Watching the End of the World – 4
The guy who came in next was slightly built and a little bit shorter than Nate, who was only five-ten on a good day. He had dark hair cut short and bristly and just a touch of a mustache on his lip. He, too, paused just inside the door to look around. But where the Indian woman with the British accent seemed nervous and unsure, he seemed calm and confident. He saw Nate looking at him and nodded, then went and sat down. He seemed very measured and deliberate in his actions.
Behind him came the last member of the cast, Asian, dark haired, a big smile on his face. He came over and sat down by Nate, then stuck out his hand.
���Hi. I���m Tony Chang. I have the most common last name in the world. Who are you?���
Nate shook his hand. ���Nate Devereaux.���
Tony looked around and gave a low whistle. ���I must be in the wrong place. It looks like a gathering of the world���s most beautiful people. I definitely do not fit in here.���
���Welcome to reality TV,��� Nate said. ���The perfect mix of cosmetic surgery and hitting the genetic lottery.��� Tony was right, though. Everyone in the room was on the upper end of the personal beauty scale, probably the most vital trait for making it on a reality show. The American public wanted their reality TV, but they didn���t want it too real.
���Seriously,��� Tony said, lowering his voice. ���These women are beautiful. Do you think any of them will let me talk to them? Maybe carry their luggage or something?���
Nate chuckled. He was definitely feeling better about this. ���So, what brings you here?���
���The money,��� Tony deadpanned. ���That million dollars is as good as mine. Also, I can���t afford to take a vacation and they���re flying us to an island for free. How good is that?���
���So you���re not here to make your big break? To be the next reality star?���
���Really?��� Tony said. ���Look at me. I���m skinny and I���m Chinese. Who���s going to want to look at me? I���m just hoping for a payday. Maybe no one will take me seriously and I���ll be the last one standing.���
���Well, you just blew that, telling me your strategy.���
Tony shrugged. ���Maybe you will suffer an unfortunate accident. Maybe a skinny ninja will climb through your window one night while you���re asleep.���
���Aren���t ninjas Japanese?���
���Oh, so now you���re an expert on my heritage.���
