apart from that, i want you to know that no copyright infringement was intended. at all. i just own the storyline. any lyrics will have their right owners acknowledged at the end of each chapter they are in.
without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, buckle in and prepare to read this tale. tell me what you think about it in the end.
This My
Story
Chapter 1
Everyone wants to be famous. We all want to live the good
life someday, date the hottest celebrity crushes we have, and hang out with the
rich and famous. If you can sing, you imagine yourself doing duets with your favorite musicians and idols. When you can’t sing because its night time and
the whole house is asleep, yet you are having a jam session in your room, you lip-synch
and pretend to be running along an imaginary runway, waving at fans and blowing
kisses at your best friends.
For as long as I can remember, this has always been my life.
I have lain awake at night, imagining and fantasizing about how my life would
be if I got famous. All the people I would meet, all the songs I would sing,
and the amazing things my fans would do. I had spent many times thinking about
how awesome this life would be, that sometimes I spaced out for a short while
in class. Hey, I was an average student, with a passion for Chemistry and
English. That I said just before you guys started to criticize me on not paying
attention in class.
In my entire life, I had always been afraid to take a step
towards unfamiliar territories. Since my parents found out I was talented at
singing, they tried to push me in that direction when slight prodding didn’t
work. They even bought a karaoke machine which kind of ended up in my room
because I was a little too shy to keep it in the living room. They had tried to
get me to do music as a subject but I had chickened out and had picked
Agriculture instead. My parents had eventually left me alone to my devices,
because so far, I had been such a wet blanket to their suggestions. They knew
that forcing me had never really yielded any positive results so they let me
be.
I, however, managed to amuse them every week when we had a
talent show. A family talent show. I know you are smirking right now, wipe it
off. My family can be kind of. . . cheesy? Okay, my mum and dad came up with a
way to make me explore my talent when I was nine. They started “Talent Night”
which was a weekly thing. Each of us had to come up with something new to
present when we met. My mum would make something special sometimes, my dad
would sketch something (he was a part-time sketch artist) and my siblings would
do something crazy. My sister was really good at public speaking while my
brother was multi-talented. Talking about multi-talented, I mean he could rap,
sing, act, and was athletic. He was probably the one who could be famous before
me. He always had a new thing for us.
When he started taking Music classes, everyone knew he’d be
awesome. And he proved them right. He played almost every instrument in our
school’s music room, including the “nyatiti” which was basically in the league
of stringed instruments. He was the eldest kid and had so far been successful
in school. He always automatically ended up in the Popular Guys group anywhere
he went. He never liked to try to fit, because to him, it was always about
having fun. My sister had also been pretty popular and every guy wanted to be
friends with her. She was my exact opposite. Where I was tall, she was short.
She had a fit body frame, was tone-deaf and was very confident in herself. Both
of us had long hair, but hers was more manageable and dark, while mine was so
thick it looked like a broom sometimes. However, I loved it, and probably
wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I was the last one, the youngest in the family. My parents
hadn’t planned on having me, but when they realized, they did their best and
took care of me. I was born two weeks before I was due, and with a multitude of
allergies. I wasn’t kind on my mother during the pregnancy. She had to get
Maternity Leave at around seven months, my parents thought I would be a boy and
my mother gained a lot of weight before I was born. However, they never made me
feel like I was a burden. Truth be told, sometimes they let me get away with
some mistakes they probably punished my siblings for. Either way, they never
let me enjoy too much freedom as most last-born kids do. I was taught how to be
a normal kid. My brother was six years older than me, and my sister was three
at my time of birth.
As I grew up and watched my siblings take on the world, I
realized I was too scared to try being anything more than their small sister. I
was always too clumsy because I was plump. I had never been underweight, and I
was always too big for my age, despite the fact that I was kind of a poor
feeder. People always teased me for being fat and I just kind of closed up. I
was not popular at all, and was the kid no one invited to their birthday party.
When I turned thirteen, I had a big zit right on the middle of my forehead.
People called me a weirdo and pointed fingers at me. I hated school, but knew
that my parents couldn’t afford to home school me. In fact, at that time,
homeschooling was a foreign thing, considering the fact that most kids were
either in day schools or boarding schools.
My parents were amazing, so were my siblings. Home was my
happy zone, where I would find refuge from the world. When I was fourteen, my
elder brother Eddie wrote a song for me for my birthday, and my sister wrote a
poem for me. Eventually, my brother made it into a song. It was freaking
awesome! Soon, my siblings left to go to college and left me alone. My brother
got a scholarship to go study to be a pilot. My sister passed and went to
medical school at Nairobi. So, I was left at home alone, with my parents, in
our small town. I went through my first two years in high school in a trance.
I was really lucky to have grown up with my parents. They
listened to me most of the time. I had attended day school most of my life, and
perhaps it was for the best.
My humdrum life went on in a
similar fashion till my December Holiday at the end of my Form Two class. That
is when everything changed.
Chapter 2
“Wow, this is amazing,” I said, gazing up at my friend. She
had just helped me finish writing a song for the Talent Competition I had
decided to join at the last minute.
“It’s mostly your work, not mine Sarah, and I told you that
if you got the words and tune correct, then you would be rocking the stage next
week.”
I merely stuck my tongue at her. I was sixteen, sweet
sixteen, and with a sweet voice. Since I was fourteen, I had been sneaking into
the music room with her. Okay, she was an amazing Music student who found me
trying to play the piano at the music room one evening during Games time. My
brother had taught me a few things about playing and I was doing a nice job till
Caitlyn walked in and asked me if I was a new student because she had never
seen me there. After introductions, she had asked me if I could sing again.
Apparently she had heard me sing outside as I was playing. After I honored her
with my voice and me with her amazing playing, we had become fast friends.
“I can’t wait to rock everyone,” I shyly admitted. She
looked up in surprise. I smiled back at her surprised look and knew that it was
totally unexpected. I had been changing slowly thanks to her. I had never known
I could write a song till she made me believe in myself. She was amazing. Our
friendship was one of those amazing ‘out-of-this-world’ experiences. The kind
in movies.
“Whoa, I have been waiting like forever to hear you say
that.” She admitted.
“I never knew I would ever say that.”
She let out a breath that both of us had not realized she
had been holding. It was kind of weird, so we just looked at each other and
burst out laughing.
“Sarah, you still in your room?” I heard my mum ask as we giggled.
She was downstairs making supper. Today was “Talent Night” and Caitlyn had been
helping me write a song that we could sing for my parents. It was my first song
ever, and I was kind of anxious about it. Whatever my parents said could make
or break me. Okay, that is just dramatic. It couldn’t really do that. They
always supported me and always wanted the best for me. In return, I promised to
always keep my grades up. I still didn’t know what I wanted to be, but since I
had started singing, my grades had suddenly picked me up. This was amazing.
“Yes mum. Caity is staying for supper.”
“Okay.”
“As if I had a choice,” she said to me. I giggled. My mum
was basically her other mother considering the fact that both her parents were
always in America. Her mother worked at Showbiz and her dad was a
Physiotherapist. I had met them when they came over the holidays last time over
Christmas. Wait, I forgot to tell you, Caity is ‘pointee’ as in half African.
Her mother is fully White, actually half Spanish and half Mexican with a little
Italian influence. Her father on the other hand was Kenyan. Part Nandi-Kipsigis
and part Luhya. He had grown up in Kenya but had gotten a chance to go study in
America for his College. While in training, he met Caity’s mum.
Okay, let me stop mixing you guys up with my friend’s family
background. You think its complicated but just you wait till I start trying to
explain mine which I can never understand either. I had resorted to just
saying, “I am Kenyan” because the tribalism thing just wasn’t sticking. Caity
had been pleased when I told her that I had some Luhya and Kipsigis blood. That
meant we were “blood sisters” according to her.
Caity’s mother, Mrs. Geller was amusing. When she found out
the same, she said, “Thank God for you. Caity can now belong.”
I know you wonder why she is Geller. Apparently, Caity’s
dad’s dad was half white. That is, British, and I kind of thought it was weird
how he moved to USA. His great grandfather had met the love of his life, a
Maragoli lady, in Nairobi. After courting, proposing and marrying her, they
left for Britain. They had a son who was brought up in London. After attending
Oxford, he became a lawyer, pretty successful at a young age. He had studied
International Law and as soon as he graduated, he was offered plum jobs, most
of which he turned down. He left Britain in the spirit of adventure and came
back to Africa, just like his father before him. He got a job in one of the new
law firms set up by the pioneer Brits. It was post-independent Kenya and the
country needed as much help as it could get. While at Kenya, he got bewitched
by an educated local girl. It was the early 80s and the flurry of Africans
marrying foreigners was the in-thing. The girl was just in her mid twenties,
and the daughter of a Chieftain. They moved to Britain for a while, living with
his parents. They had later moved back and had a son who had grown up and moved
to America. And that is how Caitlyn Geller was born.
Look at me going on about my
Best friend and forgetting the story. So what was the question? How did I start
my rise to fame?
+++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++
My parents are probably my biggest fans. I have always known
they were awesome, but today was just the best, ever. My mum was super excited
after the performance and hugged us both, saying to us that we were totally the
rockers.
Eddie was not able to call us as he had promised. He
normally he called in using Skype, just like Caity’s mum and dad did. He had an
exam which he couldn’t miss to study for. My elder sister, Mitchie, was however
able to call in. she thought I totally rocked it.
“Yeah we rock!” she quoted from the movie, Camp Rock. It had
become my favorite after Caity’s mum gave it us for Christmas the previous
year. I loved it. Every bit of it. Michelle aka Mitchie had loved it too
because the main actress was her namesake. Eddie had already watched it, and
found it too sweet for his taste. He was the Spartacus-kind. He saw it as kind
of lame for me to sit him through 94 minutes of nothing more than a musical. He
loved the music though. He had downloaded all of them, along with the Jonas Brothers’ music after he went to the music store and found the CDs
over.
I loved my family. And Caity was family too. I was not sure
if she knew that.
We sat down and watched news on KTN after the Talent Night
and then we had to go to bed because we “had church to go to.” Caity called up
one of their numerous house helps who came to pick her up. Actually, she was
kind of a nanny. She had minded Caity since she was a baby. I had hung out with
her once. For a fifty year old, she knew a lot, including Jam session.
“Bye Caity. See you tomorrow at the competition,” I said as
I hugged her before my mum showed her and her governess out. Fancy governess,
Caity’s family is rich. Like really rich. It’s a wonder she isn’t a spoilt
brat.
“So, will you come for the Competition tomorrow?” I asked my
mum when she came to wish me goodnight. Dad was coming but mum had been
hesitant to divulge her schedule. She was so busy marking scripts. It was a
wonder she managed to make that meal today. She had baked stuffed chicken and
had gone all the way; making pie for dessert, and soup from the mushrooms she
had bought earlier in the week. She had made vegetable rice and some bhajia
with dipping. As always, the salads were present, including the Kachumbari my
mum and dad had always loved. My mum was totally AWESOME!
“I cleared my schedule. Tomorrow, we are going to get you
your fame.”
“Ha-ha, mum, I love singing, and not for the fame.”
“Really? Well, I heard you sleep talk the other day. I was a
little curious about Kevin.”
I turned a little shade darker. “Okay, mum, I want to be
famous one day, and sing on one stage with the Jonas Brothers. Is that
so bad?”
“No, my daughter. It just means that you love what you are
doing and you have a vision.”
I smiled. See, I told you, I have an awesome mum. She knows
exactly what to say. Maybe that explains why Mitchie is great at writing.
“Lala basi.” She said as she tucked me into bed and kissed
my forehead. I smiled as she turned off the light. It wasn’t long before I was
in slumber land.
Lala basi means then sleep.
Please leave your feedback as a comment.
much love,
Me.
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