"DADDY'S COMIN' TO TOWN"
The light smell of marijuana wafted through the shop on Christmas morning. Expecting stoners to be up and buying weed from their local dispensary was a little too much to ask for on Christmas morning but still, someone had to work. Per California law, al packages were sealed properly and in accordance, however, the smell from the product managed to fill the building with a feint smell. Given that the people inside were consumers themselves, they barely even noticed the smell.
DAN "Yo Jazz, you're off on the 29th, right? Switch me shifts!"
Dan Adler was an amateur wrestler, and had been at the shop for about a year and a half. He started it as a second job, unable to get booked regularly through COVID. But the supplemental money was nice once the bookings started coming again, and it allowed him funds to travel, to get his name out there. Currently, he was trying to get the day off so he could take off to Florida.
JAZZ "Uhhh I think the fuck not. I'm not trying to go 8 days in a row. You cool as hell but that's a no from me dawg."
Jazz was a feisty one. She'd been at the shop for a little over four years, and was still putting herself through school to be a stylist. It originally allotted her money to find daycare and her shifts worked with the timing of school. Nowadays she was working towards her own degree and working part time here at the shop. She could have a temper but was lowkey the nicest of them all. She'd defend you in a heartbeat.
DAN "The 28th is my first match in PWS, I gotta get back from Orlando! Kain, help a homie out!"
KAIN "You throw in a quarter of some top shelf and I got you."
Kain's real name was Daryl, but nobody had called him that since he was in middle school. He'd done some things, seen some shit, ended up popped and then framed by the cops here in San Fran. After two years in prison and a long case later, he was free of all charges. Down two years of his life but free of charges. Now he was keeping his nose clean, though the irony was he was working with the same product they put him away for.
DAN "Deal!"
Jazz socked Dan in the arm as she walked behind him, stocking a few boxes of hanging edible bags on the wall.
JAZZ "Ey what the hell! I didn't get offered that deal, this some bullshit!"
DAN "You should've just done it out of the kindness of your heart..."
BAM! This time Jazz swung around and knocked Dan upside the head with one of the box of edibles. Playfully, of course. She rolled her eyes.
JAZZ "You shoulda thought ahead and requested that shit off like weeks ago!"
BIG PETE "You work with a bunch of stoners, Jazz, don't expect too much..."
Pete was in his late 50s, and owned the shop that they all found themselves working at. While he did have moments of being stern and stubborn, he was generally the best boss they ever had. Mainly because he looked at them all as his kids, especially those who had been with him for years. His Father energy radiated throughout the shop. The other three laughed, hearing Pete's joke shouted from the office in the back.
BIG PETE "You got a match comin' up, so let's hear that promo, kid."
Pete shouted again from the office. Kain laughed out loud as Dan looked around sheepishly.
DAN "You know I really don't want to distract Leo from counting down the drawers, he needs to focus. Right, Leo??"
For what seemed like the first time, the three of them looked off to the side where one of the registers was being counted by a guy in a black turtleneck and glasses. Truth be told, he looked slightly out of place with the rest of them, but they were all a bunch of misfits anyway. Leo was breaking a sweat though, mouthing numbers to himself as he slid coins into the register.
JAZZ "Don't be an ass!"
Again, she swung the box, connecting with the back of Dan's head as he knelt next to a bottom shelf of pre-rolls.
DAN "Ouch! I wasn't being an ass, I was just being courteous and saying he needs to focus!"
JAZZ "If you think that hurt, I don't know if you finna make it in wrestling!"
BIG PETE "Cool it you two..."
Dan and Jazz separated, a smile on both their faces. They all knew it was part of the shtick of the shop.
BIG PETE "Now let's hear that promo."
Dan Adler cleared his throat for a moment, brushing his hair back from his face.
DAN "I still consider myself to be a bit of a novice when it comes to in ring competition. I may have been training for a long time, and I may still have a long way to go, but I don't consider myself to be a complete beginner either. Seeing as how I haven't been around for too long, and I'm still getting my feet wet somewhat, I expect to encounter people often who I have never encountered before. Thus, when I say that I don't know who Eleni Stratis is, or what she's about, I'm not saying it to be some kind of asshole. I'm not saying it to try to make myself seem larger than I actually am, because quite frankly, I'm not some big hot shot. No, I just haven't been around the block as much as some of these other cats have. So maybe Eleni has been in the ring for twenty years, maybe she has in-ring experience only amounting to less than a year. I'm not really sure. What I do know, is that I'm going to make one hell of a match here in PWS by winning my debut match!"
KAIN "Hell yeah man!"
DAN "Eleni had enough pressure behind her to give he some sort of teaser, which I definitely checked out. WOW! I felt like I was transported back to the mid-2000s. You may be hot, Eleni, but you're not hot enough to bring that song back from the dead. I mean damn, it's been overplayed for like fifteen years, and here you are showing that even to this day you'll find a MILF with a mini-van blaring that song in the background as if it was written about them and their life. Sorry, I guess you were in some sort of sports car but I think my point still rings true, it shows your age more than anything. Which, hey! Age is just a number! Mature and experienced people are my favorite people to get into bed with!"
Jazz and Kain nudged each other, giving one another a little cackle, knowing Dan's last statement to be true. A moment later they quieted down, realizing that Dan wasn't quite finished just yet.
DAN "Which brings me to my next point, what exactly did you hope to accomplish by driving around and singing that song? Were you hoping it was going to seduce your next opponent and they wouldn't want to pin you in the middle of the ring? Did you think it would distract your opponent, and they'd want to have sex with you so bad that they simply could not finish the match? With a nickname like The Enchantress and move names such as Booty and Facial, I should probably bring a good ten condoms with me to the ring, right? Because honestly, we could screw once the match is over if that's what you're about Eleni. I mean, get yourself tested first and all, but we could bang right there in the ring if that's what your thing is. I'm all about the sex appeal, you're not going to out sex me - and you definitely can't out pussycat me, doll!"
JAZZ "Ooooo, get her, boy! You snatch that wig!"
DAN "But if you want to get down to actual wrestling, we could do that to. Because I may exude confidence in myself and yeah, pro-sex is the only way to be, but at the end of the day we're here to wrestle - not bone. When it comes to wrestling, I may be a novice but I think I've got you beat just by looking at how you present yourself. What are you going to do when your face gets bruised? What are you going to do when you can't use your looks to get what you want? I suppose we're going to find out Tuesday on the 28th, because all that sexy stuff isn't going to work on me. This year at CRUSADE, I've made a list and I've checked it twice. Eleni, you've been one naughty girl and apparently it's my job to give you a bit more than just your average spanking. Tuesday, December 28th - Daddy Dan is comin' to town!"
Jazz and Kain erupt into hollers and applause, laughing and patting Dan on the back for a few seconds.
BIG PETE "...I mean, it was alright. I'm sure you'll get better with time if this turns into a steady booking..."
DAN "...yeah, thanks Pete. Always keepin' me humble..."
BIG PETE "It's what I'm here for...now back to work you three!"