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Fourteen
"My name is Zainab Alkali."
I send her a glance before walking to the kitchen to get her a glass of water, she's not fasting due to health purposes. Once she has downed the whole glass, I settle into my seat and observe her.
She's shorter than I am, around five feet five inches, she's very excited given away by the tapping of her feet, she looks like someone who likes books because she has on this Harry Potter shirt gown over a pair of leggings and gladiator sandals.
"What are your qualifications?" She bites her lips before answering. "I'm a graduate of the university of Abuja, studied public relations." I send her a sceptical glance.
"Aren't you supposed to be interning in some PR company? What would working for an actress do for you?" She smiles, making me smile too for her smile is very beautiful.
"Well, I want to be an agent and the best way to start is to be the PA to an act
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Misfortunate Sixteen
"So, act out the war scene in scene twenty." I nod and pull my scarf around my head tightly as I walk to the affixed horse they placed in the middle of the room. I climbed on it using the faux stirrup and balanced myself, nodding for the operator to turn it on.The buzzing of the moulded horse startles me and I hold up my fist, shouting with what I hope sincerely is a good war-like cry. I bend after a few seconds, my eyes squinted as though I am Queen Amina and I have a few enemies in front of my horse. The horse stops moving and I stop, looking towards the place where the audition directors are seated. Their faces betray nothing, so I calmly get down from the horse, adjust my multi colored linen kimono and walk back to their front."Please act the death scene in act one." I quickly rack my brain for the death scene, it's where Queen Amina's grandfather who favored her dies, in a flashback. I sink to the floor in a loud piercing but regal cry and do a renactment of many times I've cri
Misfortunate Fifteen
The first day of Eid came bright and early, I'm cutting up Vegetables for the salad we'll eat when Abdul, Amal and my mother-in-law return from Eid prayers.The door buzzes downstairs and I rush to pick my phone, call the doorman downstairs to allow the caterer bring the food upstairs. I slide on a longer hijab and wait at the elevator door for the caterer. The door swishes open and in comes a slightly heavy set fair skinned woman, she's Yoruba, cooks food for small occasions like this one."Hello ma'am." She smiles at me and hands me the full bag, when I take it, my hand drops, the bag is heavy. I thank her and pay her balance and watch the elevator doors slide shut behind her.When I get back to the kitchen, I set out big foil plates covered with cling film platters of Jollof, fried rice, and pepper soup. I turn each into a microwavable plate and put the pepper soup in the microwave to get hot again in time for the Eid prayers goers to return.Just as I shut the microwave's door, my
Misfortunate Eighteen
"Ask them how much it costs to bump you up to first class. Take the cost out of this credit card immediately." Zainab sighs and takes the black and gold embossed card I put money in for my needs. I frown at her in mock annoyance and she turns to go back to the counter. They will soon call the flight and somehow, my assistant put herself in economy when she's with a huge hand luggage."I've boosted it." I sigh and take back the card, motioning for her to take a seat beside me. She complies and goes pulls out her phone to use it, I look away from her and look around the buzzing airport. Today, I am flying to Kaduna where we'll be driven to a small village just after Zazzau to do most of the shooting.Zainab packed three boxes for just me, filled with trackwear, casual wear and outing wear, mosquito repellent, and just totally useful stuff. When it was weighed, I gasped and paid the overcharge with my hands on my eyes. Thankfully, the filming c
Misfortunate Seventeen
"So they want you. For the lead role." I lean back in my filming chair and say a quiet Alhamdulillah. I've nagged Allah for the past one week every single time I got down on my knees to pray. "Thank you Ms Opeyemi. I don't even know what to say to you. You're a blessing." She chuckles and asks me to get ready. "Filming begins in six weeks?!" I exclaim and wonder how Abdul would allow me go that far and for so long. My thoughts get cut short when she speaks. "Would you repeat what you said?" I asked politely. "I said, I've asked Zainab to get a full list of all the things you both would need, and how you'd need them. She'll get to you tomorrow so you both can plan. How's that?" I nodded and ended the call carefully. The task now would be getting Abdul to agree to me going to Kaduna. I looked outside my window and watched the rainy sun rise after the huge thunderstorm that lashed everywhere last night and early this morning, luckily all I have to do I rest in, make spicy noodles an
Misfortunate Nineteen
"BeebahShe, put more energy in your eyes! You're supposed to be talking with your whole face, stop letting your facial muscles twitch and let youe eyes do the fucking talking!" I nod erratically and get up from where I'm kneeling in front of the camera. We just had a scene where my beloved grandfather dies and we're having reaction shots, I'm supposed to be crying and letting my emotions do the talking.I shake my head as they powder under my eyes and apply light balm to my lips to shine it and wonder how I got this role. All the other actors do their very best and quickly too, filming gets accomplished in one quick take. I sigh and turn to see Onimisi arrive behind Teniola, the director who was screaming at me earlier.The technician, comes and adjusts the miniscule Microphone hanging to my scarf and says very quietly before I can apologise. "Onimisi says to think of a bad memory to bring forth tears far quickly and take it from there." I n
Misfortunate Twenty
"I forgot my incense burner at home. It would be so useful now that I have this amazing turaren." I picked up some of the incense flakes and put them near my nose in appreciation after speaking."They truly smell nice. I didn't know they had such good incense in this area." I slid Zainab a look at the sceptical look she gave the incense I was appreciating. She, like other people believes that the best incense comes only from Chad or Maiduguri."I'll have opportunity to burn it before we leave. The way I am with new things is so crazy, I'll have a bad itch to use it and until I make use of it, I won't rest." She laughed, she had noticed it and indulged me all the time."Now that shooting is over, what are you doing this weekend before the dinner at the emir's palace?" I covered the bucket of sandalwood incense before turning to answer her question. We had finally wrapped up Amina of Zazzau yesterday and I could not be hap
Misfortunate Twenty One
"... Thank you for flying with us, we have a bus waiting for you on the runway to take you to the main airport terminal." I happily danced in my seat and adjusted the black scarf that had come loose while I danced. I hugged the other ladies whom I'd acted with these past few weeks, most of them all returning to Lagos, only a few of us like Onimisi and three other of the minor cast were returning to Abuja.I went to Teniola Adebowale whose expertise and hardwork had turned this movie into the best I've ever acted since my career began. I took hold of her hands and shook my head, I had no words. She got up and hugged me hard, kissed both of my cheeks, seemingly understanding that I could not talk."We'll see during the premiere, once post production is finished in New York. Okay?" I nodded and let her hug me one more time. Zainab who had finished pulling all our hand luggage prompted me and we got off the plane. At the foot of the stairs, I breathed in large gulps of air, I'm back in my
Misfortunate Twenty Two
"Madam, we're done." I got up. Holding the bag that houses my camera, ring light, laptop and nearly everything I hold valuable, I follow the woman back into elevator, struggling to hold the bag next to myself before letting the lift door slid shut."I'm so sorry I called on short notice. I hope you and your partner are not angry?" The lady, a far older woman than my Ma, she wringed the rag in her hand helplessly and I sensed she wanted to say something."The kitchen was very bad. Why did you let it be like that?" I shook my head as I watched the counter reach four and the elevator pinged. " I've not been around. That's what leaving a man all by himself causes." I laughed nervously and she laughed with me. I opened the door and she followed after me, my mouth dropped as I got in.The whole place w
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