Bellamy's Redemption

We took our places and Catalina’s tired scowl was replaced by a camera-worthy look of someone about to share an exciting secret. “Thank you for joining me, ladies,” she began, facing us with a smile. Anyone who didn’t know better would assume she liked and respected us. “While Klassie is away getting to know Bellamy’s family, we have a special announcement. A special twist, if you will.” Now she turned from us, directly addressing the audience at home: “As you at home may recall, Vanessa recently chose to return to her former love Bernstein, and she left the show. However, Vanessa has had a change of heart. It didn’t take her long to realize that she had been falling in love with Bellamy, and she needed to return, to see if his feelings are as strong as her own.”

A black limousine began driving our way. I looked out of the corn

er of my eye at Alanna, waiting for her to have an outburst, but she didn’t even flinch. Deb, on the other hand, began weeping all over again.

The limousine pulled to a halt in front of us and the driver got out and stood beside the back door. The tinted window edged down just an inch or two and some red fingernails slid out from the crack, waggling at us teasingly. We all drew in our breath. I was surprised at the heavy feeling of dread in my stomach. Vanessa had been way too strong of a contender. This was very bad news for all of us. Then and there, it became clear to me: I wanted to win.

“Vanessa, please rejoin us,” said Catalina, with a flourishing hand gesture. The limo driver opened her door, and out she stepped in a long red gown. She looked… different. Better. Her nose was tinier. Her boobs were bigger. Her hair was longer.

“Hi,” she said to us. She blew us a kiss and flashed a bigger, whiter smile than she’d had before.

“Vanessa,” said Catalina, “we’re so glad you’re back. Please join the others. And, while you’re all together, I have some news for you: Bellamy has decided that Klassie is not the woman for him. Sad news for Klassie, but good news for the four of you. Let’s make a toast to all of you, the new final four!”

Glasses of champagne landed in our hands and we four toasted one another. I noticed Vanessa eyeing Alanna’s outfit with bemused disdain. Alanna’s eyes were glazed over like someone in a rabid trance. I suspected she was furious and was using every ounce of willpower she had to not freak out. Deb was still sniffling and the cameramen were trying to capture us toasting while avoiding any face-on shots of her.

“I’m so glad to be back,” gushed Vanessa. Her Southern accent seemed to have been turned up a couple of notches. She was like Vanessa squared. “I missed y’all! Leaving Bellamy was my biggest mistake ever.” We clinked glasses and all took a few drinks as the camera captured our happy reunion.

“Okay, thanks for pulling yourselves together,” Catalina said once they’d gotten the footage they needed. “You can go back to your room. There’s a date card waiting for one of you. Hey, Bob, come over here and rub my shoulders. There’s a really bad knot in my right one.”

Bob obliged, but I noticed him looking at Deb to see if it was bothering her. She was sitting alone in the grass drinking champagne right out of the bottle, too distraught to care.

“Don’t you want to see if the date card is for you?” I asked her.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter. He’s never going to pick me. Especially now that Vanessa is back. It’s not fair that she’s wearing an evening gown and we’re all dressed like crap.”

“We could have tried harder,” I said.

“Is that what you tell yourself when someone gets ahead of you? I wish I could think like that. But the thing is, I didn’t know we were supposed to dress better. I just didn’t know. It’s like, they tell us what we did wrong after the fact instead of preparing us ahead of time. I hate that.”

“Yeah, it sucks.”

“Does Vanessa look different to you?”

“Maybe a little,” I said. “Come on.” I helped her up.

“What are you wearing, Alanna?” Vanessa asked as we began making our way back to our room. She and Alanna were a few steps ahead of Deb and me.

Alanna ignored her question. “It’s ludicrous that you’re back. Ludicrous. Aren’t you and that Bernie guy getting a special on-air wedding?”

“No ma’am! Mercy me! I got caught up in the moment. Honestly, I think they were just trying to create some quick drama with those reunions, since so many girls got sent home too early and they thought there might not be enough stuff to make a whole season. That’s what my daddy said anyway. It was so great to be back home. Mama made me fresh peach cobbler! I felt like a little girl all over again. I stayed with them since I was afraid my apartment might have a spider in it, from being abandoned so long.”

“But what about your engagement to Bernie? Why are you back here?” asked Alanna.

“Oh, that. Sakes alive! Well, the producers talked me right into marrying Bernie, you of all people should understand the pressure! And then they talked me right out of it once I got home, especially when I explained that Bernie is from a family of poor people who shoot deer and grow their own vegetables, and his relatives are unattractive folk who might not make for good television.”

“Gross.”

“I know! And Bellamy. I missed my Bellamy. It was like, there was a hole shot clean through my heart.”

“Still, I can’t believe you’re back. It’s like, pick a side. Anyhow, where’s your luggage?”

“Already up there.”

“Did you get a boob job?”

“So?”

“And a nose job?”