Captured Through The Lenses

Capture 5: You'd Be A Great Model

Capture Five

"Celebrating her sweet sixteenth. Here's Gwyneth Austria with her escort-slash-fiance, Mr Isaac Rios!"

The guests applaud as Gwyneth and Isaac made their entrace. My sister nodded and smiled to the guests, her friends and to us.

Isaac and Gwyneth had their first dance. This is the intro before others can have the floor to dance.

Then it was followed by messages and speeches from the guests.

"Don't you like to have this kind of celebration on your debut, hija?" papa whispered as Gwyneth sat on her swing in front.

I shook my head. "Wag na papa, gastos lang tapos nakakapagod pa. I'd like to spend the day by myself, at least mas personal."

Isaac kept a straight face. I don't know whether he's not interested in this or he's naturally just like that. And I choose the latter. Ganyan din naman lagi ang hitsura niya sa school.

"Clementine, doesn't Gwyneth and your son look perfect for each other?" si mama.

Magkakatable lang kami nila tita Clementine. Salungat na salungat ang parents ko pati ang parents ni Isaac. Clementine and Denzel Rios looked so in love and inseparable. While my mama and papa looked so distant. Nakaupo pa nga ako sa gitna nilang dalawa.

Tito Denzel never kept his hand off tita Clementine and would whisper in her ears every now and then. I think he's whispering sweet words because every time he does so, it would leave tita Clementine either blushing or smiling.

My mama and papa are the worst role models for love. So the sight of Isaacs's parents felt new to me. I'm a pessimist in the subject of love. I believe that feelings always come with reason and motivation. Na kapag nawala na ang dahilan na 'yon, mawawala na rin ang pag ibig niya.

"H'wag nating madaliin ang mga bata, Mildred. Let them know each other then let their feelings decide."

Mama's expression turned sour with tita Clementine's response. She has a point, actually. You can't expect someone who just turned sixteen years old and a seventeen year old man to suddenly know the meaning and be ready for this kind of commitment.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will come to love each other eventually. No one could compete to my daughter's beauty," mama says with confidence.

"Not everyone is attracted to looks, hindi ba Ezekiel?" tita Clementine smirked as she looked at me and papa.

Tumawa ng plastik si mama at uminom ng kanyang wine.

I'm not sure if I want to be here to witness this heated conversation. So I excused myself to go to my friends' table. There are two empty seats beside each other. Umupo ako roon sa isa sa katabi nila Madison at Brooklyn.

"Everything's beautiful, Catherine! Grabe, sixteenth pa lang ito ha. Baka sa eighteenth e palasyo na ang ibigay diyan kay Gwyneth."

"Syempre maganda yan, Brooklyn. Hotel yata namin ito," Benjamin sat proudly in his seat.

Brooklyn rolled her eyes. "You love taking credit talaga. Your parents made it to what it is."

Benjamin shrugged. "And I'm proud of them. Someday, mas gaganda pa ito sa ilalim ng pamamahala ko."

"Let's cheers to that!" We lifted our glasses with iced tea juice at sabay sabay na uminom.

Tumingin ako sa bakanteng upuan sa tabi ko. "Kanino 'to?"

Wala naman na kaming iba pang kaibigan.

Binuksan ni Mason ang kanyang bibig para sumagot ngunit agad na nadivert ang kanyang mata sa likuran ko. "Oh, ayan na pala ang sagot!"