The Art of Fate

“Wow! I would love to be a part of this.”

“Yeah! So do I. It’s indeed a nice one to join. Not to talk of the cash prize.”

“But..... there’s something else,” Sheila stuttered.

“And what’s that?” Luke asked turning from the T.V. towards her.

“I just broke up with my boyfriend,” she answered with a sad tone.

“What happened? Did he hurt you so bad?”

“The relationship wasn’t getting any healthy for me. He kept apologising for the same thing over and over again. He was draining me of my energy. I was bleeding and dying on the inside. So I decided we call it quits. He never wanted us to go apart. But it was better for me. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“I’m done with guys for now. I just want to take my time. Keep myself busy. Do something worthwhile for myself. You know, make some money. I just want to move on,” she continued.

“I see. Hmmm. That’s a sad one. Love indeed hurts a times. Well! There’s no problem. I admire your decision. But can....we pretend to be lovers? I mean can we act as if we are dating each other?” Luke asked not sure if she would accept.

“OK. No problem. Let’s do that. Let’s pretend we are dating.” Clearing her throat she then said, “Let’s pretend we are lovers.”

“Yes! Deal done. We’ll win the money,” Luke spoke excitedly.

It was a reality show for lovers. It involved staying together for 12 weeks in a beautiful beach side house after which at the end the winners go home with a huge sum, a holiday getaway and a nicely furnished house. They entered into the show and were lucky to be selected to join other ten pairs after a long screening process.

It was fun meeting other people, relating with them and sharing ideas. But everything had to look real. They had to be themselves and live out their love lives. Although they were not particular about the sex scenes, there had to be a show of romance or else they stand been evicted. Luke and Sheila wondered how they would survive the romance but with what’s at stake they've decided to give it their best shot. They saw it as a movie and they were acting out their roles for the success of the movie just like giving your best shot for a box office hit.

Eviction had started and the show was getting more intense. There were so many intelligent and skilled games. They had classes with guest speakers on different topics. They also had dinner with some big wigs. The most dreaded section was the questions and answers section where they'll be asked very deep and intimate questions and there had to be correlation between the answers given and the ones they had earlier written down. Many had failed in this section but Sheila and Luke had been so lucky, they've always been asked questions of which they had answers to. Moreover, Luke had participated in such games with his former dates. The end of the show was drawing near and the games were getting more complex with more people evicted. Luke was taken aback by how intelligent and skilled Sheila was. Most girls he dated were not like her, it’s either they had one or none at all. Some were just pretty faced and nothing else. And added to that, he admired her calm disposition. He was no longer acting out the romance, he was beginning to feel the romance burning on the inside of him.

“What do you think about us?” he asked.

“I think we are doing real great,” she replied.

“What else?” he asked expecting her to say something different.

“I think we are going to win the prize. Yeah! Am optimistic about that.”

“I know we are doing real great. I am also optimistic we are going to win the money. But, something else. Something more important is that am in love with you. I know we were acting out our romance for the prize at stake but now am head over heels. Am no longer acting it or pretending to have it. I have it right on the inside of me and it’s killing me softly. Please accept my love and love me in return. You matter more to me than any prize money.”

Looking at him she nodded and spoke, “Yes, I do love you too. It’s just that I have given my heart several times but I have been torn at the end. I have been unappreciated and my love taken for granted.”

“I promise that this time things will be different. I promise that this time things will be better than before,” he spoke holding her hands.

“Ok! I'll give it a try.”

“Oh! Thank you,” he exclaimed kissing her.

“I promise to be the best man you've ever known. I won't let you down. I'll always hold you close to my heart."

They had two more weeks to go. So many people had been evicted. They were left with three pairs. The other two pairs were a threat to Luke and Sheila, they were stiff contenders. They were also smart and intelligent. Luke and Sheila had great respect for them but were bent on not giving up. The three passed the questions and answers segment. Then came the final round, the game section. This time around the game was more complex than all other games they’ve had. It was a narrow escape for Luke and Sheila. They won the game. It was a time of great excitement for them. It was a wonderful time for them. Luck and Providence had smiled on them. They became sudden celebrities. They were guests on live shows. They were used as models for a perfume and clothing line. They had also other endorsement deals. Aside all these, Luke was not only happy he entered the reality show, he was also excited that he won Sheila’s heart which he said he cherished more than anything else in the world.