Think (Slightly-Over-5 Minute Freewrite)

Vivian sat in the chair staring blankly at the crowd of judgmental strangers. Think, she told herself. Think harder. Nothing came to mind. She had two minutes left to come up with an answer before she’d be kicked out of the game. Jonathan would know the answer, or at least an answer. She wished at that moment that she had taken him up on those free improv classes at the local theater. It was only two blocks from her front door, and she had always felt too intimidated to join, lest she succumb to stage fright. And yet, somehow she had thought that going on a live game show on national television would be a great idea. When they selected her as a contestant, she instantly regretted that decision. On the other hand, Jonathan always knew the right thing to say in a pinch. One time, they snuck into a building in the middle of the night to gaze at the city lights from its rooftop because he managed to convince the security guard of some sort of nonsense that seemed totally implausible to her, but he had said it in such an assertive way. Even nonsense makes sense when you're confident enough. Improv skills. What was it he said again? She thought about it, combing her memories.

WAIT. Why was she wandering through years' old memories? She needed to keep thinking about the matter at hand. She knew this. Didn’t she see a documentary about Mogadishu on Netflix that one time? Or was that Nairobi? She had always thought she was so good at geography, but stage fright was taking over and her mind had nothing to say. One minute left. Come on, Vivian, you know this one. Think. The ensuing minute seemed like a split second and an eternity all at once. The timer buzzed. Dead silence. The crowd held its breath. “What’s your answer, Vivian? What country's capital is Mogadishu?” She responded with the first country that came to mind: “Somalia…?” The host paused for an uncomfortable few seconds. "That's... CORRECT!" Confetti floated down from the ceiling in slow motion. The crowd cheered in a deafening roar.

“Congratulations, Vivian! Where are you going to go with your $500,000?” She stared at the host. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might actually win this thing. What was she supposed to say? Somehow, she couldn’t even come up with a response to a question with infinite answers. What does one do with $500,000? She felt like vomiting as the crowd's cheering subsided into an awkward and confused silence. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Um... I have to go... now.” She bolted offstage.

This was a 5 minute freewrite, as prompted by @mariannewest and @freewritehouse. Okay, I admit it, it was closer to 8, and I definitely took at least 5 minutes to find the perfect photo in my phone, and I may have done some heavy editing... but, I pinky swear, I'll play by the rules next time.