Moments To Live For

The Island

Chapter 5

The Island

A few weeks went by like a blur. I continued working with Jose on my craft and I am starting to enjoy it. Photography has opened up a whole new life for me. I began to appreciate everything around me. Everyone knows I love learning new things. That is why I took law and learning photography was like handing me a new toy. It has even made me a little obsessed with trying to master the fundamentals and all the tricks of enhancing my craft. I especially love the challenge of adding a creative element to every single frame. Jose told me, as practice, that I should try to capture everything that caught my attention and I felt determined to make sure I did well. I make sure that I create a story out of every photo I take to give my pictures relevance and value.

My relationship with Jose has developed as well. As we are always working together, we became really close. Aside from my craft, he has become one of the reasons why I am excited about getting to work every single day. Our work mostly involves taking photos of clients who own specific tourist spots, or luxury resorts and National Geographic. Because of this, we get to do a lot of road trips, staycations, campouts, down time by the beach and all the beautiful places around the country. This gave Jose and me a lot of time to get to know one another, talk, and have fun. Of course, Jose was just perfect. He was such a perfect gentleman the whole time. He asks so many questions about me and seemed genuinely interested in my life which I find very sweet. He walks me to my room every night before we retire to bed and always makes sure that I have a comfortable time with him. Sometimes I imagine us being more than friends. Oh, what I’d give to be able to kiss him on those perfect lips of his. I get goosebumps all over every time I think about it. Too bad it doesn’t seem like he is interested in me that way, which was frustrating. I was so desperate to get noticed that I even got the help of my sister Angela for advice on how to dress, how to put on makeup, and how to act around him.

Today I woke up giddy and excited. A client hired us to take photos of the launching of his private luxury island resort. They invited us to stay for 2 days over the weekend to document the whole affair. Perfect! I thought to myself, that this meant time being alone with Jose and I was determined to use this opportunity to take our relationship to the next level. I told myself, today I will flirt with Jose and make him understand that I like him. I got to the office and I was at my desk daydreaming when a call came. It was Jose. He told me that he had become ill and could not join me on this project, so he asked Iya to go in his place instead. I was a bit disappointed, a part of me was hoping that Jose and I could work on this project. I was already imagining being on a private island for 2 days with the guy who could be “the one” would have been the ideal weekend, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. I guess having a girls-only trip with Iya wouldn’t be that bad, plus Iya was a really fun person to be with. Iya, on the other hand, Iya was so excited, she talked about this trip for 2 days now and she literally packed heavily. When I met up with her in the office on the morning of the trip, she was wearing this flowing cover-up that looked like a gown. She had on this huge hat and huge glasses and wearing the most bejeweled sandals that I have ever seen in my entire life, she looked like a celebrity. I looked at her and she slid her glasses down her nose to take a better look at me, “Maria Darling, we are supposed to play rich today. Why are you dressed in those dreary clothes?”, she teased. Anyway, “Let us go! I don’t want to be late.” she hummed as she boarded our car at the airport. This is going to be a fun weekend for sure. I smiled and thought to myself as I followed her into the car.

The resort is located in a place called Palawan. The client’s resort is a private island where guests need to take a seaplane to get there. The trip to the island was already an experience in itself. Each guest is assigned a private chauffeur to take you to the hangar and onto your private plane. On a luxury plane, you are served welcome drinks and food and the comfort only the rich can enjoy. Arriving there felt like walking in a dream. The island was breathtaking. The sand was powder-like and stretched as far as the eye could see. The beach was so clear you could see the fishes at the bottom. I can’t believe we get to stay there for free for 2 days. Perks of the job, I guess.

We checked in and were assisted to our room. Our room was not just any ordinary room. It was a luxury villa with 2 bedrooms, we had our own private pool just outside our living area and was overlooking the ocean. The best sheets are covered with the best kind of silk and, don’t even get me started with what is in the kitchen. It was filled with all the alcohol and snacks you could ever want. I wonder if we have time to enjoy all of this as we are here for work and not on vacation. Each bedroom of the villa had a king-sized bed and was decorated in blue and white. It was truly a beautiful place.

After Iya and I freshened up, we went down to the bar to meet up with our clients. We were early so we decided to just relax and order some drinks while waiting. Moments later, I heard a loud and boisterous person in the background calling for drinks. I turned and then I saw him, Manny. He saw me and smiled that devilish smile and came to our table. Hey beautiful ladies! He playfully said.