Description: With the slightest ray of hope that Pops and Juliet might give her permission to join the Miss Teenager contest, Eve is filled with optimism. Now she is imagining herself there, and even beyond the contest, becoming a famous actress one day.
The Miss Teenager Pageant. PART 4.
There was no stopping her now. Once Eve had broken the news to Juliet and Pops, it was like a geyser of hope, gushing forth from her heart like a spring of optimism. The little town of Devon was barely a blip on the map of New England, but Eve would represent it well. Yes, twenty years ago, there was barely a water pump in town. Now look at it. Swelling with pride for a contestant of their very own in a national beauty contest. She had the potential to go all the way to the top, to the moon and back. At least, that was the way Eve saw it.
Of course, it was much more than representing her town. It was the allurement of the prize.
“‘Miss Teenager’ gets a trip to Europe,” Eve gloated, “and scads of presents, besides a contract in a movie…”
She was floating on cloud nine. Not at all afraid to come out of the locker of her tiny town. Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore! Flashes of cameras and hundreds of people nodding with approval as she strutted down the catwalk in her yellow polka-dot bikini. Not at all afraid to come out in the open.
Julie was quiet, her brow furrowed. Eve could feel her older sister’s disapproval from across the room like a bucket of ice dumped down her shirt. Still, Eve’s smile would not fade. Oh, Eve, the director of the film would say. You’ve done such a remarkable job on your first day of shooting that we’ve decided to move you up from sign girl number three to the lead role to replace that Audrey Hepburn. And there would be strawberries in her dressing room and dozens of roses from admirers…
A word from Pops brought her back down to earth. “How many girls in this shindig, honey?” he asked from behind his newspaper on the living room couch.
Eve was ecstatic that her father was beginning to show even the slightest bit of interest. Much more than she could say for her sister.
“I don’t know exactly, Pops,” Eve replied. “Probably hundreds, but I have a feeling in my bones – this one’s tailor-made for me!”
