Reality Check Read online

  An hour passed, and Brian had it narrowed down to seven. He was wishing he could call a couple of them to find out a bit more about them. Alas, contact was forbidden until five o’clock. He already had four definites. It was the fifth he couldn’t decide on.

  Yet another hour passed, and still he could not decide. He had narrowed what was left from three to two. He tried flipping a coin to decide, but couldn’t agree with the choice. 4:30 came and still no choice. The two had so much in common. How to choose? Finally, he chose based on who lived closer to North Dakota.

  His decision made, he wrote down the five names. Roxanne DaRe was a twenty-seven year old pediatric nurse from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jennifer Harrison was a thirty-three year old store manager from Los Angeles, California. Tina Wright was a thirty-one year old secretary from Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Amanda Stone was a twenty-eight year old EMT from Salt Lake City, Utah. The last name was Samantha.

  Samantha returned to her room to decide on the five men to choose. She saw the same folder, only this one containing the fifteen men’s pictures.

  She had already chosen three from her notes. She set those three pictures aside to concentrate on the other twelve. She matched each picture to her notes.

  From her notes, she eliminated five, narrowing it down to seven. From the pictures, she cut three more. Down to four, but she still had to cut two more. Brian was one of the four left to choose from.

  As the time drew closer, she was still indecisive. After a couple drinks, her head was a bit clearer. Eventually, she made her final two cuts. Unfortunately, Brian was one of the two cuts.

  She wrote down her five choices. Bradley Hewitt, a thirty year old stock broker from New York, New York. Patrick Holloway, a twenty-eight year old chiropractor from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Jeremy Lancaster, a twenty-five year old fireman from San Antonio, Texas. William St. John, a thirty-three year old tax accountant from Roanoke, Virginia. The last was Andrew Voytek, a thirty-five year old news reporter from San Diego, California. Andrew was the final choice over Brian.

  At five o’clock, they made their way pool side. Again, the seats were named. However, this time, they alternated male and female. Roxanne, his number one choice, was to Brian’s left. Jeremy, Samantha’s third choice, was to her right. Austin entered the center of the circle, carrying a box.

  “Good afternoon. I hope you all took careful consideration in your choices. I will now ask you to place your ballot in the box.”

  One by one, they placed their choices in the box.

  “Okay. Now, could I have the ladies please line up on the right side of the pool and the gentlemen line up on the left?” They separated into the two groups.

  “Now ladies, you will choose who your first date will be with. We will start with the lady on the south end of the pool.” One by one, the ladies chose their date. Samantha was in the middle of the line. With her first few choices already taken, she chose Andrew. Brian was the last male chosen, bringing back memories of grade school when he was the last one chosen in gym class.

  “Okay. Now that your dates are chosen, gentlemen, on the backs of your chairs are numbers from one to three. This will determine the group you will be with tomorrow on your group date. Ones will go on our ‘Ocean Date’. Twos will go on our ‘Pampered Date’. Threes will go on our ‘Adventurous Date’. In the meantime, have fun and get to know each other better. Just don’t stay up too late. Some of you leave early tomorrow.”

  Brian tried to mingle, but the ladies were mostly interested in a couple guys. They all but ignored him. He did get a bit of alone time with Jennifer. After about ten minutes, she walked away. He then started talking to Caroline Rhoades, a twenty-eight year old dance instructor from Amherst, Massachusetts. She was the one he did not choose over Samantha. After talking to her for a while, he began to regret his choice.

  Samantha spent most of the evening trying to get to know more about her final two choices, Andrew and William, trying to vindicate her choices. She already knew she was interested in the other three.

  As darkness fell, the get-together started getting out of control. Alcohol was being consumed. People were jumping in the pool. Brian liked to have fun as much as the next person, but one word that did not describe him was wild. He decided to retire to his room early. He was a little antsy about the group date. It took him a while to go to sleep, but he finally did.

  Samantha, on the other hand, stayed at the get-together for a while. She was one of the ladies jumping in the pool. She did have a few cocktails, but knew her limits. Before she reached the breaking point, she left.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Early the next morning, Brian and Samantha got up and got dressed for their date. Their group date was the “Ocean Date”.

  The ten people met at the pier for a day of fun at sea aboard the Black Swan, a replica of a pirate ship. Brian saw that he was grouped with Roxanne and Samantha. Samantha saw that Andrew was the only one on her Top Five list there.

  Brian got a little awkward on this date. He knew he was out of shape and did not want to take off his shirt. Fortunately, he didn’t have to. Samantha was not as uncomfortable, but still chose to dress to her style.

  The tour started with a mock attack on Fort James. After the battle, everyone was made to walk the plank. Once they reached shore, they had a choice of snorkeling or searching for hidden treasure.

  Brian tried to spend time with Roxanne, but she was interested in someone else. Samantha tried to spend time with Andrew, but the more she got to know him, the more she regretted choosing him. Samantha was then surprised when Brian wanted to start talking to her while treasure hunting. The conversation started as they both reached for the same doubloon. The two of them felt an instant connection.

  An hour later, they all went back to the boat for lunch. He pulled out her chair at lunch. Midway through the meal, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I really wish I had chosen you now.”

  Brian’s heart dropped, but he didn’t want to stop the fun they were having because she didn’t choose him. They just enjoyed the moment.

  The ride back was full of dancing to calypso music. Samantha even won the limbo contest.

  Around four o’clock, the boat pulled up to the pier. Brian helped Samantha out of the boat. She slipped him her phone number out of sight of the cameras. They spent another hour just talking. Just because she couldn’t chose him on the island didn’t mean she couldn’t choose him after they left.

  When Brian got to the room, he saw a note on the pillow. “Dinner at seven o’clock. Dress formal.” He relaxed for a half hour, showered, got dressed, and went to the ballroom for dinner.

  Everyone there was dressed to the nines. No special seating arrangement this time. Samantha sat next to Brian. At the end of the meal, Austin came in with a disappointed look on his face.

  “How were everyone’s dates today? Great. Well, there is another group date tomorrow. The groups will change. The date will change. However, for one of you, the journey is over.”

  Everyone got a puzzled look on their face. No one had informed them about this. They wondered who it was.

  “Remember yesterday when I told you to be careful with your choices because they are the only ones you can have a final date with? Well, there is one of you that no one chose.” Austin began walking around the room. “For that person, this will be their last night at the Heartbreak Hotel.” He came to a stop behind a chair and placed his hand on a shoulder. “Brian, I’m sorry. It is checkout time for you at the Heartbreak Hotel.”

  A look of shock came over Brian’s face, yet he was not surprised. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, yet he tried not to cry.

  “I didn’t see this coming. I had fun while I was here. I met some people I otherwise wouldn’t. And, like our host said, I did find something here. I found that everything I knew about myself was true.”

  A few of the
ladies, including Samantha, came over to hug him. Some of the guys hugged him and shook his hand. Brian walked out of the ballroom, head held high. By the time he got to his suite, his head was hung and his face was covered in tears.

  He started reflecting on past experiences. He remembered his first date. After a fun evening, she wanted to have sex with him. She had a reputation as a slut. He turned her down. Apparently, she took it the wrong way. The next day in school, she was spreading rumors about him being “Little Brian”, referring to the size of his genitalia. He didn’t have another date until after he graduated.

  As he started to pack, he heard a knock at his door. He wondered, “Don’t I at least have time to pack?” He opened the door. He saw Samantha and a few others of the group.

  “We felt bad about you leaving. We’ve gotten to know you and grown to like you. You’re a great guy. We just wanted to throw you a little goodbye party.”

  He was taken aback by this attention. He did make an impression.

  “Wow! Thank you. I was just being myself. Come on in.”

  The group came in. Not a cameraman in sight. No alcohol involved. Just a group of people sharing a moment.

  “A lot of the women here made a big mistake not picking you. I know I did.”

  “Well, knowing you all now, I know I made a few mistakes in my choices too.”

  “Since you’re leaving, why don’t you tell us who you chose?”

  “Okay. Couldn’t hurt. What are they going to do? Kick me out? Okay. My choices were Roxanne, Jennifer, you Tina, Amanda, and you Samantha.”

  Samantha figured she was chosen. Tina wasn’t as sure. They all agreed that he was the guy they thought he was by his choices. He did not choose the superficial ladies, the popular ladies, or the prettiest. He chose the ones he thought were purest of heart.

  After a couple hours, they left him to his packing. Samantha gave him a kiss on the cheek. He took a couple goodbye pictures. He slowly walked toward the cab to the airport.

  During the flight, he tried to find the words to tell his friends as to why he was home so early. He tried to find ways to avoid embarrassment. For all the time his friends put into making the tape, he felt he was letting then down coming home early.

  He didn’t even tell them he was coming home. He just took a cab home from the airport. He decided to wait until the next day to break the bad news.

  He called each of his friends and explained what happened. They seemed more shocked than surprised, but not totally surprised.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Back at the Heartbreak Hotel, it’s Day Three. No group dates. Just the remaining guests getting to know each other.

  At dinner, Austin came in at dessert time. “Okay guests. It’s time to pair up for your next group date. This time, it’s gentleman’s choice. And gentlemen, you cannot choose a lady that you were grouped with yesterday.”

  They lined up on opposite sides of the dining room. One by one, the gentlemen chose their dates. Samantha was chosen by Patrick about midway through. At the end, there was one lady left alone, since Brian was gone.

  An hour later, Samantha returned to her room, only to see a note taped to her door. She looked at the note and saw that she was going on the ‘Adventurous Date’ in the morning. It also said to wear tennis shoes and shorts/pants.

  The next day, she dressed accordingly. She knew the type of date, but not just what kind of adventure it will be. At the hotel lobby, she saw Patrick and the rest of her group. She also saw that Jeremy was in the same group. They loaded into a van and departed for their destination.

  They arrived at the Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour. They paired up immediately. Patrick paired with Samantha.

  Samantha had a spontaneous nature, but she also had a fear of heights. The first thing she saw was a suspension bridge, kind of like the one in Indiana Jones. She was nervous at first. Patrick was halfway across the bridge when he noticed that Samantha had yet to step onto it. He went back for her and helped her across.

  Next was a zip line over a gorge. Fear came back. Patrick seemed to tire of her and went ahead.

  Jeremy noticed this and told his date to go on ahead. He stayed behind to talk her into it. He helped her into her harness. After a minute of deliberation, she jumped. She flew over the gorge. She felt a rush like she had never felt before. She let out a scream of excitement when she reached the other side.

  When Jeremy reached the other side, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. She felt a trust in him like no other.

  There were other zip lines and suspension bridges on this tour. With each one, there was less apprehension. By the time she reached the last one, she all but ran to the front of the line to go.

  After a brief lunch, they moved on to a series of rope courses. Jeremy was there by her side as they traversed each of those.

  At the end was the Leap of Faith, a thirty-six foot controlled drop. Jeremy went first so he could be there waiting for her. She took a few deep breaths, then looked down. She saw him standing there, arms wide open as though to catch her. She closed her eyes and jumped.

  When she opened them, there he was, flashing a smile. At that moment, she knew that no matter what happened the rest of the time there, she wanted to be with Jeremy. No one could sway her choice.

  Like Day Three, Day Five was also a free day to meet and mingle. Samantha took in some of the scenery with Jeremy.

  That night at dinner, they sat next to each other. The next day would be the final group date. Each person would be matched with the group of four or five with whom they had not had a group date.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Samantha got ready for her “Pampered Date”, but her heart just wasn’t into it. She was with five men she didn’t want to be with and not with the one man she did. Bradley and William were in this group, but she chose to keep to herself.

  She was taking advantage of the full spa treatment. It started with facials. The women got the Signature Facial, while the men got the Rejuvenating Facial. All the while, William tried to get to know her better. She told him enough to answer any questions, but she didn’t reveal too much.

  Next was the body treatment. Samantha went with the Aromatherapy Cocoon, while others went with the Aromatic Salt Glow. The men mostly got the Aromatic Moor Mud Wrap. Bradley tried to find out more about her, but she just tuned him out.

  From there was the massage. Samantha chose the Thai Yoga Massage. The guys seemed to get the message and left her alone.

  After lunch, they finished their spa day with a manicure and a pedicure.

  When she got back to her room, there was a note on her pillow. “Dress formal for dinner.” This would be the last night all twenty-nine would be together.

  After dinner, Austin came in.

  “Good evening. Hope everyone enjoyed your group dates these past few days. But now, it’s time for the hard part. For five of the ladies and four of the gentlemen, this will be your last night at the Heartbreak Hotel. Tomorrow morning, you will be casting ballots. You will vote for your top five. The ones with the fewest votes will be eliminated. Hope you made a good enough impression. Good night.”

  As Samantha thought over who to put down, only one name came to mind: Jeremy. She had to put down five. She added three other names to the list, but there was only one other person that made a lasting impression on her. Sadly, he was no longer there. She still put Brian’s name down as the fifth name.

  Meanwhile, back in Bismarck, Brian tried to resume life as usual. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t. As many issues as he had in his life, nothing scarred him more than his stay at the Heartbreak Hotel.

  Fortunately, he still had about a month before he went back to work. A month to get his head straight. A month to get the likes of Samantha out of his head. He would find that very hard to do.

  He took the remainder of his leave of absence to re
flect on everything. What had happened in his past, on the island, and where the future would take him. He considered moving for a fresh start. For now, he decided to stay in Bismarck, but kept that thought in the back of his mind.

  The next day at Heartbreak Hotel, Samantha came down for breakfast. Once everyone was seated, Austin came in.

  “Hope you all had a good night’s sleep. As I said last night, for nine of you, it would be your last. Now, it’s time to cast your vote. One by one, I want each of you to walk to the ballot box and drop in your ballot. Remember, the ones with the least amount of votes will be eliminated at lunch. Let’s start with Caroline.”

  Caroline got up and placed her ballot in the box. When she sat down, the person to her right cast their ballot. This continued until it came back to Caroline.

  “All right. I will tally the votes.”

  Samantha was a bit nervous. While she did make a connection with Jeremy, she blew off some of the others. She was afraid that, because of this, she might get voted off and lose what she had with Jeremy.

  A few hours later at lunch, Austin comes back with the results. “One by one, I shall call your name. If your name is not called, your stay here is over. These are in no particular order.”

  One by one, he started reading names. Jeremy’s was the fifth name read. Samantha felt better. At least if she survived, he would be there waiting for her. Austin was close to the end of the list, and Samantha’s name still had not been called. He read the last male name. Bradley and William were among the eliminated.

  Among the females still not chosen were Amanda and Jennifer. “And the last person remaining here is ...” He paused for dramatic effect. “Samantha.” A feeling of relief came over both her face and Jeremy’s.

  “For those of you whose name I did not call, it is check out time. For those of whose name I did call, your solo dates start tomorrow. Tomorrow will be gentleman’s choice. Until then, rejoice. Your stay here continues.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  At breakfast the next day, the men sized up their choices. Once they were done eating, Austin walked in.

  “Now, I need the men to line up on one side of the room, and the ladies on the other.” Jeremy strategized and tried to get on an end. “We will start with Patrick and go down the line.” Unfortunately, Jeremy was standing on the other end of the line.