THE REAL STORY (PART II)
Just so happens around the same time we're realizing the worst is over with the lung disease our one year anniversary is approaching. We figure it would be great to head back to Key West, Florida where we honeymooned. We are so ready to celebrate, but, I'm still on heavy medication including high doses of prednisone which is a steroid with a number of side effects. With me the side effects included a very swollen face and abdomen as well as some emotional distress.
It was so wonderful to land in Key West the warmth was so soothing especially after going through a very cold and snowy winter back in Ohio. Our days are spent by the pool and taking part in some of the tourism fun. Our nights are spent at great restaurants and hopping from one establishment to another enjoying all the live entertainment and being amused by the college students on spring break.
One night around midnight we walk into a place where they're getting ready to have a wet T-shirt contest. Neither of us had ever even seen one and we were curious. The emcee was trying to recruit young women to take part and he was having a tough time. There weren't many people there. We looked at each other and started laughing, agreeing it would be a crazy and silly thing to do! Then, we decided what the heck, we've been through a lot, you only live once and we're so far from home we could do something wild.
I go backstage with the other girls. We're handed T-shirts and scissors with advice from a bouncer in this "dressing room" on how to cut the shirts. We're also given as much booze as we want. I didn't drink much there because I'd had a little to drink already that night and worried about mixing it with the medication I was still on for my lungs.
We were hearing rumblings earlier that Girls Gone Wild was in town. I asked the bouncer if they, or anything like that was there. He said NO. I added, if this left Key West it could cost me everything because I'm a television news anchor. One of the other girls looked at me and said it could ruin her too--explaining her high profile job. We did not sign anything! We never thought that someone would exploit this crazy thing we were about to do.
The show began.
It was one girl at a time on the stage. Two went before me. When they got back to the room they said they showed their breasts. I started to get uncomfortable thinking about the horrible scar I had down my chest from my open heart surgery just a few years ago. I was also uneasy about how my breasts looked. I had augmentation to make my chest look as normal as possible since the heart surgery left my chest somewhat disfigured. I also had scars on my side and back from the recent lung surgery. And, altogether, I just wasn't sure if this was something I could do. So, to walk out on that stage I took a big chance that I would be rejected. From all the years I spent on camera I learned the best way to hide and get past discomfort was to smile. I smiled as big as I could when I walked out there and did all I could to appear confident.
It must have worked. They were clapping for me and I was shocked! I suddenly felt so free and ALIVE. It started to get fun. It started to feel a little empowering--a big difference from the defeat I felt for the previous couple months. That's when it became a sort of celebration of life. I noticed there were many more people in the bar then when we first walked in. I also noticed the cameras, but, thought they were just college students and had no idea who I was and didn't care who I was. I did not see anything that looked like a production video camera.
I was focused on my husband in the audience laughing. You see, the expression on his face for the previous two months was pure worry and fear. I was also enjoying the carefree feeling I was experiencing. We get to the so-called final round. The audience and emcee are encouraging each of us to take it ALL off. I thought "no." But, one girl did!
Finally, we're all on stage as the audience judges the competition by applause. It gets down to the girl who took it all off and me. It's hard to tell who gets the most applause. She takes it all off again! I'm thinking okay I've gone this far, actually winning this thing became a possibility. So, let's get this over with. It was surreal when I took my underwear off! But, I did it. Then, that uncomfortable feeling started to come back. They still couldn't decide who the winner was and here I was, stuck on the stage, buck naked. I turn my back to the audience while the emcee was deciding what to do. Apparently, that was a mistake. It gave the person behind a video camera that just didn't stand out to me that night a perfect chance to zoom in and violate me like I never imagined would happen. When I first heard people in the media describe the video they kept saying I straddled the camera and tried to make it pornographic. I didn't. I had no idea such a thing was being done. Looking back at the still pictures now I notice the video camera. It's very small and covered up in something that looks like a fanny pack. Anyway, the other girl and I decide to share the prize and get off the stage. They insisted on doling out the cash while we were still on the stage.
The rest of night my husband and I reflected on what happened. We agreed it was crazy and laughed about it. By the next morning-- the feeling turned to regret. So we dealt with it. We figured that was the end of it. Little did I know that night would come back to haunt me dearly nearly a year later.
