Abalang-abala si Lena sa pag-aasikaso ng una niyang art exhibit. Sa sobrang excited niya, halos ilang araw na rin siyang hindi nakatulog ng maayos. Tatlong taon na rin mula noong sinabi sa kanya ng daddy niya na papayagan siya nitong magkaroon ng sariling exhibit.
Three years ago, her parents finally gave up convincing her that she should finish her studies and get a diploma. Na-realize siguro ng mga ito na ayaw talaga niyang mag-aral. She wants to learn, but school is not as freeing. The artist in her doesn't want to be confined in four walls to be taught with things that she's not interested in learning.
Kaya tumigil siya sa pag-aaral at naghanap ng mga bagay na gusto niyang matutunan sa labas ng paaralan. Nothing beats first-hand experience. Kapag may technicalities lang na kailangan talaga niyang aralin, saka siya kumukuha ng short courses.
She knows that being an artist would be a struggle. Pana-panahon ang kita. At isa pa, dahil sa aesthetics at principles niya, may mga bagay siyang hindi masikmurang gawin kahit alam niyang kikita siya ng malaki. The mass production of her furniture designs is one example. Aside from photography, she also designs furnitures. But that one's for personal use only.
Nang bumukod kasi siya, at the age of 18, she couldn't find any furniture that would go with the eccentricity of her new home. So, she took it upon herself to design her own things.
Naging studio na rin niya ang bahay, which looked more like a warehouse. The house was stinky and bare when she bought it. There were molds and rust and the smell of decay all over the place.
She immediately fell in love with it. Her family helped her clean it up, but that's the extent of their help. Since ayaw niyang ibili siya ng furnitures at appliances, ilang gabi rin siyang natulog na sleeping bag ang gamit. She spent the first few weeks designing everything.
Martin helped those designs come to life. Family friend ito. They've known each other their whole lives. He's also the one who turns her designs into sellable pieces. But she only allows him to mass produce the designs that she didn't like so much. All the unique pieces can be found inside her home. One-of-a-kind lahat. No one would find them anywhere else.
Martin.
Bumuntong-hininga siya. He should have been there, helping her get her stuff in order. But of course, he's needed somewhere else.
Lou Iradessa or Lacey--as everyone affectionately calls her sister, is a celebrity. She's been in the industry since she turned 16. Alam niyang mahirap ang buhay showbiz. Kahit siyang kapatid, hindi rin makaiwas sa limelight at sa mga intrigang dala nito.
Martin is Lacey's self-appointed protector. Anim na taon ang tanda nito sa kapatid niya at limang taon naman sa kanya.
Nang mga bata pa sila, ipinagkasundo sila ng mga magulang para ipakasal. Usapan daw kasi iyon matagal na. But she never saw Martin as someone she could marry someday. Kuya niya ito. Well, at least that was the case before she became a teenager and developed a huge crush on him. That infatuation later turned into love.
Alam niyang kapatid lamang ang tingin nito sa kanya. Akala niya ay ganoon ang tingin nito sa kanilang magkakapatid. Apparently, Lacey's different. Martin loves Lacey the way a man loves a woman, and her sister loves him back. Matagal na rin niya itong tinanggap because there's really no other choice but to accept it.
Pero umasa siyang tutulungan pa rin siya ni Martin. He knows how important the exhibit is to her.
--
On the day of the exhibit, Lena's family and close friends all came to see her art on display. Everybody came, except for Lacey and Martin.
"I'm sorry, ate, I can't come to your exhibit. May taping, e."
