Abe stared at the two VIP tickets he numbly gripped in his right hand and glanced back at the long line he wasn't standing in. The line of contestants wound around the large building in the LA sun. Abe and Sherry's line was short, in the shade, and next to the part of the longer line where the interviews took place. 

"Tell us your name and where you're from," said a handsome man sitting behind a desk. He wore a casual suit and not an insignificant amount of make-up. His stylish hair stood up, stiffly gelled. Behind a desk, a woman with thick glasses and bright red lipstick sat beside him furiously taking notes on a clipboard.

"I'm Shirley Smith from Hermann, Missouri," replied a middle-aged woman at the head of the line nervously smiling and glancing between the man interviewing her and the friend standing next to her.

"Welcome to Los Angles Shirley. What do you do?" 

Shirley giggled and pointed to the quilted cat T-shirts she and her friend both wore. "I'm a stay at home mom, but I sell handmade T-shirts and saved up enough to come here today.

The man flashed her a bright white plastic smile causing Shirley from Hermann, Missouri to visibly buckle a bit at the knees. "Nice to meet you Shirley. Welcome to the Price is Right." Ushered inside by a third assistant, the interviews continued.

"A secretary."

"Wimberly, Texas."

"Mother of four."

"Mineral Point, Wisconsin."

"Waitress."

"North Platte, Nebraska."

"We would never have been selected even if we got regular tickets," said Sherry watching Besty Jones and her best friend Jessica Johnson from Springsdale, Arkansas smile like idiots and bat their eyes and the man behind the desk.

Halfway between San Fransico and L.A. Abe had started talking about the Winnebago of his dreams again. How they could drive forever and leave the cramped Honda behind them. Approaching the City of Angles, Abe felt certain he could win one in a Showcase Showdown. 

By the time their dirty car filled with wet camping equipment pulled up in front of the new home of the mother of a childhood friend of Abe's, they were set on finding tickets. They would go down to the studio in the morning and buy tickets or scalp them if they had to. Even Sherry bought into the excitement.

"Looks like she remarried rich," said Sherry eyeing the mansion in front of them. After their budget life on the road, they didn't protest a few nights the lap of luxury. Their host asked them what they wanted to see in LA and said she regrettably had plans for dinner but insisted on sending them to her favorite restaurant as their benefactor. 

"I could have used a benefactor a long time ago," said Sherry ordering another glass of wine while Abe reviewed the dessert menu. Giddy and elated they reveled in anticipation of the tickets their benefactor had secured for the following day. It felt too good to be true. 

But the next morning, Abe's face dropped when their host handed them the VIP tickets and mentioned that because they would be in the front row, they were not eligible to be contestants. Sherry read his disappointed and spent the whole drive trying to cheer him up. 

"At least the tickets are free," she said. "We probably didn't even have the money to buy them ourselves."

Now the VIP line finally moved and they entered the studio and sat in the plush front-row seats. Abe seemed to cheer up as the lights went down and Bob Barker and Vanna White walked out in the flesh, full of life and energy. 

"JESSIE ARCHER, COME ON DOWN!"

A twenty-year-old wearing a University of Colorado sweatshirt jogged down the aisle. Sherry could feel Abe twitch beside her. Then came a girl in a Texas A&M t-shirt followed by another boy decked out in a University of Michigan sweatsuit. Sherry glanced over at Abe fingering the lettering on his own college sweatshirt; they had both graduated just six months earlier. She thought she heard him audibly moan.

The rest of the show went by in a blur of lights, music, cheers, and prizes. Sherry glanced at Abe from time to time. He kept a stiff upper lip.

The final act began, the Showcase Showdown. Abe closed his eyes and sunk down in his chair. Neither was surprised when the curtains parted and revealed:

"A NEW WINNEBAGO!"