Episode 6 – The one with Junic and Monica’s Dialogue

Episode 6 – The one with Junic and Monica’s Dialogue

Aired in the UAE, 21^st February 2012

It seems to Rico and friend that Benjie who is really Arlan [let’s call him Arben to differentiate from bad Benjie], has amnesia as he can’t remember anything.  At first the didn’t believe Arben with baddie friend even thinking it’s one of Arben’s gimmicks, “Tol, anong gimik na naman ito?”

But Arben doesn’t even know what a gimmick is.  Baddie friend asks Arben to stop, even tries to shake Arben’s head to put it right.  But Rico asks his older brother if he remembers anything at all and Arben doesn’t , leading to both baddie friend and Rico to believe that Arben is indeed not faking what both mistakenly called anesia…it’s amnesia. 

Baddie friend dismisses Arben’s lack of any memory saying that he’ll surely regain everything back by tomorrow.  Assuring both brothers that Arben has uncanny ability to spring back from a bad turn.  “Babalik din yan, ikaw pa, haling ang kaluluwa mo!  Mababaliw ako sa inyo.”

 Rico asks his kuya if he’s ready to go home.  He goes on ahead and turns to look at his brother and gives him a weird look like he’s looking at a stranger. [Well he really is a stranger and he’s not really your brother anymore, Rico]

On the way home, they pass by neighbors who inquired about Arben’s injuries and what happened to him.  Rumours spread quickly and some whispered what had happened the night before.  Many know about Benjie’s shady dealings and illegal activities but everyone just looks as both Rico and Arben pass through the maze of houses, squatters all.  Arben even nods at a few neighbors, giving them a small, timid, smile which probably appears weird to them as the real Benjie would probably walk with a smirk or a toughie frown on his face.

They finally reach their home.  Arben looks around, taking everything in as all this is new to him.  A dog comes out and starts barking at Arben.  Rico says, “Eto na pala ang aso mo. Dagul, bakit mo tinatahulan si kuya?”   He wonders why the dog, apparently Benjie’s pet is barking at him like a stranger.  Rico holds the dog as Arben enters the house.

Rico calls on their grandmother but no one answers.  He reckons she’s out playing bingo. “Lola, nandito na kami.  Siguro nasa binggohan na naman.”

Then he calls to Pepay but after no one answers, he reckons she’s probably out, “naglalakwatsa na naman.”  He motions Arben to rest on the bed.

Arben looks around and smiles.  Everything is seen for the first time.

Pepay is a little girl of maybe ten years old?  She’s out playing Chinese garter with her friends.  However when it was her turn, she accuses one of the girls holding the garter of cheating.  Pepay claims her friend, an imaginary one, saw the other girl lift the garter.  To this the girls refuse to play with her anymore for being a weirdo.  Pepay is left, but not alone.  She does have a friend.  An unseen spirit of a little boy about her age in bright blue shirt. 

Back at their home, Rico hands in the roll of cash to Arben who asked what it was.  Rico explains, “yung parte mo.” It is Benjie’s cut from their ATM robbery the night before.  Arben comments that what they did was stealing. “Di ba masama yon?” Arben asks that stealing is bad.   Rico states a fact, that stealing is their job.  Arben stops and seems surprised.

Pepay is finally home and comes to sit beside Rico.  She sees Arben and immediately knows he is not their brother Benjie but someone else. “Di naman si kuya yan.”  Rico tells Pepay that it is indeed their brother as Arben tries to stare into Pepay’s face and smile making him look scary-weird.  Pepay insists it’s not their brother Benjie and runs aways.

Rico asks Arben to dismiss Pepay’s outburst. “Natipos kasi nung dalawang taon kaya naapektuhan ang utak.”  He adds that Pepay often talks to imaginary friends that nobody else sees.

Suddenly Arben’s smile changes into a wince, feeling some pain.  Rico gets worried and sees Arben touch his stomach, “masakit” says the fallen angel.  Rico immediately gets it – it’s another form of pain: hunger.  He volunteers to go out and get some food for them.  Arben tries to relax on the bed but looks very uncomfortable in his position.  He can’t seem to get past the pillow and fully lie down, opting to pose like an awkward Cleopatra instead.

Rico is back with rice and bopis and they are about to eat.  Arben stares at the things on the table, not knowing what to do with them.  Rico takes rice and some bopis and starts eating.  Arlan observes and tries to follow what Rico is doing.  Arlan takes a mouthful of food for the first time in his existence and finds it good.  “Sarap!”  He smiles.

Rico comments. “Sabi mo sawa ka na sa bopis pero ito na lang natira.”  Benjie it seems doesn’t like to eat bopis anymore but here he is enjoying it.  Rico had no choice anyway as that was the only hot food on offer from the local food stall.

Arben starts to take bigger and bigger mouthfuls of the food and found It difficult to swallow them.  He chokes on a mouthful and Rico gives him a glass of water.  He looks at what Rico does with his glass and follows suit tasting water for the very first time as well.  He feels relieved and please to find how cool it is.   He drains the glass, bottoms up when it starts to rain.  Arlan hears the rain fall and gets up.  He walks out Rico at his heels worried about how strange his brother is acting after his accident.

Arlan feels rain and gets wet, again for the first time.  He likes how the pattering rain falls on his skin.  He laughs, saying how good it feels, “sarap! Sarap!”

Rico asks his brother to come inside and stop acting like a child but Arben pays him no heed.  Then comes a lady in a red dress and a red umbrella [Katrina Halili it is!]  She screams at the man she thinks to be Benjie, “Hoy Benjie, kagabi pa ko antay nang antay sa iyo ah.”  Rico explains how Benjie had a near scrape and she goes towards Arben, drops the umbrella and gives him a kiss.

Arlan recalls his kiss with Sharina and like reflex, pushes Katrina away [ I still don’t know her name.]  “Bakit mo ako tinulak?”

Arlan asks who she is, “Sino ka?”  Which upsets her.  She picks her umbrella and gives Arlan a loud slap on the face and storms away.  Arlan touches his cheek, feeling the slap – for the first time!  But soon forgets it, dismissing the slap and the girl, as he is more fascinated with the falling rain.   Rico seeing all this reminds Arben to get inside lest he gets sick, “Pasok na, magkasakit ka pa nyan eh.”  But Arlan is heedless, playing in the rain and dancing in the puddles.

The gang of baddies are in a church.  They walk in a clump Gimo at the lead while Arlan walks a bit behind taking in the sight.  He sees sculptured images of saints, Christ on the cross, Mary and that of an archangel. 

Baddie friend asks what they are doing there of all places. “Anong ginagawa natin sa loob ng simbahan?  Baka masunog tayo dito!” 

Gimo stops at a particular sculpture of the Sto. Nino [not sure!] and tells the boys that it’s just a copy.  The original was sent away for some maintenance work.  He tasks Rico and Arben to find out  where it was taken.

Sharina is at home and is inspecting the sculpture business Lily had left her.  Some men were working on the statues and as she passes, she gives them a nod and a smile.

In her bedroom, Sharina stares [again! This is getting boring!] again at Arlan’s portrait.  She asks the drawing, when she will see him again.  She fears that their’s will be a relationship like Lily’s.  She looks out the window and sees Arben who also sees her.  But Arben is startled and tries to hurriedly walk away.  Sharina screams for him to wait, “Sandali!”

Sharina runs out of the gate to the streets looking around for any sign of Arlan but he’s no longer there.

Arben is now in the car with the gang and Gimo asked him if he got seen lurking round the house by the lady.  Arben admits he’s not sure.

Meanwhile Sharina is still out on the streets hoping to catch Arlan but she’s getting desperate as minutes pass by.  “Nasaan ka?  Bakit di ka na nagpakita uli? Sino ka?   Bakit mo ba ako niloloko ng ganito? Sino ka?

Sharina finally returns inside the house.  She admits that her eyes could be playing tricks on her. “Namamalik-mata lang ba ako?”  She questions her actions of late, “Bakit ganoon?  Pakiramdam ko nakita ko siya.  Kahit saan nakikita ko siya.  Nababaliw na nga ata ako eh!”  admitting to the possibility that she may just be going insane, claiming that Arlan has plagued her mind even in her dreams, “Pati sa panaginip nakikita kita.”

Sharina sees Monica inspecting her white dress, the one she was supposed to wear on her wedding, the one she will no longer wear now that Junic is gone.  She tells her sister that in fact, it was Junic who chose the dress and that she even tried it on for him to see.  She realizes this could be the reason why Junic died and it is believed to be back luck for the groom to see his bride in her wedding dress prior to their wedding day and starts blaming herself.  “Ate, dapat ba di ko sinukat?  Malas daw yon dib a?  Kasalanan ko!”

Sharina denies that Monica had any fault in Junic’s death.  Monica cries sharing her grief with her sister.  She tells Sharina how she misses Junic so much.  How she will no longer see, talk or hug him ever.  She tells her sister how she almost couldn’t breathe under such pain and she couldn’t bear it any longer.  “Di ako makahinga.  Ang sakit sakit.  Di ko na kaya, di ko na talaga kaya.”

But Sharina comforts her and assures her that she can bear all this and that she is with her.  “Kailangan mo kayanin.  Kaya mo!  Nandito ako sa likod mo.  Kailangan mo maging matatag.”

But Monica refuses to be strong, she laments all the lost plans, the future that will no longer be now that there is not more Junic beside her.  “Ayaw ko.  Gusto ko si Junic nasa tabi ko.  Madami kaming pangarap.”  She tells Sharina that once married, they intend on buying their own house, starting a family, having kids.  “Yun lang naman ang gusto ko.”  All Monica wants is having her own family.  Sadly it was not meant to be.

Junic sees the sisters.  He tries to tell Monica that he’s there for her.  The sisters are oblivious.

[I like this sad but effective scene between Junic and Monica]

Monica still grieving talks to Junic.  She must feel his presence and their questions and answers seem to match.

Monica talking to Junic’s photograph.  “Bakit mo ko iniwan?”  Junic replies, “Hindi kita iniwan.”

Monica, “Bakit kung kalian ikakasal na tayo at saka ka nawala?”  Junic, “ayaw ko namang mawala.”

Monica tells him that she loved no other man but him.  Junic says he knows and that he too loved no other but her.

Monica, “Una pa lang kitang nakilala, alam ko na ikaw na ang lalaking pakakasalan ko.”

Junic, “Kahit nung una sabi mo masungit ako?”

Monica smiles, continues on, “kahit ang sungit-sungit mo.”

Junic, “kunwari lang yon, ang totoo crush nga kita.”

Monica, “Alam ko naman na type mo talaga ako dati pa kaya nung sinabi mo na gusto mo akong

                ligawan, sinagot na kaagad kita, kasi baka magbago pa ang isip mo.”

Junic, “di magbabago ang isip ko.”

Monica goes back to being miserable, “Ang daya-daya mo.  Sabi mo di mo ko iiwan.  Nangako ka.”

Junic, “sorry, di ko alam na ganito ang mangyayari, sorry.”

Monica, “nakakatakot mag-isap.  Isama mo na lang ako sa iyo.”

Junic, “dito lang ako, di kita iiwan Monica.”

In the car with the baddies, Arben admits the lady who owns the sculpture/ceramics factory looks familiar.  The guys think maybe she had been one of Benjie’s long string of girlfriends. “Baka naging babae mo na dati yon.”

Rico reminds Arben he’s got a steady girlfriend, the lady in red. “Baka magalit si Ate Emie” [so Emie pala ang name ni Katrina]

Gimo tells the boys to get ready, they will rob the house tomorrow. “Humanda kayo, bukas titirahin natin ang bahay.”

Arlan gets a flashback when Rico tells him that their job is stealing. 

ABANGAN – Baddies loot Sharina’s home.