Pageant

"Hey, Zehra, my love!"

I stopped from arranging the vegetables when Pelez, the corn vendor from across the market, approached me with a rose in his hand.

Here he goes again.

"This is for you," he said, handing me the flower.

"Aww," teased the people around us.

"When will you let me court you, Zehra?" he asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

I didn't take the flower. Instead, I smiled back at him. He's been bothering me for months now, but being in a relationship wasn't on my mind. All I could think about was earning money for Seya's education.

"I'm busy, Pelez. There are more beautiful vendors here in the market who would love your attention," I said with a grin. He just showed me a sad face and lowered his head. When he didn't respond, I went back to focusing on selling

"How much is this?" a woman asked and I happily assisted her.

I just need to keep moving for our dream. Patience is key. There's no easy job, and there's no easy life. Everyone needs to work hard.

Two days passed, and the day of the pageant in our city arrived. Many people came to watch to witness the beautiful contestants tonight.

"We're definitely winning this!" Dedang exclaimed, looking at me with excitement. I felt nervous because they really had high hopes for me!

"All of the contestants are beautiful, Dedang..." I said.

"But you are the most beautiful! Just look at you! Gosh, Zehra! You have a body and face to die for! Didn't you see the way people were looking at you earlier? They were following you with their eyes!"

My heart raced as I glanced at the crowd outside.

They were loud, cheering for their favorite candidates.

"Of course! Zehra's beauty is Miss Universe material! Just look at her height; it's stunning! And her face?" Sonya added, beaming at me.

Seya was smiling too, her eyes sparkling with joy. She was happy that I agreed to this after I told her. Aahh. But I'm really nervous!

"Let's shout loudly later, okay? Number 8! Number 8!" my sister encouraged.

Luckily, it was Saturday, so even if Seya stayed up late here at the plaza, it was fine.

"Come on, Zehra, let's retouch your makeup. It's getting hot in here," Letty, Theresa's daughter, said.

"Thank you. But is there really no charge for this? Are you sure?" I asked as I sat down. Letty smiled while she worked on my makeup.

"Nope, this is free! You know we're all happy that you agreed to this. We really want you to win—not just for our barangay, but also because we know you need the money. We really appreciate your hard work and care for Seya. We're happy to help you now, and we'll be even happier if you win and get crowned as Ms. Dapdap West!" Letty replied.

I was about to respond when Lea, Sonya's daughter, speak.

"Hey, it's about to start! The two judges are here! And gosh, girl, they're so hot! I think my panties just dropped—wait, let me check," Lea said.

I chuckled at her.

"They're rich, those two, I heard they're the mayor's nephews. Damn, Letty, I'm warning you, stay calm when you see them! They look like celebrities! Like those hot Italian models!" Lea added.

But while they're talking with each other, I heard the organizer's voice.

"Where are the candidates? Line up, girls!"

I stood up as it went to us.

"Go, Zehra! You can do it! Bring home the crown! Go go go!" Letty cheered.

"Go, sis!" Seya cheered, holding up a banner. They really went all out for this, huh? I smiled and shook my head in appreciation of all their efforts.

But I am still nerovous! It was my first time facing such a large crowd, and later we'd be wearing just swimsuits. It felt a bit intimidating to reveal so much skin. I'm embarassed.

"And now, let's all welcome our candidates for Ms. Dapdap West!"

As the music began to play, it was our cue to enter one by one. I held onto my waist, waiting for the person in front of me to walk out. I remembered what Dedang and Letty had taught me about walking like a model.

Focus, Zehra!

When number 7 exited, it was my turn. I took a deep breath and started walking. I swept my hair to the right and smiled at the audience, hearing Letty and my neighbors cheering loudly.

Am I doing it right? I-I don't know!

"Go, Zehra! Go, Zehra!"

"Go, number 8! We love you, number 8!"

Their voices were deafening! It was so loud!

We all danced together with the other candidates, and I remember what Letty said earlier, to keep smiling and look at the audience instead of just focusing on one spot. I needed to smile at everyone, especially the judges. I tried my best, even though my lips were trembling.

"Go, Zehra!" I heard Seya's voice ringing out.

I glanced at the judges, and when my eyes reached the end, I saw the two men that Lea and Letty had probably talked about earlier.

One man wore a serious expression, while the other was smiling and looking...

at me?

Chapter 3

After the song ended, we returned backstage, and I overheard my fellow candidates talking.

"My gosh! They're so handsome! They're the mayor's nephews, right?" number 5 said.

"Yes! They're really gorgeous as hell. Especially the one who was smiling," number 3 added.

It's true and right now, I felt like the girls were more motivated because of those two judges.

Focus, Zehra! You know your goal and that's to win. Don't waste Letty and the other's effort!

We returned to the stage again to showcase our talents. Since I wasn't good at dancing and only knew a little about singing, I decided to sing for my talent. Thankfully, I managed to sing without embarrassing myself.

When I got to the backstage, I closed my eyes tightly.

Thank goodness my voice didn't crack.

All of the girls did well, but I thought already that I wouldn't win in this portion since I could feel the crowd noticed that I'm nervous.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we've seen the talents of our candidates! Who among them has captured your hearts?" the emcee announced.

The crowd's cheers were deafening as they shouted different numbers of their chosen candidates. While we're at the backstage, Letty come to me and encourage me.

"Hey! Why do you look so down? You did great singing!"

"You think so?"

"Yes! So, don't think of the negative outcome. That's only for talent. Come on, let's get ready with Lea," she said.

I nodded at Letty and smile at her. Then I heard that a dance group would perform next, giving us some time to change outfits.

Ahh… I can’t shake off this heavy feeling in my chest. I just hope time would move faster and this night’s pageant would finally be over.