Runner Up (5 page)

My heart did a flip as I slipped into my black heels. I sped through the room with the dress dragging regally
behind me. The green off the shoulder style with the stunning beadwork, sparkled in the light, my reflection did a
few things to boost my confidence, as I made my way to a night to remember.

I noticed that the show staff had gathered all the women in the main greeting room. I never realized this,
but it was like the staff enjoyed parading everyone through for the sake of the competition, looking all regal before
the date. As I walked in I felt daggers coming from all directions. A few girls sighed and some told me that I looked
beautiful. Janette gave me a friendly squeeze as I passed her. I tried to smile humbly and bury any strange regal
feelings I felt earlier. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes watching me looking all smug and important. The room
was certainly filled with odd emotion.

I could tell the cameras were rolling and I tried to stay quiet, waiting and unassuming, as I stood where
Heidi placed me. I could hear someone talking in the distance and a car door closed. I was not sure my heart
would survive this show if it beat like this for every date. Perhaps this would be the only date I might get, I needed
to remember that the competition was fierce and to enjoy the journey. Today could be a great day, and this show
was a marathon, not a sprint.

The moment Anthony appeared through the door the room erupted with sighs. He was dressed in a black
jacket and dark burgundy kilt. He had shiny black boots and tassels on the jacket. I think every girl wanted to faint
at his magnificence. He looked like every rugged hero pictured in the storybook fairytales. He smiled at all the
sighs and even let a laugh sneak out. We all laughed with him for a moment before he spoke.

“I have a request for Miss Hannah Parker to join me this evening.” He looked me in the eye and my heart
melted, and he never looked away from me the whole way out of the house. I walked arm-in-arm with him
through the foyer and when we reached the outside door I could not believe my eyes.

As if by some unknown cue, a group of violins and bagpipes began a song of triumph. I gasped and listened
to the haunting sound and was further surprised by the sound of horses clip-clopping nearby.
Anthony leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. “I have never seen anything more beautiful than you
in that dress, Hannah. You have stolen my senses.” I turned and looked in his eyes, which spoke volumes. I could
have sworn he wanted to lean in and kiss me, but we had all the other women behind us now. I gave him a smile
that hopefully showed my appreciation for the heavenly compliment. I turned quickly, when the women were
gasping behind me.
The horses were now within sight and behind it was a shining black carriage. I have only seen something
this fancy in historical movies. The gear, surrounding the tall horses pulling the carriage, was dark and decorated
with shining silver brackets. It was a magnificent sight with the horses standing tall, prancing into the castle’s
courtyard.
* * * * *
It was a dream, I kept telling myself. As I climbed into the horse drawn carriage I felt Anthony sitting down
next to me and the carriage swayed a bit. It was definitely surreal. The white horses’ breaths were frosty clouds in
front of them. They were jostling and adjusting while standing and waiting for the cue to go again. Anthony grabbed
a blanket and laid it across our laps. It was warm and cozy, for sure. I hoped the shy smile I gave him said, “thank
you.” I was pretty speechless at the moment.
The horse started forward and I noticed all the girls waving from in front of the doorway. They must have
escaped the house while we were climbing into the carriage. I did a quick wave to be friendly and saw a lot of
frowns. I would have frowned, too, from the cheap seats of this date.
I sat in silence for a minute after the horses started their clopping down the road. I noticed the snow that
had been on the ground yesterday was nearly gone. It was similar to an Indiana winter, in my estimation.
November the snows came, but rarely stayed.
"Are you as overwhelmed as I am?" He asked. He was sitting so close to me it was keeping me warm and
the closeness felt amazing.
"Yes, I am. Sorry to be so quiet. Just wondering if this is real or just a product of my crazy imagination?" I
answered quietly. I did not want to break the spell.
I looked over and noticed Anthony was staring at me, his face relaxed. I forced myself to look him in the
eye and not be intimidated.
"You never need to apologize to me. This whole process is overwhelming, you just need to go with how
you feel. There is nothing wrong with taking it all in." His words were wise and comforted me. He had done this
before. Take his cues.
"Thanks." I said, with a grin. I looked him in the eye again to ask a question. "So do we know what the plan
is for today? I hope the carriage rides last awhile, though I am losing my marbles a bit without my camera. So much
rugged beauty here and I would have loved to capture it for a memory, later.
The scenery around me was all trees, rocks and dark green, like a rugged world ready for the seasons to
change. The road was paved and made it a relatively smooth ride.
"I know what you mean, so much beauty!" His hand stroked my chin and my heart did a flip. He obviously
was trying to charm me.
I let myself turn away and leaned against his shoulder as we continued the ride through the rugged
landscape. The hooves of the horses clip-clopping along the roadway, taking us to our first destination.
The first stop was nearly thirty minutes away, at a manor house.
We made our way through the place to the back. He held my hand as we climbed the stairs. I was
ridiculously giddy and was enjoying myself on this adventure.
Near the back room we met a local whiskey maker who told us the history of this region and gave us a
lesson in whiskey making. The elderly man was funny and ruggedly fascinating and made us feel at ease right away.
For a few minutes I felt ridiculous and overdressed but I calmed myself down and just determined to be in the
moment and not worry about silly details that didn’t matter.
After our whiskey tasting we were led to a large open room with a stage and some local children gave us a
concert. Their sweet young voices were charming and I felt myself grinning and nodding at all their happy faces
when they looked my way. At that moment, I felt like royalty. This was a once in a lifetime experience. I was
humbled beyond words.
After the concert we had a chance to talk to a few of the children and walked around the Manor with a
guide, who gave us additional history and more interesting tidbits to enjoy. I had a handsome man at my side,
touring a beautiful manor near the mountains of Scotland. Not a bad way to spend a day.
The afternoon rushed by as we moved from the Manor house to a new location. At one point, there was
more snowfall as we traveled through the landscape. There was a small canopy that kept some of the snow off our
heads but I didn’t care about the chill, at all. Anthony and I laughed and shared the entire day, the close quarters
and the romantic carriage ride. It was a perfect fairy tale experience. As we headed back to the Kilnary Castle, I
wondered how the evening would continue.
We arrived privately, and once I was out of the carriage we were separated and interviewed in our own
designated area. They got the makeup and hair crews out to fuss over me and I assumed the same was happening
to him. They did a brief interview and asked about how the date was going. I was pretty sure I gushed in some
ridiculous girly way, most likely, embarrassing my family members. I hoped I looked appealing while doing it, at
least. I was turning into a simpering idiot, but I did not care.
I was told I would be meeting Anthony for dinner in a few minutes. I sat waiting in a chair until they were
ready for me. My brain was a bit empty at this point, just trying to enjoy the day and letting all the show nonsense
float away. It was just the two of us tonight. No need to worry about anything else.
I was led through a few hallways I hadn't seen and into a large dining room with a huge roaring fire in an
enormous fireplace. Long tapered candles lit the elegant room. I felt like I had time traveled. There were no
modern things in this room except for the cameras, discreetly hidden in the dark corner. I knew they were there,
but it was hard to see them. I decided to pretend they weren't here and just take pleasure in the surroundings.
The table was set with delicate china and crystal goblets. 'Candles and wine and everything fine.' I could
hear my mother say.
I could not see Anthony in the room and stood still with my hands clasped in front of me, not sure what
was going to happen next.
He arrived a moment later and violin music began to play. I did not notice the musicians. My eyes focused
on the handsome man in front of me. His dark slicked back hair and the smallest hint of a challenge in his smile was
doing something to my stomach. I had always hated the cliché about butterflies in the stomach, but I have to admit
something strange and scary was flying around in there when Anthony looked at me.
"You kill me in that dress, Hannah." He leaned in to whisper in my ear. This was turning into one of my
best days ever, right up there with getting my braces off and graduating high school.
"Thanks, Anthony, I am enjoying the attention." I had never said his name to him and it did something to
my insides when I uttered it, a flip turn and a drop.
"Would you join me for dinner?" Anthony was using his best manners. It was captivating.
"I would be glad to." I felt like a fool for saying what seemed so cliché for the moment but I was helpless and a bit brainless.
The crew served us a dinner of every good thing, roast duck, a salad that could bring tears, potatoes with
melted butter and garlic, so rich I would never forget the luxury of it.
We talked about simple things, at first and then our faith. I heard about his struggles in high school and
how his years in college were tough because he was so shy. He was positive he would never find the right girl after
he had been on the show once before and now he had all the hope in the world. He gave me a wink when he said
that, making me blush.
“When you wink at me sir, it completely disillusions any thoughts of you and shy being in the same
sentence.” I said, with a red face and an attempt to call him out.
“It has been your company that has helped ease my fears. I have to make sure you know that I am
interested.” Anthony said, with no joking in his tone. I gave him a nod to say I believed him.
I shared, with him, my passion for photography and all the places I had been for my work. It was such a fun
conversation I really did not want it to end. I had this desperate feeling in the pit of my stomach after they cleared
away the dessert plates. This would end soon. No – no - no. It was beyond the perfect date.
"You just got a sad look, Hannah." Anthony pulled a playful frown.
"I just realized the date will end soon." I deepened my own pout a little then smiled.
"Well, it isn’t done yet. Let’s find something to do to pass a little more time."
He got up and led me out my chair and through another hallway. The music I heard over a speaker was
now sounding again and we walked into a ballroom where a string section was playing classical music.
Like any good fairytale, the prince asked for a dance and he whisked me away into a waltz. I was very
thankful I never once stepped on his feet. The cologne he was wearing was delightful and went straight to my head.
After dancing and talking for a while longer it was time to say goodnight. The end of the date kiss was a
little more intense than I expected. I was in serious heart trouble now.
* * * * *
The next morning I woke up with Janette sitting next to my bed. It looked like she was waiting for me.
"What time is it?" I asked, a little groggily. I felt my feet aching from my long night in tall heels.
“9:30, I brought you a bowl of fruit but I let you sleep in. The wait is killing me. By the time you were out
of the dress, interviewed and showered you were understandably exhausted. You went to bed without spilling any
dirt about the date. I will try and forgive you now as you eat fruit and spill your guts.” Janette gave me a pixie grin
and handed me a small fruit bowl.
I laughed and ate a few grapes as she watched me expectantly.
“Well…” I paused for affect.
Janette sighed, a bit exasperated. It made me laugh again.
“I am in trouble.” I grinned and ate a few more bites before I opened the floodgates and told her every
detail. We sighed and gushed together over all the sweet things he said, and about all the show in-and outs so she
knew what to expect on her own date. We decided to go swimming after our talk to get some exercise. A group
of girls gathered to find out how the date went. I kept it simple, describing the places we went, the scenery, and
show stuff. I kept the conversations between Anthony and I private, though. Telling Janette was one thing, telling
everyone else was a whole other matter; some girls would twist my words into something negative. I have to
remember, these girls are not my friends.
A big group date was scheduled that day and ten girls would be joining Anthony for the evening. I was
happy inside knowing he didn’t have a one-on-one date. The thought of sharing him at all was strange. I prayed a
few times that evening about how to handle this. I was starting to feel involved with him. I didn’t own him, but the
thought had a little merit.
* * * * *
The next day I heard through the grapevine that another girl got a date alone with Anthony, Danielle, the
negative Nelly. I wasn’t too worried because so far she had a very bad attitude whenever she opened her mouth.
She was rather pretty and had an athletic build. In my label game, she was one of the “sporty” girls. The sporty
girls did tend to stick together. They were less interested in the gossip usually but were still very competitive. If
they did start anything it was usually aimed at the competition. Danielle and Desiree, aka Slinky, were like battering
rams whenever they were in the same room. So far I had avoided them both while in Scotland but I had no
illusions that we could avoid each other forever. I have watched the show. I know that some group activities that
were planned usually included a lot of drama to keep the show alive.
* * * * *
Heidi Gold woke me the next day to announce the date-card ceremony was to be held after breakfast. I
always thought that it was done at night but my guesses meant nothing here. I checked my clock and it was 6 a.m.
Blah.
I was in a makeup chair a few minutes later while Heidi showed me dress choices.
“It feels really strange putting on an evening gown at six in the morning.” I said to anyone paying attention.
My makeup artist nodded but I felt a little lost for a moment. I missed my friend Allison, suddenly. The things you
take for granted when you leave everyone and everything behind for a time. The simple pleasure of having
someone laugh at your absurd thoughts and ramblings was something I had taken for granted. Another thing to add
to the -Cons- side of the list for the
Soulmate
show, I thought to myself.
I would have to call her after the date card thing
.
The thought passed through my morning fog.
Perhaps I will not get a date card
. My inner self felt insecure
today.
There are no guarantees
.
What a horrible thought
, I pondered.
My long brown hair was straightened and left to flow down my back. I was happy for the simple do, my
poor scalp had been tortured by pins lately from all the up-hairdos. The makeup was cute and the simple black
dress felt soft and comfortable after the corsets and such from the last date. I went with simpler heels to give my
feet a break, too. My guess was that Anthony was not going dump me if I didn’t show up in stilts. He did not seem
to be
that
kind of guy.
I can hope anyway
. I muttered to myself, I still felt a bit raw and vulnerable. Probably the come down after
such an amazing date, the thud was watching him date other people, I reasoned.
The date card ceremony went smoothly and I received one that said I had a group date. I was a little
disappointed but I would not pout, well I would try not to. I said goodbye to three girls who were let go. One girl
seemed quite devastated and was hiccupping, as I hugged her. I gave her a smile, a shoulder pat and tried to say
something comforting. I wondered at how she could be so upset. Was she upset about Anthony or just love in
general?