Vera Bundle, now tied with the priest, knew she had to answer the next question to win the round. If she didn’t, she and Father Brady would each have to answer more questions until one of them broke the tie.

Rip Puckett said, “Vera, are you ready? Get this question right and you win the round. Okay, your question is: We know the Paraguay River runs through Paraguay. What other country does it run through?”

Vera didn’t hesitate. She quickly answered, “Bolivia.”

Puckett screeched, “You…are…absolutely…right!”

The audience cheered for Vera Bundle.

Vera had won the first game. The final score: 3 points for Bundle, 2 points for Brady, and 1 point for Durch.

Rip Puckett thanked the priest. The audience gave him a hearty round of applause. He shrugged his shoulders. He was visibly distraught. He would have to continue thinking of a solution regarding the monumental problem of Rosa Gambino.

Pasty Arthur Durch looked as though he had been condemned to death. As the model Beautiful Monique came to lead Arthur Durch off the stage, he jerked his arm away from her and walked up to a nearby television camera, his eyes filled with tears. He blew a kiss into the camera and said, “Bye, Evie. I love you.” The camera was not operating. The show had paused for another commercial.

Durch, devastated beyond belief, returned to the temporary green room with the other losers. He stood by himself off to the side while the show’s assistant producers gave the eliminated contestants their mandatory job-well-done farewell speeches and little bags of cheesy gifts for doing the show: tacky men’s aftershave lotion, a perfume for ladies that made most people nauseous, several CDs by unknown NBC artists, and a baseball hat that had THE BIG QUESTION printed on the front. Arthur shook his head and put up his hands, warding off the bag of gifts.

“I don’t want anything,” he muttered.

Arthur Durch suddenly had to leave the repulsively festive scene. He was desperately in need of fresh air.

Durch left the new green room, walked quickly down the long gray hall with all the framed color portraits of NBC stars, past and present, rode the elevator in silence, and pushed himself through the revolving door into the cool evening. When Arthur stepped out onto the pavement, he found himself separated on both sides from the screaming multitude by thick red ropes.

And then he thought he saw her!

In the crowd’s front line on his right was his Evelyn. She was holding on to the red rope so she wouldn’t be jostled out of her place. There was so much confusion, so many people pushing and pulling at one another, he wasn’t sure it was really her. It was either someone who looked just like Evelyn…or…or…

Arthur couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed each one with a knuckle of his hand and then he looked again. It was her. It was Evelyn Lounge Durch! It was his wonderful wife. He ran to her and they hugged and hugged with the thick red rope between them.