Bellamy's Redemption

“It is.”

“Emma! This is Christine Leary. Calling from Slice of Reality Studios. How are you?” She spoke like we were old friends.

“I’m good.”

“Fabulous, fabulous. I’m so glad I caught you. So, we saw your audition and it was wonderful. We all thought you were great. Do you have a couple of minutes to talk about your application?”

“Um, sure,” I said. I stood up and began to nervously pace. I tried to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible.

“So you must have watched Bellamy’s journey as he tried to win the heart of Alanna?”

“Yes, I saw it.”

“A real heartbreaker, wasn’t it? Now, first of all, I want you to know that what you saw on television happened several months ago, even though it just aired, and Bellamy has healed. What he went through showed him that he is ready for true love, and that he has it within him to fall in love. He realized after what he went through with Alanna that the special process we incorporate on our show helps people truly find love, and he is ready to try again. And he believes it will happen for him again this time. He is taking this process seriously, and truly seeking a lasting, loving relationship.”

“Okay.”

“Does that sound good to you?”

“Sure!”

“When you watched the show, did you feel like you had a special connection with Bellamy?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Great. Are you currently married, married but separated, cohabitating in a sexual relationship, or dating anyone who you are seriously intimate with?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Great. How many children did you say you have?”

“None. None!”

“Would you be willing to step away from your career for up to ten weeks or longer, if it meant the possibility of finding true love?”

“Yes,” I said, trying to sound confident. Was I really willing to do that? I couldn’t think; the questions kept rolling:

“Are you at a place in your life, where, if you met the right person, you feel you are ready for marriage?”

“Yes.”

“Great, Emma. You’re doing great. Do you feel that you would be comfortable having television cameras on you twenty-four hours a day for up to ten weeks?”

“Will they follow us into the bathroom?”

“Well, the cameras are everywhere, but footage collected in the bathrooms would not be used unless atypical happenings occurred in the bathrooms.”

“Eww.”

“They would only use that footage if, say, there was a fight that happened in the bathroom.”

“Oh. Ugh. Okay. Then sure,” I said. I couldn’t picture myself punching anyone, so I figured I was safe.

“Emma, I’d like to email you another questionnaire and have you return it to me as quickly as possible. Is this a good time? Do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, I will send this file to the email address you provided. It should be there any moment. I’d like you to complete it and return it to me as quickly as you can. I will let you know when I receive it, and then I will give you a call right back as soon as it’s been reviewed. Okay? Got it?”