Sunday: August 21, 2011 3:17 P. M.

I look at Randy as I finish packing my suitcase and my carry on bag. "How's your packing going?"

"Good." Randy says. "I've been finished."

"Did you grab our passports?"

"I did. I double-checked. Can't get into Canada without them."

"Okay. Good. I just finished packing."

"That's good. I can't believe you bought a muscle suit to mess with Beth."

I laugh. "Oh, babe. It goes beyond that."

"Beyond that?"

"Oh yeah. You'll see tomorrow."

"Okay…did you ever get a hold of Layla?"

"Yeah. She's coming. I got her a plane ticket to fly in tomorrow."

"We'll be in Canada."

"Chelle won't. Actually neither will Ryse." I say with a smirk.

"Oh. You're going to surprise Chelle with Layla."

"Yeah. I'm sending Chelle to the airport."

"How are you going to do that without telling her it's Layla?"

"Just tell her it's a friend."

"Okay then."

"It'll work."

"We'll see."

"Stop being a pessimist."

Randy shrugs before grabbing his bags. "Can't help it. Hand me your bags."

"I can bring mine down."

"I can do it. Let me be a gentleman and take them. We have to have Eve's little birthday party soon, so we don't need to go back and forth about this."

I pass him my bags. "Here. Thank you."

Randy takes the bags. "No problem. Get on my back."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. It can be my exercise."

I climb onto Randy's back. "You are something else."

Randy laughs as he walks out of the bedroom with me on his back and our bags in his hands. "I know."

The others look at us in confusion as we make it to the bottom of the stairs. I smile and hop off of Randy's back.

John laughs at us. "The hell are you two doing?"

I shrug. "He insisted that be his exercise."

Randy chuckles as he puts our bags down by the door. "I needed some exercise."

I rolled my eyes as I leaned on him. "Whatever."

"Anyway," Eve says. "Ready for tomorrow?"

"You can bet your ass I am."

Eve laughs. "Good. Did you get everything you needed?"

"Yep. Did you?"

"Absolutely."

"You know you could be booed out of the building tomorrow." Chelle says. "Since it's Hart country and you're coming at Natalya."

I smile. "You and Layla did it last year. Plus, we're coming at Beth too."

"Well, good luck. We did get booed."

"You were heels. The fans usually love me. I'll test the waters."

"What are you going to do if they boo you?"

I grin. "Act like a heel."

"Good. That's what you should do."

I smile. "I actually love being a heel. I miss it."

Ted laughs. "It's easier to make them hate you than like you."

"True. By the way, Chelle, I need a favor."

"What is it?" Chelle asks.

"Well…I kind of told a friend I'd pick them up at the airport tomorrow. I wasn't thinking because I won't be here. Is there any way you could do it?"

Chelle nods. "Absolutely. Let me know the info."

I smile. "I will. Let's do cake and gifts now. I baked a cake after mine and Randy's date. Y'all are going to eat it."

Everyone laughs as I walk into the kitchen to get the cake.

I bring out the cake and put candles in the cake to light for Eve.

I look around but can't find a lighter to light those candles.

I look at Randy. "You have a lighter?"

Randy passes me a lighter. "Always."

"Thanks, babe." I light the candles.

Randy puts an arm around me. "No problem."

"Here's your lighter."

"Thanks."

"Okay…let's sing Happy Birthday and do the cake."

We all look at Eve. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday Dear Eve. Happy Birthday to you."

Eve laughs and blows out the candles. "Thanks."

I pull out the candles. "Babe, get me something to cut this with and get the plates and silverware out."

"Okay." Randy goes to do that.

Cody looks at me. "You're so OCD about your kitchen being organized. I swear Randy is the only one who actually gets the organization you have going on in there."

I shrug. "That's because he knows me and he lives here. He had to learn it."

Ted laughs. "Fair enough."

Randy comes back with everything I asked for. "Did you buy ice cream?"

"Shit. I did. Can you get that out too?"

Randy kisses my cheek. "Sure."

"Thank you." I say as Randy heads back into the kitchen.

I make plates with pieces of cake, and Randy returns and gets ice cream onto everyone's plates. Everyone starts eating.

I look at Randy. "Would you be mad if I slept on the plane to Edmonton?"

Randy chuckles. "No. I was going to ask if you wanted to because I'm already kind of tired."

"So we'll both sleep."

"Yeah."

Eve smiles. "This is really good. Thanks."

I nod. "No problem."

"Who's birthday is next for some of this cake?" John asks.

"Ted in November. It'll be a while."

"Well, damn."

"Good cake?"

Ryse laughs. "Great cake."

I smirk. "Thanks. I really tried."

"You did great." Chelle adds.

I smile. "Maybe I should bake more often."

We had some extra time before we had to leave to fly out to Edmonton for Raw, so I ended up back in our bedroom. Randy was in the room with me, watching something on the TV. I sigh and grab another one of the letters from my mom, which I've honestly been procrastinating reading much of lately because I cry pretty much with every letter. This one is numbered six.

Date: July 2, 1989

Dear Marissa, Happy seventh birthday. I know I've been gone for almost four years now. That's most of your life. I've been more involved in your brother Colby's life more than yours at this point. I'm truly sorry about that, but I know your father is taking good care of you. Your Grandma Laurel is keeping tabs on you for me.

She tells me that your father is taking good care of you and that you are doing so well in school. I'm very proud of you. However, I'm worried she won't be able to keep tabs on you for me soon. She told me that your father thinks she is being too nosy when it comes to you and your brother Tyler, especially since I'm not around. He'll probably end up having a fight with her about it. She comes to visit here in Davenport a lot to see Colby and wants to be able to see all three of her grandchildren from me all at once, as well as all of her grandchildren in general. However, that would require your aunt, my sister, to come over from North Carolina and me to talk to my brother and your father. Your father probably wouldn't allow it since I left you three so many years ago.

I'm starting to realize how much this distanced you and Tyler from your family on my side. I'm so sorry for taking that away from you as well as leaving. If you remember me, I hope you'll forgive me.

Love, Mom

I sigh and put the letter back in its envelope. "Ugh."

"You aren't crying this time." Randy whispers.

"I thought you were paying attention to the TV."

"I was, but I saw what you were doing. I'm just happy you aren't crying."

"I know she's deceased, but I'm starting to get irritated with them instead of wanting to cry. She apologized in every letter but never came back. When she reached out, I had to go there. I know I should get over it but I really doubt that she would've reached out if I wasn't on TV."

"Was it another birthday letter?"

I hand it to him for him to read. "My seventh birthday."

Randy reads the letter. "I can see why. You have an aunt from North Carolina?"

I roll my eyes. "She's from around here. She moved to North Carolina. She's talking about my Aunt Caroline. Don't you remember her?"

"The one who's only ten years older than you? Wasn't she at our wedding?"

"Yeah. We aren't very close, but I vaguely remember her coming around when I was young. She babysat me and Tyler until she went to live with her father in North Carolina after she got pregnant with my cousin."

"When did she get pregnant? And which cousin? I clearly know Kenny, but I get all confused with the cousins on your mom's side since we don't see them much. At our wedding, I kept hoping you'd say all of their names when they talked to us, so I would know the names and not look stupid."

"She got pregnant in mid-1987. She gave birth to my cousin Brittany on Saint Patrick's Day in 1988."

"Brittany…the one who's getting her master's degree in education?"

"Yes. That one."

"Oh okay. Don't you text her?"

"Sometimes, she, Aunt Caroline, and the rest of them out there in North Carolina watch us on TV. Sometimes, Brittany will text me about a match she really liked or just to check up on me. Sometimes, Aunt Caroline checks up on me too."

"Oh okay. We got so off topic. Where do they live in North Carolina?"

"All of my family that's in North Carolina lives in Asheville."

"Okay. We should go visit some time."

I nod. "We'll see."

"Anyway, are you doing alright? We gotta go soon."

I sigh. "I'll be fine. Let's go."