3366 Grappling Gate
Two of Merryville's very few claims to fame were the Cartwright twins. Mona and Bonita -- also known as the 'Amazonian Goddesses of War'-- were professional wrestlers who possessed both the figures and talents required to attract large crowds to highly choreographed athletic events.
Yes, professional wrestling is fake. Just like a Hollywood movie or Broadway play. That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining or the actors / athletes aren't highly skilled. What gave Mona and Bonita an edge over other women wrestlers, besides the fact they were identical twins, was their ability to perform amazing feats of athleticism while making it look like a real fight. Attractive faces and amazing bodies might have added to their crowd appeal.
Their continued success required a move to Los Angeles where at least one movie contract waited. They were only in town for the day and wanted to sell their Merryville home quickly -- warning me ahead of time that another realtor and client might be there when we showed up. Not my favorite way of doing business, but I didn't want to lose the opportunity.
"Oh shit," I said as we drove up to the Cartwright house to see a white Porsche parked in the drive.
"Is that the other realtor's car?" Mark asked.
I nodded.
"Do you know who he is?
"She," I said as I nodded.
"Not one of your favorite people?"
"Perhaps my least favorite on the planet."
"This should be interesting," he said with a grin.
Cathy Raven Hardwood claimed to be one quarter Native American and had the beautiful tanned skin and silky dark hair to prove it. We had been frenemies since the third grade; competing for spots on the cheerleading squad, parts in school plays and later, for boys. The competition remained fairly friendly all through high school, but I wasn't devastated when we chose to attend different colleges.
Now, twelve years later, we were back in Merryville, still competing... for home sales and men. Which is how we went from frenemies to just plain hating each other.
The front door was open, so we walked in.
Raven, as she now preferred to be called, stood in the living room with her client... an extremely large black man who introduced himself as Lansel Norman.
"Go home Janis," Raven said as soon as she saw me. "This house has indoor plumbing which puts it way out of your league."
Mark ignored her and went up to her client. "Weren't you a defensive end for the Skins?"
"Ten years, two knee operations, and fifty pounds ago," the man mountain said with a laugh.
"It's my pleasure to meet an NFL legend." The two men shook hands, Mark pretended to grimace under the larger man's grip and they both laughed at the joke.
I introduced Mark to the owners who seemed slightly miffed that he made a fuss about the football player and didn't recognize the other stars in the room.
"And I'm Raven," my nemesis said. She took Mark's hand to her lips and kissed it. "I hope my client wasn't too rough on you."
Thankfully, Mark didn't take the bait. Instead of responding to the evil, man stealing bitch, he turned to the twins and asked for a guided tour of the house. It was nothing special, except for the full-sized wrestling ring -- complete with ropes -- in an oversized addition which took up a good bit of the back yard.
Mark was admiring a poster on the wall, advertising the twins as the headliners of a recent event in Philadelphia, when Lansel sidled up next to him. I was close enough to hear their conversation. Raven was talking to the owners on the other side of the room.
"You plan on making an offer?" Lansel asked Mark.
"Not a good one," Mark said. "Maybe twenty thou below asking."
"Yeah. That sounds about right for this place."
"You interested?" Mark asked.
"I am, but it's not worth a bidding war."
"Agree, but there's other ways to decide."
"What you got in mind?" Lansel asked.
"You ever done any wrestling?"
"You want to wrestle me for it?"
"Not me. Them." Mark pointed towards the twins.
"You think?"
"Can't hurt to ask. If they say no, there's plenty of other houses to look at."
Lansel nodded in assent as the two conniving men broke their huddle.
"Ladies," Mark said in a voice all could hear. "Mr. Norman and I have a proposal..."
Each man would spend three minutes in the ring with one of the twins. Whoever took longest to pin his female adversary would lose and withdraw from the bidding.
"What if pin your ass," one of the twins said. I couldn't tell them apart.