imagine - lewis hamilton

part iv

Thursday March 17, 2022

"see what happened because we never gave up and never doubted ourselves"

You awoke to the sound of your phone's alarm. You were frightened because you forgot where you were. All you remembered was arriving in Bahrain at 9 pm on Wednesday and wanting to do nothing but sleep. When you checked into your hotel, you messaged your friends and family that you were alive and settling in. What happened after that was a blur.

While laying in your hotel bed, you said aloud: "I cannot believe this is my life right now." When you were about to put your phone down to get ready, you turned on 'Share My Location' with a few close family and friends. You could never be too safe travelling alone in a country foreign to you. You then got hit with a bit of realization and startled. You jumped up and put on your slippers, then sprinted to the safe in your hotel room. Typing in the code you used for everything and hoping it opened because you can't remember what you set it as. Inside the safe was your most valued possession. Not your passport, documents, or wallet, but the reason you were there - your Media Pass. When the safe unlocked, the Media Pass was sitting in there safe and sound. You sighed with relief. You locked the safe, pulled on the handle twice for good measure, then went on with your morning routine.

You were about to find something to wear, but to your surprise, you already had everything laid out, along with your purse and vlogging camera. You can't remember what happened last night, but you were obliviously alert enough to make today easier for yourself. Vlogging was something you rarely did because you did not share your life with your viewers. There were only vlogs from when you went to previous races. Vlogging wasn't your style. You didn't enjoy having to talk without having everything planned out. In your videos, you came across as someone with a huge personality and extroverted, but that was truly a facade. You were introverted and extremely bashful, but knew how to fake it for your job.

As you were about to walk out of your hotel room your phone dinged, it was a text message from Ashlyn, "Do you have any idea what time it is?!" You cursed at yourself for a second, then typed up an apology forgetting about the time zone difference. Before you could hit send, Ashlyn sent a text "It's okay girl, I'm kidding. Enjoy yourself and stay safe. Keep us up to date. We love you!" Being too lazy to type now, you sent her a voice message apologizing and telling her you'd do what she asked and you loved her too. You walked into your hotel bathroom one last time, looked in the mirror, and said, "This is my life right now!"

You didn't plan to go far but stay within walking distance of your hotel. You didn't want to tire yourself out because you were still fighting jetlag. As you took in the sights of this beautiful country while vlogging to share with your viewers. You got the occasional stares, but hey, you were doing what you had to do. You only thought it was fair for the people who watched you grow to experience a bit of Bahrain. You didn't realize almost two hours had passed, and you were starving. So you used your maps to find a local restaurant to grab a quick lunch.

You found an outdoor cafe for lunch and was seated at a small table. It's not something you'd normally do, but you pulled out your phone to take photos of the menu and where you were to post a teaser on your Instagram. You also recorded a quick video of what was around you. You knew you already stood out like a sore thumb, and talking to yourself on camera didn't help. After posting the photo and getting some content, you put your camera down. You felt eyes gazing in your direction so you looked up. To your surprise, it was a few journalists at a table together. You knew they had no clue who you were, but you knew a lot about them. You knew a few because they were the ones you compared your content with when going back and forward with the FIA a few weeks ago. So you shot them a quick smile just for them to all turn away smirking and whispering something, causing the whole table to laugh. All you could do was chuckle and think, "If they only knew."

When you finished up your lunch, it was getting a bit later in the afternoon, so you headed back to your hotel to call it a day. You were still adjusting to the time zone, so the last thing you wanted to do was walk around in a country unknown to you. When you got back to your hotel room, you charged your laptop and exported the videos you took today to edit after you took your shower. You went to charge your phone and send updates to your family. When checking Instagram, you had a few direct messages from your viewers. The two eyes emojis and people were asking "Why are you in Bahrain?!" You made a habit of responding to direct messages because you were once just like them. Whether it be a quick tap reaction or an actual response, you just wanted them to know you saw and appreciated them. So you responded with the eye emoji back to some and the "shrug" emoji just for fun.

After taking your shower, the warm water caused you to get tired, so you set your alarm for an hour nap to be refreshed before editing the video and updating your blog. That nap turned into two and a half hours and before you knew it. You rushed up mad at yourself for oversleeping and were now hungry, so you called room service for dinner. This was how your life went when you were at home, too. Sitting in the corner wrapped in a blanket, eating dinner, and music on as you wrote your article and edited your videos.

Once you were done, you had to film a quick clip at the end of the vlog, letting your followers know you were in Bahrain, not as a fan, but as a media member. You shared your happiness with them and thanked them because, without them, you wouldn't be here today. You ended with "I'm keeping this clip short because I am exhausted, but I cannot thank you guys enough. See you in Bahrain, LITERALLY!" holding up the Media Pass with the biggest smile. Once the video was uploaded, you set the article to go live. You posted a link to the video on your social media accounts ending with the disclaimer, "I'll respond to messages and comments tomorrow. Your girl is exhausted. But I am forever grateful for you all!"

You plugged your phone into the charger and found your outfit for tomorrow. With everything laid out meticulously, you headed to the bathroom to do your nightly routine. Before cutting the bathroom light off, you looked in the mirror and told your reflection, "See what happened because we never gave up and never doubted ourselves."

tumblr link: https://at.tumblr.com/writinginfinite/imagine-part-iv/jdt5k5sqmr4v