Sing Me a Song, Soleil

Chapter 5: Emotions

*Soleil's Point of View*

Kevin was standing by my doorway when I stepped out of the elevator. I felt my pulse rate race at the sight of him. Una sa lahat, anong ginagawa niya dito? Pangalawa, why is he wearing sunglasses at night?

Napansin niya ata ang pagdating ko kasi ngumiti siya saka kumaway sa gawi ko. Kinailangan kong humugot ng malalim na hininga upang pakalmahin ang sarili ko bago siya lapitan. 

"Can I help you?" pasimpleng tanong ko. 

For some reasons, hindi mawala ang awkward na pakiramdam ko sa paligid niya pagkatapos ng nangyari sa rooftop. 

Nangyari? What did I mean by nangyari? Wala namang nangyari.

Hindi sumagot si Kevin, sa halip ay dumukot ito sa bulsa at kinuha ang kamay ko. His hands were warm, but I felt something cold touch my skin when he placed an object on my palm.

"You almost got locked out," he said. No, he sang. His voice sounded pleased. Sure enough, I wasn't imagining it.

He walked away just as he said what he just said. Nagtatakang pinanood ko lang siya hanggang makasakay siya ng elevator at tuluyang mawala sa paningin ko. Nang tignan ko ang bagay na nilagay niya sa kamay ko, agad kong nakilala ang susi ng unit ko.

"Shet!" bulong ko at mabilis na kinalkal ang bag ko. "Where did he find it though?"

IF I WERE given one peso for all the times I was introduced to someone this week, I'd be a millionaire. Of course, that was an exaggeration, but that's basically how it feels to me. Para bang biglang naging interesting ang araw araw ng buhay ko simula noong agawan ako ng taxi ni Paolo. I met executives, event organizers, producers, choreographers, and lots of other people.

D-7 to Summer Spirit Fest. Yan ang nakasulat sa isang maliit na white board sa loob ng recording studio. We took our places inside the isolation booth according to Danny's instructions and the rest of the day went on with us repeatedly holding a mini-performance in the recording studio. What seems to me like my best performing condition is actually not yet on par with actual professional singers. Marami akong kinailangan i-improve at baguhin upang maging mas maganda pakinggan. This made me feel like I have a lot to learn from people like Danny.

"Kailangan mong iimprove ang diction mo. Maganda lang yan pakinggan sa ngayon dahil nasa studio, pero malaki ang venue at pwede masapawan ng instruments and boses mo sa live performance," payo ni Danny.

Kasama sa mga payo nito ang page-exercise dahil karamihan sa napili kong kantahin ay nangangailangan ng stamina at stable breathing. I wondered if I should hit the gym. But I disliked the gym at the condominium because it's always crowded with people who like to stare. Plus it reeks of deodorant, sweat, and perfume. I can't seem to stand it.

"Alright, we're almost there. Babye," sabi ni Krista saka tinapik ang suot na Bluetooth earphones. "Naghihintay na raw ang choreographer."

"Okay. Thanks for taking me there, Krista," sagot ko. Agad kaming bumiyahe patungo sa susunod na venue ng rehearsal pagkagaling sa The Red Light. Pinagmamaneho pa rin ako ni Krista kaya hindi ko maiwasang makaramdam ng hiya at pasasalamat. "Thanks for helping me all the way. You didn't really have to."

"An artist performing in the festival using cover songs is so rare. Usually nangyayari lang siya kapag invited ang Clef Hangers," komento ni Krista.

Clef Hangers is a popular acapella group in the country.