With the paperwork signed and keys finally handed over, Tommy Wasley wondered if this was the start of him growing up? At thirty three years old, some would say it may be a touch late to be going through the adulting process, but given the immaturity that Tommy had shown over the years, it was obvious he was somewhat late in his development in general, anyway… but buying his first ever house was a huge deal for the portly Yorkshireman and with his fledgling relationship with Kimberly Williams and his newfound status at ‘work’, maybe this his moment of maturity? He had gone through his fair share of trials and tough times over the last twelve months, and in a sense, had his hands tied when it came to being forced into taking things seriously… but he also found that he didn’t hate his newfound responsibilities either. Was he still silly at times? Of course. There would always be a need for laughter and fun in life, regardless of how serious life could be… what Tommy had done though, was learn when it was the time and place for it. Not everything was a joke and Tommy had come to realise that.
It had been a stressful process, but when those keys were handed over, it wasn’t just a huge weight off his mind but an exciting opportunity too. Yes, maybe the fact that he already owned a house back home in England removed some of the shine from the situation, but he’d inherited that! This, his new home in the suburbs of Boston… he picked it out for himself, it was the one, and he finally felt like a homeowner, even if he’d been one for several months already…
Perhaps that was the reason he decided to throw a dinner party as a housewarming, rather than a pissup. At one point, it would have been an excuse for a party, to invite all his friends around to get loaded and party until the sun came up… but not anymore. He didn’t want loud music and heavy drinking, he didn’t want keg stands and wine coolers… whatever the fuck those things were… he wanted conversation and good food, he wanted to remember the night, not wonder what he’d done the following morning. He’d had plenty of parties that fit into the latter category, so maybe his new found sense of responsibility would be better served with something more relaxed, or perhaps mature? And so he’d invited just those that he wanted to spend time with that would realistically want to attend; Kim, obviously, as well as Johnny, Cook and Marie. He had thought about asking some of his colleagues whether they wanted to come, but he didn’t know where most of them lived and he definitely didn’t think anyone would view him important enough to travel the length and breadth of the country for dinner, so he didn’t bother. He did tell Johnny that he could bring a date if he wanted… but he wasn’t all that positive about the Londoners chances when he’d offered...
“I wonder what’s taking Marie and Tommy so long,” Kimberly said as she sat on the one counter top in the kitchen that wasn’t covered in cooking utensils, pots and pans or ingredients. Tommy was going all out to impress in what wasn’t just his housewarming but his first ever dinner party too. He wasn’t a skilled chef as such, but he did want to make an impression. “Marie doesn’t live that far from here, and she said she was going to be here like, half an hour ago now…” she added as Tommy bent down to look through the glass oven door before straightening up again.
“Gi’ ‘er a ring, love?” the Yorkshireman suggested as he turned his attention back to the pig pot that was simmering away on the stove top. Homemade New England clam chowder… perhaps something of a cliche given the circumstances, but one he couldn’t avoid for all the clams in New Engalnd! “Or use my phone an’ gi’ Cookyboy a ring, in case Marie’s drivin’... am sure they won’t be long though…”
“I guess,” Kim said with a shrug as she used her finger tips to poke a path of something resembling paw prints in flour that coated a chopping board next to her. “It’s not like Marie to be late to things though, she’s the responsible one… it’s usually me that turns up unfassionably late to thinkgs!”
“Aye, but you stayed ‘ere last neet love,” Tommy pointed out, chuckling to himself. “Not like y’ can be late to a place y’ already at, is it?”
“True!” Kim said, beaming happily at him. “This is why I keep you around Thomas, you always see the positive side!” she said, grinning and Tommy shook his head, chuckling, before turning back to the stove.
“They’re probably having a quickie knowing them two,” A voice said and both Tommy and Kim looked over towards the doorway, where Johnny Taylor stood, leaning on the doorframe with an empty wine glass in his hand. “Woah, don’t look at me like that,” he told them both with a frown. “Not like it’s a million miles away from being a logical explanation, is it?”
“I’m gonna call them,” Kim said, hopping down from the counter so that she could head past Johnny to go find her phone.
For all she knew, Marie might have tried to call her already, and taking her leave, she left Tommy and Johnny alone in the kitchen. “Smells good mate, whatever it is you’re making…”
“Hope it tastes as good pal, a’ve been bustin’ me bollocks makin’ this lot,” Tommy told his younger tag partner as he grabbed a tea towel and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Get ya sen another drink if y’ want flower, bottle’s in the fridge.”
“Don’t mind if a do!” Johnny said, making his way to the fridge to do just that.
He bent low to look inside. The next second, he crashed headfirst into the shelves of the fridge as Kim skipped back into the room and tried to shut the open fridge door as she entered. A muffled ‘oi’ came from inside the fridge that was ignored by both Kim and Tommy. “They’re not far away,” she said, beaming again. “Was Tommy who answered. Marie is driving, you were right. Said they’re only a couple streets away so they should be here any minute…”
And Kim wasn’t wrong. Just as she explained, Wasley heard an engine getting closer to the house and he grabbed the towel again to wipe off his hands. “They’re here,” he told Kim and Johnny, who had untangled himself from the refrigerator and closed the door again. The three made their way into the hallway where Tommy opened the door in readiness to great his friends… only to find himself in shock when there were three people walking towards the door rather than the two he expected. “Oh bloody ‘ell…”
Johnny and Kim looked at him in confusion. “What’s up?” Johnny asked, but Wasley could only point, so Kim and Johnny stepped forward to get a look for themselves.
Johnny still didn’t know what the problem was, but Kim’s eyes bulged a little. “Mom?”
Angelica Jones waved from the driveway as she approached just a step or two behind Marie and Cook. “Hi sweetie,” Angelica said to Kim, smiling before turning to Marie. “See, I told you Kim wouldn’t mind if I tag along with you kids,” she said and Marie didn’t look at her mother, choosing instead to give an apologetic look to her twin sister. Angelica turned back to face Kim, Tommy and Johnny as they neared the door. “I hope you don’t mind Thomas, but Marie told me you were having a dinner party to celebrate moving into your new home and as I’m free I suggested I should invite myself. I figured it was about time I met the man that finally managed to tie down my daughter…” she explained, and Kim stepped out of view to roll her eyes at the statement.
Wasley spluttered a little before finding his tongue again and nodded. “Sorry, am… aye, not a problem…” he said, thankful that he had done enough for six on the offest of off chances that Johnny did indeed turn up with someone as his date. And Johnny, well he looked overjoyed that Angelica had arrived; he’d done the mental arithmetic and realised there were now six… which to him, meant that Angelica was now his date for the evening!
“Miss Jones, please, step this way,” Johnny said, elbowing Tommy out of the way to offer his arm and Angelica politely accepted it, leaving the two twins and two Tommy’s to stand in the doorway.
“I’m sorry Tommy, I couldn’t stop her,” Marie explained, clearly feeling bad that her mother had gatecrashed his dinner party. “I tried to explain that it wasn’t an open invite and that it was just close friends, but there’s no stopping her when she gets an idea in her head,” she told him, looking truly apologetic.
“It’s just like her to gatecrash,” Kim said, not angry exactly, but disappointed maybe? “I love her, but… ugh… you know?”
“I know,” Marie agreed with a nod.
“It’s fine, it’s… it’s fine,” Was all Wasley managed before stepping back into the room.
“I don’t get what the big deal is anyway, don’t see why it’s a problem that Angel comes for tea,” Cook said as they all entered the house again and Wasley shut the door behind everyone. “Okay, so she weren’t invited… not like Tubby ain’t gonna have made plenty’a food, is it? You don’t know what portion control is, do ya Tommy?”
Marie slapped Cook in the arm as Kim scowled at him, but the Brummie only smirked at the reaction. Insults were a term of endearment between the Brits though, which was something the girls as American’s just didn’t seem to understand. “He’s rate, t’ be honest… got plenty’a food, just… a’ we ready f’ this stage, yet? The whole ‘meetin’ parents’ thing… am not lettin’ y’ meet mine either way, they’re both of their fuckin’ rocker…”
“I wasn’t planning it either,” Kim said with a sigh before they headed through to the dining room where they found Angelica and Johnny, Johnny pouring a glass of wine for the twins’ mother.
“It’s a little dry, but it has a wonderful bouquet,” Johnny told her as he handed her the glass. He had no fucking clue what he was saying, he knew absolutely nothing but wine, but he figured nobody else at the dinner table would either, and it made him seem intelligent. He was apparently trying to impress. “We were just talking about what a lovely gaff you’ve got here, Tommy. Was about to offer Angelica a tour… don’t mind me calling you Angelica, right love?” he said, turning to Angelica, who shook her head while maintaining eye contact with Wasley the entire time.
“Oh um, thanks… so, erm… am gonna go serve the starter up, grab a seat everyone” Wasley said, clutching at the reason to leave the room.
He didn’t bank on what was coming next. “I’ll give you a hand,” Angelica told him and what could he do? It wasn’t like he could really protest, was it? Kim eyed her mother skeptically and Marie gave her an eerily similar look as Johnny and Cook remained oblivious, taking seats at the table. “Lead the way, Thomas.”
There wasn’t really much he could do about it, so he did as he was told and made for the kitchen, Angelica following at his heels. “Y’ dunt ‘ave t’ help Ms. Jones, a can do it on me own,” he told her as they entered the kitchen.
“Actually Thomas, I wanted to have a quiet word with you before we get around to dinner,” Angelica said, closing the kitchen door behind her. Tommy gulped theatrically; so this was it, this was where the third degree came in, huh? Him and Kim weren’t even an official couple yet, that’s what really had him troubled, they’d decided not to put a label on it while getting used to things… and yet here he was, about to get a lecture from his… well, from Kim’s mother, whatever Kim was to him?! “I know it seems a little hypocritical, considering things haven’t always been the greatest between me and Kim, but I wanted to say...” Angelica started to explain, confirming Tommy’s concern, “...thank you.”
That caught the fat bastard of guard, didn’t it? Well, you wouldn’t know, but take our word for it. It did. “Wh-... eh?” was all he managed and Angelica chuckled.
“I really do love my daughters, despite everything in our past,” Angelica continued. “And I’ve worried about Kim, I have… she can get wrapped up in her issues at times, and I know she has Marie to help her out, but it’s a lot of responsibility for Marie to burden when she has herself to think of too…” she explained. This wasn’t going the way Wasley had expected at all. “But I’ve seen how you support her without hesitation, and I appreciate that. I know Kim can be a little bit difficult to deal with at times, but I wouldn’t change her for the world and I can see that we agree with that…”
“Listen, Ms. Jones, I--” Wasley started to say before Angelica cut him off.
“Angelica will do Thomas, or Angel if you like,” she told the Yorkshireman and he paused for a moment before pulling himself together. This was Angelica Jones after all, it was forgivable to be a bit caught off guard by them being on first name terms, even if he was slipping her daughter the yorkshire pudding.
“Alright, Angelica it is,” he said, getting back to what he was wanting to say. “But y’ dunt ‘ave t’ thank me… a’ve said the same t’ Marie, Kim meks me happy an’ what other plonkers see as bein’ ‘difficult’, a see as unique. She’s one in’a million an’ a know it’s early days yet like, but am chuffed just t’ see where this goes, a really am…”
“And as her mother, that’s all I want to hear,” Angelica said with a smile before clapping her hands and rubbing them together. “Okay, awkwardness over with… shall we serve up some food?” she said and just like that, the conversation that Wasley thought was going to be the third degree but turned out not to be was over. He stood there for a moment before shaking himself and jumping into action to grab bowls to serve up the chowder. As he served it into the bowls though, he thought about what had just taken place and he couldn’t help but smile. It was one thing getting the seal of approval from Marie, but she was his friend’s girlfriend wasn’t she? But from Kim’s mother? Even with their past history, that was a big deal… and who knows, maybe an important step on their journey too…
The scene opens inside of a shopping centre, at the bottom of a pair of escalators beneath a large glass dome. A banner hangs across the dome that reads “Welcome To Meadowhall’ and on the upper floor, leaning on the glass railing, is Tommy Wasley, framed below that banner. People line the railings on both sides, watching as Wasley throws his arms open in welcome.
“Man, it feels fuckin’ good t’ be ‘ere an’ not be gonna work!”
The onlookers cheer as Wasley chuckles to himself.
“This is the Meadow’all shoppin’ centre in Sheffield… a used t’ work f’ this place before a moved darn south t’ chase the dream’a becomin’ a wrestler… an’ as it turns art, it’s still the same managers runnin’ it, so a pulled some strings an’ ‘ere we are! How y’ doin’ Meadow’all, y’orate?!”
The shoppers lining the railings all cheer again.
“Nah, am not gonna waste much time talkin’ a’bart me past life, but am ‘ere f’ a reason, so al get straight to it… last show we were in’t beautiful Rainbow nation’a South Africa, an’ it were a country that welcomed EMERGE wi’ open arms, but nar we’re in my backyard as the sayin’ goes, the beautiful county’a Yorkshire!
An’ it might not be Donny, but it’s near as buggery, so a feel like it’s me job as the resident Yorkshireman ‘ere in EMERGE t’ welcome y’ t’ God’s own county! An’ it’s fittin’ that we ‘ead ‘ere fest after South Africa, ‘cause this Monday am due t’ face a South African lass that reckons she’s above an’ beyond what she is!”
The fans boo on cue, but Wasley motions for calms with his hands.
“Nah maybe we’ve got ol’ Drew t’ blame f’ this inflated sense’a purpose that t’old Sierra’s got, sayin’ he’s gonna mek ‘er the face’a the company an’ that… but ‘ere’s a bit’a a reality check: he failed, alrate? See, y’ might’ve got a pretty face Sierra, which am sure there’ll be plenty that agree--”
Someone in the crowd wolf whistles and Wasley shrugs.
“No accountin’ f’ taste, is the? Point is, y’ might be a pretty face, an’ y’ might mean it a bit diff’rently t’ what people think’a when they hear that word in this business, but y’ not the face’a this company, love! Am’ not gonna claim I am, an’ am sure we’ll ‘ear some sort of ‘ugly’ or ‘fat’ references when y’ address the match we’re gonna ‘ave, but upto nah duck, a’ve not seen owt from you but stuff that contributes t’ the problem we’ve got in EMERGE an’ am sure Drew would agree wi’ that if he were still the gaffer…
...but he ain’t. New gaffers, new show cycle… an’ y’ stuck facin’ me, the SPIRIT champion! An’ it’s fittin’ ‘cause that’s what a’ve got plenty’a, love. Fightin’ spirit! An’ am not talkin’ about the rum that our gaffers mek either! An’ am sure that y’ gonna tell me that all a need in me life to appreciate y’ Sierra, is some’a that liquid gold in it, but we’re in Sheffield love, an’ in Sheffield all y’ need is a bottle’a Hendo’s to mek everythin’ better, so y’ can keep that gold t’ y’ sen, can’t y’!”
The fans cheer for the locally made relish, a cheap pop from Wasley.
“It’s gonna be a big neet f’ thee though love, ‘cause after months’a tryin’ t’ get pref’rential treatment… the rugs bin pulled under y’, ain’t it? An’ summet tells me these new gaffers ain’t gonna pander like the old’n did! So am sorry if a mek the neet worse f’ y’ Sierra… but while y’ might not be Unforgiven, y’ just as much a problem as they are… an’ that means this week an’ y’ my problem… ‘cause The Resistance ain’t just ‘ere t’ stop them cunts that go round sniffin’ Cindy’s arse crack to see if it needs lickin’ clean again, we’re ‘ere t’ clean up the whole company! Keep that in mind when y’ tryin’ t’ figure art what y’ do from ‘ere, eh? Alright… who wants t’ go an’ get some snap in’t Oasis?”
And with that, various people around him all cheer and then flood in. The camera watches him get mobbed with handshakes and selfies for a moment before fading out.