The Promise

Smile for the Camera

The sun is setting, giving the surrounding bathe with that golden orange color and the sea as the perfect mirror reflecting the light. The wind was light yet it give you chills for the coming night.

click... click... click...

"Hi," a girl in a 2 piece bathing suit came. "I'm Betty. Are you a photographer?"

The girl with the camera just looked at her and then looked again in the camera's eyepiece. 

"Can you take a picture of me? I'm wearing a new bathing suit, a victoria secret bathing suit. Don't you find it sexy on me?" the girl tried again to get the photographer's attention, but the photographer continued taking pictures of the sea now starting to have velvet dark blue color. The girl in the bathing suit walked out, grimacing her face. "Snob," she whispered but loud enough for the photographer to hear.

"There you are, buddy," Luna, the photographer's best friend.their term, brothers from another mother. "Been looking all over for you,"

The other woman just gave Luna a "duh" look.

"Oh right, usual place. Glaizel, are you sure you're alright? That you have moved on?"

"What do you think am doing, Luns?" Glaizel placed her camera on her lap, checking the pictures she took.

"I don't get you. We are like brother," Glaizel gave her another look. "Alright, sisters. Of all the places we can visit, why it has to be this place. I mean there are a lot of goddamn bitches.. I mean beaches in the Philippines and you chose Davao. And that girl who was talking to you was a damn eye popper. That body. The boobs dude, its about to explode in her bikini top! You didn't even bother to let your eyes feast on 'em,"

"You are a maniac. Will you just go back to the hotel," Glaizel shooed her friend. Luna left her scratching her head.

The sun has perfectly set, letting the moon on its place. The stars conquered the velvet black sky. The night had given Glaizel the interest to capture the silent night but as she placed her eyes on the eyepiece a flash of past blew along with the wind.

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A year ago, on that same beach, Glaizel was full in her hands in arranging a dinner under the stars. Tonight is the night of her long relationship with Solen.  She took the small blue velvet box in her camera bag and checked if that little golden, diamond studded bond is still one piece.

"Hey there little fellas," she talked on the stunning rocks as if they will respond. "Hang in there, I'll be placing you in the hands of the most beautiful woman I have ever known," and she placed it back to where it was hidden.

She will pop out the question tonight. Papakasalan na niya ang babaeng 8 years nang nagpaligaya sa kanya, nakasama niya sa hirap at ginhawa. Over and over she's practicing in her mind and mga dapat niyang sabihin. she kept on changing her approach on how to propose. The night was getting along with her plans. The moon was in a perfect glow with stars twinkling in the background. She was actually wishing for colder breeze to wrap around her arms around her girlfriend.

Solen will be arriving any moment now. Glaizel came to the resort alone to prepare everything and Solen will be coming from Manila. She said she will just finish her filing paper works and then follow her. 

Glaizel double checking on the lamps if they still have enough gas when her phone rang. 

"Hey beautiful," she greeted.

"Hi hon. Am on my way to the resort. I'll be there in a few,"

"Okay. I can't wait to see you,"

"Me too. See you," they ended the call.

Glaizel's heart was leaping with joy. She looked again at the ring, but her admiration was cut off when her phone chirped. It was an email confirmation. The sender was unknown and has no message but there was an attachment. A video attachment. She sat down and opened the attachment.

The video started playing. Someone fixing the camera to focus on an empty bed and adjusted to clear the shot. A few moments, a guy lay down the bed with only a brief on his body, a woman followed, naked. She lay down beside the guy and kissed him. Passionately with hunger. Then her hands started to crawl from the guy's shoulder, his chest, down to his stomach. She inserted her hand inside his brief, caressing what's hidden inside.

Glaizel felt his face red, burning with anger. She dropped her phone on the table, the video still playing, hearing sounds both of the person in the video are making. Moans, groans and fowl words. Tears are running down her cheeks and her chest about to explode.

"Hi hon!" Solen came, hugging Glaizel from behind but she didn't give any responds. She cannot face the woman who just arrived. Di niya alam kung ano magawa niya. Solen heard a sound and noticed Glaizel's phone playing a video. There she saw the reason for Glaizel's silence.

"Glai, am sorry," it was all the words she can say. She took one step back away from the sobering woman. 

Glaizel stood up and faced the woman, her head was down. Her hand into a fist. There was a lot of words she wanted to say. She wanted to shout, slap the woman infront of her. She had never been into any violence, had never beat even a fly. All she had in mind is to make the woman infront of her happy. Her never ending dream to give everything to this woman ended tonight. All the effort she had invested, all the love in that 8 years of relationship, vanished in just one night.

She raised her hand, ready to land a slap the woman but she can't. There was still a bit of love in her heart for the woman, but she can never let her be in her life. She broke her. Tore her heart into pieces. 

Glaizel walked away, leaving the woman sulking in her own tears and shame.

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Glaizel shook her head to remove that awful memory. She focused herself in her photo studio. Almost every night she was sober in alcohol with Luna and her girlfriend, Abigail. Little by little she was able to move on, but the pain still stings in her heart. She thought that maybe she can totally move on if she will go the place where it happened. Where Solen broke her.

Lumalalim na ang gabi, but the sandman has not yet visited her. Her senses are still awake. She turned eyes along the farther side of the beach. She saw a silhouette seating on a dead tree bark, and the light given by the moon, she can say that it was a girl. Unconsciously, she stood up and walked towards her. Something drawning her like a magnet. When she was a step away, the girl looked up on her and smile. The smile sent electricity on her, crawled from her toes up to her head. The girl moved, giving Glaizel a space to seat on.

"Its so lovely tonight, isn't it?" the girl said, her voice was so calm like the sound of the gentle waves.

"Yes, it is,"

"I'm waiting for her, you know,"

"Who are you waiting for?"

"Her. My one and only. The reason why am still here waiting. My heart and soul. My Althea,"

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Sorry. Taglish..

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