Ciao, Mister Stranger (18+) (Wattys Shortlist Finalist)

One

Ｊｏｄｉｅ

My fingers are basically popsicles. Which, fine, might be the Baguio cold doing its thing, but also possibly the full-on panic simmering in my stomach. I blow into my palms, hoping warm breath can fix whatever the hell is happening to me. 

Sigurado akong makikipag-handshake sa amin 'yong contestant mamaya. Ayaw kong ipahalata na parang galing sa freezer ang katawan ko kapag hinawakan niya ako, kaya naman paulit-ulit kong ikinuskos ang mga palad ko sa apron.

"Oh, my gosh, Jo, artista na tayo in five months!" sabi ni Bernadette na halos lukutin pa ang dulo ng manggas ng uniform ko habang iniipit ang kanyang tili.

The truth is, what Berna said is not accurate. The reality show taping will last six months, but they'll need another year to edit the scenes before they air everything on Channel 8's TV and streaming platforms. That's what I understood from the contract we signed last month.

Gayunpaman, naiintinidhan ko ang point ni Berna. Tiyak kasing dudumugin ang branch namin pagkatapos ng lahat ng 'to.

Kalahating oras na kaming nakatayong parang mga sundalo rito sa daan papasok ng restaurant. Walang mapakali sa'min at kahit na anong suway ng isa sa mga floor managers, hindi pa rin namin mapatahan ang aming mga sarili dahil sa sobrang excitement.

Even I can't help but let my eyes wander to the massive cameras, despite the crew's strict rule against it. Napapaisip kasi ako. Naku-curious. What do I look like on TV?

I probably look. . . awkward. Seriously, I can't even watch those videos of myself when I first tried TikTok, aiming to launch a bike tour channel around Baguio. I bailed after just seven videos despite a surprisingly huge number of views and followers. 'Di ko kasi talaga kayang atimin. Couldn't stand my shy, cringey, all-teeth smile and those viewers, mostly men, who had a talent for leaving lewd comments.

I guess I'm the type who easily cracks under the pressure and the madness of social media. Ang problema nga lang, baka do'n din ang bagsak ko kapag natapos itong TV show. We might trend—there's always a possibility. Lalo na't malaking station ang Channel 8.

Pero wala naman akong choice. I need this job. And sadly, being thrusted into this show has now become part of it.

Pasimple kong hinawi ang takas kong buhok at isinabit ang mga ito sa likod ng mga tenga ko. Inayos ko rin ang pagkakapusod nito nang marinig namin si Sir Luke mula sa megaphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Malapit na ang convoy. Nandiyan na sila sa baba, paakyat na raw! Try not to faint, okay?"

Ang buong pangalan niya ay Lucas Alfaro, ang assistant TV director ng The Entrepreneur, ang pangalan ng reality show. Siya ang nag-train sa'min nang halos isang buwan para mabawas-bawasan ang pagkailang namin sa harap ng kamera.

Tantsa ko ay mas matanda siya nang tatlo hanggang limang taon sa'kin base na rin sa kanyang mga kwento. He's naturally friendly and a bit of a jokester, which meshes perfectly with Berna's equally annoying charm. Kaya nga laging kami-kami ang magkakasama at silang dalawa naman ang madalas na nag-aasaran. He taught us how to stand and angle ourselves so we wouldn't accidentally turn our backs on the cameras pointed at us.

Bukod kasi sa mga cameramen, mayroon ding in-install ang crew na maliliit na cameras sa loob ng restaurant—spy cams ang tawag ni Sir Luke sa mga ito. But since all of us at Mindy's were given blueprints showing exactly where they were placed. . . well, let's just say his choice of words doesn't exactly fit.