Dying for the Rose

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

W ell, how the hell did I get here? I mean, I know how I got here. I just mean… how the hell did I get here? I was alone on a ferry waiting for the boat to approach the dock. I was wearing a very expensive suit. And I was nervous.

A lot had changed for me since the safari. First off, I broke up with Laura. No surprise there. But what did surprise me was what I saw in her relaxed, soulless eyes after she returned from her spa appointment that day. What I saw was me staring back at myself.

And I’m not referring to my reflection in their lifeless sheen. I’m talking metaphorically. In her, I saw a part of me that I couldn’t see in myself. We had more in common than I wanted to admit, which meant that I had hit rock bottom.

So as soon as I got back home, that was it. I asked her where she put my stuff, and I moved out. After five years of living in that gorgeous apartment, it was time for a fresh start.

On top of that, I left my job. I hated being a corporate recruiter. If I had had to listen to another fourteen-year-old explain why she thought that she would make a great CEO in another 20 years, I would have hurt somebody.

As a former recruiter for the Young CEO Recruitment Program at a major corporation, I can tell you that the program doesn’t work. Yeah, those kids are smart. That’s why I was there. That’s why I lived with them for six weeks, observing them, interacting with them, and evaluating them for a lifetime job that they could never understand at fourteen.

No matter what anyone says, people aren’t born leaders. Leadership is like a diamond. It forms under great stress and pressure. Fourteen is way too soon to evaluate leadership potential. I couldn’t say that as a highly paid recruiter for the world’s largest corporation, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

So, after that, I was without a job, a long-term lease or a girlfriend. I was free to start my life again. Then, one thing led to another, I answered a few questions online, and then, I was on my way to meet the bachelorette. Apparently, I was going to be on TV.

I didn’t watch TV then, and I don’t watch it now. In fact, I don’t know anyone who still owns a TV. Nonetheless, I was going to be on game show holdover from the time of broadcast television.

I didn’t know the details of the show, but I didn’t care. What I knew was that I was unemployed and being on a TV show would qualify as a life-change. Plus, it might be good for a laugh. So there I was, alone on a ferry, wearing an expensive suit and about to meet a woman whom I was supposed to compete for against other men.

Ha! The whole thing was ridiculous.

In a pose that made me feel like George Washington crossing the Delaware, I stared out into the darkness. I enjoyed the feeling as the salty sea air washed over me. And as the light in the distance grew, I saw her.

She stood motionless under a cascade of lights. Her incandescent blue dress sparkled. She was tall and fit. When I was close enough to see it, her bright smile lit up her face, making its narrow contours appear round.

Wow! I thought.

A producer back on the mainland had gotten me ready for the show. He hadn’t told me much, but one of the things he had said was that I would like her. So far, so good.

The ferry slowed as it reached the wooden dock. With barely a jolt, the magnetic locks brought the boat to a stop.

“Please step forward,” a soothing robotic voice requested.

I looked down at the door that opened to the dock. The thing I didn’t like about autonomous boats was that you never knew how much you were supposed to do yourself. When nothing lit up and nothing popped open, I opened the door and walked through.

Stepping onto the dock, I couldn’t help but look around for the cameras. Were they in the lamps that lined the dock? Were they on drones flying above? If they were, I didn’t see them. But they were supposed to be non-intrusive, right? Well, in this case, they succeeded.

I strolled forward turning my full attention to the woman. What I remembered about these types of game shows was that in the end, the winning guy was supposed to ask the bachelorette to marry him. I couldn’t even imagine falling in love with someone in such a short time. So, wanting to marry someone in a few short weeks? What a laugh.

I had asked the producer about it, and he had reluctantly confirmed. That was what I was here to do. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be here for very long.

I stepped off of the wooden planks and was greeted by a thigh-high floating robot. Giving it only a quick glance, I assumed it was my personal escort. Following it, I turned my attention to the grass that had been planted to resemble a red carpet.

The producer had said that we weren’t supposed to know where we were. Supposedly, we were on an island in the middle of nowhere, but the red grass did offer a clue.

In the last few years, red grass had become popular in South East Asia. Sure, you could now grow the grass anywhere. However, taking into consideration the warm night breezes, the flowers that formed the bachelorette’s backdrop, and how long I was on the ferry, Southeast Asia made sense.

Resolving one mystery, I focused on another, the woman in front of me. She really did have a welcoming smile. Plus, the closer I got, the more beautiful she became.

Her jade eyes popped against her deeply tanned skin. Her curves were a mixture of athleticism and femininity. She looked strong and vulnerable, all at the same time.

Wow. I had never expected to find someone so gorgeous. It was a real shame that we had to meet under such circumstances. Sure, some people thought that these types of game shows were romantic. That’s why the format had lasted for so long. But I never did.

One woman and a bunch of guys are put on a deserted island, and the woman eliminates men until she chooses who she wants to marry? Hey, to each their own, but I couldn’t think of anything less romantic.

Yet, with the chorus of chirping birds and crashing waves, the oversized flowers framing her, the blue glow surrounding her, and the smell of coconut and vanilla that became stronger the closer I got to her, I did feel my heart flutter. Remembering my snicker when the producer oversold the two minutes I would have with her, I started to wonder if two minutes would be enough.

Standing in front of her, I wished that I had planned something to say to her like the producer had suggested. It might have prevented me from staring at her like a prepubescent schoolboy.

“Hi, I’m Rose,” she said, flashing a fantastic smile.

“Hi, Rose. I’m Ford.”

I stuck out my hand as she spread her arms for a hug. We chuckled at that and then I stepped in, following her lead. With her body pressed against mine, I got a full whiff of coconut and vanilla. Damn, I loved that scent! It made me weak in the knees.

Pulling away, I got the sense that I was supposed to speak next. I imagined that she was giving me the opportunity to say whatever it was that I had prepared. Why the hell hadn’t I prepared something? Instead, my mind was adrift in her scent, and I couldn’t remember anything past my own name.

“Let me guess. I look familiar to you?” she asked, now smiling uncomfortably.

Uh oh, I thought. Nothing good ever followed that question.

I sped through my mental Rolodex of one-date wonders. She wasn’t in there. Did I forget to add someone? As uncomfortable as the thought was, at least it gave me something to say.

“I’m sorry, have we met before?”

“No,” she said, frozen in a look of confusion.

The awkward silence that followed was in no way my fault. The look on her face suggested that she was about to say something, but she never did.

“I’m sorry,” she said eventually. “I thought you were someone else.”

“That’s okay,” I replied, even more relieved than she looked. “I was worried for a second. But I don’t think I would forget meeting someone as beautiful as you.”

The corner of her eyes crinkled with a genuine smile. It gave me a rush.

“Can we start over?” she asked enthusiastically.

“Absolutely.”

“Hi I’m Rose,” she said, sticking out her hand.

“I’m Ford.”

We shook hands and chuckled.

“I like your suit.”

“Thank you. I like your dress,” I replied, feeling a flow develop between us. “I wonder what you would look like out of it.”

I heard it after it came out of my mouth.

Rose stared at me with her mouth hanging open. I began to wonder if I had ever spoken to a woman before. As I started to make space in my one-date Rolodex, she released a loud “Ha” and snorted.

“I’m really sorry,” I said emphatically. “That did not come out right.”

“It didn’t? That’s too bad. I suddenly really liked you.”

To my surprise, her eyes were twinkling. I had intrigued her.

“Oh. Then if you liked that, wait until I’m not watching what I’m saying,” I joked.

“I can’t wait,” she said flirtatiously. “Hey, you wanna play a game?”

“Sure,” I said, regaining my bearing.

“I’ll tell you a secret about myself, and then you can tell me one about you.”

I hesitated. “Okay.”

“My secret is that my hands were shaking so much when I was getting ready to come down here that I over-plucked my eyebrows.”

“Did you?” I asked peeking up at her forehead.

She hid her eyebrows with her hand. “Oh, don’t look.”

“Why not?” I asked, delighted by her vulnerability.

“I drew them back on, and they look weird.”

I reached up and held her wrist. She let me lower her hand.

“What are you talking about?” I asked after getting a good look.

“Are you kidding me? They’re so thick I’m afraid I’ll be recruited by wandering mimes.”

I laughed. “Why were you so nervous before you came out here?”

“You know, meeting guys like you,” she said, showing more hints of her alluring vulnerability.

I looked at her curiously. “You do know that the guys here will be trying to impress you, right? You aren’t the one who should be nervous.”

“Even you?” she asked flirtatiously.

I didn’t know it until that exact second, but I said, “Yeah, of course.”

Her eyes twinkled in response. “So, what’s your secret?”

My chest tightened at the question. Her smile slowly disappeared with mine. Gathering my strength, I gently took her hand and looked into her eyes.

“Rose, I’m actually a mime. I’m here to talk to you about joining my wandering troupe.”

She burst out laughing.

It felt good knowing I was the one who made her laugh. Was it just me, or had I just stuck the landing? Sure, this whole situation was absurd, but damn if we hadn’t made a real connection.

“No. Come on. Tell me,” she insisted.

The burning in my chest returned as her grip on my hand tightened. I looked into her eyes. Despite her disarming smile, she was serious.

This time, the silence was interrupted by my beeping robot escort. That was it; my two minutes were up. It had to have been the shortest two minutes of my life.

I offered Rose a twisted smile as an apology and then stepped past her. I touched my fingertips to the image displayed on my escort’s scanner. Feeling a gentle pulse that adhered me to the bot, I followed it as it took me away from Rose. Once I was a few feet past my bachelorette, I took a quick look back. She hadn’t peeked back at me.

Watching her turn away, I did the same. Yep, we had definitely made a connection. No one could’ve been more surprised by it than I was.

However, the further I got from the scent of coconut and vanilla, the easier it was to remember that I was on a game show. I thought about my interaction with Rose and searched the scene for the cameras. I didn’t see any.

I then thought about Rose. As real as the moment felt, was she just a really good actress?