Chapter 48: Belt
**Sixteen months later **
Prenup? Why? I came into this marriage with nothing and my wife has all of it. – Riffraff
Sunday afternoon, the group arrived back at the clubhouse. They were all tired after a late night, early morning and a long flight. Priscilla tossed her overnight bag into the back of the 57 Chevy Bellaire that her sister now drove as they approached the front door. Her bike was parked off to the side and saw her dad’s parked nearby. The other one that she looked for was parked next to Brute. The fact that Leo was here made her smile.
As they came into the building, the whole place erupted in cheers. There were several calls for them to see the belt. Taz was a little overwhelmed by the response. The bottom
floor was full of brothers from all the local chapters.
Angel came over and hugged her tightly. She had moved back home over summer; Mel was waiting for her paperwork to come through for her to begin the immigration process, Celt’s law firm was handling the legal proceedings. The weekend that they had both graduated from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, they also got married. Although it was in Mel’s hometown, very few family members had come. Since her family did not support their relationship, it was quickly decided that they would move to America.
“How’s Mel?” Taz asked quietly as she hugged her stepdaughter.
“Lonely. The only person in her family who talks to her now is a priest. He’s been the most supportive.” Angel said fighting back tears. “Celt said that she should be able to come over before Christmas.”
“Good.” She squeezed her tight before releasing her to her dad. As Riffraff wrapped his daughter up in his arms and brushed a kiss against her temple, he beamed with pride as his wife pulled her championship belt out of her bag and placed it on her shoulder.
The room erupted in cheers.
A little over two years ago, she came here to have a drink with her cousin. In that time, she had fallen in love, gotten married and became a mom to a girl who was less than a year younger than her. She had put her ghosts to rest, or as Shiloh would say, became friends with her monsters. She had reached her goal and was now the Bellator champion.
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An arm encircled her waist with a familiar hand pulling her into his side. Instinctively, Taz reached down and touched the tattoo on his outer wrist. A small bill of sale declaring that his body, heart and soul had been sold to the Devil herself. Linking her fingers with his, she played with his titanium wedding band. Running through the center was a rainbow in support of his daughter. Beneath the ring, in the style of her trademark rainbow braids, TAZ was tattooed on his ring finger.
Riffraff was written on her own ring finger beneath her matching band. On her arm, running from her elbow to her wrist, in bold black lettering, it read Property of Riffraff with the Tasmanian devil and his female counterpart at her elbow. When it was first seen by the press, they made it into a big deal, claiming that it was sexist.
“What do you say to the young girls who see your property tattoo and think it’s a good thing?” a female reporter had asked.
“Are you married?” Taz countered and the woman sat there for a moment. “If you want me to answer that question, answer mine, otherwise I’m moving on.”
“Yes, I’m married.” She answered uncomfortably. “We’re separated.”
“Which is why you no longer wear your ring.” The reporter gave a small nod as she unconsciously looked at the tan line on her finger. “I can’t take mine off. I can’t just decide we’re done and walk away. Neither can my husband. He has a tattoo showing that he completely belongs to me. We have a problem; we work it out. We disagree, we find a compromise. Marriage is hard, Ellen, I don’t know if anyone ever told you that. But it’s hard.” She smiled at Riffraff at the back of the room. “It takes a lot work. It’s not just about you or them. In our case, I also have a stepdaughter to consider. But I noticed that you didn’t ask about that new tattoo.” Taz glanced down at the tattoo on her other arm that looked like a name tag and read HELLO, MY NAME IS MOM.
Her eyes went back to the reporter and hardened as she continued. “I also noticed that you don’t ask about any of the other tattoos. You don’t ask about the three–inch letters
that go across my collar bones declaring me to be a survivor. Is that because trying to make me look like I’m controlled makes for a better story than the fact that I survived a drive by shooting when I was seven? Or being raped when I was eighteen? Why don’t you ask Tennyson about his tattoos?”
“You want to know what I would tell little girls about my property tattoo? Strive for it. Don’t settle for anything less. My husband has supported me through everything. He’s
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been there to chase away the demons when they find me at night. He helped to raise a beautiful daughter and completely supported her when she went to Europe for college. He stood by her and her girlfriend when both their mothers turned their backs on them. He paid rent on a flat in Barcelona for them so that they could both focus on school.”
“If I have something to say, he listens. Just as I listen to him. He doesn’t own me, as you would like to imply, any more than your husband owns you. If you want to make a story out of a tattoo, talk to Dani about her 22 a day tattoo. Or Tennyson about his baby in the clouds. Maybe Kippers blue band on his arm. Pick a tattoo that has some substantial meaning. Not one that is equivalent to a wedding ring.”
The room was deathly silent as she finished. Tennyson, Dani and Kipper all smiled at her from where they sat with her at the table. While Tennyson clapped his large black hands together, Dani gave her a thumbs up and Kipper clapped her on her shoulder.
“Well put.” Kipper said.
But now, a little over a year after that press conference, the tattoo was no longer a main topic about her. Her championship now ruled. As Priscilla had pointed out earlier, it would make it easier to push forward her goal of getting more girls into some form of fighting. Boxing. Kickboxing. Martial arts. Wrestling. It didn’t matter to her. Just as long as they learned to protect themselves.
Priscilla tapped her on her shoulder and she turned to see a picture on the teen’s phone. Taken last night as she held the belt above her head. Someone had added her now famous quote. “Until we start teaching boys not to rape, we need to teach girls to defend themselves.”
“You did good with that.” Riffraff said looking at the photo as Taz handed the belt over to Knuckles.
“I didn’t do it.” Priscilla said as Taz started to scroll through all the pictures similar to that one. “Congratulations, Taz. The world is talking about you and your cause.”
Riffraff pulled her to him and kissed her. “My wife is going to change the world.” He murmured next to her ear.
Taz gave a little laugh. “Can we eat first? Maybe have a little sex.”
“Mmmmm…. I like both of those ideas.”
