Moments To Live For

Jose

Chapter 4

Jose

Jose was everything you could hope for as a mentor. He was very talented, passionate, smart, very funny, not to mention hot as hell, he is so very handsome and sexy. I stared at him like in a trance while he was explaining to me the art of photography in great detail but I couldn’t hear anything that he said, I was entranced by his face, his eyes and especially his lips. “Are you ready to get started?” He asked me while I snap back into reality. “pardon?”, I asked. “I said, are you ready to get out of here so that we can get started? I was just explaining to you that I am about to drive to Taal Volcano to take photos there and wanted to know if you are interested in joining me. This might be a good jumpstart for you as you try to explore your love for photography again.” He repeated. My cheeks turned red as I nodded my head in agreement. As we were heading out, I looked back at Iya who had a huge smile on her face. She waved at me and winked mouthing “Have fun!” as we went out of the building. Immediately, when I got into the car, I got a text from Iya telling me to text her everything in detail about my day with Jose the moment I got home. I laughed in my headed thinking how funny Iya was.

It was a 2-hour drive to the volcano and Jose was nothing short of a gentleman all the way. I couldn’t help but be so weird and awkward around him. I kept staring at him like a huge freak. The way he caressed his hair, how he cups his face when he laughs… oh gosh! I feel like a school kid again crushing hard on this guy. He is funny and smart and kind and all the things I imagined a perfect guy should be. Just as I was about to lose myself in my daydream, I was disrupted by the blowing of the horn and then there was this guy on a motorcycle who came rushing by like a crazy person. Jose screamed at him but he just kept speeding off. “What a douche!” I said as we continued on our way.

We finally arrived at the foot of the volcano and it was beautiful. There was about a 30-minute climb to the crater and we made use of that time to enjoy the scenery and take as many photos as we possibly could. Jose was very patient with me, showing me the basics of photography and how to aim for good shots. “Wow, you are learning fast”, Jose exclaimed. “I guess, my hands remember how to do this better than my mind ever could.” I replied as I was holding the camera while trying to take photos of a couple close by having a beautiful moment. Jose saw an interesting subject a few meters away and asked if he could leave me alone for a moment to go to take photos there. I nodded and he went off.

It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect, it was not too hot like it normally is in this country. It was a bit cloudy and the breeze was nice. I closed my eyes, relishing the moment, taking in the view, the fresh breeze, trying to feel every element around me when, all of a sudden --- “What I crappy day, don’t you think?” I turned towards him and he was there standing beside me looking at the view all smug while playing with a lollipop in his mouth. “What did you say? I said and then realized he was the douche bag on the motorcycle earlier that day. He smiled and continued to say, “I said, what a crappy day. I was supposed to be at the beach with my friends probably drinking beer, meeting a lady, but instead, I was forced to babysit some old tourists who wanted to see a volcano in the middle of a lake. How boring can any day get, he laughed --- Hi! I’m Manny. I am the owner of LIFE TOURS, the best tour company in the country. So, if you want to go anywhere fun, I am the one to call.” He said, handing me his call card while giving me the most mischievous smile. I took the card, rolled my eyes and turned my back. I wasn’t interested in talking to him or in anything that he wanted to say, so I tried to head away from him when he cut me off and told me, “That was rude. Did your mother ever teach you never to be rude to anyone?” I stopped in disbelief and replied, “What? Me rude? Excuse me Mr, I am not rude! I am not the one who thinks he owns the highway by speeding off and almost hitting us, I am not the one backbiting those sweet tourists who, by the way, are your clients and should be treating them nicely, and I am not the one who disturbed someone's peace! So, excuse me if I am not the least bit interested in anything you have to say.” I practically screamed into his face. He appeared surprised by my reaction and began to retort, but Jose arrived just in time to save me from this weirdo. “ Is everything alright? He asked. I told him I was fine and that we should leave. The nerve of that guy to call me rude. I hope I never get to see his smug face ever again.

As we drove back to the office, Jose offered to take me out to dinner. I had a great time with him. I realized we had so much in common and I felt so comfortable being around him. It was a nice feeling to have and I wanted that night to last forever. I thought everything that happened that day was great thanks to Jose. I even forgot about that incident with Manny.

When I got home, Angela was there and I told him everything that happened to me. “Ooh, this Jose guy is really interesting. Does he have a brother?” she teased. I lay in my bed that night wondering if Jose was the reason why I loved photography and my job. I had to find out and that is why I decided to stay on with Click. I spent the entire night thinking of Jose and slept through the night dreaming of him.