BY TERI WILLIAMS
PHOTOS BY LILLIAN MORSE BURTON
ove finds
a way
LIFE HAS TAUGHT BRADLEY AND CARLY BENTON THAT LOVE WILL CONQUER
THE OBSTACLES THAT LIE IN OUR PATH AND SET US ON THE RIGHT COURSE.
Hometown Living At Its Best 67
With only two finalists left on stage,
Bradley slid to the edge of his seat. He
was only seconds from discovering if
he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
All he could think of now was how presumptuous
he’d been to take that eight-month break from his
girlfriend Carly to figure some things out. “Like if I
was ready to grow up or stay a kid,” said Bradley and
rolled his eyes.
A lot happened in those eight months of
separation. Bradley knew in his heart that the break
had not been a mistake, no matter how this night
turned out. It had been a time of invaluable soul
searching and some growing up, too. One of the most
important things he realized was that he loved Carly
and wanted to marry her. But after practically no
contact for eight months, he figured he might need
a little help reestablishing their relationship. He’d
actually gone to her parents and grandparents before
showing up at her apartment just to ask for their
blessing.
“Wait,” I said, briefly interrupting his story. “You
went to her grandparents too?”
“And her brother.” Bradley smiled. “They’re a
very close family.”
The announcer looked at the card in his hand
that would seal his fate. Bradley glanced once more
at the beautiful young woman on stage. “I just had to
resign myself to the fact that I might be dating Miss
Georgia for a year,” he said.
If Carly won Miss Georgia, she would have a
yearlong commitment to fulfill. “You don’t go to
school, you don’t take a job. You spend the year
traveling to different events as Miss Georgia, and
then you compete in Miss America. That’s it,” said
Carly. “I started competing in middle school when
my dance instructor suggested it in order to give
me more opportunity to perform my dance solos.
Talent is a big part of your score in the Miss Georgia
Program.” (With her income as dance teacher and
pageant winnings, Carly was able to graduate college
debt free).
Although the prospect of dating Miss Georgia
might sound exciting, Bradley didn’t want to