***
"Get in," a guard told me. Isa siguro 'yon sa mga drivers ng company na 'yon. Today's a big day for all of us. Ewan ko ba pero kinakabahan ako. I have the best records, that's what others say. But for me, I still need to learn a lot.
Hindi ko na rin alam, pero buong biyahe kabado ako. I'm not excited at all. Isa pa, parang may bumabagabag sa 'kin. Hindi ako makalunok ng matino. All of my co-photographers are having a good chit-chat with each other. I am friends with all of them, pero masyado yata akong kabado para makapag salita.
"Hey! Are you okay? You look pale," Andrea told me. Sa lahat ng photographers dito, siya lang talaga ang laging kausap ko.
"I'm fine," I assured her. I even tried to squeeze a smile out. Of all my projects, ito na ata ang pinaka kinabahan ako. Parang gusto ko na lang ibato yung camera sa mga model.
Few hours later, nakarating na rin kami sa set kung saan gaganapin ang shoot. Our things are being prepared by some men, at kaming mga photographers naman ay inaayos ang aming mga camera, stands, at iba pang gagamitin. Madalas sa 'min ay babae, konti lamang ang lalaki.
Narito raw kami sa Zuma Beach Surf Spot, Malibu. Inaamin kong maganda naman dito, pero bakit dito? There are a lot of surfers here at hindi naman 'yun ang tema nila.
After setting a lot of things, natanaw ko naman sa hindi kalayuan ang ilan sa mga tent kung saan inaayusan ang mga models. They're all wearing Hawaiian themed clothings. They all looked well. But, a man caught my eye. He looks different from all of the other male models. Parang, nasa kaniya ang spotlight.
I don't know. Kaba lang siguro 'to.
"Hi!" nagulat pa ako. It's Ariana. She's also my friend. We became closer when I moved here.
"Hey, good luck!" bati ko sa kaniya and smiled genuinely. Then she hugged me. Bumalik na rin siya sa area niya at nag handa. I remembered, hindi pa pala ako nakabihis. Inayos ko muna ulit ang set at ang mga gamit ko bago kinuha ang black see through top ko, black bra, maong shorts and my Gucci sandals. I went to the rest room to change. I didn't apply to much make up to keep it simple. Then tied my hair into a messy bun and went out.
Simple lang ang sinuot ko dahil photographer lang din naman ako. Napag kamalan nga lang akong model nung isang male model dahil hindi naman kami magkakilala.