Sa Paraiso Natin

TRUTH

Tristan Perez's chance came in the form of a little commercial project. Nagawa ni Bella na ma-secure ang isang maliit na role para sa kanyang alaga sa tulong ng kaibigang si Lidia. It was a one minute commercial clip promoting a water brand. 'Di malayong kamag-anak ng CEO ng ATC Network na si Winston Galvin ang may-ari ng water brand na So Cool! kaya't isa sa mga Soundstage ng ATC ang magiging location ng shoot ng kanyang unang proyekto.

Maaga silang naghanda ni Bella para sa proyekto. He woke up at around five in the morning. The shoot was at 10:00 AM. Mabuti na lang at maaga ang naging tulog niya kahapon at hindi siya mukhang pagod. Naka-walong oras naman siya ng paghimbing kahit papaano.

"Kinakabahan ka?" tanong ni Bella.

Awkward na tumango si Tristan. Nervous was an understatement. Hindi maipaliwanag ang kaba at excitement na nararamdaman niya. This was his first project, his first ever TV appearance. Sino ba namang hindi magfi-freak out?

Yes. That would be the word. He was freaking out. His mind was about to fucking go off. Gusto niyang magmura sa kaba. Sa saya.

It was never his intention to be an actor, to appear on commercials. What he simply wanted to do was to sing and to make music. Yet this new opportunity was too great to let pass. Napagtanto ni Tristan Perez, gusto niya ang lahat ng ito: he wanted to be an actor, to sing, to appear on TV. Commercial man o teleserye. Naalala niya ang talk show na napanood kahapon, ang Chair Talk. He wanted to be there, to be interviewed and to be marveled at.

Tristan Perez wanted it all.

At ito ang simula ng kanyang karera. Isang maliit na role sa isang maliit na brand. Baby steps. But he would get there.

Tumango siya sa manager. Bella smiled and tapped him on the shoulder. "Natural lang 'yan. Si Edward nga nung first time niya eh halos pumutok na ang pantog at hindi matigil sa kakaihi. You are doing well."

They left at around six-thirty. Got stuck on a traffic that almost made Bella's mind to explode, and arrived at the building at around nine. They were just in time.

The taxi pulled over along the nearest curb. Sabay na bumaba si Bella at Tristan. The great building where most dreams come true loomed across them. The building was forty levels high, and on the very top, on gigantic letterings it said NTC NETWORK. Ang mga Sound Stage ng kumpanya, na anim sa sumatotal, ay nasa likuran ng main building. They were given their visitors pass. Dalawa sila ni Bella ang pinapasok sa loob ng compound.

Marami ang tao sa loob ng compound. Lahat suot ang kulay asul na lanyard kung saan nakakatatak ang logo ng kumpanya: three overlapping circles. Everybody was wearing corporate attires.

Sa mumurahing polo na suot ng binata ay bahagya siyang nanliit. Napatingin siya sa suot. He was wearing a cheap red polo he got from a thrift shop, paired with dark jeans and fading red snickers. It wasn't much, but it looked presentable.

But still, the feeling that he didn't belong crept under his skin. He suddenly had the urge to scratch himself.

"Baka makakita tayo ng artista," bulong sa kanya ni Bella. Nagpatuloy sila sa paglalakad. May iilang mga napalingon sa direksyon nila. Hindi pinansin ni Tristan ang mga naging pagtitig nila.

Dahil sa Sound Stage 3 lang namang ang punta nila, hindi na nila pinasok ang main building. He had been there once, just a week ago. Where he was supposed to meet the big bosses of the network. A memory he didn't want to relish.

He shook his head.

Wala silang nakitang artista. Five minutes later, they were greeted by an unfamiliar face. To Tristan, at least.