Behind door No. 2

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To the Editor:

Door No. 1, door No. 2, or Carol Merrill? Do those words sound familiar? I remember watching the game show “Let’s Make a Deal” when I was a kid, and not fully acknowledging the passage of time, I was shocked to find that the show celebrated its 50th anniversary a few years ago. It was a silly show, but one that really appealed to me then.

Adults would dress up in costumes best saved for Halloween, and would then mug for the camera for all to see. It was a silliness that I enjoyed.

My favorite part of the show was when Monty Hall would offer a lucky contestant three choices: door No. 1, door No. 2, or the mystery door behind model and show hostess Carol Merrill.

In my recollection, door No. 1 might open to reveal a lovely but modest bedroom set, and behind door No. 2 there might be some shiny new household appliances. Just the things to underwhelm contestants. Then there was Carol Merrill. She stood in front of an unopened door, behind which might have been the one item on Earth that the contestants had always longed for and never once believed they could own.

And then they made their choice. I was never surprised when they chose door No. 1 or 2, but I was disappointed. I always hoped that they would choose Carol Merrill. I don’t have any statistics on this, but what stands out in my memory are the colossal failures that were made in selecting Carol Merrill’s mystery door: perhaps someone’s old couch, or a lifetime supply of expired canned goods. Maybe there were good things behind that door too, but I don’t remember it that way. I just remember people passing up the useful if somewhat boring choice for a chance at who knows what.

I recalled that show recently as I watched Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers dropping. It seems to me that she epitomizes door No. 1 or 2. She represents something practical, something serviceable, something we may be able to use, but not anything we can get excited about.

On the other hand, a Trump presidency is waiting behind the mystery door. So much anticipation, excitement, and promise. He could represent anything! Sure, it might be bad, but why think negatively? He could represent the very best thing that has ever happened to this country … or he could be the cesspool backing up into the house.

Recently I heard a prospective voter saying that he just wants a change. He doesn’t care how risky that might be. He is bored with the way things have been going. In that one statement, I felt my senior citizenship more than I had ever felt it from seeing the old face that looks back at me from the mirror, or from learning that “Let’s Make a Deal” was on over 50 years ago. My age gripped me because it occurred to me that at this time in my life, I have learned to cherish the boring, the predictable, and the necessary. I realized that I do not look to my government for excitement — that’s what I have sports teams for!

So this year I will tell my inner adolescent, the one who is crazy enough to be wondering what a Trump presidency would bring, to be quiet. This is not a game show. When the contestants selected the mystery door and wound up with a truckload of old tires, I suspect that someone on the show’s staff took care of the disposal. With this election, however, there are no helpful staff members — no one to assist us all in the event that the mystery door is attached to Pandora’s box.

Deborah Wells

West Tisbury