The Latter Day Saints of Television, Part 2: Not as Free as you Thought

Part 1: https://steemit.com/hive-161155/@grebmot/the-latter-day-saints-of-television-part-1-black-mirror-and-heyna-arena

Not as Free as you Thought

"It's been a while." Bobo told the make-up artist, a bubbly redhead in her fourties. "Oh, you'll be fine. Just close your eyes, please." She said without hesitation, but Bobo wasn't entirely convinced. "Right." Would he be fine? What the hell was he doing anyhow? Whatever it was, now it was too late to chicken out. He closed his eyes and imagined being back in South America, being mesmerized by Maccu Picchu. The whole trip really. He remembered the people, the feeling of serenity and how it seemed like the polar opposite of his old life, now a trillion miles away.

He didn't quite remember the particular reason for quitting sport journalism, only him standing on a soccer pitch holding a microphone and looking at the script, feeling like a monkey banging the cymbals while having a battery up his ass. It felt like his life had devolved into being mindless routine, doing the same things over and over again. He just didn't feel like a person anymore, more like a parrot repeating the lines someone else wrote, or rambling about statistics.

He loved the game, ever since he was a kid kicking a ball for the first time. He became a professional player, before that fell apart and he had to change lanes. Now it was happening again. He could feel it in his bones. It felt like dying, but then he wasn't sure if it was actually him, or this kind of faksimile of a stereotype. Some type of carefully crafted persona all media professionals would eventually turn into, blurring the lines of their real identity and their projected image. These days even the players got potty trained by PR firms and marketing specialists, to basically just keep talking but without saying anything. That's not why little Bobo got into this.

His own words echoed through Bobo's head. "I've got an announcement to make. I've decided to quit television. It was a beautiful time and I've made some great memories, worked with some amazing people, but it's time for me to move on. Not the time for why and how though, just know I appreciate you and my decision is final. Goodbye." He dropped the mic and left without another word. Next day the yellow press entered a feeding frenzy. Lines like "Bobo went mad!" or "Has anybody seen Bobo!?" on the back of a fake milk box. It was absurd, yet it had to be expected. If it had not been so hard on his kids...

"All done!" Said the rehead make-up artist with a genuine smile. Bobo felt disoriented for a moment but found his way back into the present. "Well, thank you! I guess it's time for Hyena Arena." He continued. "Don't you think that's a dumbass name for a show?" He said being half-serious. The redhead's eyes did half a roll and lingered there for a second, until she finished weighing her words. "That was Magnus' production team, I think. Nobody knows." She shrugged.

Part 3: https://steemit.com/hive-161155/@grebmot/the-latter-day-saints-of-television-part-3-marketing