Boy Story: The Road Taken - 59. The Contest

The Contest

Some people go through life as if they have a horseshoe up their butt (not literally). What I mean is, they are perpetually lucky, not like they win a million dollars every day, but everything always seems to turn out in their favor without much intervention. Sure, these people may go through a rough patch here and there, but they come out of it better in the long term. I believe it’s called a charmed life. Although he might disagree, I have always attributed this characteristic to Parker.

Case in point...There was a sweepstakes being held from Thanksgiving to Presidents’ Day (late November until mid February in the U.S.) at a local shopping mall. This particular mall was basically an indoor strip mall with six stores down one side, six stores down the other side, and two larger anchor stores at either end. Over the years, larger malls had moved into the area and foot traffic at this smaller mall was in a steady decline.

In an attempt to attract more shoppers during the holiday season, a promotion was being sponsored by the mall. A car was parked inside the mall with an elaborate display: “Enter to win a brand new 1998 Kia Sephia. No purchase necessary.” Kia was a newer car company at that time trying to gain exposure in the U.S., and the mall was trying to attract more shoppers. I’m not sure how these things work, but my guess is that the car was being given away at no cost to the mall in exchange for the publicity the sweepstakes would generate for Kia. The contest would conclude with a drawing on President’s Day weekend, which is traditionally a long weekend and one of the biggest car sales weeks in the U.S. There are all sorts of deals available during that holiday week that are not available during the rest of the year (or at least that’s what they say).

Aunt Helen worked part-time in one of the anchor stores, which specialized in women’s and men’s clothing, in that mall. In addition to her pay, she also got a 25% discount at the store (which I think was the main reason she liked working there). During the car event, every time she would go to work, she’d drop some entries into the contest bin: some for her, John, Jess, Ginny, and Parker. She never told anyone about the contest, she simply entered “As many times as you like” as the sign suggested, never expecting to win anything. Some people are just into entering contests hoping that one day it will pay off.

Parker and I were at school and swimming season had just ended. Around that time, Ginny received a phone call asking for Parker Campion. She told the man that Parker was at college and offered to take a message. The man told her Parker was the grand prize winner of the Kia sweepstakes at the Westgate Mall. Ginny asked, “The What?” The man said, “Parker was picked as the grand prize winner of a brand new 1998 Kia Sephia!”

Ginny said, “Yeah, right. Who is this really?” I guess the guy eventually managed to convince her that he was legit.

Ginny immediately called Parker and left a message on our machine to call her back asap because she had some potentially good news. The return call went something like this…

Parker: “Hi Mom, what’s up?”

Ginny: “You know the shopping mall where Aunt Helen works?”

Parker: “Yeah. The small one over on Rte. 30, right?”

Ginny: “Yes. I received a call from a man overseeing a prize drawing at the mall, a Mr. Don Brewer. He said you had won the grand prize—a new car!”

Parker: “What? But I never…”

Ginny: “I figured as much. So I immediately called Helen and, sure enough, it was her.”

Parker: “She won a car?”

Ginny: “No, she entered this sweepstakes drawing over and over for her, John, Jess, me, and you. It was free to enter, so she just dropped in a few entries each time she went into work. And your name was chosen when they had the drawing! Helen is ecstatic because she knows how much you need a car.”

Parker: “Are you sure?”

Ginny: “The man convinced me. I believe you won a car!”

Parker dropped the phone and started whooping, jumping up and down, and punching his fist into the air. Then he grabbed me and I jumped up and down with him, although I wasn’t sure why, yet.

“Oh my God! I just won a car!” he said.

“You what?”

“Aunt Helen entered me into a drawing, and I won a new car!”

“That’s fantastic!” I exclaimed, and I joined in the whooping and hollering.

“Holy shit! And you need a car, too!” I added.

“Yeah, I know!”

Parker picked up the phone and his mother was still on the line. She gave him the information because he had to make the phone call to accept the grand prize himself. Parker hung up from his mother and looked at the phone number he had written down. He picked up the phone and dialed the number and put it on speaker phone.

“TCG Promotions! How may I direct your call?”

“Hi, my name is Parker Campion. I was told I need to speak to a Mr. Brewer about a contest I won…for a car?”

“Yes, congratulations! Please hold…”

We heard a few seconds of classical piano music.

“Hello, this is Don Brewer.”

“Hi, Mr. Brewer, this is Parker Campion returning your call.”

“Hey Parker! I bet you’re elated to be the lucky winner of the Westgate Mall Sweepstakes!”

“Yes, it’s for the car, right?”

“Absolutely, you won a brand new Kia Sephia…the one that was parked in the mall!”

“Woo hoo! So what do I need to do?”

“Well, as the rules state, we want to have a little ceremony inside the mall and the local newspaper will be there to cover the event. That’s still OK with you, right?”

“Sure. And then I get to drive away in the car?”

“If that's what you want. We’ll give you the keys at the ceremony and you can drive it away as soon as we’re done with the photos. We will also provide you with the title for the car and paperwork for tax purposes. So how does this coming Saturday work for you?” the man asked.

“I have school during the week, so anytime Saturday works fine for me.”

“Great! How about Saturday at 1:00? We’ll need you there at noon to fill out the paperwork.”

Parker looked at me knowing he’d need a ride there. I nodded “yes.”

“Sure, I’ll be there at noon. Uh, where do I meet you?”

“Do you know where the mall office is?” he asked.

“Uh…is it near the restrooms?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Down that hall and ask for me, Don Brewer. I’ll be there.”

“OK, got it. See you Saturday at noon, then?”

“OK, see you, sport. And again, congratulations!”

“OK, thanks, Mr. Brewer.” Click.

So we whooped and hollered some more and in doing so, we attracted a group of bewildered faces in the hallway outside our dorm room.

“What's going on? What's with all the racket?” Bud asked.

“You won't believe this...,” I began.

“I just friggin' won a new car...in a contest!” Parker spat out.

“You're joking...,” Lila replied.

“No, I'm serious!” Parker said and put his hands on his head as if it suddenly sank in.

The small crowd of about five people assembled there all started to clap and cheer in unison. This attracted more dorm mates, and Parker was an instant celebrity. He told the story about the phone call and what he knew about the contest to about twenty people when all was said and done. The end of the story brought on another round of clapping and cheering.

“Oh man, I'm so happy for you!” Chris called out with a slap on the back.

“Yeah, me too!” Bud replied.

“Hey, can you give me some good numbers for the lottery?” Lisa joked.

When Saturday rolled around, Ginny offered to drive Parker, me, and Aunt Helen to the ceremony. Aunt Helen wanted to come because she was the one who actually dropped the winning entry into the bin. She didn’t go around publicizing it because there might be something buried in the fine print about entering for other people, but she did want to see Parker’s big moment…thanks to her intervention.

Ginny dropped us off at the entrance and went to park the car with Helen, while Parker and I reported to the mall office. Ginny showed up a few minutes later, and she and Parker went through signing paperwork. I waited out in the mall with Aunt Helen.

“I guess ‘Congratulations’ are in order for you and Parker,” she said.

“I heard it was mostly your doing. That’s a great car, huh?” I asked.

“No, not for the car. I mean, for your pre-engagement.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks. That seems like ages ago,” I replied.

“Yes, well, I was told just the other day. I think it’s great. Gin thinks it’s great. And it doesn’t seem funny to me that you’re both boys. The two of you belong together…like peanut butter and jelly,” she reasoned.

“Well, the fact that we are attracted to each other helps a lot.”

“Only one question…which one goes on top, the peanut butter or the jelly?”

“Ha ha, I’ll never tell.”

“Just don’t, you know, move too fast. Just relax and enjoy it. Some people get so consumed with it all. It’s like they are in a big hurry to finish school, get a job, and get married right away. Then they have kids, and before you know it, they’re approaching middle age and paying for their kids’ college,” she lamented.

“Well, we plan on a long engagement, and I don’t think we’ll be having kids anytime soon,” I said with a grin. “Plus, marriage is not legally an option.”

“Maybe you boys have it right. You know, one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that most men have no idea what a woman wants.”

“Huh?”

“Let me explain. When most guys start dating a girl, the guy is always dying to show the girl his...you know...equipment. It seems that most guys are proud of their equipment and are eager to show it off to their girlfriends. Most times, the last thing a girl is thinking about is seeing her date’s penis. That’s the difference between the sexes. In general, I’d say that most girls think that being shown a penis is...well, offensive.”

“Are you speaking from personal experience?”

“Well, not so much anymore, but it did take some getting used to.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind if I ever find myself wanting to date a female again,” I said not sure why she was telling me this.

“My whole point is that I think it’s easier for a boy to appreciate another boy’s body parts because he’s accustomed to the equipment already. To a girl, it’s all foreign territory. I see how the same sex thing can be more comfortable in some ways.”

“So you think the ranks of gay couples are going to swell in the future?” I asked.

“Now that it’s more acceptable, I think we’re going to see a lot more gay couples, so you two will have plenty of company.”

“Well, I appreciate your optimism,” I replied.

Of course, I never expected to be discussing boys’ body parts with an older woman before, but I suppose it wasn’t that surprising coming from Helen. If it came from Ginny, then I’d be nervous.

Just then Parker and Ginny emerged from the office and came over to the bench we were sitting on.

“It will be a few minutes while they set things up,” Ginny explained.

Parker was told to take a seat in the first row near the car staging area no later than quarter to one. There will be a couple of speeches and then Parker will come up, shake hands with the owner of the dealership and with Mr. Brewer, and he’d be given the keys. Parker will get in the car and pose for pictures. Then a couple of mall security guards will push the car (with Parker in it) out the front door, and Parker will drive away.

We all took seats in the rows of folding chairs set up in front of the podium. Parker’s friend Jenny showed up with her boyfriend David to watch the presentation. They sat right behind us. Then the small seating area began filling up with people, until it was nearly full.

The program started first with the owner of the car dealership, Vic Kasajian, who spoke for maybe 10 minutes. Then the mall manager spoke for another few minutes. Finally, Mr. Brewer spoke briefly and called Parker up. Mr. Brewer shook Parker's hand and presented the keys to him while everyone clapped. The newspaper photographer took lots of pictures. Parker got in the car and mugged some more for the camera.

Once the area was clear, the mall security guards slowly pushed the car out the main doors while Parker steered. They got the car out on the sidewalk and Parker was told he could start the engine. Everyone clapped. Then he waved us over, and Jenny, David, and I quickly made our way to the car. The audience laughed as we jogged through the mall. Meanwhile, I couldn’t resist taking a not so quick peek at David’s cute butt from behind as we were jogging. Damn nice piece! We piled in the car and Parker drove off honking the horn as we all waved out the windows. It was the perfect car commercial come to life, and Parker drove us straight to...Dairy Queen.

As I'd come to learn, the Dairy Queen was right near Parker's high school, so it had become a hangout (or at least a pit stop) for students coming to and from school...and all other days of the week. Parker wanted to show off his new car to anyone who might know him. Of course, the one place with the best chance of younger folks hanging out in Parker's town was the DQ.

I was reminded that there is nothing like the smell of a new car as we had our first drive. We arrived, got our ice creams, and sat on the benches admiring Parker’s new car.

“That’s so cool Parker. That’s your frigging car!” Jenny enthused.

“Yeah I know. It was a long time coming,” he said. “I was figuring I’d have a junker to start.”

“You lucked out, dude!” David said.

“It’s really unbelievable. You own a brand new car!” I added.

“Yup, that’s a nice looking car right there,” Parker cooed.

"Yeah, just like its owner," I joked.

"Oh brother," David groaned.

Just then Parker spotted a group of his former classmates and went over and started chatting them up. Then they all followed Parker over to his car and he proudly showed it off. Of course, he had to tell the story again about winning the contest. Some of them asked questions and Parker deftly handled them all like he was holding a press conference. We had to let him bask in his glory for a bit and take it all in.

Once we finished our treats and Parker was done talking to his classmates, we packed ourselves back into Parker’s new ride and returned to the mall to drop Jenny and David off at Jenny’s car. Then we headed over to Parker’s house. He knew Helen and his mother would be there, and he wanted to thank Helen properly.

“Auntie Helen, thank you so so much! This is like a dream come true!” Parker told her when we arrived. He went over and gave her a big hug.

“You know, kiddo, out of all the people who I entered in that contest, you are the one person who I knew would benefit most. So I am very happy for you,” she explained.

“Now you better take good care of that car to make it last as long as you can. Remember to get oil changes and car washes regularly,” Ginny instructed.

Parker looked around. “Matt, you’ll remind me, right? I don’t know anything about car care.”

“I’ll try,” I said with a laugh.

We stayed at the house that night. Later on we lay in bed side by side. Parker was holding the ring on his hand against the ring on my hand and playing “footsie” with me, but with our hands. Is there a handsie? I suppose so, because that’s what we were doing.

“You know what I was thinking just the other day?” he began.

“What’s that?”

“Well, if I had been weak and returned just one of my ex-boyfriend's phone calls...then you and me may never have happened. And I came close a couple of times.”

“Imagine that. It’s a good thing it turned out the way it did, right?” I commented.

“It’s a great thing! But when I was going through the whole break-up, things seemed so bleak. It was just my stubborn pride that kept me from picking up the phone. What if I weakened in my resolve one day and decided to accept an apology? Things might have turned out very different. Do you think maybe you and me was…like…fate?”

“Hmm, maybe. Life is such a crap shoot. You and me just sort of happened, but it's like it was meant to be. But I see other people who spend a lifetime looking for the one.”

“Like with Neo in The Matrix.”

“Ha ha. Uh, yeah, something like that. Some people go through decades and incredible adversity, but never manage to find the right partner. So it’s not through lack of trying.”

“They couldn’t find the one ‘cause I got him first!” Parker exclaimed.

“Aww, you’re so sweet,” I said gently kissing him on the cheek.

“But it’s true. I never would have known true love if I had tried to work things out with you know who.”

“You mean, Steven?”

“Yes. You remembered.”

“Parker, I try to remember everything about you…always.”

“Hmm, if you weren’t my pre-fiancée, that would be creepy. Ha ha.”

“Always know that I’m paying full attention to you because you are the most important person in my life.”

“Oh, God, stop. You’re going to make me cry,” he said fanning himself with his hand.

“Well, it’s true,” I admitted.

“They do say that students pay more attention in school when they have an interest in the subject,” Parker declared.

“Well, I guess I’m majoring in you, then,” I noted.

“And what happens when you get your degree?” he asked.

“Grad school, of course...if I'm accepted”

“Well, I’ve been very impressed with your course work, so you just may get in.”

“Oh, I’ll get in all right. I’m counting on it.”

“Me too.”

Then a minute of silence passed.

“Wow, I won a new car today!”

“Pretty cool, huh? You're a lucky guy,” I reiterated.

“You know what’s even cooler?” he asked.

“What’s that?” I replied

He tore back the covers to reveal he was visibly aroused.

Sometimes getting lucky takes many forms.

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