One
Maria Gonzalez had hit it big.
As it turns out, there is a formula for success, after all.
In her impoverished, God-forsaken part of the world, there is very little hope. The usual handful of big names and their families had all but locked up the economic opportunities in the country.
The hoi polloi had but one escape from reality: entertainment.
And this is where the rags like her go. Rags, with a little repackaging, training, and quite a bit of surgery, can turn into riches.
Of course, Maria Gonzalez isn’t her real name. It’s an obvious permutation of the name of the most influential politician in her country. Her handlers had mastered the formula for success: 1) change your name to resemble someone powerful; 2) get yourself “corrected” at certain parts of the body; 3) become involved in a scandal with some rich or powerful person, preferably both; and mostly importantly 4) wait for the interview, movie rights, book deals, and out-of-court settlement.
And with her recent tryst with a well-respected lawmaker, this was all but locked up.
She prepares to leave for her four-thirty press conference.