Tamed

Chapter 7.

MARIANNA

We arrive at Botswana from Nigeria at 2pm local time. The arranged tour guide immediately comes to our aid.
She is a beautiful dark-skinned lady whose color shone under the day's light.

"Hi, I am Onalenna but you can call me Ona. I am from the travel agency." She says in a Southern African accent which I admire, and a smile gracing her face. She reaches into her sling bag and presents an ID to me. After checking for her details, I speak up.

"Hi, Ona. I am Marianna. Nice to meet you." I end it with a polite smile.

"Your accommodation awaits you if you don't mind going there now." She says.

"Give me a sec." I reply her amd walk to the Sinclair twins to inform them.

"Whatever, just get us there. I will really do well with a nap." Reagan says. Her twin gives me a slightly curved smile before speaking.

"Please, let's go." Riley is the more polite one of the two.

After settling down, she told us about the two most important locations for the job; the Kalahari desert and the Okavango delta. According to her, those two places are quite popular here and gain alot of tourist attractions.

The Kalahari desert is the sixth largest desert in the world and the second largest in Africa, after the Sahara, with the Namib as the third. The Kalahari has one of the biggest diamond mines in the world and is also rich in Nickel, Copper and Coal.

The desert covers over 900,000 squared-kilometers of land space. Interestingly, it further expands to the Eastern region of Namibia and the Northern Cape Province in South Africa.

Also, it is not considered a real desert because it receives its own fair share of rainfall which is more compared to other deserts. As a result, plants can actually grow in it.

The desert is also known for its diversity when it comes to wildlife; ranging from the three African big cats (Kalahari lions, Cheetahs and Leopards), Zeebras, Elephants, Hyenas and various Antelope breeds (Oryx, Steenbox, etc.). Reptiles can also be found in the Kalahari desert.

She also stated that the settlements within the Kalahari, here in Botswana are the Ghanzi, Tshane, Tshabong and Orapa.

"I am Tshanne by origin and my name is translated to mean 'God is with me'. Here, the locals communicate in their dialects which means I will be doing a great deal of translation for you." I just nod my head, too tired to reply. Picking up her accent was a little bit difficult but from this trip to different countries, I can say hers is way easier than alot.

"For the Okavango Delta..." She goes on and on, speaking about it. I admire her vast knowledge in her roots.

Just before leaving, she hands over Original copies of approval letters from the authorities to me for safe keeping with two extra black and white copies.

After her departure, I lay down on the bed, tired with just one thing ringing in my mind. SLEEP. However, I still need to get one more thing done; more like a reminder thing.

Sluggishly, I get off my bed and head to the reception. The receptionist smiles when she sees me approaching, exposing her gap teeth. The name tag on her shirt reads 'Naledi'.

"Hello, miss. Please, I need your assistance. Is there a call centre nearby or perhaps, could I use yours? I really need to make an urgent call." I say to her, praying for a positive outcome.

"There is one down the hall or you could use mine." She says, smiling and placing her phone on the counter.

"Thank you so much. Yours would be perfect." I say, returning the smile. Truly, I am glad I didn't have to go further than this.

I immediately make a brief call to Odyne modelling agency, our partners for the project, here in Botswana. They are in charge of set-up, costume acquisition and getting other models to be featured.

Finally, I am back in my room. I take off my clothes and head to the bathroom. While in here, my mind wanders to Lucas. I have not spoken to him in six months now. Heck, the previous year has ended and this is February already, I can't believe I spent new year away from him. One more month and the project is over. This is the last destination. The remaining one month would be used for compilations and edits.

Heaven knows this break was necessary for me. I did not even inform him about my travel plans. These feelings that I am running from, I have finally decided to let him in on them. Not sure of how soon but keeping it to myself is becoming more difficult with the oassing of each day. Heck, I even tried getting laid. I just couldn't pull through or convince myself to go beyond kissing which I even felt disgusted with, by the way.

•••••

The next morning, Ona arrived early and we began the trip to the Kalahari desert. The car stops at a particular location after she says it is the safest for cars  and further movement could lead to ruins. We all highlight and switch to a truck which I will say is very uneasy to be in and continue our journey into the desert. The weather is extreme here, I am glad to have brought my shades with me.

Nine hours of work and we are back to our lodge, all tired and reeking of perspiration.

Browsing through my phone, I chuckle at the recent additions to my gallery. Cross-eyed selfies, ones with goofy smiles, normal pictures. I even had Maddy, my colleague, take full pictures and videos of me too. All these during the breaks in-between shots.

Today was really hectic but alot of work was done and I am famished. The food here is quite different and one familiar thing on the menu is meat. So, I place an order for any simple meal that has meat in it. I am glad that it is not chicken. I have gotten to my threshold and anymore consumption, I would definitely puke my guts out.

The meat taste nice and I even get to learn that it is that of an Antelope and is often referred to as 'Bush meat'.

I eat my food in silence and get some work done afterwards. Once I am done making a transfer of all the pictures from the camera's memory to my laptop, it is already night and time to sleep.

"Tomorrow, please be less hectic." I say quietly, letting out a yawn before drifting to sleep.

What new things did you learn in this chapter? Please feel free to drop your comments below.

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