I wanted to do something related to reality television and I thought that the new Melissa character would be right for the role. I chose the ABC series, The Bachelor, because this offered the opportunity for the girls to be dressed nicely and display lots of pretty feminine shoes on their dates with the bachelor. In an attempt to create a link to the Trishtale series, I chose to also have one of the other shoe models, Cynthia, be part of the show.
A couple of months passed since Melissa's embarrassing episode at the City Council Meeting and over that time, she and Mark, the school principal had drifted apart. Melissa found herself immersed in her job at Channel 2 and learning as much as possible about being a news anchor. Another time consuming facet of the job she liked, was public relations. She was becoming a frequent speaker at schools and civic organizations and had already helped organize the latest "Heart Walk" put on by the American Heart Association. Her poise before the public, as well as before the camera had really improved.
Melissa considered Tamara her mentor and the two of them were becoming friends - as much as possible considering their schedules only partly overlapped and since Tamara was a busy wife and mother. While Melissa's professional and civic live were pretty active, her social life was pretty dull. Kip and Dave, from the morning news, frequently teased her about her social life and they tried to get her to go clubbing with them on the weekend, but that was not Melissa's sort of 'thing.'
One thing that was still the same with Melissa, was her shoe play. Kip and Dave pulled no more shoe hiding pranks, but one or the other was summoned about every 2 or 3 weeks to help her recover a stray shoe under the news desk. She loved her shoes and her collection of cute backless shoes was growing quickly and were on display wherever she went.
One Thursday morning, while Melissa was away speaking at a high school Career Day, Kip and Dave were recounting the previous night's episode of The Bachelor (c. ABC TV). Dave made the off-the-cuff comment, "Why, Melissa is nicer than just about all those girls and she's just as pretty. I bet she'd do well!"
Kip replied, "But she'd never be talked into doing such a thing."
"Don't you remember what that one girl said last night? Her friend completed the application for her." "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" After waiting for their lunch break to begin, Kip and Dave logged onto the ABC web site and began to complete the application. It was something they actually had a lot of fun doing. Coming up with the essay responses was challenging.
Nothing happened for several weeks and Melissa continued her regular routine and life. Then one afternoon, she received a surprise call from an ABC Television staffer. "Melissa, we wanted to inform you that your application to appear on the Bachelor television show has been reviewed and you have been selected as a finalist. We're doing interviews in Nashville this coming Saturday at the Wyndham Hotel downtown at 10:00AM. Come dressed in a nice outfit and be ready to answer questions. Oh, by the way, lunch will be served."
"What are you talking about? I didn't apply for this. Is this a joke?"
"No, it's official. I bet that someone filled out the application for you on-line. If you want to continue the application process, just show up at the right time and place."
As soon as Melissa got off the phone, she walked quickly toward Kip's office. He was reading some of the latest baseball news on the Internet when he heard the familiar sound of slapping mules coming quickly and getting louder with every step.
"Kip! Did you and Dave sign me up to be on The Bachelor?" Melissa tersely accused Kip as she tapped her foot on the carpet waiting on a reply.
"Yeah, how did you find out?"
"They called me in for a 'Finalist Interview' on Saturday," Melissa exerted while emphasizing her interview with exaggerated air-quotes.
"What! You mean you actually...congratulations!"
"Congratulations? I can't do this," Melissa continued while beginning to flip around her right mule on the carpet.
"Why not? You're a young and attractive, smart young woman. You have a great personality and a bright smile. You're not dating anyone. I think you'd make a great bachelorette on the show."
"But..."
"No buts! you might as well go to the interview and see what happens. What harm can it do?"
Melissa slowly warmed to the idea and made up her mind to go to the interview.
-----
It had now been a year since Cynthia had modeled for G-III in New York. Since that time, she had completed her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, but had not yet found a job as a teacher in the Des Moines area. In the mean time, Cynthia was working for at the Des Moines Regional Office of Younker's Department Store as a part-time model and as a full-time Jr. Buyer.
Early one morning, at the Regional Headquarters office, Nora, the receptionist, heard a familiar clack-clack, slap-slap sound coming down the hall from her left side. Just as Cynthia, reached Nora's desk, she stopped her, "Cynthia, you have a message."
After trying to hurry to her desk to recover from being 30 minutes late, she made a loud stop, as her clacking mules clanked together squarely on the floor, and turned to face Nora, "Thanks!"
"We'll have to talk later," Nora added while giving Cynthia a strange look.
Cynthia thought that was an odd reply until she saw the pink slip that said an ABC Network staffer had called about a final interview for "The Bachelor." She hurried even faster into her small office at the end of the hall and closed the door. After sitting down in her comfortable swivel chair and resting her feet, crossed at the ankle, on the top of a pulled out file drawer, she proceeded to call the man back. While waiting on him to answer, she nervously dangled one of her mules off the end of her toes. Soon, the ABC Staffer answered and Cynthia was very excited - so much so, it was hard for her to focus on the conversation.
"Cynthia, we wanted to inform you that your application to appear on the Bachelor has been reviewed and you have been selected as a finalist. We're doing interviews in Des Moines this coming Saturday at the downtown Marriott Hotel at 10:00AM. Come dressed in a nice outfit and be ready to answer questions. Lunch will be served."
As soon as Cynthia got off the phone, she swung her legs around, causing one of her mules to fall off. She recovered it clumsily before hurrying back down the hallway.
Nora heard the clack-clack, slap-slap sound again from the right side at a faster pace than before. Cynthia was bubbling over, "I'm a finalist!"
"That's great! What are you supposed to do, now?"
"I have an interview downtown on Saturday morning."
"I can't wait to hear all about it Monday morning!"
-----
That following Saturday, Melissa and Cynthia had their respective interviews. Each found themselves one of eight local finalists and only one was to be chosen for the Bachelor show. Melissa wore a pretty red and cream print dress with a pair of matching rose-colored 'Bang' slides with knot adornment by Studio Delman. Throughout her interview, Melissa tried to answer the battery of questions the best she could. Throughout, she nervously dangled one slide on one foot that was crossed at the ankle under her straight chair where she faced the interviewer who was behind a desk. For a few minutes, one had dangled off to where she could not locate it with her toes. At the conclusion of the interview, she was able to stretch her foot under the chair and retrieve her fallen shoe in one smooth motion and regain her composure before leaving.
Cynthia chose to wear a brown and white striped dress and a matching pair of brown Amalfi "Jonni" Slides with a buckle adornment and a mid-heel. Her biggest impression on the judges was her slides slapping against her feet everywhere she walked during the interview process. In the end, both Melissa and Cynthia were chosen for the show and they were subjected to more written questions, personality and psychological testing as well as a criminal background check - of which they both passed on all accounts.
-----
Cynthia took advantage of her job, and employee discount, at Younker's to shop for some new clothes and shoes for her trip to California to appear on the bachelor. Having been a shoe model for a year, she was quite familiar with the brands she modeled - Nine West, Kenneth Cole and Cole Haan. She bought a few new pairs of those brands, to add to the collection she had acquired modeling. She also bought some Studio Delman and BCBG Max Azria brand shoes. She first found special event shoes such as cowboy boots and a couple of pairs of sneakers. Every 'fashion' shoe she purchased, however, was backless - she knew the climate would be favorable in California and she wanted to make a good impression on the Bachelor, drawing on her experience wearing fashionable shoes. She also bought several nice outfits ranging from casual to dressy. Only 3 weeks later, Cynthia flew out to California and found herself getting ready to meet the Bachelor for the first time.
-----
Melissa did not have the same employee discount privilege or the experience with fashion that Cynthia had. She had recently purchased some shoes to wear on the air as well as some for casual wear, so she didn't need a lot of new things, but she wanted something new and special. She asked for a little help. After lunch, during the time her schedule and Tamara's overlapped, she asked for a favor.
"Tamara, I suppose you heard that I'm going to be on The Bachelor and will be flying out to California in October."
"Yes, I heard and congratulations."
"Thanks, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I need some new clothes and you have such good taste, I thought maybe we could go out one afternoon we're both off and..."
Tamara stopped her right away, "Say no more. I'd love to! In fact, I know this great place over by the University that has a lot of nice colors and great clothes - stuff you don't normally find at the mall."
"That would be great! Is this Saturday around 1PM okay for you?"
"Make it noon and I'll treat you to lunch at Applebee's - to celebrate!"
As planned, Melissa and Tamara met over lunch then Tamara revealed her plan, "Here's what we'll do. I'll drive us over to the Jade Violet and we'll find some great clothes."
"The Jade Violet! I've heard about that place. It's out of my price range."
"They give me a 25% discount and they'll probably do the same for you. Just get 2 or 3 simple outfits and you'll be much closer to going out to California to tape the show."
Tamara and Melissa spent a good bit of time browsing the racks and after a lot of trial and error in the dressing room, Melissa settled on three beautiful outfits for the show - one casual and two dressy. Each had magnificent colors and were made of very nice material - they looked expensive and to some extent - they were.
"Now let's head over to the shoe department."
Having accumulated almost $650 in clothes already, Melissa hesitated, "That's okay. I have several nice pairs already and I can stop by the mall and..."
"There's one shoe you just have to at least look at. Ever heard of a brand called Olivia Rose Tam?"
"No, can't say that I have."
Tamara led Melissa to a small display table nearby where 4 different single mules were on display - each were the same except for their color scheme. "These shoes have a beautiful plaid cloth upper, a colorful red and white inside sole, and a cute little red bow on the upper. They're hand-stitched in Brooklyn. They'll look great with your new tea-length dress."
"I don't know, they're pretty expensive."
Tamara took over and asked the sales clerk to bring out a pair in a size 7. Melissa tried them on and was very impressed. She commented while she walked around the carpeted area of the store, "Wow, these are great! They're soft and comfortable and quite sturdy, for a backless shoe."
"Alright then, they're yours."
"I don't know, the cost.."
"You don't understand. This is my send-off gift to you."
"I can't let you do that, Tamara; they cost too much."
"Melissa, I want to do this for you. I was going to get you a gift anyway. I think you're becoming a great newscaster and you're already a good friend. Friends and colleagues help each other out. Wear them with pride!"
Melissa hugged Tamara, "Thank you so much - not only for the shoes but for all your help and support."
Melissa and Tamara made their purchases and left the store and ended their shopping excursion. Only 3 weeks later, Melissa flew out to California and found herself getting ready to meet the Bachelor for the first time.
-----
Sitting in his large executive suite near the entrance of the Exxon Mobil Chemical Co plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 34-year-old, Junior Executive, Lane Turner received a phone call from an ABC Staffer. "Lane, I'm calling to inform you that you've been selected to be our bachelor for the next installment. Congratulations!"
Lane was momentarily speechless then he replied, "That's great! So what do I do next?"
"We're going to fly you out to California next week to take some promotional shots and prep you. After that, we'll fly you "back out here in October and move you into the bachelor pad."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to coming out there."
Lane immediately called his best friend from college to tell him the good news.
"What's up Lane!"
"Hey, man I got accepted to be on the Bachelor."
"That's great. So are you going to be one of 25 guys trying to win the Bachelorette's attention?"
"No, I'm going to be alone with 25 beautiful girls."
"Get outta here!"
"No, I'm serious. I'm flying out there in October to film the show. Actually, I'm flying out there before that to do some promotional stuff." "That's great Lane. Who would have thought when we were playing football together at LSU, you'd be on national TV with so many pretty girls wanting to be your wife?" "Certainly not me!"
Soon, Lane flew out to do some promotional publicity shots. Before long, it was time to fly out to California to move into the Bachelor pad and meet the 25 women vying for his heard and more specifically - a rose.
-----
Lane, wearing a very nice (and expensive) Armani suit stood in the courtyard along the side of the show's host, Chris Harrison in anticipation for the 25 bachelorette's to arrive in their individual limos. He was very excited, but nervous, at the prospect of his potential mate coming out of one of the limos. On a lower lever, the prospect of meeting 25 well-dressed and well-heeled beautiful women all vying for his affections was almost too good to be true.
One by one, girls began to arrive in sleek black limousines with tinted windows. He found himself wanting to catch a glimpse of each beauty as soon as possible. He soon found himself focusing on the space between the door of the limo and the street as each lady's right foot emerged the mystery of the limo onto the scene, quickly followed by the rest of the package. Had the ladies known what would be the first thing to draw Lane's attention, they might have put more thought into their choice.
Of course, even those who put less thought into their footwear seemed to have done okay. Lane was treated to an array of mules, slides, sandals, pumps and slingbacks - all with at least a 3-inch heel. Their shoes were merely a chaser that preceded the complete package - 25 well-dressed, beautiful women whom he got to meet one at a time.
Cynthia was the ninth to arrive and she had selected a dressy black BCBG mule with a fitted sleek black dress. Before the door to her limo opened, she gave herself a spot check and everything seemed to be in order. She was a little nervous, but strangely confident as she prepared to meet the man whose heart she would be trying to win. Once outside, she slapped quickly and loudly across the courtyard in her mules and was greeted by Lane. He took both of her hands in his and looked her squarely in the eyes. As requested by the ABC producers, Cynthia briefly introduced herself, "Hello Lane, my name's Cynthia."
"It's very nice to meet you Cynthia. That's a pretty dress you're wearing." Lane had been told to vary his complements he gave out to each of the girls.
"Why, thank you. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."
"I am too!"
A few more girls arrived at the courtyard to meet Lane. The 17th to arrive was Melissa, who had been asked by ABC staffers to go by 'Missy' since there was another Melissa in the group and she was emphatic that did not want to go by a 'nickname' on national TV. Before having the door of her limousine opened for her, Melissa, now Missy, like Cynthia, gave herself a quick spot check. Her cream-colored cress was wrinkle-free and everything seemed to look right. Her makeup was evenly applied, her lipstick was not on her teeth and her hair was holding in place quite well. Her brown Lauren "Danielle" mules were scuff free and she nervously rubbed the bottom of each foot on the inside sole. She was very nervous and as the door opened, she felt a little light-headed and her arms and legs felt a little numb. With anticipation, Lane watched as the 17th bachelorette began to exit the limo with a bit of a folly. Missy planted her right foot solidly on the driveway and exited the limo. However as she lifted her left foot, her heel caught the edge of the doorjamb and the momentum of her foot going forward, embarrassingly kicked her shoe out in front of her several feet. Missy paused for a couple of seconds as if she was unsure of what to do. Lane was amused and held back a chuckle - he thought it was cute. Missy limped a step forward and without stopping, collected the stray mule with her toes and walked in Lane's direction.
Missy tried to regain her composure, "Hello Lane, my name's Missy."
Lane reached for her right hand and put his left on her upper arm. "The pleasure's all mine, Missy. Cute shoes!"
Lane regretted mentioning what caused her folly, but before he could stop, he just blurted it out. Missy was able to turn things around to her advantage, "Thanks, if I can just keep them on."
A little later, all 25 bachelorettes had arrived and were mingling in the inner courtyard near a pretty fountain and underneath some decorative ivy that lay innocently across a series of wooden frames. Melissa and Cynthia found themselves on opposite sides of the courtyard and did not meet each other during the time that Lane began to mingle with the crowd and speak with the girls one-on-one
It didn't take long for the girls to make a few friends while checking out the competition.
Cynthia found herself chatting with Heather, an aspiring tennis pro from Baltimore and Haley, a law student from Biloxi, Mississippi. As they became better acquainted, they watched as Lane met some of the other girls. They nervously watched him flirt with beautiful blonde Misti, who they would later discover was a cheerleader for the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida. Similarly, Melissa began to make friends with Karen, a CPA from Chicago and Carol, a teacher from Massachusetts. They took note of Lane's eye contact with pretty olive-skinned Keoni from Honolulu, who had long black hair that caressed her shoulder as they talked. Once they found out she was an attorney and a karate expert, they were even more concerned.
Lane was oblivious to the jealousy and jockeying for position that was already going on. In his mind, all that was important was that there were 25 beautiful girls who all wanted to meet him and he was soon going to have to cut 10 of them having just barely met them. As time went on, he noticed that some were obviously hurting standing in high heels for a couple of hours straight. He saw some of the girls shifting their weight from one foot to the other and a couple had gone as far as to step out of their shoes and stand barefoot next to them. Others were dipping in and out of one shoe at a time to get comfortable. Lane thought all of this shoeplay was cute and intriguing. It reminded him of some of the fraternity/sorority mixers from his college days back at LSU - only this time his odds were much better.
Lane finally got to meet and speak with each of the 25 girls. Both Melissa and Cynthia were impressed with Lane and he seemed to be impressed with them as well.
Chris and Lane went away for around 30 minutes to discuss his choices. He discussed several of the girls and specifically mentioned Keoni's intelligence and physical condition, Misti being a Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleader, Cynthia's cute smile and upbeat personality and Missy seeming like a nice girl.
Chris explained to the girls how the Rose Ceremony would run, and that they all had the freedom to reject a rose that was offered to them, "If you do not think Lane is someone you would consider marrying, you should not accept it." After that, Chris summoned the 25 girls to one side of the courtyard. Chris and Lane stood in front of them and a plate full of 15 beautiful red roses lay next to them. One by one Chris began to reveal his selections.
"Haley, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes, thank you, replied the 25-year-old blonde law student from Biloxi, Mississippi with a cute little button nose.
"Heather, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?" "Yes, absolutely," replied the 22-year-old aspiring tennis pro from Baltimore, Maryland, sporting a short, but cute blonde hairstyle, who gave Lane a hug before returning to her position.
"Carol, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"I sure do, thanks!" Replied the redheaded 28-year-old school teacher from Quincy, Massachusetts.
"Victoria, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes, thanks!," replied the tall and thin 29-year-old Ad executive from San Francisco.
"Keoni, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes, I accept your beautiful rose," Keoni confidently accepted and returned to her position with the other girls.
Chris interrupted to note, "Okay, Lane has selected 5 of you to continue. Half of you who remain will be asked to accept a rose. The other half of you will unfortunately be asked to leave."
"Cynthia, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
Cynthia tried to hide her excitement as she slapped along quickly in her mules. "Yes, certainly," Cynthia replied and became the first of the girls to initiate hugging Lane's neck. He seemed to like that.
"Melissa, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
The 29-year-old dark-haired and green-eyed Registered Nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, who caused Melissa to go by her nickname, Missy, replied, "Of course I will Lane!" She boldly kissed him on the cheek and returned to her position.
"Elaine, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"I do...I mean, I will." She was visibly embarrassed by her Freudian slip as the 24-year-old brunette assembly line worker from St. Louis, Missouri hurried back to her position with the other girls.
"Karen, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes Lane, I certainly will," replied the 25-year-old Certified Public Accountant from Chicago, Illinois with long blonde hair gathered in a ponytail and a bow adornment.
"Melodi, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes, Lane I'll accept your rose," replied the short, cute, brunette 30-year-old radio DJ from Seattle, Washington who was the second bachelorette to hug Lane before returning to her position. Again, Chris interrupted the proceedings. "There are now only 5 roses left on the table and 15 girls for Lane to choose from. I know you're nervous. Who will be the last ones to compete for Lane's heart?"
"Donna, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes, I will, thanks," replied the 26-year-old strawberry blonde restaurant hostess and horse enthusiast from Austin Texas, with a quaint southern drawl."
As one of the fourteen remaining, Missy was getting nervous that she might not be called and that she'd have to return to Nashville having played the game only one day. She nervously began to shuffle her right foot in and out of her mule. It landed on its side as Lane began to speak.
"Missy, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
Missy hurriedly fumbled for her fallen mule before walking to Lane and replying, "Yes, Lane I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."
"Stephanie, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes I will," replied the 31-year-old serious -looking night club manager from Miami, Florida.
"Misti, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"I certainly do," replied the 24-year-old professional football cheerleader from Jacksonville, Florida who had beautiful blonde hair styled similar to Heather Lockleer.
"Christie, (he paused while she approached him) do you accept this rose?"
"Yes, thank you for choosing me," replied the tall, redheaded 32-year-old Air Force Academy admissions clerk from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Chris announced, "Ladies, those who did not receive a rose, say your goodbyes before leaving the courtyard and getting back in your personal limousine. Those of you who did receive a rose, congratulations. Get a good night's sleep and we'll begin with the first of three group dates tomorrow.
Lane was driven away to the Bachelor Villa and the remaining 15 "winners" chatted awhile before moving inside to get better acquainted and to size up their competition. The next day would mark the real beginning of the quest to win the heart of Lane the Bachelor and things became very interesting very quickly.
