Collision (Course) Insurance (Part Two)

[Joey "The Handyman" Handy]

Collision (Course) Insurance (Part Two)

"Let him go," Nadine said, an odd mixture of defeat and triumph in her voice.



I knew she was inwardly celebrating because she knew that she had gotten the better of me publically. I could only guess as to why she also sounded like she'd been admonished by her mother for lifting a lollypop from the candy store. The security team uncuffed me as she stepped forward, almost nose-to-nose with me.



"If you ever touch me like that again," she sneered, "I'll see to it that they throw you in the deepest hole they can find."



"You haven't got that kind of clout," proclaimed a voice behind me. "Especially not here."



I knew the voice. I had been to his office a few times, for good things and bad. It was Loki, the General Manager of Pure Class Wrestling. He approached with confidence and authority that stopped Nadine in her tracks.



"You should have stayed out of this, Loki," Nadine growled. "He laid his hands on me first."



"While it's true he did touch you first, the footage tells a different story. No court in the land will side with you on this one." Loki placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, never breaking eye contact with my wife. "Now do us all a favor, and seek help for your delusions. We have a wonderful mental health program, if you'd like to take advantage of it."



Nadine smirked. "Yeah. It's worked wonders for Alexa Black. Let's go home 'honey.'"



The venom in her voice made me think that she couldn't wait to get me away from prying eyes. I didn't fear her, as far as a physical confrontation goes. I worried more for what stories she'd make up to further whatever agenda she had going on. She had always been a somewhat abusive bitch, but she'd dialed it up to eleven here lately. She was always pleasant when I had been making six figures, and we lived the life of Riley.



After losing my architecture firm and having to resort to doing odd jobs to get by, after losing a house that was too big for her to care for by herself, after having to take the kids out of the magnet schools and have them go to public schools, I guess the downslide had just been too much for her to handle. The icing on the cake seemed to have come when she had been forced to get a job working in retail.



I didn't suppose I could blame her for being bitter. She had gotten used to living a certain way, only to have it ripped from her in such a way that she felt embarrassed. Even her "high society" friends had turned their backs on her, a few of them even going out of their way to "slum it" and make fun of her. I still loved her enough to feel that kind of empathy for her, but she was sure making it difficult lately.



"Actually," Loki's voice snapped me out of my daze. "I think he has something he's working on for me." He tightened his grip on my shoulder a bit. "Did you ever figure out why that rope snapped, Handyman?"



I knew where he was going with it, but my heart still sunk that I needed to play along. Inwardly, I knew going home with Nadine would be a bad idea. I felt as helpless as the kid dreading the last bell at school, knowing that if he dared to step outside, the bully would hold true his appointment of a sound beating.



"Actually, with all of the excitement, I haven't had a chance to look at the rig or the footage."



"Sounds to me like you have a full night ahead of you, don't you think?" Loki patted me and released his grip. He looked at Nadine one last time. "I'm sure he'll be home once he's done. I'll make sure he gets back to KC safely."



Nadine grimaced, speaking through her teeth. "Fine. I'll take care of the kids AND work to keep our family afloat. You stay here and do what-the-fuck-ever it is you do."



If the exit door to the arena hadn't been on an air cylinder soft closer, she'd have likely slammed it hard enough to shatter the tempered glass as she left. As soon as she got into the limo that had been provided for us to take her to the airport, a dizzying wave of relief rushed over me, nearly collapsing my knees.



"Let me know what you find," Loki requested. He looked at me in an almost pitiful manner. It was both assuring and maddeningly emasculating. He started to walk away, but looked over his shoulder at me. "It's not my place to say this, but if you ever need a good divorce lawyer, I know one."



I felt my face flush red, my anger flaring like a bonfire that's been fed a gas can. "You're right. It's not your place."



He stared at me for a few more seconds, as if trying to figure me out. Finally, he turned silently and headed back to his office. "Take all the time you need. Lock up when you're done."



Even though I couldn't see his entire face before he left, I could hear the hurt in his voice, but by the time my rage faded enough to apologize, he had already disappeared down the hallway. I knew I was driving a wedge between myself and the one man who defended me in my time of need. I drew in a deep breath and decided it was best to just go about the task at hand.



I headed to the ring area, where they crew had left the ring assembled as I had asked. Loki had given me permission to just leave it assembled, since no other events were going to take place in these hallowed halls until the Winter break was over.



PCW Corporate sometimes sublet the space to other events to bring in a bit of extra cash to the company when it wasn't in use for Traumas or Pay-Per-Views, but during the winter breaks, the building was normally vacant due to the holidays so that everyone could enjoy their family time.



I got to the ring and headed immediately to look at the ropes. I tested the ones that remained. The tension felt right, but maybe a bit looser than they had started at the beginning of Collision Course 7. That wasn't unusual. They normally loosened a bit from use as shows progressed. The crew had even tightened them a bit mid-show, but nothing seemed excessive or out of place.



I decided to take a good look at the ring rope that snapped. I started at the end that was still attached. Rigid and unmoving. Nothing unusual here, either. The hooks and tension rods weren't bent or stripped. I felt the cable like Muscles Malone examining himself for STDs, moving down the length of the rubber covered metal twine. Again, nothing seemed out of place or worn beyond normal usage.



Finally, I reached the end that had snapped; the moment of truth. I looked at the coupler for several seconds, my brain not quite registering what it was seeing. Normally, when a coupler fails, it's bent out of shape, or shows signs of inferior manufacturing. It happens. I've seen what they look like.



This wasn't it.



This had been nearly chewed through; tiny teeth, like a rat's, not a human, for certain. "Rats don't eat metal," I pondered, "even if they need their teeth filed down, they'll pick wood over metal." I had never seen anything like it before in my life. I knew that my crew also wouldn't install a coupler that was chewed or faulty intentionally. "This had to happen during the show," I thought, "but when?"



The footage from the night would probably show me what I needed to know. I hoped that catering had left some coffee and maybe a few sandwiches for me. This was going to be a long night.