Title: Venice Lifestyles - S01E07 - Sibling Betrayal
Featuring: Nitz Donnelly
Date: May 29, 2009 & June 6, 2009
Location: Venice and Boston

Friday, May 29, 2009 â€" Venice Beach

"So I've been thinking..."

Nitz paused, flipping the ground beef in the frying pan with a spatula. The hard and soft taco shells were in their own respective holder on the end of the counter. Leticia meanwhile was cutting up some tomatoes and shredding some cheese.

"About what Nicky? Dessert?"

"Nah, about home."

"You are home."

"I mean Boston." He paused again, turning off the element and removing the frying pan, tiling it above a bowl and dumping the beef mixture inside. "I know I just got back, but I'm missing it."

"So go back whenever you want."

"It's not that either. It's just..." He let out a big sigh and pulled the bowl off the counter to put it on the table. Leticia followed after putting her toppings into their own bowls.

"What's the problem Nicky? You didn't invite us over here for dinner to not know what to say."

"I know. Fine, I'll come out with it." He put a hard taco shell on his plate and put some beef and cheese into it, finishing with a healthy topping of salsa and sour cream. "Beer's in the fridge Van."

Vance just walked in the door, pulling a t-shirt above his head and nodded, removing a beer from the refrigerator. He walked to the table and snaked his hand around the bottle of salsa and Nitz's beer, stealing the ready made taco off his plate. He smiled.

"Thanks for the dinner brother." He said, taking a big bite. Leticia just shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm a fuckin' waiter now." He grabbed another taco shell from the holder.

"So what were you talking about before I walked in?"

"Nicky here was talking about home again."

"Again? Christ boy you haven't shut up about it since you got back. Meanwhile you wouldn't shut up about it before you left either. Flipping from not wanting to go to wanting to be there. Big switch dude."

"I know Van. Look, I've just been thinking a lot and it's crossed my mind a time or two that maybe I should move back home."

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking directly at Nitz as he let the last couple words creep from his lips. Vance took a sip from his beer as soon as he pried the cap off of it and Leticia wiped her mouth with a napkin.

It was even hard for Nitz to admit he was saying it, but it's been a constant feeling in his stomach since he boarded the plane to leave Boston. After the events that went down at Hailey's apartment, his opinion of everything changed. Couple that with his parents doing really well and he began to miss home. Chad's behavior in the days leading up to his flight is what really changed his mind the most. Maybe his family could be whole again.

"With all the horror stories you told us, I'm not sure it would be the best of ideas." Vance was never one to not speak his mind. He always made his opinions known, whether everyone else would respect them and agree with them or not.

"I have to agree with Vance, Nicky. This was your chance for a new start. You've only been here a little while technically. Have you given it enough of a chance to work here?"

"Wow, you'd swear I said I was leaving tomorrow. Quit jumping the gun!" He took a bite of the second taco he just finished putting together.

"Look, you still haven't told us what happened with Chad. You hated to even mention his name before and now, it's like all that never happened."

"I know. It's just that maybe I saw my family coming together again and now here I am, out here and away from them, breaking it up myself. He turned it around and wanted to just let it go and be like normal brothers again. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Look dude, you know how I feel. But if you make the decision to go back home and be with family, no one here is gonna stand in your way. We can just be your West Coast family." Leticia nodded in agreement with Vance's statement.

"Thanks guys, I know I could always count on that anyways. But I haven't made any decisions yet. Right now, I am home. I live here. Now reach over and pass me another beer before I change my mind!" Vance smirked and reached over behind him and opened the door, retrieving another bottle.

Nitz was happy where he was. Being around Leticia and Vance was like being with family minus the pressures and the problems. But now that the problems have been eliminated and the pressures were sure to go with them. He just wondered...

Is blood really thicker than water?


|~o~|


Saturday, June 6, 2009 â€" Venice Beach

The mirror was his friend, at least on this night. Leticia and Nitz had decided to go to the Venice Whaler Bar and Grill. Leticia had told him about it for a long time and Nitz relented, not being a huge fan of the bar scene. Recently he has taken to the beach for his share of female companionship but tonight it was about him and his friends. Vance couldn't make it until later in the evening due to work obligations and luckily, Nitz had the night off. However if the option came up to take a young lady home with him, who was he to say no?

As he slid his blue and white striped shit over his frame he heard his phone ringing from the other corner of the bed room. He excused himself from the company of his reflection and picked up the phone, noticing a Chicago area number. He thought briefly it was some sort of telemarketer but quickly thought of what day it was and picked up out of curiosity.

"Hello?"

"Is this Nitz Donnelly?"

That voice, it sounded so familiar but he just couldn't place it. He knew it had been a while since he heard it.

"That depends on who this is."

"Lisa Tyler calling from PRIME."

"Ohhhhhhhh you've got to be kidding me! How'd you get this number?!" His surprise was visible on his face as he looked at himself in the mirror again, trying to straighten his shirt as he held the phone to his ear with his shoulder.

"Wasn't hard really. Either way how are you?"

"What's with you being cordial? Especially after the way I was treated by that fuckwad Cantrell after my knee got all tore up by Rayne."

"I have my reasons, Nitz. None of which I need to make clear to you."

"Fine, I'm doing good since your asking. You're obviously not doing so well since you're looking for and calling me."

"Actually, I was looking over some records and noticed that your recovery from your knee should be well beyond complete and since your injury happened in a PRIME ring, I felt it to be my duty to check on your condition even though you're no longer a member of the active roster."

"Really?" He had decided to play with her a little, to see if what she was saying is actually legit. "You sure that's why you're calling? Do you miss me? Cause sometimes, deep down somewhere in my bowels, I might miss you."

"Very funny. I thought I was being nice in checking up on you but obviously you lack the perception to see just it. If you could please just let me know how you're doing so I can close this folder and never have to whisper your name again."

"My knee is alright. Actually I've been OK for quite sometime, well ahead of the schedule you originally put together. Hell if I hadn't been tossed out the door I could have been back in very short order. Too bad for you though."

"I suppose. Obviously you're still under a lot of stress about the methods used to terminate your association with us. If you like I could set up a counseling session on our dime of course to help you out with that." He could almost feel her sarcastic smile through the phone.

"Ha! That's precious. Tell ya what, I'll just do what I've been doing and you can blow it out your ass. Sound good sweet cheeks?"

And with those words he ended the call. He tossed the phone onto the bed and buttoned up the shirt he had put on. He grabbed his watch from the table beside him and slid it over his wrist, locking it into place. Finishing the ensemble was a pair of jeans, casual shoes, a platinum chain around his neck and a smile.

He looked over at his phone and really couldn't believe what just happened. Countless months had gone by and not a word from anyone in PRIME pertaining to his situation. The only call he's gotten since Culture Shock the year before was from a secretary of C.P. Cantrell's advising him of his termination. The bastard didn't even have the balls to pick up the phone himself. Lisa had to have balls though, she picked up the phone even though their interactions were less than pleasant ninety five percent of the time to "check up on him". He laughed a loud as he thought about it again, wondering if that indeed was the reason for the call or maybe PRIME had a lack of contracted wrestlers. Either way, he paid it no more notice as the club awaited.


|~o~|


Boston, MA

Mikey was in the kitchen cleaning up from the dinner rush. He only had a few patrons left and was planning to close up shop for the night as soon as they finished their meals and paid their tabs. Normally, customers didn't stay that late but tonight was a different story. Seemed as if everyone wanted to eat before going to get drunk at the bars which he thought kind of defeated the purpose.

After observing who was left through the window looking out from the kitchen, he spotted Chad and Hailey Donnelly along with a few friends of Chad's. They were laughing, pushing away their empty bowls and taking large sips of their respective drinks between stories. He always enjoyed seeing members of the Donnelly family in his restaurant and with the recent visit of Nitz, he'd hoped to be seeing them all together real soon.

"What's the take tonight?" Mikey asked his wife Glenda who had just walked through the kitchen doors.

"Damnit, knew I forgot to do something while I was out there."

"I'm almost done back here. Once these people are done with their stuff, we'll only have about bowls and cutlery to wash up." He went back to what he was doing while Glenda slipped out back into the dining room area and headed for the cash register. A table or two away, an explosion of laughter could be heard coming from Hailey and Chad's table. Glenda looked up from counting the receipts to see the female Donnelly sibling excuse herself from the table. She walked straight up to Glenda, patting her hand.

"How've you been?"

"I've been great and you? I hope everything was good for you."

"Of course, when isn't it? You guys would sooner shut down than offer bad food and bad service. Am I right?"

"You bet. Big plans for tonight?"

"Not for me. These guys are going out to the club and I have to go home and work on a presentation for work. Yeah Saturday night I know but it's gotta get done. I don't get paid for nothing."

"Tell me about it. Well take care OK? Say hi to everyone."

"You too!" Hailey walked away from the register and behind towards the bathroom. The older Donnelly brother was talking with his friends, lowering the tone of his voice to ensure people not seated at their table could hear the discussion. Unfortunately for him, Glenda had a good ear and coupled with the restaurants excellent acoustics, his words were far from indistinguishable. Glenda always swore karaoke would work well in the building.

As soon as she heard something about Nitz, she really began to eavesdrop on the conversation. The youngest sibling had been gone for a few days now and she found it odd that Chad would bring up his younger brother as soon as his sister excused herself.

"Nick's been a thorn in my side for awhile now. I got him right where I wanted him before he left and I have no doubt that he's gonna want to come back soon and that's where it starts."

Glenda dropped what she was doing and made her way back towards the kitchen without being noticed much by the Donnelly table. She pushed open the doors and made a beeline for her husband.

"Got the total that fast?"

"No, look I need you to go out there and finish it up. I forgot to do something in the back." Glenda double checked that the coast was clear. "Chad and his friends were talking about Nick and it didn't sound good. I figured with their past that you might want to hear this since you and Nick exchanged cell numbers before he left again."

"Gotcha. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Don't be so sure hun."

"It's OK" Mikey dropped his dish towel and took the spot that his wife was occupying at the register in a few seconds. He started sifting through the bills that she hadn't touched and added them up where she left off. Chad was still talking to his friends.

"That bastard hasn't given me the time of day since I left town and now, after a few kind words he's back to talking to me again? Not to mention he punched me in the face in the hallway of a hospital. I'm so sick of his shit and I think it's about time he got a taste of his own medicine."

"What the..." Mikey mouthed quietly to himself as Chad's friends pondered what he was saying. The final receipts were added to the total and the count was finished. Keeping tabs on the conversation at the next table showed that he was truly a man of multitasking. He pretended to look busy to see if he could catch anymore details.

"So what do we do?" A friend asked, sipping his drink as soon as he finished.

"Simple. You guys come in at the last minute and throw him the beating of his life. Nothing serious, just enough so he gets the point with a few stitches in that empty dome of his."

"That rat bastard..."

"He'd have never forgiven me so I fooled him into thinking I'd broken down about it. How easy it is to act all sad and shed some tears when you've had a few drinks in you. Shit... Hailey's coming back. Shuddup about this."

The table broke their huddle and tended to their drinks as Hailey approached, grabbing her purse which was hanging from the back of her chair. They all rose from the table to join her, seeing Mikey standing at the register.

"Thanks Mikey! We'll see ya soon!" Chad exclaimed, not knowing that Mikey heard their entire conversation.

"For sure, take care everyone!" He waved while thinking, "Cocksucker" the entire time. As soon as the Donnelly siblings and their friends walked out the front door, Mikey pulled out his cell phone and immediately looked up the number for Nitz in Venice. After dialing, a busy tone started and he closed his phone.

"Gotta try in a little bit." He mouthed to himself again as he gathered the receipts and money to take to the back office with him.


|~o~|


Venice Beach - One Hour Later


"Kay motherfucker, here's something that'll put you down!"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad."

Nitz took the shot that Vance put on the table in front of him and downed it in one gulp. Leticia did the same. The only difference was that Nitz began to wince and his eyes closed tight from the burning in his throat.

"Jesus, what the hell was that shit?!"

"No clue, the bartender just mixed something together for the shot."

"Nice Vance. Hey come on, let's dance!" Leticia grabbed both her friends by the hands and led them to the dance floor. Nitz held her up for a second as his phone was ringing. He joined her on the dance floor and held the phone to his ear.

"Speak."

"Nick, it's Mikey."

"Mikey! What the hell do you want? Why don't you get your ass down here and party?!"

"Cause I'm here on the east coast."

"Oh yeah right... duhhhh!" Nitz paused to laugh as he continued to dance around in a drunken haze. "You know man I gotta tell ya, I think I'm ready to take you up on boning your wife. She's hooooooooooooooooooot."

"Hey we'll talk about that some other time. We have something important to discuss."

"Well make it quick cause ummmmmmm... lost my train of thought. HA!"

"Nick... Ch- wa- -taurant..."

"Dude you're cutting out."

"CHA- -SSS FIGH- YO- -LY IN."

"Why do people yell when their cell signal sucks donkey balls?" Nitz asked Leticia, offering a drunken laugh of her own as she focused on wowing a couple guys watching her dance from across the bar. Vance had also found himself staring, but he didn't dare let her discover it.

"Dude I'll have to catch you later. I think my battery is dying."

He hung up the phone amidst an objection from Mikey. He turned off the power and returned it to his pocket, bumping up against the plane ticket he purchased only an hour earlier. He promised Leticia and Vance he would return there to double check that things were the way he said they were before making his decision to move back home. He was set to leave again in a week.

He thought his entire family, including Chad, would be pleasantly surprised.
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