Title: When Reality Strikes
I hear Mark walk towards my bed but I refuse to look at him. "Darlin you're crying, are you in a lot f pain?" I want to tell him physically I'm not feeling pain but emotionally I'm a wreck. Since I know Vince is going to call me soon to drop the ax I figure I should make a clean break away from Mark. "I'm fine. Is there something I could help you with?" Mark drags a chair over to the bed and tries to grab my hand. "What's wrong? Didn't you like the flowers?" I turn to look at the flowers and they are beautiful but I just keep reminding myself he is the reason I'm going to be out of the job. "There all right I guess."
I can feel Mark's stare. "Just all right huh? Well I'm sorry I bothered. I figured since you can't seem to find a good man that I should take pity on you and buy you some flowers." Great so he's taking pity on me. "Mark I don't need your pity so you can take your fucking flowers and shove them up your ass. Leave my room right now." Mark stands up so abruptly he knocks the chair over. "What's gotten into you? Here I was starting to think we could actually get along and you turn turbo bitch on me. I don't need this shit. Have a nice life." When he slams out of the room I start to cry again.
An hour later the phone rings next to my bed and I debate on whether or not to answer it. In the end I reach over and pick it up. "Erica this is Vince McMahon. How are you feeling?" Can't he just get it over with? "I'm doing pretty well Mr. McMahon. I appreciate you calling." I hear Vince sigh over the phone. "Listen Erica I want you to know how much we've appreciated your work over the last two weeks. You have a great work ethic. But I just think now isn't the right time for you to be working for us. I'm going to let you out of your contract. I'm going to pay you for the full month plus your airfare home. Just charge it on your expense account. Again I am really sorry."
"If you were so impressed with my work then how come you're letting me go?" I can hear the hesitation in his voice. "Well right now we're over budget with our salaries." Yeah ok that's why he just offered to pay me for the month. "Well I would be willing to take a pay cut." I can hear silence for a few minutes. "Erica I'm really sorry but for now there just isn't a place for you here. Again I'm sorry go home rest and try to get better as soon as you can." With that said he hangs up. So there isn't a place for me here then where the hell is there a place for me? Something about that call doesn't seem right to me but I will just think about it later.
A few hours later I check myself out of the hospital against doctors orders. Since I don't have a job I might as well not try to avoid what I have to do. I take a cab back to the hotel and ask the front desk for a key to the room. When I open the door I listen for sounds to let me know Mark is in the room but it sounds like the coast is clear. I walk in and start to pack. I have to stop every now and then because I feel dizzy. Just as I'm finishing up I hear the door bang open. Glenn walks in holding up what looks to be a very drunk Mark.
"Erica what are you doing out of the hospital? I was on my way over to see you after I put him to bed." I help Glenn get Mark over to the bed. "Well I don't know if you heard or not but Vince let me go. So I thought I better get home to get a new job." Glenn looks at me in surprise. "Vince let you go? The other day he was just telling me how impressed he was that you handle Mark so well." I look over at Mark passed out on the bed. "Why don't you ask your friend over there when he comes to? I heard him on the phone telling Vince he wanted me gone. Well I guess he got his wish."
"Do you want me to talk to him? Hell I'll beat him up if you want me to." I go to grab my bag but Glenn picks it up for me. "Don't bother Glenn, Mark obviously didn't want me around. I would appreciate it if you could help me carry my bags down to the lobby. Wait before we go I need to leave something for Mark." When I left the hospital I asked the nurse for a bag to put the flowers in. I take them out and place them on the TV stand. I write Mark a little note saying I don't need anyone's pity and that I was a fool for thinking he was a good man. I hope the bastard wakes up with one hell of a headache.
Glenn and I go down to the lobby leaving Mark in the room. We go outside to wait for a cab. "Mark called me from the hospital to tell me you were admitted. He seemed worried about you. Then about two hours later he came back to the hotel and told me he wanted to go for a drink. He wouldn't talk about you and if I mentioned your name he would snap at me. Well one drink turned into another and he got wasted. I don't know what his problem is."
"Glenn don't bother trying to figure him out. It's a total waste of time. Trust me I've been there." Glenn starts to laugh. "For awhile there I thought the two of you were either going to kill each other or end up in bed. I'm really sorry it didn't work out Erica. You were starting to really become part of the family. Listen could I have your number so we could stay in touch?" I write my home number and cell phone number on a piece of paper and hand it too him. I also reach back into my purse and pull out some money. "Here are my numbers, feel free to give them out to anyone that asks. I would really love to stay in touch with the girls and Paul and you of course. I also want you to give this money to Mark to pay for my cell phone." Glenn starts to protest saying Mark broke my phone but I tell him I don't want to be in debt to him.
Once my cab comes Glenn hugs me goodbye and I start to get teary eyed. " Come on now don't cry. I'm going to call you tomorrow to make sure you got home ok. Once you get home I want you going right to bed and resting all right?" I sniffle and promise him I will rest. "Glenn please make sure to tell everyone goodbye for me. And tell Vince I understand he did what he had to do. He'll understand. Be careful in the ring I'll be watching." The cab takes off and I wave to Glenn. Once we get onto the highway I lean back in the seat thinking well I got to fulfill my fantasy for two weeks and now it's time to go back to reality.