Chapter #1At the Beginning by: BeeJay   I suppose I owe it all to my ex-girlfriend.
She and I were dating when I began teaching at Granite Falls University. I began doing quite well in the Physics Department, and I thought we were doing equally well as a couple. In fact, I had even started shopping for a ring.
Fortunately, I hadn't yet made the purchase when she announced she was leaving me. What really stung was her reason for calling things off between us: "You're too boring. A girl needs a little action; and, frankly, you ain't it."
After crying myself to sleep for a solid week, I began to wonder if she might be right. I had certainly seen more than a few of my students catching up on their sleep in my class. I devoted my Spring Break to thinking about how to change things up, both so to keep my undergrads awake, and to make my next romantic partner think of me more fondly.
For my class, I decided it was a simple matter of coming up with ways to illustrate principles of physics, with a little audience participation.
Making myself more interesting, however, was a tougher nut to crack. I was still thinking about that even after the school year resumed. Then, one day, I happened to see a group of people staring in rapt attention at a TV screen that was showing some reality competition. It occurred to me that, if I went on one of these shows, I would meet some different people; have some unusual experiences; and, just maybe, win a bit of money. Surely, that would make me more interesting. So I began applying for various reality shows, focusing on the ones that would be filming over the summer, so I wouldn't miss any classes.
I almost made it onto The Amazing Race once. One of my fellow professors at Granite Falls, from the English Department, was going to be my teammate; and the producers had actually returned our call, which suggested that we had at least a chance of getting on. Unfortunately, before we could confirm our availability, she died in a plane crash, and I had to bow out.
But I kept trying, and I held out hope.
And then my hopes were answered.
******************************
It was Finals Week, and I was making my way back to my office.
When I got there, my phone was practically ringing off the hook. I answered it. "Professor Kingsbury's office."
"Am I speaking to Dr. Michael Kingsbury?"
"You have me at a disadvantage, sir."
"This is Malcolm Kendrick, Professor."
My heart stood still. Malcolm Kendrick produced several of the shows I had applied to.
"I'm producing a new dating show," he said, "and I thought you just might be ideal for it. Might I persuade you to make a call at my offices this weekend?"
"You've definitely piqued my interest, Mr. Kendrick. When would you like me to come in?"
"Shall we say, 10:00 Saturday?"
"You can expect me then."  | Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
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