46. Greatest Award Goes To

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We've expected the worst, and here we are.

I was rushed to the nearest hospital after the first phase of the competition. According to Forest, medic na ang nagsakay sa 'kin sa ambulance at deretso na agad ako sa operating room pagkarating sa opistal. I needed blood . . . again.

Sa last day of the competition na ako nagising ulit. Forest was in my room, ang sabi ng doktor, puwede naman na raw ang guardian since tinahi lang ulit ang sugat kong bumuka na naman. At bawal pa rin akong kumilos kaya kinailangan na 'kong lagyan ng neck brace para hindi mapuwersa ang bakal sa panga at leeg ko.

It was a nice afternoon kasi ang ganda talaga ng tama ng panghapong araw sa hospital room ko. Kahit patay ang ilaw, sobrang liwanag, lalo pa cream ang color ng interior. Yung reflection ng yellow light ng araw, sobrang dashing sa mata.

I should be resting-and I was doing it habang nanonood ng replay ng event. Judging kahapon at kailangan kong manood ng event na dapat ako ang naroon at hindi kung sino pa man. Pinahiram ako ni Forest ng phone kasi na kay Tyrone pa rin naman ang mga gamit ko.

To be honest, after that bloodstain on my suit's cuff, I stopped dreaming of the trophy.

Because, basically, that was already a ground for disqualification. Ang laki ng alteration ko sa entry. Alam ko na 'yon at tanggap ko na 'yon noong first phase pa lang. Aside sa part 'yon ng judging process, it was a stain. The pigment of the blood was washable. Padaanan lang 'yon ng tubig, kukupas agad 'yon. And that was not an ideal, wearable suit.

Kahit ako, hindi ko ipapanalo ang sarili ko kung criteria lang ang pag-uusapan.

But then again, hindi ako gumagawa ng pangit na damit. And if that stain was too ugly for my eyes, kahit mamamatay na 'ko, aayusin at aayusin ko pa rin 'yon because I don't want to die making a horrible creation.

"Cin, mamaya na yung awarding," Forest said after she came back from buying her own foods-mga pagkaing bawal ako kahit gusto kong makihingi.

"Yeah," I answered without any sign of enthusiasm. My eyes were glued to the phone's screen. Showing ang backstage sa exclusive peeks for the models. And the last person they'd interviewed was Jericho. He was being assisted by three people: a hair and makeup artist, the organizers giving him some briefing regarding the runway routine, and Tyrone Chen. Ty was quoted as the sponsor of Cinnamon de Chavez's entry but he was the supervisor of Jericho's wardrobe for the night.

The backstage host was Nigel Laker, a forty-year-old TV show personality and host from Thailand. He was interviewing the designers and their models. May areas na madilim, may areas na sobrang liwanag gawa ng vanity set. Magulo sa backstage at may ibang topless pa nga. Mabuti at lalaki ang host, hindi awkward pumasok doon kung hindi sanay.

"Here's Yuri Pantaleon and her model Vaughn Henry. How's you night so far?" the host asked.

Yuri smiled and continued fixing the tie of her model's suit. "I'm so nervous! They all looked stunning here!"

Nagtawanan sila roon para pababain ang kaba na kahit ako, nararamdaman ko rin para sa kanila.

Hindi lahat mai-interview kaya kung sino lang ang madaanan ng host, siya ang natatanong nito.

"Hi, Jake! Are you excited to be here tonight? I heard this is your first time to join such competition. 22 and the youngest designer among the list of the contestant!"

"My gosh!" Jake was hyperventilating and fanning his face with his hands. "Trust me, Nigel, I've never felt so much pressure in my entire life until now!"

"Hahaha! You can make it, honey." Nigel hugged Jake to comfort him in the middle of the chaotic backstage area.

Paikot-ikot ang tingin ko sa screen para hanapin sina Jericho, and I guess, prompted na yatang ihuli sila sa interview.

A Designer's CreationTahanan ng mga kuwento. Tumuklas ngayon