Standing in her corner of the wrestling ring, Jenny surveyed her opponent, Lidia, and smiled. Jenny knew this was going to be a great fight. The entire population of La Bonita had turned out to see Lidia take on Jenny and they were cheering loudly for their local hero.
The crowd was expecting another triumph from Lidia and they were right to do so. In the year since her pro wrestling career launched, Lidia had scored victories in venues from San Diego to San Francisco, leaving behind a trail of bruised, beaten and groaning challengers. Jenny decided to grapple with her at one of those bouts in Sacramento. She watched Lidia pile drive a much larger and older woman into dreamland. As the more experienced wrestler flopped loudly on her back, rattling the entire ring, Jenny knew this wiry little new comer was her next target.
This bunch might think she’s gonna win, Jenny decided. But I think differently.
The ring announcer addressed the spectators as the ref checked each wrestler for hidden weapons in their boots.
“In the black corner, from the United States, is Jenny B, Mistress of the Dream Catcher!” the announcer pointed, almost accusingly, at Jenny. Jenny proudly stepped forward, flexing her long, taunt biceps before the howling crowd. Most of the die hard wrestling fans knew Jenny and her finishing hold: The Dream Catcher. Once those shapely arms were around your neck, male or female, you were getting carried out of the ring! Many spectators thought Lidia, with only rookie ring experience, was brave to go up against Jenny and admired her eve more.
“In the white corner, La Bonita’s own champion, winner of 12 victories statewide, Lidia!’’
The audience screamed insanely as Lidia raised fists in the air. Lidia was skinny, almost wire thin, but it was all muscle. Most of the victories Lidia had racked up were due to her powerful legs and arms. And beneath her short black hair peered out a pair of brown eyes that radiated youthful determination!
The iron clang of the bell started the First Round. Lidia sprang forward off the ropes, directly into the oncoming Jenny. The smack of the two bodies colliding filled the gym, followed by a roar from the fans. Taken by surprise, Jenny tumbled on her back, with Lidia right on top of her. Deftly, the youngster grabbed Jenny’s right wrestling boot and began to twist the ankle, bending the right leg against her own.
Jenny let out a frustrated scream as her mind raced for an escape move. Jenny quickly pulled her free leg and kicked Lidia’s right foot, slamming her heel against the front of Lidia’s boots. Lidia flipped forward, releasing Jenny’s right foot from the torture hold. Rolling to the side, Jenny escaped the plummeting Lidia, who crashed face first to the canvas.
The crowd erupted in indignation, cursing at the challenger. Jenny happily ignored the voices and planted her feet on both sides of Lidia’s waist. Quickly reaching down, Jenny encircled Lidia’s muscular legs and hauled them up, clinching her biceps just below the ankles.
“You charged right at me, amiga, I don’t like that!” Jenny yanked harder on the imprisoned legs and Lidia let out the first of many painful yells. “Have to pay for your mistakes!”
Jenny continued torturing the younger wrestler, curving her body into a reverse “C”. “Anything you want to say, amiga?”
“Go to hell!” Lidia shouted, loud enough for Jenny and the spectators to hear.
Jenny grinned with pleasure. “I hoped so….” She mumbled to herself. Giving Lidia one more solid pull, she let the Latina beauty’s legs drop to the canvas.
Lidia desperately gulped down air as she rolled over. She knew she had to move fast, because her foe wasn’t in a charitable mood. Sitting up quickly, Lidia bounded to her feet and moved away from the circling Jenny. Both women had their hands out, ready to clasp onto their opponent. Without warning both hurled into each, arms locking around shoulders. The struggle went on, both fighters forcing each other closer and closer to the floor. Then Jenny’s left knee shot, busting into Lidia’s gut. At first Lidia stubbornly refused to release her grasp on Jenny, only releasing a stifled grunt from her lips. Jenny shot up her again, but this time Lidia let go of Jenny and caught the foot of Jenny’s rising knee. With all her strength behind her, Lidia flipped Jenny’s leg forward, landing her painfully on the canvas.
“Enjoy that, amiga?!” Lidia yelled at the dazed Jenny. Again the crowd howled, calling for their champion to finish “the rubia!”
Jenny was half conscious for a few seconds, looking up confused at Lidia, who seemed to be reaching down to her. Jenny felt herself fly upward, Lidia holding on to her arm with both hands. “Little bitch!” she snarled as Lidia spun her in a rapid circle and released.
The ropes stretched to welcome Jenny’s body and with equal force propelled her back to Lidia. Jenny saw Lidia extend her right arm into a cloths line. Not even thinking, she ducked beneath the arm and came to a skidding halt behind the young wrestler.
“I enjoyed it a lot, amiga!” Jenny yelled. Seamlessly, she slapped her arms around Lidia’s neck, her left arm tucked under the Latina’s chin and the right clasping the top of Lidia’s scalp. Jenny left hand tightly grasped her right forearm and she began to squeeze.
“This is the Dream Catcher, Lidia!” a delighted Jenny whispered. “Ever been put to sleep, chica?”
Lidia didn’t answer; she was struggling furiously to break the hold. Lidia suddenly found it harder to breathe as she felt the pressure from the Dream Catcher yank her into Jenny’s chest. Lidia flung her arms out directionlessly, trying to grasp Jenny’s hair and face in order to distract her opponent. Jenny’s hair, pulled back in a pony tail, slipped repeatedly through Lidia’s fingers.
Then Lidia felt lightness swelled in her. She felt in her head a giddy numbness that made her want to relax. For a few seconds, she gave in. The feeling was so nice. Then Lidia struggled back, knowing she was starting get sleepy. But now her legs felt unstable, the knees buckling in and out of their sockets. Then the giddy numbness was in her arms.
“Don’t worry, Lidia, it’ll be over soon and you’ll be fast asleep,” Jenny taunted her victim. Lidia snarled back, but her breathing was sluggish and her arms moved slower and slower. “Lots of Dream Catcher victims find this very relaxing! Why don’t you just submit now, sweetie?”
“No!....no!...” Lidia groaned. One of her knees gave out and she sagged downward to the canvas. Now The Dream Catcher was tighter on Lidia’s throat. Inside Lidia’s head, things were shutting down. Lidia felt like she had been slugged by a heavy weight boxer and she felt herself waiting for the second blow.
Instead, she continued to sink and relax. Lidia felt happy when Jenny’s voice reminded her that it was bedtime. The local fans were screaming, imploring the ref to stop the hold and cursing Jenny with every pejorative they could conjure. The ref examined Jenny’s Dream Catcher hold and announced, to the crowd’s vibrant dismay, that it was a legal sleeper and not a choke hold.
Lidia continued her ride to dreamland.
By now her head was a slow chaos of thoughts and feelings. As her second knee gave buckled, Lidia knew she was being knocked out unconscious. Jenny eased her into a sitting position, bending one of her own knees and positioning the other next Lidia for optimum leverage. “Is Lidia going bye-bye!” Jenny whispered into Jenny ear.
Lidia barely heard the question echo in her drowsy head. Jenny voice softly mingled with the other sounds in Lidia’s brain. Lidia smiled involuntarily as pinwheels of bright colors swarmed her vision. Lidia felt like a girl again and the idea that she was about to lose the match was just part of the game she and Jenny were playing.
Lidia’s right arm slapped on her bare thigh. “Oh, Lidia is going bye-bye!” Jenny said facetiously. “Sweet dreams, Lidia, you’re almost knocked out! How does it feel, honey?”
The second arm dropped to canvas. Lidia’s legs wiggled a few times and then relaxed. Her brain was all whizzing colors and sweet music jumbled together. No…no…no…repeated like a nursery rhyme in Lidia’s head. Gooo …night Papa, was her last thought. Darkness drank Lidia into its deep, welcoming belly.
The ref cracked Lidia’s eyes and saw only whites. Jenny was nearly rapturous, nothing she enjoyed more than sending a young wrestler to sleep. The ref lifted Lidia’s right arm and it fell limp.
“One!”
Again he picked up the arm and again it docilely fell.
“Two!”
Once more Lidia’s compliant arm went up and then down.
“Three! You are out!”
Jenny pulled the hold tighter for one moment more. Jenny wanted Lidia to take the full tour of dreamland. Then she released the hold and raised her arms in triumph. Lidia slumped against her, completely out cold. The bell rang as Jenny lowered Lidia to the canvas, settling the rookie on her back. Then Jenny went for the pin, counting Lidia out second time. Jenny put an affectionate kiss on Lidia’s cheek and leapt to her feet. Jenny danced around the ring arrogantly as the EMTs put Lidia on a stretcher and rolled her to the locker rooms.
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