I dated an influencer – long story alert.
She is one of those girls whom u see posting everyday on social media. Each post would easily garner a thousand likes in a matter of hours, thanks to the followers amassed over the years. Gorgeous, cute and sexy are regular compliments that flood her DM. Guys would drool over her photos wishing for a girlfriend like that. Due to her huge fan base, brands like Nike and SunSilk tend to reach out to her for paid ads and sponsorship.
Meanwhile I’m just a fat and penniless guy in his 30s whom everyone thinks is riding on her success. Truth be told, no one would ever believe that she owes a huge part of her success to me.
I met her in secondary school. She wasn’t the brightest kid in the class. She had difficulty studying and would approach me for help. Reluctant to turn her down, I stood by her side and patiently assisted her. We became very close to the extent where we would discuss personal matters like ideal partners and life goals.
As a teenager in his adolescence, I would be lying if I said that I do not have illicit thoughts when being with her. Things would occasionally get heated up and we would kiss and cuddle, laying in the middle of the vast field compound, staring at the big bright moon.
Everything changed when I introduced her to social media. She immediately fell in love with it. Due to the content projected on her, she became vile and would do anything for likes. She would repeatedly seek my opinion on how she fared against those skimpy models on that channel. The obsession became so bad that she is willing to do literally anything to increase her followers and stay relevant – perhaps as a form of self-validation. Consequently, her studies deteriorated.
Upon graduation, her grades fare poorly, denying her entry to any university. However, at that point of time she had built a sizable fan base. She decided to be a full-time influencer and suggested that I should be her manager. She is confident of realizing her dream of making it big in the industry to compete against the likes of XiaX or NaoM. I happily obliged knowing that I could be with her 24/7 rather than squandering my time away at the university. This decision, however, had cost me everything.
Fast forward to today, I am no different from a puppy that follows her around, awaiting her next instruction. Photo-taking, buying lunch and sheltering her from the sun are my regular errands. When she is unhappy with the photos, she would scream at me with occasional assault and things being hurled at me. Plus it did not help that most of our expenses came from my savings since we did not have a job.
Lately, she met a guy on Insta. He came from a rich family and owns plenty of fanciful cars and watches. Drawn by his wealth, she got caught into him and would exchange intimate messages. She would get invited to exclusive parties and get-togethers with his social circle.
There was once where the guy wanted to rely on his connection to have her featured on a popular magazine. On the day of the shoot, she wore a see-through dress with heavy makeup. When questioned, she retorted and claimed that the publisher is going for a steamy with a bad-girl-kind of concept. Before leaving, she reminded me to pick her up in the evening.
Unable to concentrate the entire day after seeing the way she dressed, knowing that she is accompanied by a man whom she recently met. I decided to make my way down early to have a peace of mind. The venue happens to be at a motel.
On arriving, I lied to the desk that my friend was very sick and was unable to return my call. The staff gave me the benefit of doubt and led me to the room where she stayed. On making our way in front of the room, the staff opened the door with her master key. LO and BEHOLD, I was rudely greeted by the sight of heavy movements and uneven silhouette underneath the thick white blanket. I could not believe what I’ve just witnessed.
Will continue the second part in another post….