Behind Every Pages

Chapter Twenty-five

Lestari

Masakit man isipin ay nagiging masaya ako ngayon na wala na ang mga pagpapabawal sa akin, iyon ay dahil wala na rin si Daddy. Ngayon ay nagiging malaya na ako. Nakakapunta na ako sa mga book signing events at nakikita palagi ang mga kaibigan ko, lalo na si Ezra.

Upon arriving at the book signing event, I could no longer hide my excitement. This was my first time, but I knew what to do as Kuya Alistar and I stayed up all night discussing the ins and outs of book signing events.

Despite the lack of sleep, I was genuinely excited for this day. The venue where the event was taking place was large, dahil nagsama-sama talaga ang mga sikat na author sa bansa. I ended up bringing so many books to get signed by them.

Malapit na ako sa pila, may dala lang akong mini-fan dahil kahit airconditioned sa lugar ay mainit pa rin sa dami ng tao. Kasama ko sa pila ang mga kapwa ko supporters ni Ezonme, nagkakilala kami lahat dahil kilala nila ako. Nagulat pa nga sila na sakawas ay nakadalo na ako. Ang dami naming napag-usapan tuloy.

As I approached the first table, I placed the book of the author in front of me.

"Hi, you're so pretty. You seem really excited, is this your first time?" she asked while looking at me. I nodded immediately.

"Yes, I'm a huge fan," I felt like crying.

"Thank you, thank you so much for supporting my stories..."

"Lestari," I continued, as if she was waiting for me to say my name.

Every time I approached the authors' tables, my heart was filled with joy. I was so happy. Finally, I thought I would never experience this.

I placed the book by Continues Salvation on the table. She was wearing black shades and red lipstick. She looked intimidating and elegant.

"I'm your fan po, and I wanted to express my gratitude for your book. They've been a great help to me during times of confusion. It also taught me the importance of forgiveness," I couldn't contain my excitement. I had waited for this moment for so long. Due to this author, my Dad got upset with me and even broke my phone. How could someone hate such a talented writer?

"How so?" I was taken aback by the familiar voice, one that resonated deeply with me. It sounded like the voice of a woman I had missed for a long time. I had tried to hate and forget her, but I just couldn't.

"Because I learned to forgive my Mom, who left me a long time ago." I held her gaze. She simply nodded and returned my book. I thanked her once more and departed. She seemed reserved, and I understood.

Upon reaching Ross's table, he was equally surprised.

"Oh? Fan pala kita?" he exclaimed as I give him his three books.

"Pinigilan ko lang dati sarili ko dahil baka lumaki ulo mo." ngumisi siya at umiling.

"Kung hindi ka lang bestfriend ng bebe ko," nagulat ako sa sinabi niya.

"Kayo na?" ang bilis ah.

"Gagi, hindi. Manifestation lang," he chuckled. I shook my head and thanked him. Umalis na ako at pumila na sa dulo, it was the last line I visited, and it happened to be the longest.

Wala bang VIP card for his number one fan?

Joke, ang unfair ko naman pag ganon.

"Ang guwapo talaga ni Ezonme 'no?"

"Oo nga eh, naka-mask pa 'yan ah. Ang guwapo. Mayroon siyang kamuka sa Sierra University. What if siya iyon? Diba graduating student siya? Baka doon siya nag-aaral."

I overheard the conversation of two women behind me.

"Sayang hindi natin afford ang tuition fee doon. Buti nga kahit papano afford ko ang mga libro niya eh, at least sa ganitong paraan nakikita natin siya"

"Sa totoo lang, ang gaganda ng libro ni Ezonme, lalo na yung last na libro niya na historical fiction, ang ganda ng quality, leather pa talaga ang materials, tapos ang mura lang. Grabe rin talaga sa pagiging mabait siya ano? Regalo niya raw iyon sa mga readers."

"True, I wonder tuloy if may girlfriend na siya, ang suwerte lang ng girlfriend niya, ganyan kabait at kagwapo. May sariling fictional character,"

"Hays, okay lang. Basta akin si Gabriel Dimayuga."

"Hoy ako nauna doon!"

I couldn't help but smile at their conversation. Indeed, the girlfriend of the man at the front would be fortunate. He smiled as he conversed with a male supporter.

"Hi," I greeted. Nervousness still lingered, despite our previous conversation. That moment was unforgettable.

"Hi, nice to meet you," he smiled. "You are?"

"Lesty," we both chuckled. He told me once that he felt like he had a mission to solve my identity. Napagkamalan niya kasing magkaibang tao si Lesty at Lestari.

"Finally, I met you. It's good that you're free to go out now," I smiled wistfully at his words. Finally, that was because Daddy is no longer around. I couldn't bring myself to tell Ezra about it. It felt too heavy. If he has any idea, it's okay with me. It's been widely reported across the country about what happened to Daddy, so I just assumed Ezra didn't want to bring it up.

"Yeah, as this has been a dream of mine," I smiled. It's been a long-held dream-to go out, attend events like this, be the one buying the books I love, and meet the authors I supported.

"Uh-huh, tell me more, tell me about yourself," he extended his hand as if encouraging me to speak.

"Is this an interview?" I chuckled, but he just smiled and leaned back. "Well, fan mo ko obviously,"

"And then?"

"That's it, ano ka ba? There are people waiting behind me. Sign that quickly," naririnig ko kasinh pinag-uusapan na ako nung mga babae.

"Fine, bossy fan," he said with a smile while signing my book. I noticed him take a piece of paper from under the table and slip it into one of the pages of the book he was holding.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," he smiled and handed me the book. "C-can we have dinner?" He seemed a bit shy now, leaning back in his chair. I, on the other hand, felt a flutter in my stomach. Dinner? Did he really say that? I didn't catch it clearly.

"Dinner?" Paninigurado ko.He nodded twice. "Sure, when?"

"I'll pick you up, I haven't asked Kuya Alistair yet," he said.

"O-okay," I smiled and said goodbye before leaving. When I reached the car, I couldn't stop squealing with joy. It was such a happy day!

"Nag-enjoy ka ba?" Kuya Alistair asked.

"Obvious naman,Kuya," Luther replied with a smile while covering his ear.

Sobra! Sobrang saya ko!