Chapter 4

We just landed in New York from Paris for the summer fashion show, and it went great! As I walk into the airport, I see a lot of my fans cheering and chanting my name. I wave excitedly, jumping up and down, as I am surprised that they came all the way from their houses just to welcome me back. I sign some diaries, hands, and T-shirts, and take pictures with some fans, especially the young ones. I get into the car that came to pick us up, and we drive off to my apartment. I'm really tired as I haven't rested, so today I will spend my entire day sleeping and resting because tomorrow we will be preparing to start shooting. I get to my apartment and tell everyone to leave before they start telling me about work, which would make my day even worse.

I take a shower and sleep with only my undergarments on. I wake up later at around 18:00 and feel a little refreshed. I decide to go live while cooking dinner and jamming to Little Mix. I set everything up and wear my silk black pajamas and start the live.

"A's family, how are you holding up! I'm back from Paris, and I spent my day sleeping, which was pretty good. Now tonight, you will be cooking with me," I say as I try to find the right spot to place my phone. After finding it, I start taking the ingredients and cooking pots.

"So today, I will be making some roti and curry soup... I remember my aunt teaching me how to cook it. I will try and see how it goes... wish me luck," I say as I mix flour, butter, and salt.

"I saw you at the airport today, and you looked happy but tired. Glad you rested," one of the viewers comments.

"Ahh yes, you guys surprised me at the airport, and Thank you so much... I was worn out, but you guys just made me feel refreshed," I said, adding water to the mixture.

"Dance for us... love the music playing in the background," another comment suggests.

"I really can't read all the comments as you are all flooding me with comments, but I think someone said I should dance... come on, how do I dance while cooking? Maybe some small moves, but no can do. I need to concentrate, you see cooking for me is actually a big task," I said while kneading the dough.

"I think the dough looks good and very elastic... seems like play dough."

"Now I will cook the chicken curry... I love chicken curry. I am not sure if there is any other type of curry, but I just love chicken curry... and guys, please don't make a meme of me... okay, you can do it and do send it to me (chuckling) the last one you guys made was very funny, can't get over it."

"So guys, quick question, should chicken curry be golden color or just white... I don't know, what do you guys think?" I asked, taking the phone and showing them the chicken in the pan, which was almost golden brown.

"I think the aim is not to make the chicken crispy... I don't know, that's just my opinion," one of the viewers replied.

"In fact, what is the secret to making a good kitchen curry?" another viewer asked.

"To make a good curry, you have to cook quickly. Generally, you are going to fry, not boil, your curry. Adding cold base gravy to the pan will effectively cool the pan, halting the cooking process. By having your base gravy already simmering, it continues cooking the ingredients as soon as you add it to the pan," I read out the comment, appreciating the helpful advice.

"Thank you so much, user Shayira48... let me get cooking, and I will see you guys in the second session. My hour is almost up... see you if it turns out great," I said, ending the live session.

I decide to video call my dad, and he picks up after a few rings. "Father!" I said, waving at the phone. "Anashe! How are you?" he asks, looking excited and waving my aunts to come and see me on his phone.

"Karfu barfi... oh my God, you look so skinny, what have they been feeding you?" My aunt asks jokingly.

"Auntie, I am not skinny, I am the right size, and stop commenting on my weight. How have you been?"

"I am doing good, darling... are you cooking?"

"Yes... roti and curry," I say, showing them. "Uh, she can cook... I will tell Mrs. Singh to find you a nice match," my aunt said, jokingly.

I started laughing as I remembered how, when I started being famous, my aunt would receive a lot of proposals from families. She thought it was a blessing and would give everyone my number. On that very day, my phone kept on buzzing, and I ended up switching it off. I wondered who had leaked my number until my aunt kept on asking if I received calls from some people. I changed my number and made sure my aunt didn't have it until she finally understood that, for my safety, she should not give anyone my number.

"Aunt, that day I was so furious and had a headache. I was worried and stressed until you finally told me what you had done. I was so stuck between laughing and crying," I said, laughing. I checked on my pots, and everything was all done. I then cooked the roti while my aunt taught me how to do it right. After that, when everything was done, I then ended the call after promising to call more often.

I then restarted the live and showed my fans what I had done. "I am so excited to taste the food... Y'all, it looks so good, and it smells good. I wish you were all here to eat with me, but for now, let's have a virtual date."

"You did well, it looks amazing... proud," one of the viewers commented.

"One day we will eat together... fighting!" another viewer chimed in.

"After eating, what are you going to do?" someone asked.

"Well, I was thinking of uh... watching a movie, maybe. I don't know... should I?" I asked while eating.

"Yes, totally! I have good movie recommendations!" someone replied eagerly.

"Okay, by the way, this tastes good... or maybe I am just hungry. I seriously don't know, but either way, it tastes great," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Watch 'Deep' on Netflix, it's really good," a viewer suggested.

"Watched it... it's the one with kids who are told not to sleep, or the chip they have will kill them. Learnt the importance of sleep through that movie," I responded.

"Watch 'The Color Purple'," another viewer recommended.

"Read the novel, will check out the movie, thanks," I replied.

"Am I the only one eagerly waiting for Marvel to release more movies?" someone asked.

"Nope, I also can't freaking wait!!" I exclaimed.

"What is the special occasion? You haven't told anyone, and I am dying to know!" a curious fan inquired.

"Well, it's a special secret occasion that will be revealed in due time... did you guys know that I have watched and liked y'alls posts without you guys actually knowing... especially on YouTube," I said, smiling at the screen.

"WAIT What!! REALLY?" came the astonished responses.

"OMG NO WAYS!!"

"Yeah, could be true, but they once said curiosity killed the cat. You will see things that were not meant for you," a fan playfully responded.

"Confessions... I have, and till this day, scientists believe that I can't unsee it... Like you guys need some Hobi water," I teased, revealing my admiration for BTS member J-Hope.

"OMG!! SHE IS AN ARMY!"

"WAIT a FREAKING second WHAT!! SOMEBODY CALL J-HOPE!"

"Why are you guys exaggerating? I have TikTok, Insta, and Twitter. I am bound to see these memes of yours... 'Life Goes On'... y'all think I would show some 'Fake Love' to an Idol on 'Spring Day' where 'Black Swans' do the 'Mic Drop'... seriously," I said, playfully referencing BTS song titles in my response.

"OMG! No, she didn't!"

"Yes, she did."

"You made a nonsensible sentence with their song names... you are an Army!"

"Psshh, it's sensible... I love their songs, especially the Korean ones... some sense of originality, but their songs are good. There are also some other Kpop Idols I love, e.g. Blackpink, K.ING, Pentagon, Stray Kids, Monsta X, The Boyz, and TXT," I shared my diverse taste in Kpop.

"Wow!"

"Wow indeed, right? Well, I have some movies to catch up on, so I gotta love and leave you... Bye A's family, have a splendid good night, morning, and evening," I said as I waved and blew a kiss, then ended the live. I finished eating and washed my dishes, then got ready for my movie night, making sure to have a very soft, fluffy, warm blanket, as I knew I would fall asleep while watching some movies. At least I got some time to just not work, but I don't think it was enough. I need a whole year to recover from the trauma of work... seriously!!