*** Chapter 5 - The Finish (or I am Finished) ***
My eyes were clearing and the clock read 6:35 as I tugged to get myself off the deck. I got up, leaned back on the ropes and pushed the hair out of my sweaty face and eyes. I took a breath and another but they did little. My legs were heavy and I was having trouble focusing. Kat paced impatiently or so she appeared. I still think I have not seen her worst or her best. Even she was perspiring some so maybe the temperature was not my imagination. Then she clapped loudly. “Come on Gabs, whadayasay we finish this thing up?” My blood boiled and finally I spoke.
“That’s an invitation I cannot pass up Kat. Let’s go!” She kept her distance and I did not complain. I moved off the ropes and circled widely yet again. I felt so slow . . . so I picked up the pace but I was laboring. I swear it’s at least 80 degrees in here. There is no air circulation and no cool respite anywhere. We circled again and again and then Kat really challenged me. She stepped in front of me, planted her feet and raised her arms, again showing lockup. Was I crazy for even considering chasing that bait again?
“Seriously, Gabs, let’s lock up. I am dying to know. I mean, you look pretty tired but you still have almost 4” and 60+ pounds on me. I mean, really.”
I had to. She stood statue still and waited for me to move in. I eased in, not wanting to embarrass myself and finally we completed the collar and elbow. I leaned on Kat and she held strong. I wanted to be aggressive. I wanted to run her backward into a corner. But she is so quick and smart, I was afraid she’d turn it around somehow so I just leaned and began to push. She moved very little so I began to exert myself. I took a deep breath and let it out as my legs tensed and flexed but still, she wasn’t going anywhere. I took another breath and tried harder. We were at a stalemate.
She put her head on my left shoulder and in a very calm voice said, “It’s over big girl.” Her comment had me totally perplexed. She continued, “You are huffing and puffing, you’re sweating, you’re frustrated. Those big legs are weak.” She was right. 7:10 on the clock and I had little left in the tank. She said those things loud enough for the microphones to pick up, but then whispered, “How do you want me to finish you?” My blood pressure was on the rise. Unfortunately it produced no boost of energy.
As it turned out, we were not really at a stalemate. Kat shoved her body into mine and my fatigue was obvious. She rushed me toward the ropes and as my back made contact, she lifted her right foot, stuffed it in my tummy, took a good hold of the back of my neck and tossed me up and over using a single-leg monkey flip. I landed flat on my back, wind knocked out of me. I rolled to my left hip, attempting to get up and there was Kat, eager to help.
She took my head in both hands and worked me to my feet on shaky legs. She was now pouring it on and I was helpless to stop her. Again she moved me briskly into the ropes back first and this time, Irish Whipped me across the ring. My feet pounded the boards and each footfall was amplified. My curves were bouncing heavily and I took the opposite ropes also in my back, rebounded rapidly and I knew something bad was about to happen. At the last second, Kat lowered her right shoulder, my momentum carried me into her and with a huge heave, she got me up and over in a back body drop. As good as she is, I don’t think she could body slam me but this was every bit as effective. My body hitting the canvas brought about another “BOOOOM” and I was struggling to even move. Kat was on a roll though and she was right on me.
Again she worked me to my feet and my condition was worsening with each impact. She backed me into the ropes once more and this time put her right shoulder into my bare tummy, wrapped my left leg and lifted me onto her shoulders. I could not believe it and she seemed to not be struggling. Then she went back to talking: “205 Gabs? Every ounce of that, babe!” I had no response. She pulled on the back of my neck with her left hand and secured the back of my right thigh with her right. Then she began to rotate. “I hope you like to travel big girl because you’re going on an airplane ride!”
“How many more moves is she going to use??” I asked myself. We started to rotate. I saw the control room door go by a few times and then everything became blurry so I closed my eyes. I have no idea how many times we went around but it felt like a hundred. Almost ready to toss my cookies, I felt her hands shift and she pushed me off her shoulders. I again landed on my back and completed another half spin before settling. I was completely gassed. I blinked my eyes open and saw a ceiling that made me feel like I was on some sort of hallucinogenic. I just lay there, thinking it was about to cave in.
Then Kat’s form appeared over me to my right. She dropped to her knees, pressing my arm into my side with one knee and dropped across my chest. She pulled my left arm in close and pinned me. She paused a good couple seconds before slapping the canvas and calling out, “ONNNE!!” I pulled my legs in but not very far and certainly not far enough, generating a feeble kick out attempt which produced nothing. Kat paused, slapped the canvas and yelled, “TWOOO!” One last attempt – a bridge. I slid my feet up near my butt and pushed. My hips rose but my butt never completely left the mat and my neck was nowhere close to lifting my back off the canvas.
Kat chuckled. “That it? All done?” She smacked the canvas yelling “THREEE!” and the digital bell sounded. It was over. I had been handled, whipped, taken apart. She didn’t cheat, she took no shortcuts. She beat me and badly. She palmed my sweaty chest and tummy and pushed up to her knees and raised her arms. She rose to her feet and took a victory lap and then we heard, “And we’re out”, signaling the stream was done. She headed for the ropes, turned and said with some snark in her tone, “See ya in the back.”
“Not for a while” I thought to myself. Kat disappeared and I just reclined there. The clock showed 8:42 but it seemed so much longer. My breathing began to return to normal and my heart slowed. I was drenched. It’s HOT in here. The engineer emerged from the control room so I asked, “Is it hot in here or is something wrong with me?” He smiled and stepped to the apron. “To be honest, we turn the heat on at the outset of the match. It’s about 82. If a match goes long enough, it will hit 90. Sweat and all you know.” I let my head fall back to the canvas and took a deep breath. Time for a/c and a shower – if only I could get up.
I rolled to hands and knees and watched a drop of sweat fall to the canvas and then another. My mind was blank. All I could think was, "what just happened?"
