Runner Up

by Leah Banicki

  Randall called everyone to attention and we got another long-winded speech.

  I listened and was surprised when I saw men with boxes, for everyone, come forward. I moved through the crowd and retrieved a brand new camera.

  "Now ladies, today's contest is going to start in one hour. If you go to the main lobby there are batteries available and people to help you get started with the simple digital cameras you have.

  The contest allows you to take pictures for three hours. You can turn in three pictures for a chance to win a dinner date alone with Anthony tonight and a guaranteed date card for the next ceremony.

  So turn in your best pictures. They are due by 3 p.m. You have an hour to practice, three hours to take pictures and another hour to print out the best three pictures. There will be photo printers available in the lobby, and people there to help you." Randall ended and escaped the attention while the scurry of women took its full affect.

  I had an instant smile when I heard it was a photo contest. I had a small suspicion this was just an advertising stunt for the camera brand, but I would go with it.

  I looked over the camera specs and started plotting out where I wanted to go.

  The lagoon to the south of the resort looked promising. I was plotting out some shots of foliage; maybe I can get lucky with an animal or bird near the beach.

  "Hannah, I think this contest is tailor-made for you. I am technically challenged... seriously unfair." Janette had an attractive pout. The Brazilian sun had given her a slight sunburn and her cute freckles were out in force.

  "You got some sun." I said with a grin.

  "Sunburn really... They don't plan out these events with fair redheads in mind, I must admit. I am starting to think of this less as a romantic opportunity and more an interesting vacation. My group date two days ago was without a hint of romance. Well, he did grab me for a moment. After I was pelted in the face with a volleyball, lost my balance and face planted. He helped me up while I was spitting sand out of my mouth, I kid-you-not!" Janette's voice rose with the intensity of her story. Her timing was impeccable, like a comedian.

  I couldn't help but laugh. She was such a great story-teller.

  "At least let me help you with your camera, come sit." I gestured to two chairs nearby and we opened our cameras. There were batteries in the box thankfully and I got them both working in a minute and took a few test shots then showed her how to use the camera. I showed her how to use the screen and where the delete key was. It was a basic point and shoot with an auto-focus feature that would be pretty simple for just about anyone to use for decent pictures. Once I showed Janette around the camera’s features, I started searching through the menu for extra features to play with. This was going to be fun. I wanted that dinner with Anthony and I had no excuse for not earning it today.

  Four hours later I had a memory card full, a few bug bites, and two splinters from a gnarly-looking tree, I leaned on while trying to get an angled shot of a bird sitting on a high branch. It was such a great day, I had hopes it would earn me a great night.

  I sat in the lobby and scrolled through my pictures on the view screen. I had at least ten I wanted to print and went up the front desk to ask a few questions.

  "Hi, can I print more than three pictures before I choose the three I want to enter in the contest?" I asked the show producer, holding the clipboard. His face held a bored look that probably lasted the entire day until my question woke him up!

  "Why yes, you may, but please keep the number under fifteen pictures so everyone has a chance to print some." He smiled and I thanked him sincerely.

  I printed eleven shots, mulled over the choices, and listened to others doing the same. I peeked around to see if anyone was close to my competition in this round, but so far there were lots of snapshots of the ocean and palm trees, not a lot of creativity. I felt a pang of guilt for being a photography snob, but it didn’t last long, “I know what I know!” I am not sorry for being a professional. I needed to be humble and remember that there could be a contest that was not my specialty in the future, if I remained in the competition.

  I picked three photos finally, printed, and signed my name to the back of each one. I handed them to the show producer and walked back to my room to wait it out. I was hungry from skipping lunch and running up and down the beach for hours. I was happy about my tan, though. I hadn't had a good tan since I went to Florida a few years ago with my parents and my cousin, Chrissy. We had laid out every day and got tan on that trip. It was a great memory.

  * * * * *

  It was no shock when I won the contest. The cameramen were the judges, which made me laugh. I got along with most of them well, being a technology geek, I was always friendly with the shooting staff. I knew they were good at their jobs, from watching the show in the past. All the foreign locales were shot beautifully and I was honest in my appraisal of their work. Sometimes one or two of them would even call me over during shooting breaks and asked me about some filler film they had done that day and had on their laptops. It made me miss my camera gear even more. It was fun to be friends with these brilliant guys at the top of their game.

  I won the competition with an artsy shot I got by going into a rough section of palm trees and underbrush. While getting a bit of dirt on my clothes, I landed a good shot of a storm cloud over the ocean through an opening in the trees. It showed dark and light contrast that made it moody and interesting. Not bad for a point-nshoot camera.

  After my name was announced as the winner, I walked up to Randall and got my two date cards. One date card was for dinner tonight, and one was for the ceremony. This meant I was still on the show for another four days.

  As I turned to walk back to my spot next to Janette, I felt the tension on the verandah heighten. Suddenly the stares had stopped being friendly and my neck felt a bit tingly, like a hundred daggers were aimed at me. I walked slowly and keep my face neutral. It was very intimidating, knowing almost everyone in the room was beginning to hate me.

  It seemed as though I was being labeled as a threat, I wondered how they would react knowing I had been receiving letters from Anthony. I saw Janette’s grin and felt a little less alone, but the moment left me shaken. This reality TV experience was more complicated than I ever gave it credit for.

  I found a dress in my wardrobe that would work for this warm, balmy climate. Heidi brought me a sheer white shawl. It had elegant detail work and long fringe that draped beautiful over my Spaghetti strapped lavender dress. I had big plans to enjoy every minute with Tony, my Tony.

  With each date and shared moment, he felt more "mine." Yesterday was so precious, when he spilled his heart and exposed his soul. His dark eyes showed he was vulnerable and his body language said, “Nervous!” It reminded me that men want to be loved, too. Well, some of them do -- the settling-down kind.

  Anthony was that kind of guy, no matter how athletic or a guy’s guy he was, he had that inner drive for love and family. He said as much the last time he was on the show. Now, with me he was so attentive that it proved to me, even more, that he was ready for a serious relationship.

  I know I am ready. I said to myself, and I believed it. Until this week I was not sure if I even knew what that meant.

  I was escorted by a producer to a charming dining area and told to wait, again. I learned there was a lot of hurry-up-and-wait with the making of a television show. I did a quick interview, touching on all the niceties about winning the contest and how everyone really wanted to win this date and how honored I felt. Sometimes this felt a bit cheesy, I just hoped I didn’t look as tacky as I felt.

  I heard Tony's voice before I saw him and I enjoyed the warm rush that went through me when I saw him. This was what songs were written about. I could not imagine any drug that felt this pleasant.

  Tony broke through the producers and strode over to get to me and he planted a quick kiss on my lips before anyone had the camera's ready. We both laughed when the producers started to fuss.

 
Comments and complaints just made us laugh more as they got him settled back on the other side of the table. This time he had to arrive on camera!

  I could not stop grinning as I watched them get the entire group cameras set up again and as they gave Tony the cue to step forward and welcome me to join him at the table. As he scooted out my chair he whispered in my ear.

  "I liked my first entrance better." I tried not to laugh on camera. I gave him a look and mouthed, 'me too.'

  Dinner was great with plenty of laughs and conversation. There was never a gap or awkward silence. I was suddenly beginning to wish I could start introducing him to all my people at home, Allison in New York, and then I would drag him to Indiana for a visit with my parents and Chrissy. They would love his laid-back manners and sense of humor. He was truly everything I had been hoping for. I had never met anyone like him. Chapter 7

  The plane leaving Brazil was crowded with all the show staff and it landed several times for some unknown reason. It was early in the morning and everyone appeared grumpy. We had very little time to get ready this morning; most of us boarded the plane with a come-as-you-are look. We also went without breakfast and some of the contestants pushed the flight attendant’s buttons by being shrewish and demanding. Since I could not see Anthony anywhere in the area, I discussed quietly with Janette that he might have boarded a different flight or perhaps a private jet. It wasn't pleasant to think about so we stopped the conversation when we realized that it was making us grumpy, too. First class peace and quiet sounded pretty good right now. I had an amusing thought that perhaps all of us ladies were synchronizing our cycles or something. It wouldn't surprise me one bit. This airplane was full to the brim with grumpy gals.

  I tried to sleep but the turbulence found that one split moment when I started to drift off into slumber, then the plane would drop a few feet and scare the crap out of me!

  "I think I am going to get dumped soon." Janette whispered to me after another turbulent jolt.

  "Oh? What makes you feel that way?" I tried to be sympathetic in my current state of tired and bothered.

  "Well, I got a single date card." She stated and looked thoughtful. The freckles on her nose stood out more when she wasn't wearing makeup. I thought again how cute she was and hoped she would get to stay on the show longer. I liked her a lot. She was the one person, besides Anthony, who I could be myself with and talk about my faith. Janette had a great sense of humor and a spark of independence, but she also has a great sense of morals and a loving heart. I was looking forward to watching her journalism career grow. I already had a few ideas in the works to start a project with her. Maybe give her local stories a broader audience with some of my contacts. I didn’t want to tell her about that yet. No need to get her hopes up. That would be a happy surprise.

  I knew she was nervous about her date and I didn’t know quite what to say to help her feel more relieved.

  "Well that actually means you get to spend time with him. It’s what you have been wanting, well more than the sand spitting incident, I mean." I smiled and tried to joke but it fell a little flat. My delivery was pretty weak.

  "I know, but I have watched the show too, this is the time when he starts dumping people on dates to not lead anyone on. It's a common practice on the show. We are down to seventeen girls, this week and at least five will go. That way he can focus on the girls he is really interested in." She pointed at me as she said it.

  "Janette, you are paranoid, and my mother would lecture you to not put that kind of stuff out there. You get results when you go with the flow and trust, fearing getting dumped will make you jumpy and quiet on a date." I said, hoping I sounded less preachy to her than I just did to myself.

  Darn... how to keep my mouth shut when I needed to be a friend.

  "You are right, Hannah, I just don't feel any connection to Anthony. I am actually starting to get homesick." She got a bit misty for a second and I felt her pain. "I am starting to miss my brothers." She smiled and then wiped an escaping tear.

  I reached over and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

  "If it is meant to be, it will be." I shrugged after my cliche. Not sure what else needed to be said.

  Janette squeezed my hand and we both tried to take another nap. The dark window next to Janette showed only clouds, nothing to keep our interest. The sound of grumpy girls had died down and more girls were trying to catch a few winks. A few of the crew were snoring. I found it slightly soothing. This part was never aired on the show.

  * * * * *

  The landing went smoothly and everyone stood up for a stretch and the gathering-the luggage game. I looked for the rubber band that had fallen out of my hair as I slept.

  Janette had eye makeup on before she came on the plane and now it was where it shouldn’t be, smudged under her eyes. I wanted to tell her about the black smudges when a bell dinged. I was expecting it to be the flight crew jargon about 'leaving in an orderly fashion and be sure to have all your belongings before leaving the plane'. It wasn't.

  * * * * *

  The voice over the speaker was Randall and he was announcing another contest. Instantly the place became a gasping frantic zone with hair flying, tripping and yelling, I couldn’t hear a word of what he was saying. Half the girls were yelling and the other half were shushing them. It was nifty...

  A bit of the speech was heard after the chaos died down.

  "Everyone will get their envelope once they are off the loading dock." Randall said. The overhead bell rang again to end the broadcast. Everyone scurried and started grabbing everything at once.

  Janette and I were shoved a few times before we were able to get our carry-ons off the plane. I was wondering when we would get our larger bags but just followed the others off the loading ramp.

  "Your envelope is on the table. You are responsible for your carryon but your larger luggage will be at the hotel waiting for you. Please read the entire document before moving forward with the contest.” The flight attendant announced again as the women exited.

  I dragged my carryon and two bags over to the large table and gave it a glance. There were ten envelopes with the contestant’s names on the labels. I grabbed my envelope and headed over to an area with chairs. I saw the cameras had been set up and I suddenly felt panicked about my appearance. My hair had fallen out of a ponytail at some point during my few nap attempts.

  I now wondered where Janette was so I could warn her about her makeup malfunction. I would have to find a mirror soon to do damage control, if possible. I sat in a hard airport chair and ripped open my letter.

  Soulmate CONTESTANT

  Today's contest for a full date with Anthony will be to find a certain vendor. Your first clue is to get to a London cafe called the Dark Lounge. Inside the cafe you will get your next clue.

  You will have £200 spending cash, to eat and use for travel expenses but you will not at any point need to leave London. Your other luggage will be waiting for you at the River hotel when you finish the contest or forfeit.

  There is a phone number at the bottom for an escort to the hotel if at any point you want to leave the contest. A bodyguard will go with every contestant but will not communicate with you in any way about the contest.

  Good Luck,

  Soulmate Producers

  I looked up and searched the area for a clock. I thought I had traveled east from Brazil. I took a moment and tried to get my bearings of where I had been to where I am now. Globetrotting has its fun mind games.

  It was 10 a.m., Saturday I think. My stomach growled and I realized that I was about to go on a wild goose chase after the worst morning, on an empty stomach and all on camera for millions of people to watch – Weeeee!

  I found Janette and told her we needed a plan. I saw my shadow join us and wordless, stood guard. I was trying to think smart. Trotting myself across the city carrying all these bags would not work. I took a look around the busy airport terminal. I brainstormed a second and thought up a plan. Janette a
nd I talked it over.

  "I need to get my coat from my bag before we go." Janette said. Her voice sounding frazzled. This process was not a simple one; it was not the first time I thought the show took a peculiar delight in torturing us.

  "No problem, I will go on ahead to find a locker to rent.

  You do not need to feel pressured to stay with me. I just wanted to brainstorm and see how we can make this easier." I said. I saw her face relax.

  "Hannah, thanks. I will gladly use your help to find a locker. But I may take a few minutes to put myself together. I need to wash my face and grab a coffee or something. I will not kill myself to get a date since I already have one in two days. It would be a bit unfair. I am not sure. I haven't decided yet." Her face was a wash of confusion.

  I nodded and gave her a hug. I grabbed my bags and heaved my winter coat on top on the precarious luggage pile and gave the handle a pull to drag the wheeled mess behind me. My kitten heel boots clicked on the linoleum floor. At least I didn't wear high heels today.

  What Janette said made me think, I also have a single date card with Anthony this week, in three days. But the opportunity to have another dinner with him was hard to pass up, especially, when the prize included an automatic date card for the next round. I felt the need to pray about it. I got distracted and forgot to pray when I almost tripped as my coat fell off the luggage pile and got wrapped up in the wheels of my carryon.

  I had a feeling, nothing was going to be easy today.

  * * * * *

  I found the locker rental area and it was huge. By this time, my patience was lacking. I finally got my locker picked out and paid for with the funds from the envelope. I double checked that my body guard was still hovering nearby and had not lost me.

  "I am going to get a taxi if that is ok with you." I said, with a half-hearted grin. I was not sure why I felt a little malice toward the body guard. Perhaps the lack of privacy was getting to me.

  "Just make sure I can tag along in the cab." He said, with a friendly smile that lit up his face. He was over forty and fit. He looked like someone’s dad. I gave myself an attitude adjustment and pep talk then smiled at him with my manners back in the game.