. After going through the contract with Casey, it seemed that the entire thing was deadlocked. So I was going to my last resort: something I really didn't want to do.
I stepped around the few people in business suits walking in and out, forcing my eyes not to follow them, and instead making my way to the front desk. Giving the woman there a small, suppressed smile, I passed her the paper I'd been faxed. That paper—signifying my name, appointment, and appointment details—had given me the first inkling that the WWE wasn't quite as small or unsanctioned as I thought it was. Well, obviously, now that I think about it. They're on national television, aren't they?
"Room 265, fourth floor," the secretary answered, and handed me an I.D. badge before dropping the paper into a folder and going back to the phone. I glanced down at the badge, 'VISITOR' printed in bold, with some small font mumbo-jumbo beneath. Shrugging, I clipped it to my business suit. Thank God I went with that instead of something more casual.
By the time I reached the fourth floor, I was distinctly nervous. What if she didn't want to see me? What if she didn't hear me out? What if she turned me in to the police? Okay, so that was unlikely. A, I mean, I haven't done anything yet. Thinking isn't a crime, is it? And B, it would probably give them a bad name, to have the police coming into their building.
Shit. Sitting here, thinking about reputation, I realized that I'm risking my own, as well as my company. Is it really worth that?
Shaking my head to rid the thoughts, I walked down the hallway, knocking on room 265. "Come on in," a woman called. I let out a breath, steeled my nerves, and walked into the room. Linda McMahon was sitting behind a beautiful mahogany desk, behind her an open window view to the oddly peaceful streets below. Several bright paintings adorned the light blue walls, as well as several other odds and ends that added to the serene feel of the room. Linda herself seemed to be the symbol of passive. She was an elder lady, her hair the shade between blond and white, wrinkles surrounding her eyes and face. She sat with her hands clasped on the desk, a gold watch on her wrist catching my eye. There was a softness in her eyes, and, maybe I was just imagining things, but I felt a potential sharpness beneath them.
"Hello, Mrs. McMahon, I'm Kathy Wade," I introduced, walking over the beige carpet to shake her hand.
She extended her own hand, her hand frail and gentle in mine. "Linda, please," she said with a smile. "Sit."
I did as she said, taking long breaths as I debated how to possibly explain this to her. My eyes were on the purse in my hands, but I could feel her gaze resting on me. I recognized that there was no way to do this but bluntly, and I did just that. "I want to stop the marriage between Lita and Kane."
Linda's eyes widened briefly for only a second, and then she leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped together, her elbows resting on the desk, silence claiming her lips. I felt my fingers clasp the strap to my purse for a second. Finally, Linda seemed to relax, leaning forward a little, studying me intently now. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"I need your help," I responded, crossing my fingers. Superstitions aren't high on my list of beliefs, but whatever help I could get, I wasn't going to refuse. At my words, Linda raised an eyebrow, what I hope was a prompt to continue onward. "Do you really want to see one of your employees live out the rest of her life in an unhappy marriage to a monster?" I asked her.
"My beliefs are of no consequence," Linda replied, stonewalling.
"Listen to me. I know you people are all about ratings, or whatever," I said, anger twitching in my voice, "But what you do right now could decide how an innocent woman lives out the rest of her life."
"She signed the contract, as well as Kane and Matt Hardy. She knew full well what was coming to her if Kane won the match at the show, and he did. What is so special about this woman that makes her able to escape the consequences of her choices?" the way Linda said it wasn't an accusation toward Lita, but I still felt bothered by it.
"Philosophize all you want, Mrs. McMahon, but with all due respect, I don't give a monkey's tail what you think of Lita. I want you to help me save Lita."
"Who are you, to risk so much just to help Lita?" I simply stared at her, suppressing the urge to leap across the table, slam her head against the desk, and do the job myself. "You barely know Lita. Don't get mixed up in things that you can't handle," her eyes narrowed, and I saw the sharpness that I had predicted before. "You shouldn't pretend to know everything about a situation, when you don't. You don't know what Lita wants."
I wasn't sure what comment pushed me over the edge, but it was then that I stood up, my chair tipping over and scraping against the desk as it went. I wasn't the least bit ashamed when I realized I was hoping the chair had scratched it. "My best friend died because she was forced into a marriage," I hissed, my voice low and my palms spread on the top of the desk. "I know enough about that type of situation, damn it. And maybe I don't know everything about Lita, Kane or whatever, but I know that she doesn't want to go into this marriage. Seeing a woman being forced into marriage and doing nothing about it is horrible by my morals...but apparently not by yours," I added, venom in my voice. Linda didn't react to my words. She simply stared at me for a few moments.
Finally, she spoke, her voice calm. "And what do you suggest I do?"
My eyes settled on hers, and I took a deep breath before speaking. "Edit the contract. Delete Matt Hardy's signature. Change it so that divorce can be used. Do something."
"You're asking me to break the law."
"Yes."
Linda shook her head. "No." She turned to her computer, and I felt my anger boil once more. "I will not break the standards that my company sets me to. Please excuse yourself, or I will call security."
I swallowed the dirty comment welling in my throat, and glared at the profile of her face. "Like it or not, I'm going to find a way to help Lita." Linda didn't respond, so I turned, stomping toward the door, officially pissed off.
"Good luck." I turned at the whisper, and frowned, seeing that Linda hadn't moved. Maybe I'd just imagined the comment. Scowling, I continued through the door and out of the building.
On the bright side, I wasn't going to break the law.
And on the down side...I had only three more days to figure out a way to save Lita from Kane.