SEA OF FROGS

Venice paced nervously around her luxurious apartment, her heart pounding with anxiety. She knew she couldn't face her family for the upcoming vacation without a man by her side. Her younger sister Keke was happily dating a basketball player, and her introverted younger brother Harry had somehow managed to secure a girlfriend. Meanwhile, Venice's love life was in shambles.

She was desperately in need of a man to accompany her to her family's vacation in Italy. Venice picked up her phone and dialed her friend Nina's number. As the phone rang, she anxiously bit her lip, hoping Nina would answer.

Venice was a picture of elegance. Her ginger hair glistened under the afternoon sun and her light brown eyes sparkled with a lively spirit. She was an attractive, successful woman at 25 working as Head of Marketing in her father's colossal company, "The Wilson Group", but something major was missing from her life.

Getting up from her chair, Venice strolled over to her favorite spot, a small balcony overlooking the lagoon. As the soft breeze blew through her hair, she blurted,

"Hello, Nina dear, I need your help."

The automated robotic response was the last thing she expected.

"This user is currently unavailable, please leave a message."

There was something peculiar about the wording. Furrowing her brows, Venice tried again,

"Hello Nina, my family vacation is in two days. I need a man to accompany me. You know how it looks; my younger sister and younger brother are coming with their plus ones."

Again she received the monotone reply, "This user is currently unavailable, in fact, this user is confused. Do not leave a message." She almost dropped her phone, laughing at her friend's ingenuity.

Leaning on the parapet, she shouted into the phone, "Ninaaaaaa! This is serious! I thought I could do it on my own but apparently, I can't." She could almost hear her friend's hearty laughter through the silence. Nina finally responded, her voice full of amusement, "So, now you've decided to come to 'Nina the Great,' the manufacturer of men, for help? Tell me, Venice, where can I possibly find a reasonable and responsible man to play pretend with you for one week?"

Venice just laughed. Nina was always a breath of fresh air – unpredictable and filled with laughter. "That's why you're called Nina the Great, the helper of people," Venice retorted, goading her friend further. Nina burst into bolts of laughter at that, "You've come to the right place. But due to the short time frame, he could only be reasonable or responsible. You can't have it all." The phone buzzed with her laughter.

"You know," Venice started, giving a long sigh into the phone, "Harry is bringing someone and Keke, remember, her basketball player boyfriend?" Her voice trailed off as she took in the enormity of the situation. There was a moment of silence at the other end and then Nina's voice rang through the phone, still laughing, "I understand, I would do my best."

As she hung up, the loneliness felt more profound than before. She couldn’t believe that she was in this situation, searching for a man in this manner but she'd rather do this than stand the sarcasm of her younger sister Keke or the scolding and probing of her parents, especially her mom. She had everything a man could possibly desire: beauty, success, wealth, but she was not able to find the right one.

Nina, on the other hand, lived her life with humor and grace. A successful fashion designer, she worked with top brands and was even a celebrity in her own right. She loved to live life and enjoy herself, she was not in a relationship with anyone but she had dates with several guys and she even had a "no strings attached" kind of arrangement with several others. Venice was a beauty to behold yet, here she was, the extroverted introvert with the gift of the gab, confronting the challenges of fate and time, trying to manufacture a companion for a family trip.

The next two days were going to be interesting.

As the yellow sunset gave way to a thick darkness, Venice thought about Nina's prank. A gentle laugh escaped her. She was lucky to have a friend like Nina, who added color to every moment, yet had the wisdom to know how to navigate through life and provide solutions to problems.