Facebook
Instagram
Amazon Author Page
Bethany’s New Reality
Here’s a first chapter sneak peek!
Chapter 1
The morning crew trickled out of their after-the-show meeting, and Jeffy’s eyes lit up when he spotted me. He came over to the watercooler and leaned on it as I pretended to fill up my bottle for the fourth time. He was blocking my view of the door, so I took a step back and leaned against the wall, drinking slowly. I needed Mr. Langley in my line of sight.
“Hey, lady.” Jeffy gave me a hopeful smile.
Oh, Jeffy. You are just one more reason I have to get out of here.
“Bethany,” Mr. Langley called out. “Come in, I want to talk to you.”
Wow, loitering outside my boss’s office worked. I gave Jeffy a wave and went into Mr. Langley’s tiny kingdom. Since three radio stations shared the building, every space was precious. At least my boss had the luxury of a window.
I walked in, feigning surprise. This morning, when I’d dropped my request for a month off, I didn’t anticipate the gnawing anxiety that would follow me the rest of the day. A medical emergency or a dying relative was a respectable reason to ask for time off. Needing time to date gorgeous men on TV, not so much. If I was going to get laughed out of his office, I didn’t want to wait forever, replaying worse and worse versions of it in my head.
Six months ago, I’d auditioned for a new dating reality show,Real Love. I’d just broken up with my boyfriend, Todd, and it was part of a late night internet search to distract me from my misery. I’d filled out the forms, laughing at the thought of how I looked at that very moment, downing a pint of ice cream, un-showered, unhinged, and dressed in green sweats as comfortable as they were hideous.
Getting chosen for the show never crossed my mind. Normally, I am decently attractive and fun. But you forget all that when you date someone like Todd. Trying to make him happy stole all my happiness for a while. I didn’t see it until it was too late, until after he’d sucked all the self-esteem out of me. I told myself all the follow up calls, questionnaires, and background checks were a way to feed my fragile ego until I got eliminated from the horde of women desperate for love or public attention or both. Now they were ready to fly me out to Los Angeles to be on their show. It was flattering, and surreal, and I was still a little bit in denial.
But losing my job? That was a real possibility. I liked working here, but I’d promised myself I’d quit if I didn’t get the time off. The thought gave me a stomach ache. I’m usually too practical to be voluntarily unemployed.
Mr. Langley motioned for me to sit down. I sat in the chair opposite his desk and tried not to let my gaze wander around the room. Mr. Langley loved anti-motivational posters and had them all over the walls. My personal favorite was the one that said, ‘BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: Because the rest of us think you’re an idiot.’
“I saw your request this morning for a month off, and I’m approving it.”
No way!My mouth dropped open, and I quickly shut it and tried to think up a response. “Thank you so much, I…”
“Stop gushing and let’s talk about this,” Mr. Langley interrupted. “I called the producers of this dating show,Real Love, and told them if I was giving you a month off, I wanted you on our radio station, giving us the inside dish after you get back. They agreed to a cross-promotional deal. This could create a huge ratings bump for us.”
He drummed on his desk with excited energy. “Bethany, this could be big for us.Real Lovehas been bought by NBC. I need you to really get noticed, fall in love, break some hearts. Just stay there as long as possible. You can go back to your desk eventually, but first we are going to milk this for all its worth.”
“Yes, Mr. Langley. You can count on me.” I nodded with assurance, but inside I was a frazzled mess. Why didn’t I think this through? I worked behind radio, not on the radio. And I liked it that way. I should have known Mr. Langley would turn this into a marketing bit. It seemed like all we did lately was sponsor products forced upon us.
“Fantastic. I need you to turn over your unfinished ads to Patty before you leave and we’ll hope she doesn’t screw anything up while you’re gone. Give your VIP clients to me.” Mr. Langley stood, letting me know the meeting was over.
On the walk back to my desk, my emotions somersaulted from elation to complete terror. I’d won the dating lottery, and even though most of the girls who went on these shows went home crying, like everyone else, I hinged all my hopes on the chance it might be different for me.And Mr. Langley can’t wait for you to jump into this so the DJs can laugh about it.My silly adventure had turned into an assignment.
***
I spent the rest of the week tying up loose ends at work and packing and organizing at home. With my fridge clean, landlord paid, and mail on hold, it felt like I was moving forward and not paralyzed with fear.
I’d had crazy adventures before, but always with a friend along, someone fearless who could laugh off my worries and help me relax and have fun. This would be different. I’d be all alone, walking into a situation I had no control over. If I ended up humiliating myself, it wouldn’t become an inside joke, it would be on entertainment news. I almost called and backed out, but the thought that I’d never get this chance again kept me from doing it. My nails were nubs by the end of the week, and I went to get a last-minute manicure the night before I had to leave for California.
A phone call from Mom woke me the next morning.
“You didn’t have to call.” But I knew Mom would, even from Jamaica where she and Steve were on vacation.
“I wanted to say goodbye before you left today. I put it in my calendar.”
Of course she did. Mom put everything in her calendar. She probably had my monthly cycle tracked in there.
