It was an overcast Saturday afternoon as Sakyi walked into Crown & Glow, the cozy beauty shop owned by Mrs. Naa Torshie Otieno. He was still in high spirits following the successful audition the previous day, and after sharing the good news with his parents and older sister, knew of one friend who would be excited to know about it.

The gorgeous, light-skinned lady he connected with on social media. Owner of a small but well-patronized beauty shop, wife of a Kenyan entrepreneur, and his ‘adopted cousin’, as was the regular gag between them.

As always, the shop smelled of vanilla and citrus, with shelves lined with neatly arranged jars, bottles, and tubs of skincare products. At the counter, Naa Torshie’s back was turned, as she stood with her young assistant, Farida, both of them engrossed in conversation.

Naa turned to him, her face instantly lighting up with a smile that always managed to make Sakyi feel at ease.

“Hello, my beautiful cuzzie!” Sakyi greeted, his voice warm and teasing.

“My gorgeous cuzzie!” Naa responded with equal enthusiasm, throwing her hands in the air dramatically. Farida chuckled, nodding at Sakyi in her usual silent greeting as she turned back to arranging some products on the counter.

“How are you doing?” he asked lightheartedly.

“Oh, everything is good by God’s grace ooo,” she replied, leaning slightly over the counter. “Business as usual, as you can see.”

“Nice, nice. And how is the ozzband?”

She grinned. “Fantastic. He’s currently with some business partners in Beijing. He’ll be back on Wednesday.”

“Eish, chale, George is a big man ooo! Business partners in Beijing? Kaish! No be small connections!”

Naa giggled. “What can I say? He works really hard. So hard. And that’s why he’s so successful. He deserves every bit of it. Anyways, what’s up with you? How’s everything?”

Sakyi let out a small sigh, the memory of the previous day flooding back. “So… I went for an audition yesterday,” he announced, trying to sound casual but unable to keep the excitement from creeping into his tone.

Naa’s eyes widened, and she clapped her hands. “Oh, my goodness! That’s amazing! Tell me more, tell me more!”

He grinned, scratching the back of his head. “So it’s for the lead role in ‘Beyond The Rain’. The debut stage play by that Leslie Amfo guy, the former Youtuber. And I guess it went really well. Anita Baafi was there, that talent scout… Wisdom Addai was there. They were all very impressed. They said they’d let me know by today.”

“Awwww, that’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you!” Naa beamed, her excitement genuine. “Just look at you, chasing your dreams like a boss. You’ve got this, Sakyi. I just know it.”

Sakyi chuckled softly. “Thanks, Naa. Means a lot to hear you say that.”

Still leaning against the counter, her expression softened. “You’re welcome, cuzzie. I’m just really glad to see you moving forward, especially after everything… you know…” Her voice trailed off delicately.

Sakyi hesitated for a moment, his smile faltering slightly. He knew what she was referring to. It had been nine months, and the memory still stung, though the sharp edges of the hurt had dulled over time.

“Yeah,” he nodded quietly. “It’s not easy, though. There’s still… a lot of hurt inside, you know? The way it happened so suddenly and…”

Naa reached out and placed a comforting hand on his. “I know, Sakyi, I know. But look at you now. You’re doing something amazing, something for you. That’s what matters at the end of the day.”

Sakyi smiled at her, the gratitude shining in his eyes. “Thanks, Naa T. I appreciate you.”

“Always,” she replied, squeezing his hand gently before pulling away. “Anything for my darling cuzzie! Now, here’s something that will interest you and take your mind off that. So last night, eh, I read this article on the Rolling Stone website, where they ranked all the Disney movies ever made. Where do you think The Lion King landed?”

Sakyi scoffed, crossing his arms. “Easy. Number one. Or at least in the top two. I mean, come on, it’s The Lion King! The beginning alone is the GOAT of movie opening scenes!”

Farida, who was busy organizing products behind the counter, stifled a laugh while Naa smirked, shaking her head.

“Ei. Why? Why are you ladies laughing like that?” Sakyi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well…” Naa drawled, dragging out the suspense. “It wasn’t ranked there. Neither first nor second.”

She leaned in closer, savouring the moment of suspense before dropping the bomb.

“It was ranked… seventeenth.”

Sakyi froze, his mouth falling open.

“Seventeenth?” he repeated, incredulous. “Seventeenth? Herh! This is a joke, right? Are you playing? What type of playing is this?”

Naa laughed, holding up her hands. “I wish I was. But nope, no joke. Seventeenth. Mufasa, Simba, Scar, Hakuna Matata… seventeenth.”

Sakyi placed a hand on his chest, feigning a heart attack. “Herrrrh!! Seventeenth? Seventeenth? Eiii! And these people call themselves serious critics? Who wrote this list, the hyenas or what?”

By now, Farida was laughing outright, nearly dropping a box of moisturizer. Naa had her head on the counter in stitches at his reaction.

She knew he was a passionate Disney fan, and that the list would really work him up.

“Wait, wait,” Naa continued, holding up a finger. “It gets worse.”

“Oh, chale, chale, come on, now, seriously?” Sakyi groaned, leaning against the counter. “How does it get any worse than desecrating The Lion King?”

Naa bit her lip, her grin widening. “Aladdin didn’t make the top ten.”

“HUH?!” Sakyi exclaimed, standing upright. “You’re telling me a whole Aladdin didn’t crack the top ten? Nahhh, Rolling Stone cannot be a serious entity. No way. How?”

“Hmmm. And guess what made number nine?” Naa went on, barely able to contain her amusement at his increased ‘fury’.

Sakyi narrowed his eyes. “See, if you say The Great Mouse Detective, I go bore then lef here.”

Naa raised an eyebrow. “Ei. That was so on point. But yup, number nine was ‘The Great Mouse Detective’.”

Sakyi threw his hands in the air. “Massa, massa, massa! I’m already tired of this! Wey hipster editors dey run this magazine, lah?”

Naa and Farida doubled over with laughter, but Naa was not finished. She leaned in one last time, dropping the final bombshell. “Oh, oh, and you wanna know their choice for first place?”

Sakyi folded his arms, glaring at her. “It had better be good. If it’s not The Lion King, it better be Beauty and the Beast or Fantasia. Or maybe even Toy Story.”

Naa shook her head, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

“Nope. It was Bambi.”

The room fell silent for a moment as Sakyi processed what she’d just said.

Then, with theatrical flair, he pointed to the ceiling and declared, “Herh, see, Rolling Stone is officially cancelled! These their choices are unforgivable! Bambi? Bambi?? Over The Lion King? Aladdin? Beauty and the Beast? This is madness! Absolute madness!”

Naa and Farida were laughing so hard they had to steady themselves on the counter. Naa wiped another tear from her eye and said, “You’re not wrong, cuzzie. Honestly, I had to read that list twice just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. I mean, Bambi is a sweet little movie, but the greatest Disney movie ever? Nahh, no way.”

Farida chimed in, still giggling. “I agree. I mean, I’ll give Bambi props for the whole losing his mother thing, that was very sad. But top spot? Definitely not.”

Sakyi shook his head, still reeling. “I can’t believe this. I came in here to share good news, and now my day is ruined.”

Naa chuckled, nudging his arm. “Oh, please, Sakyi. You’re being too dramatic. But at least, you’ve got the right energy. That’s what’s going to land you that role.”

Sakyi sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You’re right. Thanks. But nahhh, Bambi? For what reason? Like, adongedit!”

Naa patted his arm, laughing again. “Don’t worry, cuzzie. They can write their tripe, but the world knows the truth. The Lion King reigns supreme in our hearts.”

“Damn right about that. We didn’t cry over Mufasa’s death for this nonsense,” Sakyi muttered, shaking his head in mock disapproval as the ladies burst into laughter once more.

As the laughter in the shop began to settle, Sakyi’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, glanced at the screen and saw an unfamiliar number.

His heart skipped a beat. Could this be the call he was expecting?

“Hold on, ladies,” he briefly asked, raising a finger to Naa and Farida, who were still chuckling about Bambi. He swiped to answer the call. “Hello, this is Sakyi.”

“Hi, Sakyi! It’s Leslie Amfo,” the voice on the other end greeted cheerfully.

Sakyi’s heart raced. “Oh, hello, Leslie! How are you?”

“I’m great, and I’ve got some good news for you,” Leslie said, his tone brimming with excitement. “We were all really impressed with your audition yesterday. You brought so much life to Kwame, and I’m happy to let you know… you’ve been selected for the role!”

For a moment, Sakyi couldn’t speak, his mind racing. He gripped the edge of the counter as a wide grin spread across his face. “Wow… thank you so much! This is awesome!”

“You earned it, chale,” Leslie replied. “Anyways, the entire cast will be invited to a meet-and-greet soon so we can all connect and discuss the production. I’ll send you the details later tonight.”

“Sounds perfect. I can’t wait,” Sakyi gushed, his voice barely masking his excitement.

“Great. I’ll see you soon, and welcome to the team,” Leslie said warmly before the call ended.

As Sakyi lowered his phone, his face lit up like the morning sun. He looked at Naa and Farida, who had stopped laughing and were now watching him expectantly.

“I got the role!” he exclaimed, his voice nearly cracking with excitement.

Naa let out a squeal of delight and rushed around the counter to throw her arms around him. “Oh my goodness! Congratulations, my gorgeous cuzzie! I knew you’d get it!”

“Thank you, thank you,” Sakyi laughed as she squeezed him tightly.

Farida clapped her hands and grinned. “Mr. Sakyi, that’s amazing! You’re going to kill it.”

Naa pulled back, her hands still on his shoulders. “You’re going to be the next Denzel Washington, I’m telling you! I can already see it—red carpets, awards shows, your face on billboards!”

Sakyi chuckled, feeling a mix of joy and disbelief. “Thanks, so much. Your encouragement means a lot. I’m just… I’m so excited right now. All I’ve been working for is slowly coming to pass.”

“As it should be!” Naa declared, her grin widening. “Now, let’s celebrate! Farida, grab some sparkling juice or something—we need to toast to our rising star! Our Abetifi Denzel!”

Sakyi’s jaw dropped. “Ah! Really, Naa?”

“But aren’t you from Abetifi? And you’re the future Denzel Washington. So it fits!”

Sakyi shook his head, grinning as Farida took out some disposable cups. “I’ll take it.”

Awesome! He got the role! Sweet stuff. And by the way, I agree with him: how is the Lion King so lowly ranked? Disgraceful!