25

Meanwhile….
In a cafe in Washington, Macy was taking her morning coffee while she talked to May. Up until now, she didn’t believe that she had an assistant who didn’t ask for anything. May usually said that she was working for the experience.
“Don’t worry about money. I have enough to get me by. I just need the experience,” she would always say.
May not only cared as an assistant but also as a body guard. Since May joined her, life got easier. It had been a few days into the filming and Macy was yet to get to filming as they started with the main leads parts.
“Today is the first day to start shooting. How do you feel?” May asked as they took their coffee and croissants.
“Truthfully May, I am nervous as hell. Not because of the cameras, no. I have been in front of enough though as a double stunt mainly, but this is my first major role. I really don’t know how to feel.
Also, I’m nervous because I don’t know who the investor who asked for me is. Why did they ask for me specifically? Do they know me? I have never been in any US film. So, why?
What are their expectations of me? Can I really ace this? I have so many doubts and thoughts running through my mind May,” Macy finished with a sigh and leaned on the back of the seat.
“You know what Macy, from what I know of you so far, you are a fighter. All what you have talked about are minor issues. I have seen you rehearse. You memorise lines better than anyone I know.
You are a natural. Don’t worry about it. Just go and do what you do better. Be yourself,” May said with a smile and that gave Macy some warmth.
“You know, since I moved to DC, you are my first friend. I have never had anyone care for me before. I know I would have made it through this alone but you being here makes it this much better. Thank you May,” Macy said and that made May emotional.
“If you say thank you again , I’m going to strangle you and hide your body in a toilet,” May joked and they both laughed.
The air was so amiable between them and as that were about to finish so that they could rush to the studios where the filming was taking place, they heard the door open with a lot of noise.
When they turned to look, it was Angela Philips, her manager and some other girls who always acted as Angela’s lap dogs.
“Macy? What are you doing here?” Julia, the manager asked.
“Why? The last I checked this was a public cafe, right? So…,” Macy said and left it at that.
“What I mean is, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the location? What if you are late? You want people to say my artist don’t work and are lazy?” Julia asked and that made Macy to burst out laughing.
“What’s funny?” Julia asked behaving all mighty.
“Nothing really. Just amused that you still remember I am your artist. Don’t worry Jules, even if I am late, everyone knows I got this job through my own efforts and none of yours,” Macy said and turned to continue with what she was doing.
“You! How dare you? Whatever happens, I am still your manager. You think you are a big shot because you got this part? Well, news flash! You aren’t. You are here just because you were lucky enough to sleep with a man who has money and he backed you up,” Julia shouted and May had had it.
May stood up to face her and this time, she wasn’t the little assistant anymore. The secret agent in her had kicked in and Macy, being a fighter herself, could see May meant war.
Macy thus stood up quickly and held May’s hand.
“May, let’s leave. Take the bag and let’s go,” Macy said.
As much as she would have wanted to have Julia and Angela beaten she didn’t want to get May in trouble. She wanted revenge yes but not like this.
“You sure?” May asked with her eyes still on Julia.
“Yeah. There will be enough time for this, don’t worry,” Macy whispered to may who threw another gaze at Julia and took their bag and followed Macy out of the cafe.
“There goes my beautiful morning,” Macy said as they hailed a taxi to take them to the location.
This was another thing about Macy. She wasn’t treated like other artists in her firm. Others lived in better houses and had company vehicles come pick them especially when they had a job but not Macy.
Her manager never cared about her and she thus had to make do.
They were dropped at diamond studios and they went straight to the sixteenth floor where a whole floor had been transformed to a village where the shooting was taking place.
The movie, Major Calamities, was about a traditional African tribe during the time when the whites started invading Africa.
Angela’s character showed the queen who stood by the king during that time and Macy’s character showed the woman who acted as a spy and would spy on the whites and bring information to the king.
Macy loved this character because unlike the queen whose work was to look beautiful and and fight with the King’s concubines, hers was an action character. She would go out, fight and towards the end of the movie, she became the first woman to ever be integrated into an African warriors army.
This was because she had proven to be brave than most men. She fought and she won.
But she and the queen were never friends. This was because the queen felt that she was stealing her husband, the king, away.
This was because the king spent a lot of time with her because they were always strategising and the king trusted her more than he trusted even his wife.
That morning, the first scene Macy was to shoot was a scene where Karo, her character, was in the forest where she usually practiced sword art in secret when others thought that she had gone to fetch firewood.
As she was practicing, the queen, queen Noya, came with her entourage on their way to the river to take a bath and then saw her. That was like an abomination because women weren’t supposed to think or behave like men.
Thus, the queen ordered her guards to arrest Karo. Karo was taken to the palace where the queen started interrogating her.
“What’s your name girl?” The queen asked while she sat on her throne.
“Karo, your majesty,” Karo answered but instead of fear, there was defiance in her eyes.
“Karo. What makes you think you have the right to hold a fighting sword like a man?” The queen asked while walking towards the kneeling girl.
Karo kept quiet and didn’t speak.
“Answer me! I am your queen! How dare you disrespect me!” The queen bellowed as she slapped the girl hard across the face.
Macy fell on her side as she didn’t expect that slap.
According to the script, the camera people were supposed to play with angles to show the queen slapping Karo and it wasn’t supposed to be a real slap.
But Angela slapped Macy for real and Macy felt her inner cheek sting. Because she didn’t expect that slap, she wasn’t thus guarded and she bit her inner cheek when she was slapped.
“Cut!” Angela, you weren’t supposed to do that! Did you look at your script!” The director bellowed and Angela bent as she apologized to the director.
All that time, she was smiling slyly.
May’s eyes were on her and May knew that she had done it deliberately.
May ran towards Macy and gave her water.
“You okay?” May asked her. “She did that deliberately you know,” she added.
“I know. I was a fool to think that she would follow the script,” Macy said and May looked at the pomposity which Angela was behaving and she hadn’t even apologised to Macy.
“Ms Smith, are you okay?” The director asked Macy and Macy smiled saying that she was okay.
“Okay, let’s take from where the queen slaps Karo and then the king will walk in,” the director said and they took their positions.
Angela slapped Macy again and again and that was when Macy and May realised that it was possible that Angela was in on it with the old geezer. This was because, all the director did was to apologise to Macy superficially and say a few words of reprimand to Angela.
May couldn’t take it. She wanted to kill Angela but since her boss hadn’t ordered it, she had to take it slow.
She asked for a break foracy because he cheek was already sore and as they were resting, she left Macy for a while and went to make a call.
Since Richard was away, she called the next person whom she knew would help.
“Second young master, it’s bad. That bitch is slapping Macy again and again and the director is doing nothing about it! It’s so unfair,” may complained as she told Asher everything that was happening.
“Okay, delay it. I’m sending someone there right now. Do you think we should fire the director?” Asher asked.
“Yes, let this be a lesson to him,” May said.
“Okay. Done. Delay everything even if is by asking Macy to pretend to be dead,” Asher said as he hand up.
May went back to their tent and she found Macy massaging her sore cheek.
“Macy, let me. There is a cream I use whenever I’m sore. Let me use it on you. It’s very effective,” May said as she produced a small bottle from her purse and started applying it on Macy’s cheek.
“Everyone, time to start,” the director shouted in his microphone and Macy and May walked out ready for the next shots.
They sat on their seats as they wanted for the queen but she didn’t come. The assistant director went to call them and that was when she came back worried.
“What’s wrong?” The director asked her.
“Mrs Cane is asleep,” she said.
“Asleep? She knew we were resting only for twenty minutes! Go and wake her up!” The director said and it was at that time, one of the crew members came running and whispered something in the director’s ear.
The director seemed worried and he rose up very quickly and followed the man who had come for him.
Everyone sat up as they looked at the side where the director went wondering what was happening.