Avenues of the Diamond (University Series #4)

22

"Come! I'm going to introduce you to one of my favorite designers!"

The week after Avrielle's birth, classes resumed for me. Ito na 'yong last sem ko sa Ateneo and in a few months, finally, ga-graduate na 'ko, so while waiting for my graduation, I attended modeling classes so I could have the confidence to seek modeling companies. I didn't want to take a rest. I wanted to land a job after graduation since I was planning to live by myself. It was the first time I'd be doing something against my parents, so it was better to earn early with the risk of getting cut off from the family. 

I had been hanging out with Giselle a lot because when I asked for modeling companies in my IG story, she replied to meet her in a coffee shop to talk about it. In the following days, she kept on introducing me to the people who could help me. I really appreciated her efforts because I really didn't know a thing about how the industry worked until now. 

"Markus, this is Samantha Vera, my friend from Ateneo," Giselle introduced me to a guy with glasses and a fashionable scarf around his neck. He smiled and offered his hand, looking at me from head to toe, trying to examine me. I took his hand and gave him an awkward smile. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not checking you out, darling. We play on the same side." He laughed and put his glasses down on the table. "You're smaller than Giselle, but other than that, you look fine. How innocent! Pareho kayo ng agency?"

"Oh, no. I haven't applied to agencies yet!" I smiled nervously.

"So you're saying that no one has ever contacted you? Scouting? No one? Geez, they're missing a piece right here! What's your name again? Samantha Ve- Oh my gosh." He covered his mouth dramatically. "You kind of look like Selen Aguilar." 

"She's actually my mother." As I mentioned before, my mom was popular with media companies and fashion industries since she was a celebrity before she got married to my dad. Her beauty was exceptional, but after getting married, she retired from the industry to take care of me. 

"She's hitting big! Selene was the goddess of our generation! Bakit wala pang cumocontact sa 'yo? You should start sending your portfolio. A lot of agencies would probably reply A-S-A-P." 

"I'm already helping her with her portfolio, so no worries! I introduced her to my agency last week via video call, and they loved her!" Giselle sounded so excited. She told me that her agency was really nice to her and helped her a lot with bookings. After three local shoots, the agency already booked her an international one. However, her agency was based in New York, so I wasn't sure if I could do it.

We had coffee and shopped together before I went home. It was a Saturday, and Clyden was out studying with his friends. Tomorrow, we'll probably just stay at home and watch a movie. Masyado na kaming busy para lumabas pa. I was busy trying to fit into the industry, and he was busy studying. Ito na ang last lecture sem nila. Clerkship na ang kasunod so he was really trying his best to learn. 

It actually felt good that I finally had something I could focus on. Back then, I used to envy Clyden for being occupied with the things that could help him achieve his dreams. Now I could say that I was doing the same thing. It wasn't really easy to survive in modeling here, so I asked for Giselle's help. I read articles and they said that you really need friends from the industry to help you. I didn't want to bother Giselle, but she also looked so excited for me.