ChyAmakamike || Storyteller || Nigeria 🇳🇬
BLACK DON’T CRACK
We Rock!
Amanda stood at the car park and watched as other girls alighted from their various cars.
The final phase of the ‘modelling competition’ opened its doors to different backgrounds, ethnicities and races.
Some girls were dropped off by their family members while others came in an Uber.
She couldn’t afford an Uber, so she came in a tricycle(keke-napep).
Amanda made a silent prayer “Dear Lord, help me.”
She was about to go in, then she stopped and went back to the car park to hide under a shade there.
“Amanda you can do this, you are more than enough” she said to herself.
She came out of the shade to go in again, but she couldn’t, she ran back to the shade.
“Why can’t I go inside she asked herself.”
“I have come this far, why am I afraid?”
As she was still under the shade, she called her mum, but she didn’t pick up.
She was still pondering whether to go in when suddenly a woman in her forties came to meet her.
“You seem to not want to go inside, I have been watching you.”
“You try to go in and then you suddenly go back.”
“Why is that?”
“The competition would soon start”.
“I am afraid Amanda answered her, I can’t seem to see anyone as Black as I am.”
“Look at all the girls they are more beautiful than I am.”
“I went to the competition’s website page and saw the pictures of the girls' who made it, and I don’t come close to any when it comes to beauty.”
“They’re perfect with no cracks on their body, their skins are glowing.”
“Half of the girls here are mixed either their parents are black and white or white.”
“The ones who are black are not as black as I am.”
“How can I compete with all these girls’ and win?”
“I have scars on my body, I don’t think I can continue.”
“Now let me ask you, Amanda, all you have listed are your imperfections which only you think about now can you tell me why you love yourself and why you are here.”
“Okay, my name is Amanda, and I am 21 years old.”
“I am here to compete; this is my third time entering this competition and I do intend to win so I can get a good modelling contract and also support my family.”
“I am smart, I am beautiful, I am more than enough, I can achieve all that I set my mind to.”
“Okay, Amanda my name is Maureen, and the truth is that we all carry scars, but they are signs of victory.”
“I came here to drop off my niece, a cancer survivor and she also lost her left leg, so she is going to be competing with a prosthetic leg.”
“The odds are against her, but she isn’t looking at her weakness but her strength.”
“So, I want you to go in there with a mind of a winner, give it your best shot.”
“It’s better you fail trying than fail without even trying.”
“Now repeat after me”
Amanda looked at the woman with tears in her eyes.
“Blacks don’t crack; we rock!”
Amanda gave her a hug and the woman wrapped her hands around her.
“You have got this baby” she whispered into her ears.
Raising her face up she dabbed the tears off her face.
She turned her to face the building she gave a gentle nudge.
“GO AND WIN” she screamed
Amanda excitedly goes into the building….
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
This short story speaks about the challenges we as humans and individuals face in our struggle to achieve our goals, dreams and aspirations. We tend to look at our imperfections more than our strength, we tend to easily give up and never try again. I hope we all take it easy on ourselves, you are more than enough. Everything about you is beautiful!
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This is fiction
✍️ChyAmakamike.
Storyteller/Content Writer
President ABG & M
Always take care of you, yourself and your body!
