What did I expect? Really? I rural girl like me to become an author? Things like that don’t happen to people like me, she told myself. She was being honest with herself. She had learned not to construe reality as being ambition. They is a thin line that she knew very well from looking at the lives of those she grew around in her village. She had to be if she wanted to survive. It was only the truth that would spare her of further disappointments. I should have know better. People like me were only good for marriage. Rural girls like me know their place. Between making babies and preparing food for her husband. She told herself. The pain was excruciating. She had never been so disappointed in her life. The only time she ever came close to such disappointment was when she found out her boyfriend of four years was cheating on her. Even the sight of him and his girlfriend couldn’t be compared to the disappointment she felt as she went though the contract.

One section contained a non disclosure agreement. It compelled her not to mention to anyone that she’s an author of Sweet Dreams. It compelled her to distance herself from the success of the book.

She paged through the contract with tears rolling down her face. The hotel room looked beautiful with its white ceiling, white paint on the wall and fresh white linen covered by white duvets. The bathroom too was all white. From the bath tub to the fresh white towels. It was as though she was in heaven except the contract staring at her. She knew for a fact that’s how her life was to be from that very moment. She knew she was to be exposed to glitz and glamour while being forced to hide away her pain and frustrations. She knew life was to offer her the best and worst life experiences at the same time. She just had to take it in. She thought.

The second part of the contract contained the royalty payments. Her face almost dropped down when she saw the figures. Her eyes almost popped out. She stared at the piece of paper for a second. Went to the bathroom. Wiped her eyes. Looked at the piece of paper again. It was the amount of money she never thought she’d one day lay her hands on. The one she always associated with famous people. People not like her. She knew all she had to do was to sign and the R50 000 will be hers. My hands shivered. My whole body tensed. She knew she had arrived and it was time for her to take care of her mother. She knew fame didn’t pay the bills but the amount of money contained in the contract did.