Unreachable Zacharius

15

Chapter 15

I crimped my hair and put on a sunglasses on top of my head before I got off the car. Sinigurado kong presentable ang itsura ko bago pumasok ng building. Walang bakas ng pag-iyak o kung ano.

"God, hija! You dyed your hair?" Mrs. Dalton said as I took the seat in front of her large wooden table.

Sa kabila ng edad ay napakaganda pa rin nito. She was wearing a smoky eyeshadows and matte red lipstick just like mine. The old woman was oozing with sophistication and elegance but in a very subtle way. Tulad ng inaasahan ay gulat na gulat ang matanda ng makita ako.

Tipid akong ngumiti bago tumugon.

"Yes, madam. I attended my friend's fashion show po kasi."

"Fashion show? May I know the brand?" maamong ngumiti ang matanda.

"It's Adela Lopez. She's new to the industry but she's making a name." Tipid ngunit nagmamalaki kong sagot.

"Is my hair bothersome?" tanong ko nang mapansin ang nagtatagal niyang titig sa aking buhok.

"Well, darling..." she stared at me and sighed.

"It suits you but I think we'll have to consult Mr. Rapha first on whether we'll dye it back to its natural color or if it is okay to keep it that way."

Kinunot ko ang aking noo sa pagtataka. The old woman smiled at me. Napasinghap ako nang makuha ang nais nitong sabihin. Marahan akong pumikit.

"Do you mean Rapha La Torre?" may bahid ng pagkagulat kong tanong.

"Yes. You know, I was wondering if you want to be a show stopper... for Rapha La Torre, hija. Also," she flashed an assuring smile.

"We are planning to feature you for this month, darling. I've made a tentative arrangement to meet Rapha for lunch tomorrow, but it's not definite yet. Ah, i'm so honored to have you as one of our models."

Pakiramdam ko'y nahulog ang panga ko sa sobrang pagkamangha.

I had been praised by a lot of known people to be the most expensive-looking among all the models my age. My overall elegant beauty and toned body had been talked by some of the big magazines in the Philippines. I have a hundred thousand followers on Insta and Twitter. Nakakatanggap rin ako ng mga emails at messages from my fans. But I hadn't been so active with my social life since I married Zacharius. Ngayo'y namamangha pa rin ako dahil malaking personalidad ang irerepresent ko ngayon.

"Wow... I mean," awkward akong tumawa.

"Rapha La Torre?"

His works are known abroad! This offer is big. Sino ako para tumanggi? Rapha La Torre is a known fashion designer. Being a show stopper for his fashion show is a great privilege. Siyempre, hindi na ako mag-iinarte.

"This is a big offer, hija. Halos lahat ng aming modelo ay iyon ang nais na matanggap. You are the fortunate one. Tomorrow, you're going to meet Rapha La Torre with your agent. Are you up for it?"

I exhaled all the heavy feelings that weighed me down. Ngumiti ako at tumango.

"Of course I am, ma'am."

"Tita na lang, silly." maarteng puna ng matanda.

Tumawa ng matanda. It was a soft laugh. Elegante at magaan sa tenga. I smiled timidly.