Audition Tape

“Listen up! Next week’s National Championship is more than just winning, it’s a chance to tape our performance and audition for Dancing with the Stars! Let’s push ourselves this week so we give our best performance!” Manoa’s words resonated with the team as they slipped off to the showers. She reached down and hoisted a smooth black bag onto the table. The zipper squealed open and she pulled out a video camera. Sliding on the power, nothing happened.

Frustrated, she riffled through the bag and found no camera tapes or batteries. “Jesus Christ!” she muttered, “My stupid brother lost everything!” She flung the bag over her shoulder and made her way out the door. Hastily she got into her car leaving the camera bag outside as she sped off, the bag toppled to the ground never to be seen again.

Once home, she was just about in tears when she realized what had happened. This was just too important to mess up. “I’m such a jinx! This is the kind of thing that always happens to me, self-sabotaging my own successes. I can’t mess this up, not for me and not for my girls!” Wiping away the tears, “No! I will not give up.” She pulled herself together and went inside to order a new video camera.

The next week at the competition, as she made her way through the security check in, she put her bags on the counter for inspection. The security guard looked up at her and said, “I’m sorry, but you can’t bring that in here! Look at the sign. No video camera’s during the competition.”

About to cry, Monoa looked up and saw her brother already inside, hiding a video camera under his jacket. She ran over to him and said, “You’re my hero!”