RESTY Fondejar was in front of a vanity mirror in the dressing room, sitting in a folding chair while holding his print-out. Tapos na siyang makeup-an ng stylist. He looked fresh and full of life. Idagdag pa roon na guwapo naman talaga siya. He has low, bushy eyebrows, thick light brown lips, and brown eyes that bore a naturally intense and penetrating gaze. Resty has those eyes that matched the graveness of the bad news he mostly reports on TV. Every bad news carried more impact thanks to his intimidating, serious stare, and stoic tone.
Resty also wore a gray suit with a fit that accentuated his firm, sturdy figure. Isang beses sa isang linggo na lang siya nakakapag-gym pero nagagawan niya ng paraan ma-maintain ang may kalaparang pangangatawan sa pamamagitan ng no-equipment exercises. He wasn't that bulky muscular-type but the shape of his torso made his body look like The Rock's. Humahapit tuloy sa balat niya ang matigas na mga muscle. No fats could be seen in unwanted places except an appearance of two thin layers of iton his stomach when he slouches.
Isang dekada na siya sa propesyon bilang tagapagbalita. Nagsimula siya sa pagiging field reporter, paggawa ng mga documentary, at sa wakas ay naging regular na news anchor sa TV. May ilang advertisements rin siyang naging proyekto kaya makalipas ang labintatlong taon ay unti-unti siyang nakapagpundar. Inspite of all these, his top priority is his physique, but it's more than just being fit and looking good.
Resty had been very body-conscious ever since he encountered things in his field of work. Una siyang naging field reporter. Napapasabak siya sa gitna ng bagyo at minsan ay sa kalagitnaan pa ng mga labanan sa pagitan ng militar at mga sibilyan. Nakatatanggap din siya ng paminsan-minsan ng bmga anta sa kanyang buhay kaya nanigurado siya. He kept his body healthy and fit. He made sure he will be flexible enough to protect himself, lalo na nang nagkaroon na siya ng malaki-laking pera na mailalagak para sa kanyang proteksyon. He just has this zest for life, in contradiction to how lifeless he looked when delivering news on TV. There's just a lot of things that kept him obsessed with staying alive.
Other people didn't bother or think of it, but Resty does. He always does. Walang nakahahalata at wala siyang pinagsasabihan na ang mamatay ang pinakakinatatakutan niya.
Ang pinaka-iniiwasan niya.
Ilang beses na niyang nautakan si Kamatayan, kaya hangga't makakaya niya, iisahan at iisahan niya ito.
So, aside from keeping his body fit, he attended self-defense classes. Nagse-self study din siya ng physical combat at pinag-aaralan ang mga video na nakikita sa internet. He could make things simple by hiring himself a bodyguard, pero mahirap na. Baka ang ma-hire pa niyang tao ay hindi mapagkakatiwalaan. Moreover, he didn't want another mouth to feed and a pair of eyes watching his every move. Resty preferred being the lone wolf especially when he's in a world where he was made aware of fruitless reliance and trust. Just fruitless, because his world is a jungle filled with biased and treacherous snakes. Napakasimple rin ng solusyon para rito. Puwede naman niyang iwanan ang mundong ito, ang media.
But when he realized he should leave, it was already too late.
He just . . . could not leave this world anymore.
Sunod na inatupag ng stylist na si Dindee ang kanyang buhok. Ang target nito ay magawa ang kanyang signature side-part hairstyle. 'Yong istilo na may nakalambiting ilang hibla ng buhok sa ibabaw ng kanyang kanang mata. Pero wala sa ginagawa ng stylist ang isip at atensiyon niya. He didn't need to worry about the result of the hairstyle because Dindee had been styling him for years and always met his expectations. Naka-focus lang siya sa binabasa sa papel . . . sa papel o cue card na hawak niya hanggang mamaya pagsalang niya on-air sa studio.
Mabilis namang pinasadahan ni Resty ng basa ang print-out. Gawain na nilang mga news anchor sa studio ito bago isalang sa harap ng camera. Bago pa mai-broadcast ang balita, nabasa na nila ito para maihanda ang kanilang mga sarili. At dahil handa na sila, kontrolado na nila anuman ang reaksiyon sa kanilang mga ibabalita na nakawiwindang kung minsan. Katulad na lang ng pangatlong headline na binabasa ng kanyang mga mata. Tungkol ito sa isang menor de edad na ginahasa muna bago pinatay.
