Chapter Twenty-Two: Seeing Stars
By Jason Goldtrap
After thirty minutes of relaxing in a coffee shop it was time to go to the bachelor auction.
Emily asked,
“Where is the bachelor auction?”
Sarah replied,
“It’s at the Science Building, in one of the lecture halls.”
They hurriedly walked across the campus, night was falling and a magnificent sunset silhouetted the buildings near the Quad. A sign said, “Bachelor auction upstairs. Cash only, ladies.”
They found seats in the crowded lecture room just as the event was getting under way. Five bachelors were on stage. Some were ruggedly handsome; some were as dull as dirt.
Sarah grabbed Emily’s left hand,
“Em, look! One of the bachelors is Aaron Burr.”
Emily got up and asked someone about him.
“His name is Jeff Mifflin. He is attending here in the summer so they are letting him participate in the auction tonight.”
Sarah poked Emily.
“You need to bid on him.”
“No, I’m not going to.”
Emily reconsidered.
“But then again, he is handsome.”
Jan was shaking Emily’s right hand and nodding up and down.
“You think I should do it, Jan?”
Jan continued nodding.
Sarah encouraged her.
“Come on, Em.”
Emily smiled.
“Ok, if you and Jan say so I’ll do it. At least this way I’ll have a date for the Chrysanthemum Ball tonight.”
Jan's eyes bulged and she slapped her palm against her forehead. She breathed in quickly, “um, um, um,” she was panicking. She began making strange faces and pointing at her blouse and skirt.
“What? What?”
Emily was trying and failing to guess the issue that concerned her so much.
A voice came from behind them. “Jan? Jan?”
She turned around. A young lady walked over and they hugged.
“I’m so sorry.”
Jan smiled. The young lady was relieved.
Jan pointed at Sarah and Emily.
“F, f, f, f, f, friends!”
“Oh? You made new friends? Fantastic.”
She stuck out her hand to Emily and Sarah.
“I’m Karen Aldridge from Helena.”
“Emily Clementine from Eagle Creek. This is Sarah Conrad. We met Jan today at lunch.”
Jan turned her attention back to Karen. She pointed at her skirt and blouse and frowned.
“Oh. You left your dress at home?”
Jan grimaced.
“H, h, h, h, help!”
Karen spoke in a tender tone,
“It’s a fifteen minute walk to my house. We’ll go after the auction. You can wear one of my dresses.”
Jan and Karen hugged again.
“You will be the belle of the Chrysanthemum Ball.”
Jan gave a quick spin.
Karen laughed. Jan pointed at the seat next to hers.
“I’m here with my boyfriend Benjamin.”
Sarah said,
“We understand. It was a pleasure meeting you, Karen.”
Karen smiled.
“We’re going to have fun tonight!”
After Karen sat down, the auction began.
The first two young men went for $10 each. Not too bad. The Students fund would get some cash tonight. The next two went for $15 each.
The last bachelor was Jeff Mifflin.
The announcer said with much bravado,
“Ladies, feast your eyes on Jeff Mifflin from Fort William Henry Harrison.”
Jan tapped Emily on the shoulder and pointed down.
“Fort William Henry Harrison? That’s here?”
Jan nodded.
“$2,”
came a voice from the back of the room.
“$3,”
came another.
“Em, say something.”
Emily closed her eyes and said,
“$5.”
“$6.”
“$10,”
said Emily. She turned to Sarah.
“That’s all I have left. My father is just a baker!”
“$15.”
Came a snooty, high pitched voice from behind them. A girl with her red hair tied in pigtails stood up behind them. She leaned over and whispered,
“Also, everyone in this room can tell you work in a bakery by the shape of your hips.”
Emily was enraged. Sarah started shaking her head back and forth,
“Let it go, Em, let it go. We’ll get through this together.”
Sarah gave Emily a roll of bills, she quickly counted them.
Emily stood up,
“$16 and that’s my final offer.”
Jan gave the snooty girl a mean look, she had seen her before.
“$20.”
Emily sank back down to her seat.
Jan reached in her purse.
Emily counted:
“Um, um, $23.”
“$25.”
Karen got up and walked down towards Emily who was almost in tears.
Karen said,
“I hate you Audrey Livingston! Don’t you have anything better to do with your money?”
Karen gave Emily some bills.
Emily was still trying to count them when Audrey spoke up again,
“$30.”
Jan glared at Audrey and said,
“Three three da da da da dollars.”
“$35. I will not be out bid by a dummy,”
said Audrey with a devilish grin. She stuck out her tongue to Jan.
Emily was furious. Sarah kept telling her,
“Calm down. Relax. Don’t let her get to you.”
A stranger in the back of the room stood up.
“$40. And Audrey Livingston you are a cruel, bone faced ninny!”
Audrey cleared her throat,
“Ahem… $100!” She pulled out a large roll of bills from her purse and waved them like a fan.
The auctioneer was disheartened.
“Can anyone beat $100?”
The room was silent. The auctioneer spoke with great disgust.
“$100 going once… twice… sold to the lady in the fourth row.”
The audience booed at her.
Audrey said to the audience,
“Hurray for me; I win the auction.”
She turned her attention to Jeff who standing on the stage.
“And you, whatever you name is, you will escort me to the Chrysanthemum Ball tonight.”
Upon hearing this he snapped back,
“I will not!”
There was a commotion in the crowd. Some snickered, others were speechless.
Audrey was confused.
“What? I won you!”
“No, you didn’t.”
“You can see, I have $100.”
“I can see you have a black heart.”
The crowd jumped to its feet and applauded.
Jeff motioned for them to be quiet.
“Madam, I am a human being. I am not anyone’s trophy. It is readily apparent that you have no friends. When this woman… your name please?”
Emily said adoringly,
“Emily Clementine.”
“When Emily Clementine needed help, friends, even a couple of strangers leapt to her aide. They wanted to help her. That is the kind of person I want to be with tonight. Not you.”
Audrey was humiliated. She slowly put down her money. She looked side to side and then collapsed into her chair.
“Emily, how much can you afford to donate to the students’ fund?”
Emily was charmed. She smiled and replied,
“$6.”
The crowd laughed as did Jeff.
“Then that will do just fine.”
Once again there was massive applause.
“This auction is over. The Chrysanthemum Ball is in two hours. We’ll see you then.”
As the crowd dispersed, Karen and her date Benjamin came down to see Emily. There were several people there to shake her hand.
Jeff gave her a brief hug.
Emily said,
“You were amazing.”
Audrey was still stewing. She glared at Emily.
“I have been humiliated by you.”
Emily started to reply, Jeff stopped her. He replied,
“Audrey, I’d say you did that on your own.”
Audrey pointed at Emily,
“This is not over”
Emily placed her arm around Jeff’s waist. “Hmmm, let’s see?”
She placed her right index finger on her pouting lips.
“$6? Cute guy? Sold? Yup, actually, it is over. Now, please, crawl back under a rock.”
Audrey barked at Jeff.
“You are a loser!”
She turned to Sarah.
“You gave a terribly boring speech.”
She turned to Jan.
“You are an ignorant mute.”
Lastly, she turned to Emily.
“And you are an ugly walrus with a disgusting mat of hair and an outfit perfectly suited for an inexpensive street walker.”
The group was silent.
Sarah turned to Emily.
“Yes, Emily, now it’s ok.”
Sarah grabbed Emily’s hand.
“A one and a two and a three….”
They began to sing.
“Once there was a birdie up in the tree.
She sang pretty carols so happily.
Pay close attention and you just might see,
The precious little birdie singing for thee.”
Emily lifted her left hand high above her head and began to wave it around. “Do you see the little birdie?”
Audrey looked up. “No.”
Just then, Emily gave her a quick punch in her left eye. Audrey fell into the chair, knocked out cold.
Emily appeared over her:
“But, at least now you’re seeing stars.”
She stuck out her tongue.
The crowd cheered.
