Odyssey:
The Race for a Date
Chloe walked out of class
into the hallway. She immediately dialed her best friend who
lived in Texas.
"Laura! I just made the
dumbest mistake! All of the Barbies were asking me who I liked so
I finally gave in and told them that I liked Cole and that I thought he
liked me too. Now I know that they are going to flirt with him
like crazy and tell him bad things about me!" Chloe told her pal,
trying not to get upset in the middle of school.
"Chloe. Calm down! I
know it seems like a big deal right now, but just breathe. Cole
is not going to like those girls! Everyone knows how mean they
are and no one truly likes them! Everybody is just afraid of
them! Just focus on school and get through the rest of the
day. You'll be fine," Laura reassured her girlfriend.
As the day wore on, all Chloe
could think about was getting home, eating a snack, and venting to her
mother about the Barbies yet again. But as she pulled into her
driveway, she saw something very strange. The garage door had a
big sign pinned on it that said "CHLOE! Will you go to the Snow
Ball with me?" She was so excited to see who was in the garage
that she just threw her car in park and opened the door. Cole was
standing inside wearing a suit and holding a rose. Chloe had a
huge smile on her face and when Cole saw her smile, he smiled too.
"Chloe, will you be my date to
the Snow Ball?" Cole asked in a gentleman-sounding voice.
"I would love to!" Chloe told
him.
They talked for a while and then
Cole left. Chloe was thrilled about their big date and couldn't
wait to tell her mom all about it. Her and her mother sat down on
bar stools and began eating some ice cream.
"At first my day was going
terrible! The Barbies wouldn't leave me alone. They kept
asking who I liked and who I wanted to go to the dance with. I
knew I shouldn't tell them because they would just make things hard for
me. But eventually I gave in and told them that I was interested
in Cole. I called Laura and told her about it and she calmed me
down some, but now I don't even care because he asked me to the dance
and not one of the Barbies!!!" Chloe said as she filled her mother in.
"I am excited for you,
sweetie! This reminds me of a story I read in that Greek class in
college. Want to hear it?
"Sure!"
"Well, Odysseus was still
looking for a wife. You know how I told you about Penelope's
sweetness and Helen's beauty? Odysseus was still torn between the
two women. However, Helen had a ton of suitors and the king was
afraid that if he didn't choose soon, the suitors would cause a
riot. Eventually, Odysseus convinced the king to let him talk to
all of the suitors. He told them that they would let the
beautiful Helen choose her future husband. Everyone agreed to
this.
That evening, all of the suitors
gathered in a great hall. They were all in awe as the watched the
gorgeous Helen walk down the stairs. She passed through the crowd
of men and eventually stopped in front of Menelaus and held out her
hand, signaling that she had chosen him.
The next morning, Odysseus had imagined
that all of the suitors would be leaving to go home. But to his
surprise, most of them were sticking around. He knew exactly
why: they were wanting to marry Penelope. Seeing all of the
remaining suitors, the king decided that he did not need gold or riches
in exchange for his daughter, but whoever won at a foot race would get
to take her as his wife. And guess who won the race!?"
"I'm
sure it was Odysseus, mom," Chloe responded.
"Indeed."
"Then the king turned to his daughter
and asked her if she wanted to move far away to Ithaca. She told
her father yes, because Odysseus was her husband. And from that
point on, Penelope was Odysseus's richest treasure.
"So you see, dear, it's
true. Men like the chase... literally! Boys should have to
work hard to attain you. I like how
Cole asked you to the formal; he didn't just text message you the day
before. He had a plan and he followed through with it, like
Odysseus," Chloe's mother told her.
"Geez, mom! That is kind
of a stretch! Cole and I aren't getting married!" Chloe said as
she and her
mother laughed.
"Ha-ha, yes I know! But
his
actions reminded me of Odysseus and I love telling you stories anyway."
Author's note: Here, I
retold A Race for a Wife. In this episode, I wanted the tone to
be more upbeat. I also wanted Cole to ask Chloe to the dance
because she is the sweet and deserving one. I wanted to show a
guy working hard to get what he wants. My mother always taught me
that the boys love the chase, so I incorporated some real conversations
between me and my mother. The relationship between Chloe and her
mother is very realistic. Also, I kept the story basically the
same. I summarized most of it, and I only left out a few minor
details. Here, I tried to parallel Odysseus to Cole. I am
very
pleased with the finished product!
Link to A
Race for a Wife.
From The Baldwin Project. Retold by James Baldwin. 1905.
Image: Prom Cartoon
URL: link