The contest was over and it was time to announce a winner. The audience was still and silent, as everyone held their breath. Dawn and two other young women, Olga Wick and Trina Lakes, stood on stage praying they would be the winner.
The announcer picked up the envelope and walked to the podium. Dawn's heart was pounding, her hands wringing with sweat. This win was the last one she needed.
He opened the envelope slowly. Carefully read the card that was inserted inside and then he spoke.
"Ladies and gentleman, let's give all of our lovely contestants a round of applause. They all worked extremely hard to get here and each one of them deserves this win." The audience cheered for all three young ladies. The three girls looked at each other nervously and really had no animosity towards each other. They had been lifting and competing with each other for years and had formed a kinship. Then the announcer read the card.
"Our second runner up and the winner of five thousand dollars is...Miss Olga Wick." Olga hugged her two competitors. He then started to read again. "And the winner of the Miss Beach Body of Scranton and the prize of fifty-thousand dollars is Miss Dawn Marcolini!" The announcer yelled. Gunther rushed to his younger sister and held her in the air. She'd done it. His baby sister took the championship.
The three girls screamed and were genuinely happy for each other. Although Dawn took home the big purse, her two friends had sizable winnings as well. As first runner up, Trina was walking away with ten thousand dollars in prize money.
Dawn Marcolini had just turned eighteen and was headed to college, not just any college, but the Walter Williams School of Therapies. Dawn's dream was to become a physical therapist.
Gunther Marcolini was proud as he celebrated for her because she'd worked hard and deserved this win. He recalled when she first came to live with him. It was a tough time for both of them. Their parents were killed in a traffic accident a year earlier, dying instantly leaving their thirteen year old daughter orphaned.
When then, 20 year old Gunther learned his parents were killed, he was a mess. He was on the circuit, drinking, gambling, and sleeping around. Taking on his kid sister was something he wasn't ready for, but he had to sober up and grow up quickly. It took almost a year, months of rehab, but he was able to gain custody of his baby sister.
Dawn came to live with her brother when she was fourteen years old.
Small, quiet and not sure where she fit, Dawn stayed away from people when she first arrived.
The loss of her parents devastated the young girl and she internalized a lot of her grief. Gunther had no idea what to do with his sister, who was hurting so badly, but he knew she would stay with him and he'd protect her.
Every night he'd listen as she cried herself to sleep not knowing how to help her with her grief. He even asked the other lifters for help and they pitched in as much as they could.
No one seemed to be able to comfort the heartbroken little girl that had lost everything.
One day, Gunther was at work when he got hurt and his friend Tasha picked Dawn up from school.
Dawn walked out and saw Tasha standing, "Where's Gunther?" she asked the much older lady.
"I'm sorry sweetie. He's fine, but he had a accident at work." She explained.
Dawn went ballistic. She'd lost her parents in an accident and now her brother was in one as well.
Tasha tried to calm the girl down, but Dawn was near hysterics at the thought of losing Gunther as well.
