Anything For Her

[Izzy Anders]

Mako’s hair was a mad jungle, which Isabella dreaded since her birth. To make the situation humorous, the broken brushes were collected into a box. As it stood, there were five different incidents. At first, it was surprising, but after the third time, it became expected. Tonight, though, Izzy didn’t have to contend with it. It was because she was getting home late, the airline not granting her the extra hours she needed to spend time with her little miracle. It was soul-crushing when she thought about how Mako reacted. She was smart, something that had to be in places thanks to her parentage, but it had its limitations. Those limitations would then produce falsehoods that were hard for Izzy to contend with.

Luckily, Mako had a wonderful babysitter. Hannah was one of the women that sent Izzy letters back during her feud with Dom Harter, someone who had once been victimized. Thanks to her living nearby, she was a healthy and endearing person that watched Mako without any issue. Sometimes, Izzy forgot that Hannah was just a babysitter in college, and not her own daughter. Regardless, Hannah stayed the night many times, using the immense space to study and excel. She also made Izzy’s transition into wrestling easier because Mako had someone to depend on, who understood the sport and its requirements.

It didn’t make the pain on both sides any easier. Mako was a deep sleeper, which Izzy found adorable and unusual. Both her and Zero would wake up at the slightest noise. Though, it did give Izzy some solace, knowing that her daughter had security enough to sleep through anything from police sirens, thunderstorms, and even the occasional gunshot. The dark didn’t scare the little girl either because bright lights bothered her more than anything. It was why Izzy moved from Florida up north to Wisconsin. The wolf plush that she cuddled so closely was an extra measure if anything. Izzy snickered to herself when she tugged on its ear, only for Mako to unconsciously draw back and pout.

It was amazing that Mako never complained. Izzy chalked it up to the budding tenacity she showed. She had tons of matches to watch that illustrated how hard her parents fought to keep their legacy alive. Zero had shown his face every now and again. Izzy bore no ill will towards him. He did his due diligence towards making sure that Mako was well-fed, and he seemed to idolize his own child. Though, the two of them, Izzy and Zero, hadn’t spoken much. But she wouldn’t complain either. The times he would show up were nice. They didn’t make any pageantry over broken hearts or anything; they were more mature than that. They may have exhausted all their childishness in the ring. Mako had two world champions as parents; they needed to continue to be that for her, but it only registered in their examples, not in their current execution. For Izzy, it fell on her. After his loss to Cordy Stevenson, ending the age of McHannon, he had not shown his face in any wrestling ring.

Legacy was an interesting word, one that has tied itself around Izzy’s neck. In her home company, Frontier Grappling Arts, she had done a majority of what was possible. In her rookie year, she was creating a record that wouldn’t be broken for years. In the middle of her tenure there, she had conquered the entire world. She began a campaign that many people in the company continued to carry well after she was done. In the later stages, she rounded out her career, etching herself into the Hall of Fame and becoming the first female Grand Slam Champion in the process. Though, the accomplishment left her vacant. If she was honest with herself, after she put down John Carmichael, she had rectified her demons. There were no Dom Harters to kill. There were no Noelle Smiths to embarrass. There were no more Chandler Scotts to chase after.

One may say that Isabella Anders had made it to the top of the mountain and now owned a cottage. However, there were still things left to do in her day-to-day life. Thanks to some shady ploys in the business, Izzy had the money to take care of her child, herself, and anyone else that needed her help. She could have quietly retired, opened a wrestling school, and lived on through her students. But what would she leave behind? What was truly her legacy?

“Mama?” Mako asked, quietly entering her bedroom. Izzy lifted her head from her pillow and watched as her tiny one climbed into her bed.

“Yes, sweetie?” Izzy asked, letting Mako come close. “Having nightmares?”

“No, I just missed you.”

Plenty of times, Izzy would go on tour with FGA, only to be in the back. She would have to leave her child behind in order to stay in the back and watch as her contemporaries did everything. Fujiko was still the face of the company. Cordelia had become the main draw shortly after. Chandler Scott made a miraculous comeback. There were new stars making themselves known. Lowri Moss was on the cusp of greatness, needing just one last push to become the newest in FGA’s elite echelon. Sparrow, Voltage, and now even Owen Gonsalves were becoming what headlined FGA shows. While Izzy? Izzy was just in the back. She wasn’t at catering because she was above that, but she didn’t have anything to do. Perhaps back up Fujiko if the numbers game added up.

Why leave when she did nothing in the end? Mako was alone, watching the show. She was enamored with Fujiko, having met her in the past. She even joked if Fujiko would be her new mommy at some point. There were new faces to enjoy, people that she would one day meet. However, Izzy knew very well that Mako wanted to see her mother wrestle. She wanted to see her mother win. The past was tucked away in streaming services and DVDs.
The present was a world that didn’t have her mother in it. So what was the standing proof of Izzy’s talent?

Mako asked about the FGA Undisputed Championship and the SSWA World Championship that sat inside of their case. She wondered how they looked on her mother, and who she was during that time. Izzy wished she could show her. She wanted to be someone that Mako could be proud of, but she also wondered if she had what it took anymore to do that. The Gold Rush Rumble lingered in the back of her head. She did what she could to ensure her victory and she embarrassed herself.

“Izzy Anders Walks Into The Gold Rush Rumble As #30, Gets Eliminated by Lowri Moss In Amazing Ending!”

Her recent victory over Chandler Scott? She had to steal after Cordy intervened. To beat John Carmichael, she had to go back to a part of her that she left behind. Was that what it meant to be successful? Was the Izzy Anders of the past the best she was going to be? She marked her failures. Her first loss to Fujiko. Her inability to win the Gold Rush Rumble. Her weak title reigns. Her inactivity in the broader world of professional wrestling. All of it was what Mako could witness if she just looked.

Mako fell asleep against her mother’s shoulder. She had a problem with drool sometimes. Izzy remembered hearing that she would drool herself if she was too tired to keep it together. What was a wet shoulder in exchange for the cutest, little girl in the world getting some good sleep? Izzy chuckled quietly and rested her head back on the pillow. She couldn’t sleep, though. Cordelia had said that Izzy had earned herself a championship match. Whatever egotistical reason that pushed Cordelia to do it didn’t matter. Izzy didn’t want to jump the line. Lowri Moss, her treasured ‘wrestling daughter’ had her second chance at superstardom. What kind of mother would Izzy be if she interfered in that?

Though, Lowri was benevolent enough to let Izzy get her chance at Cordelia on the first night. In one capacity, Izzy appreciated the gesture. Cordy vs. Izzy was a match that needed to happen on the biggest stage. However, there was also a shadow that bared down on the spectacle. That same darkness choked the joy out of Izzy each time she remembered it. Izzy grimaced, feeling her stomach twist...in anger.

Did Lowri think that she could beat Izzy?

Did Cordy think that Izzy was going to be an easy win?

What did FGA think of Izzy Anders?

Did she become the sob story? A veteran with no more direction. No more fangs?

Izzy peered down at Mako’s curly hair. She had joked that she could see the universe in it. If you dig through it, you may find treasure. Mako believed her mother once and tried to find gold. She wanted to sell the gold and buy herself a bouncy ball out of a vending machine. What would she think of her mother in the future? How would this look? If she decided to get into professional wrestling, what would Izzy leave for her? Would Mako get mocked for being Izzy Anders’ daughter? The silence in the room became hazardous. Izzy couldn’t scream over it, no matter how hard she wanted to.

A voice in Izzy’s head crept forward, bringing her a dangerous question with a delicate tone.

Are you going to be your daughter’s favorite failure?

Izzy snapped up, accidentally throwing Mako off her shoulder. Her daughter made an agitated noise and began to tiredly turn to gaze at her mother. “Mama…” she droned, “what’s wrong?”

Even in her aggravation, Mako put others before her. Izzy sighed and rubbed her head. “I was having a nightmare.”

Mako popped up with newfound energy and determination. She reached up and massaged her mother’s temple. “I take them away for you,” she mumbled, and it almost made Izzy cry. How did she get so lucky? Soon enough, Mako fell back asleep, but Izzy had to take her nightmares away too. They opened the window and threw out into the cold, unforgiving air. They were going to be somebody else’s problem. Izzy waited for Mako to fall into a deep slumber, where she could touch her without disturbing her. It was that time that she stroked Mako’s curls, patting her head gently. A bittersweet smile adorned her face.

Another question wormed its way in, but it wasn’t as destructive as the prior.

What will you do for her?

Izzy contemplated it, but the answer was easy enough. Cordelia? Chandler? Lowri? Fujiko? In the end, they had to fight for themselves. The crowd may be for them or against them, but at the end, they were alone. None of them had the same responsibility that she had. When Izzy came back to FGA, she couldn’t compete for herself anymore. She had to play a certain way so that she wouldn’t ever hurt her child. But now? She knew for certain the mentality she found would be the dagger anyways.

For her?

Izzy replied to the wayward voice. A smile found her face, one that often did. The Cheshire Cat Grin that made people wonder what was going on inside the labyrinth that was Izzy Anders’ mind. She laid down, cuddling her daughter as the clock struck 11 PM. She only needed to remind herself of one thing to make herself sleep well at night.

Anything.

I would do anything for her.

No matter what anyone else said about it.