The weariness in her face was apparent. The tables had turned, Angel thought. It wasn’t her first time either – the hurt has been a familiar feeling. But, it was the most agonizing she had in her lifetime. The fact that she caused her own demise was even more painful. Her helplessness was burning for her family to endure – but they cannot do anything because whatever happened was completely out of their hands.
With regards to her condition, she maintained proper medication – which led to her eventual betterment. However, Lupus didn’t have a cure. So, it was best for her to avoid any kind of stress.
Yet, Angel still yearned for me to come back…
…even if it already was too late for me to do so.
--------------------
I eked out a sugary smile after I finally had success taking a decent shot of the building. It wasn’t just an ordinary shot – the rays of the sun streaked on it plus the diagonal angular view made it an acceptable shot – at least for me.
“This is a wonderful shot! I think, I now know what your last event will be,” Ma’am Merl grinned.
“Yes, I know,” I replied. “It took me some time, but I am definitely decided now.”
“W-what happened? All this time I was under the impression that you feel uneasy taking on Photojournalism.”
“You see, earlier I really had a hard time finding a perfect angle of the building. Also, frustration caught me of guard after I saw the older photos saved in the camera. They looked pretty good, at least better than the shots I took prior.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she reminded.
“Well, I was. Anyway, as soon as my infuriation got the best of me, I decided to smoke outside. I saw the store lady smiling at me.”
“You bastard. Not the store lady!”
“Of course not! Let me finish.”
“HA-HA-HA-! Alright,” she made face.
“I saw the store lady smiling at me. But, it wasn’t really her smile which took my attention – I realized that the store stuff were all around her. When I aimed the camera towards her, it was perfect. The snapshot told a ton of story.”
“Hmm. That’s a good observation.”
“Afterwards, I looked back at the stored photos. Finally, I found out what was really missing. Their shots were taken from a good angle, the lighting was awesome too. Yet, they lacked a story – their subjects were the perfect ones for the shot, but they failed to impart what kind of story the photograph had. It looked like a random shot. No offense meant for them though.”
“It was never a mistake when I chose to welcome you here, Pat.”
“It’s my pleasure, Ma’am. Remember when you helped me five years ago? It’s my turn now.”
She may not remembered at first, but she really did. I was during my third year in college when we crossed paths – she was with her granddaughter and I was alone in front of the mall a few meters away from our school. It was already eight thirty in the evening and all the public utility vehicles were gone. Since my last subject that day ended around eight, and the transport terminal closed by seven thirty, I had no choice but to wait for a miracle.
Ma’am Merl was my miracle because I never believed in coincidences. When she saw me, I was really helpless because it was already dark. She approached me, I didn’t even notice at first that it was her. As soon as I realized that she was walking towards me, I felt relieved – but I did not expect anything from her.
When she learned that I failed to catch up with the last shuttle, without any hesitation she gave me two hundred pesos so I could rent a motorcycle to get me home. Fortunately, I arrived safely. It was a story of her kind-heartedness.
After she reminisced that fateful night, a tear fell from her left eye.
“I didn’t realize that you are a great actress, huh?” I jokingly said.
“You bastard!” she squealed while wiping it. “I just didn’t expect you to still remember that moment.”
“How can I ever forget? It means a lot to me.”
“Enough with the drama! Print that photo right away. The Admin Office needs that.”
As I printed the photograph, she glanced at me and smiled.
-------------------
“Who shot this?”
Ma’am Merl felt that the school president liked it. “Patrick Prado took that photo.”
“A Prado? Is he—“
“Yes, Mrs. Prado’s son.”
“Damn, he’s good at it. This is, by far, the best picture I have seen from your students. And to think that this is just a mere building even made it more compelling.”
“Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I personally came here to talk to you. I would like to include him as a participant in the upcoming Tertiary Press Conference on February.”
“Is that a request?”
“Yes, it is.”
“You’re Emerlina Arnante. You do not need my permission. HA-HA-HA!”
“I do not want to bypass your authority though,” she leered.
“Make him compete for our school. He sure looks like a winner to me, knowing that he’s Mrs. Prado’s son.”
“Uh, I don’t think he will like that.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Pat wants to establish a name for himself, and he already did. The course that he is taking here, Bachelor in Education with an English major is his second course already. He’s a renowned personality in our province after he carried USANT’s name multiple times in different contests. He even qualified for the Top Outstanding Maritime Students of the region in 2015.”
“That’s one hell of a resume, I must say.”
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As soon as I came home, I sat on the couch, placed my feet on top of the table and slowly closed my eyes. It was a tiring day, to say the least. A mixture of different kinds of emotions which eventually led to a desirable ending – the best definition of it.
Furthermore, one thing was made clearer – my shutter touch gradually resurfaced.
YOU ARE READING
Picturesque
RomanceWe take photographs as Return Tickets to moments otherwise gone. As Pat regains his shutter touch, Jane arrives in his borderline-okay life, which will make unimaginable differences.
