Thieves Of Olympus

44

COLETTE

That boy sincerely loves you. Look at his eyes and you'll know it.

Parang naka auto-replay ang mga sinabi ni Mom sa akin. Napasama yata ang pagbulong niya sa akin. She even told me to be soft to Gareth noong nag-usap kami after dinner.

How soft does she want me to be? Like a melted marshmallow? Goodness!

Nakuha niya sa tingin si Mommy pwes ako hindi!

Love is a weakness so I can't have that. Ayaw kong magkaroon ng kahinaan. Simply because I don't have time for those things.

Pangatlong museum na naming napuntahan ito. Pagkatapos sa Louvre Museum at Rodin Museum ay dumiretso kami dito sa Musée de l'Orangerie. Another art gallery we found in Paris. Hindi din naman kasya ang oras namin ngayong araw dahil may fashion show kaming pupuntahan sa hapon.

"Wala tayong napala," Gareth sighs.

"Nothing but good pieces of art... and some in-denial couples," Clea sips her tea in the paper cup.

Desmond clicks his tongue to the roof of his mouth, "We checked everything but still none. Hindi naman nasayang ang effort natin."

Mukha kaming outcast dahil sa damit namin. Jackets, t-shirts, jeans, and rubber shoes imbis na trench coats and warm boots. May scarf pa ang iba sa kanila. Talk about fashion sense. Kapag nasa Pilipinas ka sasabihan ka ng Kpop or OA magdamit.

A woman with a standard poodle passes us by. It barked when it came near us. Kailangan pa siyang hilahin ng may-ari para lubayan kami. I glared at it para tuluyang umalis.

Geez! Thanks for reminding that we are not ordinary.

The flame colored leaves float and fall on the ground. The warm colors contrast the approaching cold season. The wind keeps blowing the leaves away. They dance round each other for a while before it completely falls to the ground.

Just like me... Us.

Kumain kami sa isang english restaurant na nakita namin. We ordered soup as an appetizer dahil biglang umulan pagpasok namin sa loob. Walang gustong magopen ng topic kaya tahimik kaming kumain pagdating ng pagkain. We did not order some dessert kaya chamomile tea para sa amin ni Clea at kape kina Desmond.

Nasamid ako noong maalala ang sinabi ni Gareth kagabi. Dalawang basong wine pa lang ang naiinom ko kagabi kaya tanda ko pa.

He called me "Baby" for no reason!

May nag-abot sa akin ng table napkin habang naubo ako. Napatingin tuloy ang mga tao sa lamesa namin. Nakakahiya. Nawalan ako ng class at poise bigla.

"Okay ka na?" tanong ni Clea. The glint on her eye is the same with Desmond. Habang si Gareth naman...

I don't want to see his face.

We paid and left for the hotel. Magsisimula ang fashion show in two and a half hours. Kaya kailangan na namin bumalik sa hotel.

Mom left another invitation for us. Naligo kami ng mabilis at pagkalipas ng sampung minuto ay nakarating na ang mga make-up artists. Inuna nila ang mga lalaki dahil mabilis silang ayusan. Dahil fashion week ang pupuntahan ay kailangan nakaayos kami.

The theme of the show is "Winter Angel."

Naka cerulean turtleneck na pangloob si Desmond. Pinatungan ito ng light brown pea coat kapartner ng black pants at brown boots. May suot. Itong silver necklace at hikaw sa kaliwang tenga. His hair is brushed up to one side.

Gareth wears a grey cable knit crew neck sweatshirt over a checkered dress shirt. It goes well with his black watch. His selvedge denim pants is paired with black boots. His hair is messily tousled.

Medyo tumagal ang pag-aayos sa amin dahil sa buhok. Mahaba na kasi ito. The makeup is a soft but smoky dahil gabi ang event.

A scarf like ribbon is attached to Clea's teal blouse. Pinatungan naman ito ng black wool coat. Kapartner ng jeans ang brown boots na umaabot sa ilalim ng tuhod niya. Her hair is in half ponytail. Some strands were left beside her face. A clutch bag is also given to her.

I am wearing a white spaghetti strap dress ending two inches above my knees. Pinatungan ko ito ng red leather jacket. May suot din akong stockings na skintone bago isuot ang mid-thigh length black boots. Nakaladlad ang inunat kong buhok. I have a small sling bag the size of a phone.

Mom lend us some or her accessories kaya ginamit na namin. She's a retired model kaya alam niya ang mga ganito.

"'Choose your date' sabi dito sa papel," basa ni Clea, "I'll take Desmond."

"Sure. Naisip ko na din iyan," ngiti niya dito.

Pinaglalaruan yata nila ako. But I have no choice. Then, Gareth it is. Iisipin ko na lang para kay Mommy ang ginagawa ko. After strutting the catwalk for a long time, she now walks along the hotel hallways and boardrooms.

Nakarating kami sa Carrousel du Louvre twenty minutes before the show. May mga artista, models, at beauty queens na andito. It is like a circus of fame and glamour for one night. The medias flock everywhere around the venue.

"Puis-je prendre vos photos mesdames et messieurs?" tanong ng isang photographer.

"Oui," I smile at him.

After picture taking we went inside. Somebody thought I was my mother. I denied the fact that I am her daughter. Sinabi ko lang na kamukha ko talaga siya. Mas gusto kong malayo sa industriyang pinanggalingan niya. Napagkamalan pang mga modelo sila Desmond at Clea.

The show started. Different styles of clothes for winter pack our sight. Flashing cameras and applause fill the venue. Nakikipalakpak din kami minsan. I scan their outfits from head to toe.

Kumurap-kurap ako pagkadaan ng isang lalaking modelo. He looks serious and weird at the same time. His clothes were a bit mismatched... at least for me.

"Did you see that?" Clea blinks her eyes.

Hindi lang pala ako ang nakakita. We all nod in silence. Nakakahiya kung sisigaw kami dito bigla.

Nakailang daan pa ang mga modelo. One seems so familiar to us. The walk, the grace and poise... The confindence she has. She even gives a flying kiss to us!

For the finale. Lumabas ang designer ng brand at ang parehong modelo. Naglakad sila hanggang sa gitna ng catwalk habang nakaipon sa likod ang iba. She blows another kiss to the camera

What the hell?

Anong ginagawa niya dito?

TRANSLATIONS:

Puis-je prendre vos photos mesdames et messieurs? — Can I take your photos ladies and gentlemen?

Oui — Yes