#AFTER_THE_STORM
©Sir Zach
EPISODE 9
The show ended around some minutes to midnight and all the invited guests had dispersed.
Everyone was in their room, changing into their original cloths… I was already in the cloth that Franca had initially given me and was helping her to tidy up the place. All the models were just giggling and cheering at me,…it was amazing how they have all fallen inlove with me except for Tanya who was nowhere to be found.
“You are one badass Scarlett.” Said one of them whose name I couldn’t catch.
“Franca, I think you should let her join us at least.” Kerubo suggested, she was one of those that had finally introduced themselves to me.
“You ladies should keep quiet . I can hear Lucia coming.” Franca said and immediately, everyone minded their businesses.. as usual, the sound of her shoes was prominent…
As she came to the room, she was searching the faces of everyone in the room and when her eyes met mine she stopped shortly, Tanya came in to join us.
“Whose idea was it that someone that had never practiced with us, never knew anything about this company and worse without my approval or knowledge… whose idea was it for such a person to walk on the runway?”
A shiver ran down my spine, I thought she liked it, I thought she approved it.. i thought…
“It was Francas’ idea.” Tanya blurted intentionally.
Everywhere was quiet as Madame walked towards her…
I was scared, I looked at Tanya, she seemed pleased, I looked at Franca, she looked troubled…
“I’m sorry it was my idea, I shouldn’t have …” I quickly said, stepping in Madame’s way so I was standing between her and Franca.
“It was ATieno’s idea Madame, that bitch is pregnant, and she asked Franca to give that wretched girl her spot.” Tanya said callously.
“Shut up Tanya!” I shouted at the girl angrily..I was just so angry.
“You shut up! You should not be here in the first place!” She shouted back at me.
“Now I am, why don’t you get used to it and suck it up!” I shouted at her back.
“How dare you talk to me like that?” She sounded more angry and was moving towards me…
“Will you two shut up right now or do you want me to throw you out?” Madame Lucia screamed at us and we both kept quiet.
“Now as I was saying..Franca, what you did was not clever, it was stupid and reckless. What if she had messed up all the weeks of practicing we did?” Madame addressed Franca who was mute and whose head was bowed.
“What if she had embarrassed all of us outside there. Tanya was there, she had no more spot left, you could have used her.”
I ignored the look of satisfaction on Tanya’s face.
“I’m sorry I just..” Franca began…
“Do not interrupt me!” Madame shouted at her and she kept quiet again. Then she faced me.
“And you, have you been doing this before?”
I shook my head.
“Well, then, Franca, you just brought out another star!”
All of us were surprised…
“Groom her and let her know what she is to do. She will be working here as from now on. Goodnight ladies.” Madame said, picked her puppy and left the room.
Tanya looked surprised like all of us… her face looked terribly defeated but she said nothing, she just ran out of the room while the rest rushed to hug me and I screamed my head off.
******* *****
I was surprised at how the town was still lively despite it was past midnight. The rest have all gone and I was outside the building, standing by the side of the road. I didn’t have anywhere to go and I was afraid of telling anyone…I actually didn’t mind sleeping outside as long as I get to work everyday…
The night was getting colder and I clutched the purse in my hand tightly… Franca has said the dress and everything was mine now, the first set of beautiful things that I would have.
I thought I should probably sit in front of the building so I began to look for a comfortable spot….just then, a car light shone brightly at me. I had to protect my eyes with the back of my hand…
The car pulled over beside me….
“Holy Jesus! Scarlet, what are you doing out there?”
I relaxed as I spotted Franca’s face at the driver’s seat.
“I..I…”I stammered.
“Don’t you have a place to go…damn! It’s about to rain..come in, come in….”
I stood up and rushed to get into the passenger’s seat, closing the door behind me.
“Were you planning to sleep there?” She turned to face me and asked gently, trying not to sound surprised.
I nodded, a bit ashamed of myself.
“Well, its either you are crazy or you have a long story to tell me, which is it?”
“I have a story to tell…” I replied.”
“I figured.” She replied, turned the ignition key and we drove away.
_____
“Your story reminds me of someone.” Franca said after we got home and narrated my story to her
“Who?” I asked, sipping from a cup of tea.
“Lucia.” She replied.
“Why did you say that?”
“Because she had a rough start too. Don’t mind the whole paparazzi , she had been through hell . She sees me as her confidante even though she can be scary. She only wants people to fear her so they can handle her dream with caution. She has been my friend since foster home. We lost contact before she became a model. A black American model, Naomi Campbell, do you know her?”
I nodded.
“Good. She trained her. she found her just like you found her, only that, she went to clean Naomi’s shoes. It was during the press’ frenzy, Naomi was holding an icecream but it dropped on her million dollar shoe, Lucia was in the crowd and she rushed to clean the shoes with …what do you think she used to clean it?”
Franca looked at me, half smiling as she expected my reply.
I thought for a while. What could she use apart from her cloth or an handky…
“An handkerchief?” Franca shook her head.
“Her dress”
“Nope. She leaked it.”
I gasped. “She did what?”
“She leaked the shoe. She said it was too fine to be stained, and the icecream was too sweet to be wasted….”
“wow!” I blurted out. The image of Lucia leaking someone else’s shoe was just impossible…
“So, Naomi Campbell took her with her and trained her and now, she has the biggest fashion magazines in Africa. We slept in the street together before she made it, and she searched for me. Then I was working as a fashion designer at Uganda, now I work with my bestfriend even though we often fight most times, she doesn’t tell anyone her secret except me.”
I breathed in deeply.
“There are so many homeless people out there but something keep them going, that is their dream. If you have a dream, you do not know how fortunate you are. A pauper with a dream is better than a rich kid without a dream…he has nothing to live for but the pauper has something that will eventually propel him to make it, coming to Nairobi was for you to make it. Now the decision is yours. Do you want to make your dream come true here, or not?”
“Yes I do.” I replied hastily.
“Tanya will not make it easy for you, you know that. The road to success is not an easy one, the road to failure is the easiest road to take….so my fairy, its time to decide…” she caressed my cheek with the back of my hand.
“I will do anything to make myself proud of me… I am determined to let my mother know I am not a scar.. rather I am meant to become a star… a shining scarlett…”
“Brilliant. That is the spirit! Now, you are welcome to your new home. I am in my late thirties so you don’t need to call me Aunt or anything like I had said, everyone calls me Franca, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I will teach you everything you need to know about fashion designing… I make cloths for Lucia’s clothing line. All the cloths the ladies wore today, I made them, including the one you are putting on, the governors cloths and many big women from outside the country and within…..”
I smiled in excitement.
“I work at the basement. Tomorrow I will take you there but first, let me show you your room….come with me..”
I stood up excitedly and as I followed her, she stopped.
“I forgot something, someone from the audience sent you a parcel.”
I was taken aback.
“A parcel?”
“Yea.” She nodded, going through her big Gucci bag. She brought out a big white box. On it was a card.
“It is addressed to ….” Franca began, cut the card out and began to read the inscription…”the girl on fire” I guess you just gave yourself an accolade” She said, giggling.
I collected the parcel, curiously.
“But who would send me a parcel?”
“Probably one of the people you wowed with your demonstration. Comeon open it. Most of the girls receive gifts like this when they have already spent about a month or….”
She stopped as I removed the cover of the box.
“Oh my God! Those are the Luis Vitton Pink toe shoes. These cost more than my salary in two months !” Franca screamed, removing the shoes.
“Who would send those to me..plus, how expensive are we talking about?”
“Like, the price can buy this big mansion and the car outside. That’s all I can say..but God! Let’s see who it came from. if the girls see this they will worship you till they die”
I took the card from the floor and we went through it together it was just a signature…MA.
“MA? Do you know anyone with those initials?” I asked .
Franca thought for a while and said. “Wow! MA, Mark Anderson. That’s …wow..that’s Tanya’s boyfriend and I just remembered, he gave her this same gift the very night they met….”
.
.
Geun Geun! Its official! War just started between Tanya and Scarlett.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 10