Bellamy's Redemption

“Ugh. I’m in Nerdville. I’m second-guessing even being here,” Caj said, locking herself in the bathroom.

“I think he’s going to send Delores home,” said Vanessa to me and Shyla. “You girls missed it, but she behaved like such a bitch. Aubrey messed up a little, and it totally ruined Delores’s concentration, and she was insanely mean about it.”

“She’s horrible,” I agreed. “We saw her behaving that way again, just before you got back here. She had a freakout at Aubrey and me just a little while ago.”

“While you were busy making out with my husband,” Shyla added to Vanessa.

“You really think he’d send her home instead of me?” asked Aubrey, overhearing our conversation.

“I guess we’ll find out soon,” said Vanessa.

Moments later Bellamy was back, looking very serious. “Would you all mind coming over here?” he asked. We all gathered around him, with the exception of Cashmere. Cameramen got up and jumped back into action to catch the big news from every possible angle.

“Where is Caj?” asked Bellamy.

“She’s busy pooping,” said Shyla, smiling sweetly and plugging her tiny freckled nose.

“Well, I’d like you all to hear the news at the same time. Let’s just wait for a minute,” he said. The minute turned to minutes.

“Just tell us! Is Delores gone? Did you send her home?” Aubrey asked.

“Uh, well. You see, she wasn’t very nice, but, um, where is Cashmere?” asked Bellamy. We all shrugged and waited another couple of minutes. Finally Bellamy couldn’t stand the awkwardness any longer. “Is she okay in there? Maybe one of you girls wouldn’t mind checking on her?”

“I’ll do it,” said Shar.

“I’ll go with you,” said Shyla. Then she looked back at us and added, looking straight into a camera, “I groom doggies for a living, so I’m used to stinky smells.” What she’d lacked on stage earlier she was clearly determined to make up for now.

We all stood around, fidgeting and waiting. And then, a moment later, we heard screams. Shar and Shyla came running back to us with looks of horror on their faces.

“What’s wrong?” asked Bellamy. “Is Cashmere okay?”

“Oh shit,” hollered a producer, tossing aside her clipboard and taking off running in the direction Shar and Shyla had come from, for fear she was missing something big. The cameramen went running after her.

“She’s fine,” said Shar. “By fine I mean she’s having sex with one of the lighting guys.”

“Oh no,” said Bellamy, collapsing onto the floor. His wig slid off in his hands. “I’ve lost two more. We’ve barely gotten started and they’re dropping like hotcakes. I know I will never find true love!” He began weeping.

“Bellamy Sweetie, I think you mean flies,” Vanessa said softly, but he was crying too hard to hear her.

“So that confirms it,” said Aubrey, addressing all of us like she was a cheerleading coach. “Delores has been let go.”

“Bellamy, Bellamy, Bellamy,” I said, going to him since I was the closest. I patted his sweaty, matted hair. “It’s going to be fine. Consider yourself lucky that the bad ones are making it so easy for you to weed them out.” I felt like I was comforting one of the kids I used to babysit.

“Are you sure?” he asked me.

“Sure I’m sure.”

“Come on, Emma, let’s go for a walk and talk a little.”

“Alright,” I said. He lifted up both hands so I could help pull him up. ‘Really?’ I thought.

“Do you want me to come with too?” asked Deb from Duluth.

“Uh, no, you can stay here,” said Bellamy.

Bellamy and I walked down the sidewalk a little ways and then he abruptly stopped. “I hope you don’t mind that I cried,” he said.

“Oh, of course not,” I said.