Episode 7 – The one with all the drinking sessions

Episode 7 – The one with all the drinking sessions

Aired in the UAE, 22^nd February 2012

It’s night time at Sharina’s home.  She looks at the pictures of her family atop the piano that Lily used to teach her music with.  She talks to her father, telling him how she’s worried about her sister Monica.  “Masyado na syang naapektuhan sa mga nangyari kay Junic.”  But as she promised her father, while she lives, she will take care of her sister. “Poprotektahan ko siya.  Di ko hahayaang may mangyaring masama sa kanya.”

In their bedroom she covers the sleeping Monica with a blanket.  She tells her sister not to worry about anything.  “Nandito si ate.”  Junic sees how Sharina really loves her sister and says so. “Mahal na mahal mo talaga si Monica, Sharina.”

In Arben’s house, their grandmother, Lola Inday arrives drunk.  She asks where the boys have been and is upset that she doesn’t know Benjie almost died last night.  She only heard it from their neighbors. “Lola ako, wala akong alam.”  She tells Benjie she wants to see his wounds. [So we call Arlan turned Benjie to Arben as before, we loosely move from these names, using Benjie if the scenes are more Benjie-like for examples the flashbacks with the real Benjie and Arben or Arlan when it’s the new one, after the bridge fall].

Rico tells their grandmother how she can possibly know when she spends all her day at the gambling den.

Arben is shy on showing his wounds but Lola Inday assures him she’s his grandmother and she has seen it all before.  No need for  such inhibitions.  Rico suggests for Arben to show Lola his back.  Lola Inday sees how large the wounds are.  “Naku ang laki ng sugat!”  Pero di ka mamamaay, kasi masamang damo ka.  Mana ka sa akin.”  She kids her eldest grandson that he is not going to die for isn’t there a saying that only the good die young?  In Benjie’s case, he’s bad to the bone, taking after her. 

But Arben asks her who she is, “Sino ho kayo?” This makes her stop and asks, “Di mo ako kilala?” almost upset at Benjie not recognizing her.  Rico explains that Benjie suffers from amnesia.    Their grandmother picks a huge vase and hits Arben’s head with it asking if he now recalls who she is, “O ano, kilala mo na ako?” [hahahah, this made me almost fall of my chair laughing, I love Nova Villa who plays Lola Inday here and her quirky character.]  Still Arben shakes his head, no.

It is breakfast time and Ginella and Elsa are already seated while Sharina serves the food.  [Anoveh, teh kaw na may-ari ng balaysung, ikaw pa rin ang chimini-a-a? kalurkey!]  She admits to her aunt that she’s worried about Monica.  Ginella agress, “Baka nga nababalikw na yon.” Suspecting Monica is going insane.  Instead of any helpful advice, Elsa adds more insult to injury saying how they all have tendencies of going gaga for their men.  She makes examples beginning from their mom “Naloko sa unang noyfriend nya at iniwan ang tatay nyo.  Ikaw, nababaliw sa lalaki sa picture at si Monica, nababaliw sa patay nyang nobyo.”  [May point naman si Elsa dito, pero di naman timely ang comment, pero what do you expect, typical antagonistic witch lang talaga sha]

Sharina got offended and told aunt, “Huway nyo naman sana idamay si inay sa usapan.”

But Ginella blurts that what her mom said was just the truth and that Monica’s boyfriend, Junic isn’t even that cute! [Hala multuhin ka ni Junic!  Wish!]

Monica overhears how Ginella is insensitively going on about Junic, how he’s not even rich and that Monica should be happy they didn’t end up together.  This really angered Monica who’s just about had it to her eyeballs from the bitching or her cousin and the taunting of their aunt so she lunges for Ginella and starts slapping her and pulling her hair.  In an instant, Sharina and Elsa pull the two girls apart, Elsa taking Ginella away from the sisters. 

Sharina tries to calm Monica down but she demands her sister, “Bakit ako ang pinagsasabihan mo, bakit hindi sila?” Upset that even when Ginella was way below the belt, Sharina is still asking her to understand their cousin.

In Ginella’s room, Elsa reminds her of their situation.  Ginella retorts she was only saying the truth.  Elsa tells her to stop saying bad things about the dead for they may come back and haunt her, reminding her that until 9 days have passed, the spirits of the departed still walk the land of the living.  Ginella starts to feel really scared.

Rico overheards their grandmother singing as she is taking a bath.  He see her sundress hanging and grabs it.  He finds the pocket and takes out the money.  He is counting them when Lola Inday comes out and sees her grandson trying to pocket  her money and gets upset at him.  She twists his ear and pulls him inside the house lambasting him for not respecting her, their own grandmother and having the gall to steal from her.

In the house, she tells Rico to lie on his stomach, “Dapa!” An old fashioned way of disciplining is making kids lie and spanking their bottoms with a stick or slippers.  Rico protests that he is already a grown man and should be subjected to such punishments but their feisty grandmother shouts and orders him to get ready for some serious ass-whipping.  Arben comes down and asks what was going on.  Lola Inday tells him how Rico tried to steal from her, their own grandmother.  She complains to the older grandson, whether this is how low their lives have succumbed to, stealing from your own.

Arben tells Rico he shouldn’t have done that…stealing.  “Di mo dapat ginagawa yon.  Masama magnakaw.”  But Rico only laughs at the irony of it all for Arben and his means oflivelihood is stealing.  Arben also laughs along.  Rico reminds Arben that he was in fact his teacher in the art of stealing. “Baka nakakalimutan mo, ikaw ang nagturo sa akin magnakaw.”

Flashback to Benjie giving Rico tips on selecting a target.  He should pick women who carry many bags and have kids as such women won’t be able to run and chase after them.   “MAbagal tumakbo”   He goes over to talk to the woman, distracting her attention as Rico comes from behind unseen and takes the woman’s wallet from her bag. 

In another operation, Benjie hands what appears to be a computer bag to Rico who walks a but further and hands it to their baddie friend.  A man rushes out inquiring if anyone has seen his laptop. 

Still another crime, breaking and entering this time with the guys in masks and trying to pick a lock of a house.  Benjie lets Rico do it, advising his to wait for the click.

Back to the present, Rico repeats, “Ikaw nagturo sa aking lahat nun kuya.” 

Lola Inday admits she is not a hypocrite.  She’s not telling them to stop stealing, only have some boundaries.  You should not steal from family, much less your own grandmother. “Lola nyo pa rin ako.” Insisting on some level of respect for her being their grandmother.

Rico walks away to avoid any more rebukes as Lola Inday tells Arben to sort his brother out.  “Tingnan mo ugali ng kapatid mo?”

Arben couldn’t believe Rico’s stories so he asks their grandma, “Magnanakaw po ba talaga ako?”

Lola Inday is still not believing the amnesia excuse as she confirms, “Di mo naaalala?”  She’s still angry with Rico’s actions and throws that to Arben with a nasty suggestion, “Ba’t di mo iuntog yang ulo mo jan sa pader!”

As Lola Inday walks aways, Arben tries to gently knock his head against the stairs.  Pepal comes in and sees the stranger who looks like her kuya Benjie in this silly position.  She warns him not to come any closer, “Huwag kang lalapit, di kita kakilala.” Giving Arben the cross warding sign.

Arlan is fascinated at how the child can see through him and know him.  “KIlala mo ba talaga ako? Kilala mo ba kung sino ako?”  He tries to get closer but the elusive Pepay ducks and runs away.

At Sharina’s home, she visits the sculpture and figurine/ statue workshop finding the overseer Mang Tino working on a particular piece.  She reminds him to rush the image of the Sto. Rosario in time for the coming procession.  Mang Tino says it will be the next one he attends to as soon as he finishes the current one he is working on.  Sharina asks about the new-hire, an additional sculptor and the man tells her the new employee is on his way.

Ginella admits that she is really scared of all the images.  It give the house an peculiar feeling.  Elsa suggests that they should just close the workshop and convert the space to a grocery store or a beauty parlor and make more money from the new business.  But Sharina is resolute in keeping the statues and the workers, “Pamana ni Nay Lily.” as it was a legacy from Lily.  Elsa insists it’s OK, she won’t know. She’s already dead and stops herself, realizing she could make matters worse. 

There’s a knock on the gate and Sharina opens it, it’s Nelson, come for a visit.  Ginella smiles sweetly at Nelson [Aha, type pala ni Ginella rhymes with tsinelas hehehe si Nelson!]

Lola Inday is drinking in the local market with Moymoy Palaboy [sorry don’t know their characters names yet] and is already a bit tipsy.  Pepay comes to tell her that her Kuya Benjie is not really Kuya Benjie.  Lola Inday is puzzled by this, asking the little girl that if it’s not Bejie, then who is he?  Pepay claims it was his friend, Gino who said it.  This is easily dismissed by Lola Inday who couldn’t really accept the claims of an imaginary friend, despite her druken state.  She advises her granddaughter to go and play with real kids for a change.  Pepay runs, need no prompting as soon as she heard the word play.

Arben arrives and Lola Inday calls him to join her, saying that this particular drink is his favorite.  He takes a shot, a long shot, and seems to like it, tasting alcohol for the first time. 

Ginella brings refreshments but only for Nelson telling Sharina that if she wants, she can make her own juice [how rude!] but Sharina quickly got even by telling Ginella that she and Nelson need to talk.  [Buti nga pahiya ka Ginella! Bleh]

Sharina tells Nelson that he should be here.  It wouldn’t please his parents if they knew he was still seeing her.  He replied that hurtful words may have been spoken in anger, “Nabigla lang sila sa mga sinabi nila dahil sa nangyari sa akin.”  Still Sharina tells him that they are better off as friends to which the young man agress and indicates that he understands that Sharina is not ready for a relationship and there is nothing wrong with friendship, for now.   Sharina thanks him and smiles.

Lola Inday and Arben are clearly drunk now as they discuss what Pepay had revealed to Lola Inday.  The question now is, whether Benjie is really Benjie or whether he is not.  [Usapang lasing ito!]  Arben tries to agree, “Yun nga ang di ko maintindihan, wala akong maalaala. “ 

The old woman wants Benjie to be honest and admit to her who he really is.  Arlan is about tell tell her who he is when he passes out, too drunk to continue.  “Hindi ako si Benjie.  Ako si….”

At their home, Rico is laughing at a funny show on TV when Lola Inday arrives and a couple of men carrying Benjie  bring him to lie on the sofa. 

Rico comments that they look quite drunk and asked how mayn did Benjie drink.  Lola Inday recalls it was only two shots.  Rico couldn’t believe how different his brother is from his old self. 

Flashback to a drinking session with Gimo their friends, Rico, Benjie and even Lola Inday.  Everyone is in a stupor, some like Rico already asleep from all the alcohol imbibing.  Gimo walks home, walking into huge water containers and walking with an unmistakable drunken swagger.  Only Benjie and Lola Inday are left standing as they toast another shot.  This is the limit break for Lola Inday who slumps onto the table.  Benjie, drunk but still able to take it shakes his head, saying “walang kwenta” referring to how worthless his drinking buddies all are, getting drunk already.

Rico observes, “Nag-iba na talaga si Kuya Benjie, La.  Kamukha nya pero hindi sya kung kumilos eh.”

ABANGAN:  Spirit of the Glass and the robbery!  [Kala ko pa man din, tonight na nila luloobin ang bahay ni Sharina.]