It’s Monday, hands down the best day of the week. The Bachelorette is on TV, and I’m gearing up to watch true love unfold in the most dramatic season ever. I can’t wait, or rather, we cannot wait, because I won’t be watching it alone. At my house, The Bachelorette and The Bachelor have become a group event, a ritual for my friends and family. We view in person as a group when we can, but more often by text, with our phones in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
The day begins
with my early morning text to the group.
“Tonight at
7. Everyone still on?”
The replies arrive instantly.
“You bet,”
my friend Lesley replies.
“Can’t
wait!” responds my sister.
“I’m in!”
says Taryn, my niece.
When 7
o’clock finally arrives, I’m flying high on Cloud 9 like Bachelorette Rachel.
(Hold on, maybe that was Gabby. No, it was Taysia. Wait, it was most definitely
Kaitlyn with Shawn, or maybe with Jason. For sure, it was one of them, or all
of them. Phew! Cloud 9 must be full.)
Within
minutes of airing, the messages roll in.
Looks like
lots of crying ahead.
Looks like
it’s going to be an interesting episode
For the
next two hours, we fill our message inboxes with LOLs and OMGs. There will be
laughing, laughing with tears, and grimacing face emojis in abundance. We share
our predictions as to who will get the first impression rose, the final rose, or
be the villain of the season (Hint: there is always one). We listen to see who
gets the clown music—a sure sign of pending doom and gloom for the poor guy, or
who receives the romantic Final 4 track, as we have aptly named it.
Our
anticipation for fireworks builds along with the crescendo of music. We rejoice
when the bad guy is finally sent home (Hint: he’ll likely make it to the
final 4), and we whine (no pun intended) when our favourites get ousted.
For one night, we might be dream girls or act like mean girls where we hang our
heads in shame—but we do it together.
Over the
years, we have learned to keep the process simple. Though we tried it once, there
are no fancy drafts or pools. We don’t award prizes or trophies. It’s not about
the leader or the winners at all. In fact, one season, we even let Lesley cheat
on her predictions and for the entire year, no sour grapes, we allowed her to
pretend that she had correctly picked the final rose contestant!
The shocking reason for all of this: we don’t believe the Bachelorette or Bachelor will find their one true love. We are too wise and know the truth: the contestants are as flawed as we are, maybe more, and sadly, the entire premise is more flawed than the contestants.
The future the contestants can see
together is simply the near future, at least until the season finale, we
hope. Still, after twenty-six seasons and countless bottles of wine, we want to
believe it’s possible.
The bottom
line is that the magic doesn’t come from the on-screen budding romances,
declarations of enduring love, or not even in the overnight fantasy suite
(sigh!). Instead, we create our own magic. Although all the contestants claim
to have a special connection, it pales compared to the friendship and
connection we create when we come together, in the same room, or by text, to
laugh, cry, cringe, and groan.
The reward
is priceless: time. Time for us where our husbands, partners, children, or
sometimes parents, can either join in, leave the room, or just add side comments
while they pretend they are not watching. It’s time for us to be selfish, have
fun, enjoy some silliness, and unlike many contestants, we are here for the
right reason.
Thanks for
the date night!
Until next
week…
***
Yvonne
Denomy is an avid reader who delved into writing
after striking a “nearing retirement” deal with her sister – her sister would
paint, but only if Yvonne would write. The deal stuck for both, and Yvonne is now
nearing completion of her first YA novel. Yvonne holds a Master of Education degree
in the area of teacher-librarianship and is currently a school administrator in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This summer, Yvonne completed her first writing course,
Writing Personal Stories, with Brian and absolutely loved it!
See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.
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