America's Watching

No descriptive sex. I placed this story in "Loving Wives" because this is where I've found similar stories in the past and always start my search for stories to read. I'm also not an expert on law or well...much else really, but you'll realize that if you read any further.

Anyway, all of those nights watching Big Brother with my wife paid off by giving me an idea for a story. This is pure fiction and though based on the actual show, I really don't believe that anything like this would ever happen in real life.

Lastly, I don't use an editor so any and all mistakes are my own. I may have limited talent, but want the story to be my own, warts and all. Thank you for your time and stay tuned for "America's Watching"...

*****

I'm Walt Carpenter and my story begins in the office of Doctor Nancy Royce, the court appointed counselor...

Where to start? Okay Doc...I think I know...

It's when I heard the sound of a scream over the loud whirring of the table saw while working in the basement building some shelves. As I began running up the stairs I saw my daughter Lynn already running down the hallway on her way to the front door. I wasn't sure where the scream came from, but figured that that Lynn had a better idea than I did since she had been in the family room on the first floor talking on the phone.

At 45, it took me a while to catch up to my 18 year old daughter, but the source of the scream came into view as I rushed out the front screen door. There at our mail box near the street stood my 42 year old loving wife of twenty one year's waving a large envelope and some kind of laminated oversized ticket over her head.

I also noticed a camera crew running in the direction of my wife from a van parked across the street. Being a Saturday it seemed that every one of our neighbors were home and now standing on their own lawns and porches watching my wife screaming and screeching. I was confused to say the least.

I finally joined my daughter on the front lawn while Sherry continued to jump up and down while working in the occasional spin. I believe in competitive figure skating they call those moves double and triple axles.

She was still screaming, but now we noticed that she was laughing the entire time which set our minds at ease somewhat, but did little to explain what was going on.

Upon spotting me for the first time since I arrived on the lawn, Sherry screamed my name while running up to me, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me hard on the lips. Truth be told, despite the fact that Sherry means the world to me, her little public display was the closest thing to sex we've had in a couple of months, if not longer.

She just hadn't seemed interested in being intimate with me lately and I didn't know why. Maybe we were just in a rut, but...well...I'm getting sidetracked.

My daughter looked on simply asking in a confused tone, "Mom?"

Not noticing her daughter until that moment Sherry called out, "Oh Lynn, I can't believe it's happened. I mean, it's really happened."

The camera crew kept taping while Lynn asked, "What are you talking about Mom?"

"'America's Watching'! I've been chosen to be on the show. Oh my God I've been selected to be on AW."

I glanced at the camera crew and a couple of others trailing behind holding clipboards and briefcases and saw they were all wearing ITN shirts, jackets and caps. ITN was the network that aired 'America's Watching'.

It suddenly occurred to me what my wife was so excited about. Sherry was a big fan of the reality show 'America's Watching' and they apparently had chosen her to participate. Of course fans of the show usually refer to it as AW while the network promos always refer to it as America's favorite reality show. Whether that was true or not I don't know nor do I really care.

What I did know was that Sherry was one of those people who was that "big fan"; certainly the biggest fan in the neighborhood and quite possibly the entire state. If in fact she was chosen to take part in her favorite show, it would go a long way in explaining the screaming as well as the camera crew.

Mystery solved.

The camera crew kept taping my wife's celebration while my daughter and I looked on in confusion and a bit of trepidation. I knew the basics of the so called game from having watched it so many times with Sherry.

The game was easy enough to figure out. Of course any TV game show is easy to figure out after watching it with your wife for fifteen years. During the course of each show she would explain every bit of strategy and every last nuance.

Basically they put sixteen strangers into a house built into a sound stage on a studio lot. I think it's sixteen, but again, who really cares? Then every week they vote out at least one "houseguest", yet the show is on three times a week.

The person voted out on eviction night then gets sent home, unless they're one of the last eight standing, then they're sent to the 'Peer House'. This is another house in a secret location where the ousted guests have a sort of mini vacation while waiting to vote for the winner from the final two remaining guests in the show's finale.

There are competitions during the week where the winner becomes 'house leader'. This person then puts up two candidates to be voted off.

Now that I think about it, maybe the rules of the game aren't all that simple, but it doesn't really matter. My relating this story certainly isn't going to be a recap of that fateful season that changed my family's life forever. The game itself really isn't that important for the moment, never was, but as long as I've begun to describe the rules, I'll finish.

Anyway, these competitions can be either physical or mental. I knew she could do well in anything mental, but Sherry is about athletic as a sack of wheat. But winning the competitions isn't always necessary. If someone get in a good alliance they can go quite far, even win if they play their cards right.

Oh...I forgot to mention that there are cameras and microphones hidden all over the house. They don't miss a trick either. The cameras zoom in whether you're in the kitchen, the bedrooms or the shower. Aside from the weeks 'House Leader' who gets a room of their own, the other bedrooms are shared by four or five houseguests.

I will say the microphones they use are impressive. Even though many on the show whisper, the microphones pick up their voices as if they were speaking in normal tones and reveal all of the backstabbing, deceit and betrayal that the show is known for. It was these factors that would cause my world to crash down around me.

Eventually we all moved into the house where the fine folks from ITN placed contracts down in front of my wife to sign. I immediately asked if we could have a few minutes to talk about it first. To their credit, they all stepped out of the kitchen and on to the deck, but it was obvious that they knew that Sherry was eventually going to sign on the dotted line no matter what I said. My daughter and I were the only ones who thought otherwise.

I started the conversation, but I'm not sure that my wife knew I was even talking. My daughter didn't have much luck either.

"Look Hon...I know you're a big fan of this show and all, but I have reservations about you doing this."

"Yeah mom...this is my last summer before going to college and I was really looking forward to doing a lot of mother-daughter things."

Sherry just frowned and said, "I was expecting my family to be a little more supportive. I mean this is a dream come true. You know I never miss an episode and this is my chance to be on it. Don't you understand?"

"Of course I understand Hon, we both do, but you have to see where we're coming from also. We'll both miss you. Hell...you could be on the show for almost three months."

She giggled, "You just don't want to see me hanging around those cute young guys they have on the show."

My daughter looked back at me waiting for me to reply to her mother and I did so as honestly as I could.

"I'm not thrilled about it if you want to know, the truth."

"Is my husband jealous?"

I nodded, "You know I am, always have been."

"Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you...I just don't trust other men. If you haven't noticed there are some men that don't respect others marriages."

"Oh Honey, I'll miss you too, the both of you, but you'll be okay. And Lynn, I'll make it up to you. I promise."

Lynn wasn't giving up either as she replied, "This is my last summer at home mother. If you're serious about being on the show for as long as you say you are, I'll already have left for school in Maine. When do you plan to make it up to me, after I'm married?"

Whenever Lynn called Sherry "mother" I knew she was exasperated with her.

Sherry began talking about what she needed to take with her as if Lynn and I never uttered a word. "I'll have to buy new underwear and bring some shorts and tanks and a swimsuit as well. I have to be prepared to turn some heads if you know what I mean?"

I glared at her, "What do you mean turn some heads?"

She giggled, "I will probably have to dress sexy to attract some attention is all. Being on the show is great, but I plan on playing it to the best of my ability. I always said that if I ever had the chance to be on the show that I would do almost anything it takes to win it all."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I was getting angry because it certainly didn't seem like she was kidding around.

She smiled, but there was something about it that was almost sinister as she replied, "I guess everything depends who wants me in their alliance and what it's going to take to be the last one standing."

I was ready to explode as I raised my voice.

"Jesus Christ, Sherry, I don't think you're kidding!!"

"Don't worry sweetheart, I promise not to get into a full blown show-mance or anything, but if I can get what I want with a little teasing, then why not."

Lynn was appalled.

"Mom...you don't mean you would actually consider hooking up with someone other than daddy, do you?"

"No Lynn. Like I said maybe just a little teasing is all. It's just part of the game."

"Doesn't sound like much of a game to me. What if there is some guy that wants to kiss you or something? That would just kill dad. It wouldn't do much for me either."

Sherry backtracked a bit and said, "I don't think that it would come to that Lynn. I love your father too much to do anything that would hurt him. Besides...it's just a TV show and I'm sure they wouldn't put anyone on there that would take advantage of an old married woman like me. It's all in the name of fun."

I broke in saying, "What do you mean you don't think it will come to that? It still sounds like you would do anything to win, just like you said before."

"No darling, I said I'd do almost anything to win and that still goes. You don't realize that this is a chance of a lifetime for me."

"I noticed you still haven't explained what you meant when you said you didn't think it would come to that, meaning kissing some guy."

"Oh honey, don't be ridiculous. Just think of what we can do with the extra money."

"We don't need any extra money. What do you want that you don't already have?"

She smiled and answered, "We'll think of something once I win the five hundred thousand dollars. Don't you think that five hundred thousand dollars is important?"

I shook my head and sharply replied, "Not as important as our marriage and family. And your certainly avoiding my other question aren't you?"

She didn't respond. I wasn't even sure she was listening any longer. It was if someone replaced my wife with a self absorbed, insensitive and unsympathetic carbon copy. How was this even possible?

So it wasn't a surprise when my wife wound up ignoring my pleas and once the network people returned through the sliding doors from the back deck, my wife wasted no time in signing the contract thus sealing the deal. Our daughter and I could only shake our heads at the blatant disrespect that Sherry was showing for our family.

Sherry was on cloud nine while we were both much less enthused. It was obvious that Sherry was getting swept away with the glitz and glamour of going to Hollywood and appearing on a television show.

The woman rep from ITN then says, "You know, we have difficulty signing up...let's just say...mature housewives to appear on the show. Most of the time their leery of what their husbands would think of seeing their wives on a national television show surrounded by younger, single men who are sometimes looking to hook up with someone. As you know we call that a show-mance and those things are very popular with our fans. You're certainly a very open minded man Mr. Carpenter."

"You couldn't be more wrong sister."

She smiled, barely acknowledging my response as she continued, "We at ITN always wonder what would happen if a faithful wife strayed while on our show. It's never happened, but it would be interesting, don't you think?"

I made no reply. If I did I would be using words that would be considered less than acceptable while addressing a lady. One thing that was abundantly clear was she conveniently made sure my wife signed the contract before telling me this latest tidbit.

She then added, with no real remorse I might add, "But I'm sure that won't happen in this case. You should be very proud of your wife. Mrs. Carpenter is very attractive woman, wife and mother. With her long blonde hair and petite body, she looks much younger than her early forties. She could easily pass for her late twenties. I'd be shocked if one of the younger guys we signed for the show didn't come on to her, and I don't just mean game play. But Mrs. Carpenter has a pretty good head on her shoulders and appears that she just might be one of the stronger players this season. Looks to me like she's loaded for bear and isn't about to let anything or anybody get in her way of winning $500,000."

I replied sarcastically. "Yeah...I noticed. Not even her family can stop her, right?"

"Well Me. Carpenter, you're married to quite a woman and quite the little dynamo I might add. She's a fine addition to our show and quite a head turner. I wouldn't be surprised if our numbers improve just by having her on and if she makes it closer to the end, all the better for us. But in the end, you probably don't have anything to worry about."

Probably? All I could think was, did she just tell me that I 'probably' don't have anything to worry about? Was she fucking kidding me? Probably?

The woman from the network then told us that we will be receiving the cable feed every night at 10 o'clock for free. It was an additional two hours of the show that, since it's on cable, tends to allow some of the more risqué language and actions.

She said, "They don't show it all, but they do allow quite a bit more to be aired. More so than the network broadcast."

"Allow more of what", I asked.

"You know... some salty language and some of the steamier scenes if there's a show-mance."

I just stared at her in disbelief wanting to pick her up and throw her back unto her van.

She then added, "Sherry says you watch the show with her, so you probably already know that a show-mance is..."

"Yeah...I'm quite aware what that is."

Seeing my discomfort with the topic she collected her paperwork and stuffed it into her briefcase and all the while this was going on, my wife sat at the table looking over her itinerary, which included being picked up by a limo early Monday morning and whisked away to the airport for her flight to LAX. We weren't even going to see her to the airport.

This was going to be tough on Lynn and myself, but Sherry didn't seem fazed in the least. The argument could be made that she looked thrilled to not only be appearing on the show, but also getting away from her family for a while.

It was hard to say exactly what she was thinking because she had never acted this way before. She was caught up in a fantasy world and I feared that the head on her shoulders was not quite what it was an hour ago. During that short period of time she had changed and not for the better.

The ink wasn't even dry as the network team began packing up and making their way to our front door. One of the women turned to my wife and said, "Then I can tell my executive producer that you're all in and plan on playing the game the way it was meant to be played?"

Sherry quickly answered, "Absolutely. I can hardly wait."

Sherry then turned to me and added, "Just remember not to get too jealous Walt, this is just a game."

The woman simply replied, "That a girl. You've got your plane ticket, so we'll see you on Monday. Enjoy your last day and a half with your family. And be prepared for the greatest experience of your life...with the exception of being with your husband of course."

Sherry giggled, "God...I hope it's better than that?"

I heard what she said and wasn't sure if I was more hurt or pissed at that moment. Now looking back I'd have to say I was more pissed.

She then followed the network people to the van all the while discussing some last minute details about the show.

#######

The rest of the weekend was tense. Once everyone had left I couldn't help but beg her to stay with her family. I explained that I had a bad feeling about all of this, but she just played it off saying that she'd be fine and I have nothing to worry about.

Later Saturday she said she had to do some last minute shopping for the show as well as getting her hair styled. I felt bad for Lynn because Sherry left without asking our daughter if she wanted to tag along.

Sunday afternoon and the tension grew. I wanted to again warn her that one of the guys on the show might try to get fresh with her, but thought better of it. She already knew I'm the jealous type, but assumed she knew it was because I loved her so much. Instead I reminded her that she's my wife and our daughter's mother and that she should remember that while she's away from us. Her reply to that was both troubling and confusing.

"So you don't think I'm attractive enough to turn another man's head, especially a younger man? Do you just think of me as a wife and mother? Is that it?"

I stood up and walked out of the room before I said or did something stupid. I loved Sherry more than anything in the world, but the way she was approaching the show was troubling.

Lynn was speechless and I guess I was as well. I had a bad feeling about this whole thing and especially the fact that my loving wife was ignoring our feelings. My wife could always be a bit of a flirt, but as far as I knew it was only with our friends and even then I was always there with her, so it never got out of hand. Now she was going to be on her own with no way for me to protect her if need be.

Even more disturbing it seemed was that she was not only planning on teasing and flirting on the show; she was looking forward to it. I guess most people have a secret fantasy, but most people would never even think of acting on it. If this is her secret fantasy, she planning on making it happen and at her family's expense.

It certainly was out of character for her to act this way, so there was still hope that she would snap out of the 'AW' funk she was in before doing something she would later regret.

The worst part of all this appeared to be that there was no way to talk any sense into her and that she was going into a situation she could not control; as much as she thought she could. As for myself, I already felt that I had lost control and she had yet to leave the house.

I had a really bad feeling about this whole 'America's Watching' thing and my fears would soon prove warranted.

######

Monday morning and Sherry was in the shower with the door locked. I call into her telling her I have to leave for work. Expecting a big kiss and hug from my wife who I might not see for nearly three months, she instead calls out to me that she has to finish getting ready because the limo will be there in an hour. Of course I heard all this over the sound of running water.