Birds With Broken Wings

35* Graffiti World

Jay was performing for free for the event organized by One for All, a major charity organization in the company and the proceeds would be donated to charity homes all over the country. I'd have loved to attend but an Instagram blogger has reposted a video of him and Sameera en route to Graffiti world and that had cut off all my intentions to attend.

A knock on the door cut through my reverie and Jemima was quick to open the door.

"It's time," the white-haired girl that stuck her head in announced, "the photographer is already around."

"Alright," Jemima beamed as if someone just offered her a piece of chocolate cookies, "we'll be out in a minute."

"Cool," the door banged shut at the same time I stood to my feet and I had to slightly massage my legs because of the slight paralysis I felt on them.

I shielded my eyes from the sun immediately I stepped out of the car and almost immediately, Jemima stepped out after me while holding the umbrella over my head.

What initially welcomed us, me was a hushed silence as if the whole little crowd standing and loitering around the space that has been sort of enclosed for the photoshoot were all forced into some kind of silence when they saw me and I found myself looking around to take in their stunned expressions. They couldn't be more than 10 and to say I was stunned that they were looking at me with their stunning expressions would probably be an understatement until I realized they've never thought they could get to work with someone so up there like me in their lifetime because Nivex had always been a local brand until it sponsored one of the films mom starred in last year and the public surged out in masses to buy the soap mom's character used in the film and now the brand was rich enough to sign Tamara Wright as their first brand ambassador.

The stunned silence of seeing someone they never thought they'd see soon dissipated into low whispers, furtive glances, and disguised pointings.

I found myself halting in my steps, consciousness sweeping through my entire body at the intense gazing, the murmurs wrapping itself around my throat, attempting to cut off my airflow, their words morphing into a dagger on my chest, stabbing into my heart and rendering me immobile.

She's not really all that, right?

She doesn't look half as pretty and hot as she looks like in pictures sef, pretty sure all of them must have been photoshopped.

Sameera Aliu should have gotten the deal, I'm sure she's way better than her.

It all boils down to her mom's influence. She'd have never gotten this deal if not for Gina Wright.

The words continued, growing even louder, more callous, the dagger digging more into my heart, the pressure around my neck tightening even more.

"She's greeting you," I felt Jemima's breath on my ear at the same time I heard her words and all the harsh whispers quietened down as suspiciously as they came.

"Hi Tamara," the face that belonged to my brand manager miraculously came to in front and she had an almost skeptical look in her eyes as she stared up at me, "I've been talking to you for a couple of minutes now," she continued, "but it seems like you zoned out, you weren't replying."

"Ohhhh," I replied distractedly, my eyes leaving hers to glance around. They were people around, setting up lightening equipment, arranging the skin care products, and just setting everything in place. They seemed almost cautious or maybe conscious of themselves and I noticed how they seemed to be darting furtive glances at me. I met a teenage girl's eyes and her eyes widened before she looked away hurriedly and she nearly tumbled over the table where she was arranging the products.