Chapter 2 The Amateur Training

"Dina!" Dina's aunt screamed excitedly.

Dina struggled to take off her cousin's dress and put it in her cabinet. She wore it and ramped up like a model. She adjusted her blouse and shorts and pretended to be sweeping her cousin's room.

"What is it and you're not responding to me?" her aunt said with a shrill voice, the voice of Matutina in Dolphy's show back then. She is her late mother's eldest sister. Her belly is big and her face covered with Chin Chun Su and her hair rolled up. But even though her aunt was like that and rude, she loves her. She was like a mother to her. Her aunt was kind as long as she follows her orders.

"Auntie? I'm cleaning Venus's room," she said as an excuse.

"Oh, let go of that first. There's a beauty contest on Sunday, Miss Intercon 2021, the Mayor's wife will bd there, I registered you. You have to win, even if it's just consolation. The prize is big. Go and practice now. Come down, Delai is in the living room. " She grabbed the broom from her and set it aside in the corner of Venus's room. "Let her clean her room to learn. I'm of no use to that woman, and you're still tolerating her."

"Yes, Auntie." Dina followed her. She also wants to take part in the beauty contest because she can wear beautiful clothes and shoes. Her dream is to be a fashion model like her idols Charmagne De Luna and Maylin Kirtz. They are Filipina ramp supermodels who became famous even abroad. Charmagne had a break in showbiz and became a prized talent of her network, while Maylin became a Beauty Queen and won Miss Ramp Model International. This is an international beaucon for beauties who can only join professional ramp models. And because she became famous and international beauty queen, she was able to marry a Swiss business tycoon. Now, she's just flaunts all her expensive bags and clothes in social media and stopped working as a fashion model.

Imagine, you can wear expensive clothes made by famous fashion designers, and you still have to pay for their clothes. Where else can you find such a job? "I can still have a chance to stumble with a Prince Charming!" Dina imagined as she went down the stairs.

"Dina" greeted by Delai, the gay trainer of aspirants joining the amateur pageant in their area. He was a friend of Dina's mother when she was still alive. Her mother was only 15 when she became pregnant by her father whom she did not know, and she died in childbirth. "You are so Beautiful."

"Thank you!" Dina and Delai kissed cheeks.

"Come on and let's go to my studio. Let's practice proper ramping and answering." Delai's hand pulled her out of the house.

"Wait, I'm just saying goodbye to Aunt Nelia," Dina said.

"No need. She already knows I'm going to take you to the studio. She even pushed me to take you. Come on." Dina pulled her out of the house. They walked along the tight alley going to the main road. They took a cab going to Delai's place.

They went straight to Delai's studio, the Delai Personality Training Agency. He seems to be the only one with such a concept here, and his customers are aspiring beauty queens and models.

They entered a 100 square meter and two-story building also owned by Delai. These two apartments were bequeathed to him by his parents but he merged them and turned them into a business.

They practiced all day how to walk properly, stand up, wear different styles of clothing and answer questions. He also showed Dina the difference between the proper posture of the model and the beauty queen.

"Oh, do you remember everything what I taught you? The pageant is on Sunday. It's only 3 days."

"Sure, I remember everything," Dina said smiling.

Delai stood up and headed to her walk-in cabinet full of gowns. She came out wearing a shiny royal blue fitted gown that would fit Dina's body shape and had a slit on her right leg. It is filled with tiny Swarovski crystals and has royal blue lace on the chest. It is a classy and elegant gown. "Oh come on, I'll lend it to you. Try fitting it, quick!"

"It's nice! Really, will you lend me this? "Dina's eyes widened as she looked at the gown she was holding. She hurried into the walk-in closet and closed the door. She took off the cover and measured the gown. She immediately went out from the walk-in closet and showed Delai the gown she was wearing. "Is it okay?"

Delai's two hands covered his mouth in amazement. "OMG! You're so beautiful!" He turns Dina around then pulls her in front of the life-sized mirror. The girl saw her own reflection in the mirror.

She could not believe what she saw. The gown fits her body nicely, her smooth and long right leg is showing from the slit. She does not feel embarrassed, she did not cover that part. She can see the models running around in bikinis, she needs to get used to it.

Delai left for a while and came back with a box the size of a cellphone. He opened the box and showed her the set of jewelry inside it. "I'll lend it to you. You just have to win, right?"

"I might lose that. I don't have the money to pay for that, I just graduated and I don't have a job yet," Dina said worriedly.

"It's okay, those are just silver with the butt of the glass. Measure it." Delai removed the necklace from the box and handed it to Dina. She put it on her neck. "Nice, right? As long as you win, I'll help you all the way. Then your payment will be making me your manager." He laughed.

"Of course!" The two high-fived.