Chapter IV - Skeptical Artifice

Filled with precocious hesitations, my mind rattled as silence filled the air. There were a number of complications which made such circumstance problematic.

Firstly, a camera wasn't available. I wanted to slap the hell out of me for accepting the task without checking if there was a DSLR available. Although, not much of a choice was left for me – either way, I would end up in the same dilemma.

Secondly, I was a new face. Potentially, people wouldn't have cooperated if not for Joyce. Evidently, all of the enrollees didn't even notice me when I went upstairs. I imagined how it could've looked like – me, taking trash shots.

And lastly, my shutter touch had already gone AWOL. It was long gone. Before I even knew it, Photography was no longer part of my dexterity pool. At some point in my life, capturing photos was one of my mystiques.

It befell nine years ago.

There was a charismatic lady who captured the hearts of many. She was talented, intelligent, competitive, and adaptive. But among her amazing traits, she was humble.

Bernadette didn't take anything for granted. She made sure that everything she did was on point. I first met her when we were in first grade. Even when we were kids, she was already foreseen with a bright future. But after our first grade, she disappeared.

Fast forward to my last year in high school. After a successful Press Conference run the year prior, my bequest was already paved as one of the greatest student journalists in our school. Also, my Drum and Lyre Corps (DLC) membership came to one final ride. Never did I imagine that these would lead me to someone long-gone.

September 2011 – our school was prepping for a high-status DLC and Majorette competition which was about to be held in Iriga City, October of the same year. Our trainer, Sir Nelson Antonio, taught two rival schools in our town – Sta. Monica Academy (SMA), my alma mater, and Agdangan National High School (ANHS).

Sir Nelson honed me to become one of his prized drummers. Skilled across all percussion instruments – snare, bass, triple and quadruple drums – as well as melodic instruments – lyres and xylophones – he endorsed me to several Elementary and High School institutions within our district to teach their respective DLCs.

Not only was it a reliable source of income but also an outlet for my musical proficiency. There was only one drawback: vices. I started smoking and drinking. It's not something to be proud of, I knew – but it happened anyway.

One fateful day, Sir Nelson required help. He was having a hard time composing a "drumline" exhibition for his ANHS mentees. Drumlines are comprised of only the percussion section performing tricky maneuvers incorporated with their drum-and-bass beat.

Without thinking twice, I agreed.

Once we arrived in ANHS, a stunning lady stole my attention. Sir Nelson noticed that my eyes were nailed on her.

He then broke the ice, "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"Y-yes. W-what? W-who?" I was puzzled.

"Bernadette Silva."

"Wait. What did you just say, Sir?"

"Bernadette Silva. The girl in a blue jersey shirt, skinny jeans and white shoes."

I was shell-shocked. After all these years, she never left our town. Everything made sense to me.

The day went by swiftly as their drumline exhibition was successfully polished. Without an ounce of biasness, it was evident that the way I concocted their hype beats and flawless drills really blended with their style. Eventually, every one of their DLC members never shown any sign of gawkiness, nor mistrust since I was from their rival school. It was all business, as usual.

"Sir Nelson! Wouldn't you even bother introducing me to your, uh, sidekick?"

My eyebrows unified upon hearing an anonymous voice.

"Who the fuck said I'm a sidekick?" – I imagined.

As I turned, it was as if gazed on Medusa's eyes – petrified. "Holy shit," I screamed inside my head.

"H-hi. You must be Bernadette."

"Wait a minute. Do I know you?"

"Patrick Prado, from first grade. SMA. Remember?"

Her eyes bulged when she heard my name. "You were the naughty kid from first grade!"

I didn't know if I was supposed to feel pleased because she recalled who I was, or ashamed because she reminisced my waywardness of all things? Uncertain about my response, a timid nod and a forced smirk became my involuntary reaction.

Sir Nelson left in a rush since he had other stuff to attend to. Bernadette, on the other hand, invited me to come by their house for a dinner. We still had plentiful of time so I accompanied her to a nearby church where she regularly prayed every afternoon. Also, we had the opportunity to catch up with each other.

We learned a lot of things about one another even from a short period of time. Coincidentally, we were both present in most of the similar competitions we participated outside our respective schools. Plus, it was a day full of realization as we fathomed that most of our passions were the same, except for one thing – photography.

Bernadette wasn't just their school's Majorette leader, Class Valedictorian, Editor-in-chief, event host and many more – she was also their photographer. None from the students went close to what she can achieve and do. It was almost as if her name was already etched along with their school's heritage.

Everything I heard from that moment made me admire her. From that day forward, we became closer as friends – until our friendship bloomed into a marvelous relationship.

She walked me through photography: how to properly use a camera, play around with its features and settings, and most importantly its rules. The most telling knowledge which I picked up from her was the use of "Lead-in Lines" in photography.

Photographers use lead-in lines to draw their readers' attention towards a certain feeling or emotion which an image radiates on to its audience. For instance, a diagonal line means conflict or problem; a horizontal line indicates a sense of homeostasis (lack of change); a vertical line projects stability or peace.

These made me realize that photography was a complex subject. It required passion and patience, just like any other art forms.

Bernadette was the reason why I grasped and loved photography.

She was also the reason why I despised it.

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Acting as if I knew what I was doing, I roamed around the enrollment area where the hopefuls stacked. There was nothing I can do but to use my phone instead. Good thing, it had a great camera – with Panorama, High-Definition and Expert Mode with it.

Panorama – a wide shot. It works by panning the phone or camera across a scene. The camera then stitches together several images to build the "panorama."

High-definition – is defined by specific resolutions at specific frame rates with a specific aspect ratio. A resolution of 1280 x 72 pixels.

Expert Mode – allows the user to take more professional-looking photos. The camera's white balance, exposure compensation, ISO, shutter speed and more can be adjusted via Expert Mode.

From every different viewpoints, I took several shots. Afterwards, I chose to return to our office so they can cherry-pick the potential newsletter front cover.

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Angel finished eating her afternoon ration. She hated hospital food – not because it didn't taste good but because there wasn't really a variety of meal served. Growing up as the eldest among seven siblings, she was spoiled by her grandmother.

But as unforeseen turn of events happened, she shouldered all of their academic expenses when she started working in Manila.

A nurse stepped in to perform an hourly check. Her blood pressure and temperature were taken note of. Oddly, she frequently had recurring fevers every day.

Finally, Dr. Reyes came to the hospital but was already late for her rounds. Nevertheless, she apologized for coming over at the last minute. She brought with her a good news.