CHAPTER TWO PART 2 (PART I)
CHAP AND LYDI
After the morning class, Lydi walked to Chap’s Seat,
“Organize people in groups of five and get back to me,” Lydi ordered Chap.
Chap wasn’t shocked by how badly Lydi treated her; Ian had told her more about how Lydi was.
“Okay, Miss!”
Chap knew just how to handle her.
“Should be done before professor Kasa’s class,”
“As you say Miss.” Chap said nonchalantly
“I’m glad you know that I am Miss to you,”
“Yes, Miss Lydi,” said Chap and smiled a dry smile.
Lydi expected Chap to flare up as she tried so much to make her get into a fight, but Chap was sharp enough to choose not to let her anger control her. She was ashamed of how much Chap had humbled her; she smiled to kill the awkwardness of the situation and walked away.
Chap hadn’t made so many friends, so she had to walk alone to her mum’s cafeteria to help her with dishes and serving. Brian would join them later after his afternoon classes.
Chap and Kasa
On her way down the stairs, she bumped into Professor Kasa, who’d watched her walk the stretch from class,
“Hello Professor,”
“Hello, Chap, is it?”
“Yes, you got that right.”
“Can I have five of your minutes?”
“Sure Professor,” she said as she smiled,
Walking side by side with her lecturer, who gave her the pleasure of just addressing her as Kasa, they casually got into her fancy office.
Chap was amazed by the deco in her office, mostly the photos of famous male and female models. They were so beautiful, exactly what Chap always dreamt of looking like. Of course, she had the body but lacked skills, money, fame, and confidence.
As she stared at the models, Kasa stared at her before she said,
“I can tell you wish that you were like them.”
“Yeah but wishes aren’t horses,”
“They started at a small place, too; you know you can; you are tall with an admirable body.”
“I just wish I could be like them but I’m more interested in writing novels and scripts.”
“And who said you can’t be more than a writer? You can be a writer, model and even a dancer.”
“Oh Kasa, it’s not as easy for me!”
“Excuses will never take you anywhere, I propose you join the school’s fashion club.”
Chap laughed loudly; she could not even imagine herself cat-walking before all those students during fashion weeks. She really had confidence issues, if not self-esteem.
“No! I’m not that type,” she said, touching the portraits, “besides, it’s only for the rich; I barely can afford original lipsticks.”
“Listen, I didn’t even come from a rich family, but once you want something, you believe and grab it, own it. I can picture you on magazines, from grass to grace you know, apart from that it will be easier for you to get that a job you always dream to get, Tv personality. Most importantly, your work, I mean novels will sell easily.”
“Makes sense, but I don’t think I’m that beautiful! I mean I’m just a girl with a basic face!”
“Hilarious! D’you have any idea of how beautiful you are, girl! “
Chap was shocked that such a beauty as her lecturer, Kasa, found her beautiful!
“Really? I’ve never thought I was…”
“You are beautiful, just do me a favour and think about it.”
“Okay, thank you I’ll take my leave,”
“Okay, bye and think about it.”
“okay, bye”
~~~
CHAP’S POV.
The day had been hectic for me, especially with so many dishes to wash at the cafeteria since Brian hadn’t shown up. He had an exam that took longer than we expected.
He was my personal confidant; he knew how to correct me and how to make me smile. At first, when he came to live with us when his parents died, I didn’t like just how much he was talkative and all over. I felt insecure because my mum paid more attention to him than me, and if you ask me, I’d already started hating him. Until he told me why he behaved as he did, his life story was worth my tears, and when I felt like he was the person who understood me more, I grew fond of him more than I expected.
I cooked our favorite meal as I waited for him to come home. For some reason, I just wanted to spend more time talking to him that night about my previous nightmare and also what my lecturer had suggested. I wouldn’t keep my mum awake to talk to her about it because she was so tired, but mostly because it was Brian who knew the youth in me.
Soon, he was home immediately after Mum went to bed; he looked both exhausted and happy.
“Hey princess,” he said as he planted a peck on my left cheek.
“Hey, how was the exam?”
“Don’t even ask; the most important part is that I’ll never do such an exam again, and it’s also on a Friday, you know what that means, princess,” he raised his flash up smiling, “movie!”
I’d even forgotten that it was on a Friday, our favorite day. We could afford a flat-screen TV thanks to Brian’s small jobs here and there; I’d say he was an engineer by birth. Apart from that, he had a passion for fashion.
“I’m excited,” I said vaguely because I was deep in other thoughts, “but I want to talk to you about something,”
He moved closer to me, scrutinizing me as he always did if he wanted to find out if something was bothering me. He squinted his eyes and beautifully raised his left brow. He’s always had thick brows that I know he didn’t even need as we females need them; as they say, brows and the eyes mark almost all the beauty in a lady, but I had little if any, brows and small eyes, no wonder I didn’t find me beautiful, but also ugly would be an overstatement.