Worth it?

She's waving to the crowd; a plastic toothy smile firmly in place, her tiara reflecting the flashes of camera bulbs. She's just been crowned Miss Africa beating out fifty other contestants. Her eye catches that of Amb Zumokolo, he responds with a leer that hardens her eyes. She dismisses the twat from her mind, she'd only stood the midget to wear this tiara, stooping to conquer. Listening to Kris drone on and on about literary classics wasn't an entire waste of time and brains.

Dismissing Kris and the ambassador from her mind, she revels in the glory of winning. She'd done things that would make most people cringe, just to get this crown, this was her moment and culmination of her life's work. She feels the loathing of the other girls like pinpricks on her back, their malicious thoughts cling in the air. Of course she didn't deserve the title, there were prettier and more intelligent girls who should have won easily. Well, she was the only contestant who'd played ball with all the judges. The men she'd paid with her body and the women she'd given jewellery, yes! she deserved the title.

Her smile is still firmly in place but she's beginning to feel twinges in her stomach, she ignores the stupid stomach and continues to glide across the stage. A wave of nausea hits her gently, again she ignores it. It returned with power less than a minute later, this time her strength of will is no defence. She feels her mouth open and watched as Amb Zumokolo was sprayed with the contents of her last meals. A silly thought crosses her mind, this was a classic example of projectile vomit. Her knees caved in and she was suddenly on the floor, weaker than a new kitten. Dizziness enveloped her and she wanted to sleep right there on the stage, she could hear the murmurs and shocked gasps but felt far removed from everything.

She saw her oldest friend Kasi, he died a year ago. As she saw him coming, she knew she was dying. Suddenly she saw Miss Tanzania add a green powder to her vegetable smoothie two days ago and now the effect was apparent. She smiled as she saw the future of her murderer, she would take the title because she was the second runner up. In a month she'd be driving on a lonely stretch of road at night and run into Makeleka boys. They'd steal her car and shoot her as she tries to escape from them. She smiles as she realises her murderer will spend the rest of her life on her back, she'll never even feed herself until the day she's lowered in a wooden box six feet below the surface of the earth.

Picking up her wings, she joins Kasi in the flight of the free.

PS: in other news, Mama Tibs nominated me for the versatile blogger award! I'll try and fulfil the requirements ASAP. Thanks for the nomination Mami.