“Well, now I really want to do it,” I deadpanned.
“No, hear me out. It’s a good thing. You have to not give a shit what strangers think of you. The most confident people don’t care what anyone thinks of them. I remember walking through Trafalgar Square one time, and there was this lady in a ballgown having a photoshoot, but it wasn’t a modelling shoot. It was like she’d paid someone to take pictures of her just for her own personal photo album. I remember thinking to myself, wow, that woman does not give a single shit, and I am here for it. That’s who you need to be, Neil. You need to be the lady in the ballgown in Trafalgar Square.”
“I’m not putting on a ballgown, let alone in Trafalgar Square of all places.”
“I’m not asking you to, though if you did, you’d look amazing, but that’s beside the point. Selfie taking in public requires confidence and a zero-shits-given attitude. And both of those are things you could do with having more of, especially if you want to impress Annabelle.”
At the mention of Annabelle, I stiffened, spotting James, Michaela, and Callum walking towards me. “Listen, I’ll think about it, but I’m making no promises. I have to go now.”
“I look forward to tomorrow’s photo,” Afric said, a smile in her voice.
“Hey, I haven’t agreed—”
“Can’t hear you. The signal’s breaking up.” With that, she hung up. I shook my head. Why was I even humouring her? I was busy pondering this question when I realised Michaela was right next to me, a curious expression on her face.
“Okay, am I going mad, or did I just hear Afric’s voice on the other end of that phone call?” she asked.
“Pretty sure you’re going mad,” I said, shoving the phone in my pocket. Luckily, Leanne was on the other side of the park, waving me over. “Oh, looks like I’m wanted,” I said and quickly departed, though I sensed my co-worker’s suspicion as I walked away.
7.
Afric
“Okay, folks, I think you’re all gonna love this, especially those of you who have a soft spot for nostalgia,” I said as I started my evening stream. “I’ve decided that from henceforth, Fridays are now vintage themed, which means every Friday, I’ll be playing something from the nineties. I’ve managed to get my hands on a second-hand Sega Mega Drive, alongside a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog. Yes, that’s right. Get ready for some dancing with your gameplay because the soundtrack for this has some absolute bops on it!”
I fired up the game, the old-school “SEGA” theme tune filling my headphones. Sonic was one of the first games I’d ever played. My parents were too cheap to fork out for a new console, so I had to resort to playing my eldest brother’s beat-up old Sega when all my friends at school had Nintendos.
The music for Green Hill Zone came on, and I began humming along and bobbing my head as the little blue cartoon hedgehog ran across the 2D scenery, diligently collecting gold rings and bonus points.
Just like always, the comments began to roll in. I cast them a cursory glance, grinning when I spotted one that said, You need to make up lyrics to this music. I’m still laughing at your interpretation of Friends in Low Places.
And another.
Omg! What a blast from the past. I’m a 90’s kid so this is right up my alley.
Then there were the usual few unpleasant ones.
This game is shit. Turning off stream.
Show us your tits.
U r soooo ugly.
Negative comments like these were par for the course. My tough skin was primed for them. Still, when I was having a bad day or feeling particularly low, they sometimes managed to sneak past my defences. Today wasn’t one of those days. I was feeling good about myself, so the negative comments had no effect. Instead, I focused on the positive ones.
RosieTheLibrarian: This looks so fun! I think I might need to find a second-hand Sega for myself.
The name gave me pause. Neil had said that his sister was called Rosie, and it was certainly possible that she was a librarian. A small grin touched my lips as I gave her a shoutout.
“RosieTheLibrarian, if you live in London, you should try hitting up N1 Games on Baron Street. They’ll be able to sort you out.”
She wrote another comment.
RosieTheLibrarian: Thanks, I’ll try that!
I smiled to myself, wondering how Neil was doing over in New York. I’d requested he send me daily selfies, but since our phone call yesterday, I had yet to receive one. Then again, I was a few hours ahead of him.
Two hours later, I finished out my stream and headed into the kitchen to grab some dinner. The living area was empty, but I could hear Sarita and Mabel giggling over something in Sarita’s bedroom. They were probably cosied up in bed together watching funny videos.