“Now that you
all have heard the rules we will begin our questions with our first contestant,
Mike. Once Mike answers the question Alex will go, then Will, Josh, and finally
Sam,” Ryan explained.
“Is
everyone ready?!” Ryan exclaimed.
The crowd
cheered. Ava could hardly sit still in the love seat.
“Then let
us begin the game! The first question is: what is your best quality?” Ryan
started.
Mike
spoke up. “My best quality would have to be my work ethic. I grew up on a ranch
out in the country and learned what it means to take care of myself and of my
family.”
Alex went
next. “That would be my humor. I love making others around me laugh. After all,
laughter is the best medicine for anything!”
“Those
qualities are cute, boys. I believe mine would be my charming good looks. Hear
that, Ava?” Will boasted.
Ava
rolled her eyes and the crowd cheered and hollered.
Josh
started when the crowd died down. “Mine would be my patience. I have learned
that the best things come to those who wait.”
Sam went
last. “I’d say my honesty. You see, I am rather blunt and I don’t like to talk
much.”
Ryan
cautioned Sam. “That might not always be a good thing, Sam! Now on to our next
question. What is your idea of a romantic date?”
*
*
*
Ava
stared at her sheet of names. The game had come to an end and it was time for
her to make a choice. She could hear the intercession and rustle of the audience in the
background and tried to focus. Mike was a hard-working cowboy. He had grown up
on a ranch where he had acquired his work ethic. He had a deep voice that Ava
loved. Alex was hilarious. Every time he spoke Ava ended up laughing at his
corny jokes. Will was just annoying and was way too cocky for her. Ava felt
like if they went on a date it would be all about him. Josh was a kind-hearted
man. He was always so genuine and gave his heart to the questions, unlike some
others. Sam had a funny dry humor. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was blunt.
His answers were straight to the point. Ava thought about each and after a
while had finally came to a decision.
“Ryan, I
have made my decision,” Ava said.
“Everyone,”
Ryan announced, “Ava has chosen a winner! Can I have a drum roll please?”
A boom of
thunder came from the crowd as they started the drum roll.
“My
choice is...Mike!” Ava declared.
The crowd
burst into applaud and cheered at her choice. Mike then stood up and walked out
from behind the curtain. He was a good-looking man. He had short blonde hair
and baby blue eyes. He was wearing a red plaid shirt with dark blue jeans and
cowboy boots. He was in very good shape and his smile was breathtaking.
*
*
*
While Frank's
parents were sleeping, Frank snuck into their closet and found the family safe.
After a few minutes he was able to unlock the safe. Frank smiled. "More
than enough money to get me to New York."
Author's Note:
The previous two stories in my
portfolio are about Frank and Ava. The latest was “The Dating Game” which
featured Ava on a dating show with five contestants. This story is a
continuation of “The Dating Game.” In the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata,
the character of Draupadi finds herself in a swayamvara contest and the winner
would have Draupadi as his wife. Arjuna ends up winning the swayamvara contest
because he was able to shoot the fish in the eye. After taking Draupadi to
their mother, Kunti, she mistakenly told the Pandavas to share what they had
brought, not knowing it was a bride. Thus the Pandavas had to share Draupadi
and she had to marry all five. In my story, winning the contest is only done by
answering the questions the best. In Ava's mind that was Mike.
There were two reasons I chose to do a
game show to represent Draupadi’s situation. The first is show Draupadi having
five husbands through the five contestants. The second is to represent the
swayamvara in a modern-day setting. A swayamvara was a practice in India of
choosing a husband from a list of different suitors by a woman. Having the
swayamvara be shown as a dating game was the best way I thought to represent
it. There was an actual show in the late 60’s called “The Dating Game” which
was played exactly like I had it in my story. The only difference was that in
the TV show there were three contestants instead of five.
