The Bully

Chapter Three

"Now club, I've got some exciting news for you," said Mr Pearson, who had taken over the running of the photography club when I got into Grade Eleven. He was young and enthusiastic and I liked him a lot. It didn't hurt that he had no end of praise for everything I created and helped me  with getting developer fluid and other supplies on a regular basis at a discount as his father owned a photography shop in the main town. "So Stu Hart has agreed to us going up to Stampede tomorrow night to photograph some of the matches. We'll have free rein to go up by the ring and all around the building so that each of you can create your own mini project. Stu has also agreed to display the best photos at the venue, with your names so they might be spotted by magazines and things like that. He may even use some in his programmes. This is such an exciting opportunity." His enthusiasm was infectious and even though I had reservations about being so close to the Harts, I recognised that this was a huge opportunity. I'd just have to hope Mom didn't find out, but I was so desperate for the experience I convinced myself she'd never know.

The following night, I made sure I had plenty of film in my bag and headed to the venue to meet the rest of the club. We were all excited and as Stu came out to greet us I listened to him in awe. He was a warm if imposing character and I could see where Bret got his talkativeness from, as Stu liked to tell a story. I got a few snaps of him while he talked, capturing his amused smile and then, as he talked about his boys and their work in the ring an expression of pride, which I knew would make for a brilliant photograph. Inside the arena, Stu had organised for a couple of the boys to stage a match just for our benefit so that we could take pictures unhindered by the audience. My heart sank as I watched Tom come out first in a pair of burgundy trunks. He spotted me and winked, posing directly in front of me and curling his biceps. A couple of the other girls giggled and moved in to photograph him, but I took a step back, waiting for him to stop posing and then got a shot of him climbing through the ropes, an uncharacteristically nervous expression on his face. Stu explained that Tom was relatively new and had only done a few matches, but his opponent though young was not quite so green.

My heart rate accelerated as Bret climbed up to the ring. He was in blue trunks and white boots, his tanned body bulky with undefined muscle. In contrast to Tom, he was completely focussed on what he was doing and pretty much ignored us with our cameras. I lifted my camera and started to shoot, capturing him standing in the ring facing Tom, an intense look on his face, then them locking up. My favourite shots were the ones where Bret had the upper hand and Tom looked distinctly uncomfortable. I got a great one of  Bret with Tom in a headlock and Tom's face was bright red while Bret had barely broken a sweat. At the end of the match it was Bret's hand raised in victory and I worked quickly to get a shot of Tom's sulky face first and then Bret with his arm held up to signify he'd won. Only then did he allow a small smile which I managed to capture before it faded. He jumped from the ring and shook Tom's hand, like a true professional and then the two of  them headed back behind the curtain.

When the venue started to fill up, I found a good spot where I could photograph the action in the ring and capture reactions in the audience. Stu was a lot of fun to photograph as he got really involved in every match and I got some great shots of him. Bret was out again at one point, but this time he lost his match to an enormous wrestler who looked to be twice the size of him. My heart was in my mouth watching him get repeatedly pummelled and kicked, but then Stu made the save, climbing into the ring to help his son. The story twisted into a tag match between the father and son team and the giant and Tom who came out to join him. Was it wrong that I got just a hint of pleasure from seeing Bret pin Tom again? Tom caught my eye in time to see me grinning and he scowled, which caused a shock of nerves to go through me.

It was a lot of fun watching the matches though and I enjoyed photographing them. When the event was over, everyone started to filter out but I lingered, taking photos of the Hart boys clearing up the venue. I got a great shot of Bret standing with his old man, talking, a huge smile on his face as he looked directly at my camera. For just a moment he held my gaze, but then I hurried outside, not wanting to miss the mini bus back to home.