My Beloved Episode 17 – The One with all that Panliligaw

My Beloved Episode 17 – The One with all that Panliligaw

Aired in the UAE on 7^th March, 2012

Benjie and Sharina fall.  They drop on a heap of trash and seem to be unhurt.  Sharina is OK and can move her body parts, seemingly unharmed.  But Benjie seems unconscious.  She wakes him, shakes his head.  He wakes up, their face again inches away.  Sharina seems to thank him for saving her life, “Buhay ka at buhay ako dahil sa iyo.”  She hugs him, love on top of all that basura.  People start to crowd but no one really comes forward to help.  They both stand up and leave the garbage dump.

Rico carries Grace to their getaway vehicle, an owner jeep [binenta kaya ni tiya Elsa ang owner nya kay Gimo? Mukhang pareho eh!] and they speed off.

Benjie asks Sharina if she is really alright and Sharina assures him she is and not to worry.  Desa seems to be OK too, and she comes to them.  But the motorist, the man Benjie saw glow in the head, he is dead and his motorcycle is a wreck.  What the girls don’t see that only Benjie does, [and us viewers of course!] is the man got taken by the black sundos.  He was a gambler and I guess, excessive gambling is not good.

Rico looks at the sleeping Grace and asks Gimo when are they asking for the ransom.  Gimo tells him to chill.  They’d want to give her parents time to panic and worry about missing daughter before they contact them for their ransom demands.  He orders Rico to watch over the young lady carefully.

Monica is amazed at how Benjie saved her sister, “Para kang si superman, tinalon mo si ate.”  [Tumatalon ba si Superman?  Alam ko si Spiderman yon.]

Benjie smiles and says he just wanted to save Sharina for harm.  Monica sees through him and states, “May gusto ka sa ate ko no?”  Daring him to admit his true feelings for Sharina. 

Sharina enters with a tray of food, “meryenda muna.”  Monica asks Benjie that since he is there, could they talk to Junic again.  Benjie acquiesces and bites into the bread.  He seems to like it and asks Sharina whether she baked it herself.  She tells him that she just bought it from the nearby bakery.     

Monica and Benjie are now talking to Junic.  Monica asks if Junic can remember anything about the night he died at the bank.  Benjie just realized he was part of that operation, well the old Benjie anyway and he stops.  He suddenly feels guilty.  Monica asks why he seems startled, whether Junic said anything to him but he shakes his head no, telling Monica Junic cannot identify his killer.

Sharina walks with Benjie as he is about to leave and thanks him again.  Benjie admits he likes what is happening to them right now.  Sharina tells him she wants to make up for what he’d done to her and what he’s doing to help Monica so she offers him his position back at the workshop as a sculptor.  Benjie seems happy to be a manlililok again and thanks Sharina.

In his joy he gives her a kiss.  [Ay!] For a moment, their lips touch and the world stops revolving.  Benjie recovers and apologizes to Sharina who didn’t seem to mind the gesture.  She tells him to go, “Sige uwi ka na, gabi na.”  And reminds him to come back tomorrow, “Balik ka na lang bukas.”

Benjie forgot about his job, asks,”Bukas?”  Sharina reminds him, “Di ba babalik ka bilang manlililok?”  To which Benjie agrees, “oo nga.”  He leaves but not without taking another glance at the beautiful Sharina who smiles sweetly back at him. [I’m sooooo kilig!!!]  This precious moment doesn’t escape Monica who is also smiling behind the door, witnessing all.

Rico looks at Grace, telling her she’s beautiful but ill-mannered.  Grace is making a lot of noise but everything in inaudible  because a handkerchief is put in her mouth, muffling the sounds.  Rico tells her he is going to take off the hankie only if she promises not to shout which she nods her agreement.  He takes it out and she comments, “Bakit yung panyo mo lasang di nalabhan na damit?”  Why does you hankie taste like unwashed clothes.

Rico retorts, “Bakit nakatikim ka nab a ng di nalabhang damit?”  Why, have you eaten unwashed clothes that you know how it tastes?  [nice one! ]

Grace plead for him to set her free.  She is not Trixie,  but Rico doesn’t  want to listen to her.  He puts the hankie back into her mouth to stop her from blabbering and confusing him.

Monica asks her sister, “Masarap ba humalik si Benjie” is Benjie a good kisser.  Sharina is out of words at being caught.  She lamely explains her lips touching his lips and that it was nothing.  Monica is having none of it, she asks maybe Benjie is the one for Sharina, her destined, ‘The One’.  But Sharina shrugs, telling her they are only friends.    Monica teases her sister, if they are only friend why is she blushing. “Kinikilig ka naman.” [ano ba ang kilig sa English?]  Sharina denies it, “di ako kinikilig.”  But kept smiling like a silly love-sick puppy. 

They are not the only ones rejoicing.  Elsa and Ginella are also happy that Sharina is falling for Benjie.  Now Ginella has a chance at Nelson.   The evil mother-daughter tandem feel that the sisters have weird taste in men.  Sharina is in love with Benjie who is a criminal while Monica is in love with a dead guy.  They laugh and Junic has had enough of their taunts so he tries to hit the table, making the spoon move.  Elsa and Ginella see it and both ran screaming, “multo!”

Junic wonders how he did what he did, make the spoon move.  This is the third time he’s done it.  Mikal, his sundo explains that when he feels that Monica is threatened, when he feels he needs to protect Monica, then he is able to affect the mortal world. 

Benjie opens a box from under his bed.  It has ski masks and other stuff gangsters use.  He feels guilty about his involvement in the bank robbery that killed Junic.  He wonders whether he was the one who killed Junic, well, he being the real Benjie at that time.  “May kinalaman kaya ako sa pagkakapatay kay Junic?”

Roan and Benjie have a talk about this.  Roan reminds him that whatever happened it was not his fault but the real Benjie who had already been taken by the black sundo.  Benjie asks Roan if it’s possible a black sundo would take him when he dies.  Roan tells him, all that is up to him.  Benjie finds one solace in his punishment to be mortal – the chance to love Sharina.  She adds that he already had feeling for her even when he was a sundo, “Sundo pa ako, alam kong mahal ko na siya.”

Lola Inday is having coffee and Benjie is up and put her hand to his forehead (our way of showing respect for elders called pagmamano).   Lola Inday tells him about Domeng, the gambler, “miron sa tong-itan” and how he died.  He had an accident now he is a corpse, ‘may bulak sa ilong.”

Benjie tells him Domeng was bad.  Lola Inday jokes now Domeng lies permanently in a tomb.  Benjie adds “At tuloy na sa impyerno.” Domeng is going straight to hell.  Lola Inday gets upset.  She feels Benjie is reminding her that she is not a good person as well.  “Natatakot ako sa sinasabi mo, parang para sa akin.”  Aware that her grandson chooses to become none of his earlier hoodlum self but a decent person.  Benjie only tells her gambling is bad. 

This irks Lola Inday who reminds Benjie that all her gambling goes to putting food on their table.  She was able to raise all three of them with her winnings.  She blames Sharina for influencing Benjie too much about being morally upright.  “Yung kinikita ko sa sugal, pinalaki ko sa inyo.  Sino ang nagimpluwnesiya sa iyo, yung boss mong gumagawa ng santo? ”  Lola Inday adds his love for Sharina has blinded him from his previous realities.  But Benjie just walks away, not wanting to argue with his grandmother who has some weird views and methods in life.

Emie heard their conversation and confronts Benjie.  “May gusto ka na ba sa babaeng yon?”  She tells Benjie he belongs to her, “Akin ka lang.”  But Benjie tells him his true feelings, “Emie, sorry talaga.  Akala ko mahal kita pero si Sharina talaga ang mahal ko.”  Emie asks about his promise to her.  Benjie has no answer.  Emie is angry at him and tells him he is an asshole.  “Eh gago ka pala eh!”  She kicks Benjie in the nuts and walks out in a huff.  Lola Inday laughs seeing Benjie in pain hanging on to his nuts.  “Sakit?  Karma yan!” Joking that it’s karma for his treatment of her and Emie.

Pepay can’t sleep and so does Benjie.  Pepay asks if it’s true he broke up with Emie.  Benjie nods, “Oo eh, kailangan kong gawin.”  Pepay is excited, “ibig sabihin, liligawan mo si Ate Sharina?”  Confirming whether Benjie is indeed going to court Sharina.  Benjie doesn’t know how to court and hopes to ask Rico for advice.  “Ligaw?  Paano ba manligaw?  Tatanong ko kay Rico.”  But Pepay disagrees.  “Naku eh lagi namang basted si Kuya Rico kay Ate Lizette.”  Rico is not really very successful at panliligaw.

So Benjie asks Pepay instead.  Pepay suggests he talks to Lola Inday.  She often tells stories about how their grandfather courted her long ago, when she was young.  Benjie asks Pepay to tell some of the stories she heard from Lola Inday.

It’s a new day and it’s busy at the workshop.  Sharina asks Mang Julio if the new sculptor she hired, Benjie of course, has already shown up.  Mang Julio asks her, “Manlililok ba talaga yon?” whether Benjie is really a sculptor.  Sharina asks him why, “Bakit?” Mang Julio replies, “Nasa likod, tingnan nyo na lang.”  Benjie is out back, tells Sharina to go see for herself.

Sharina sees Benjie cutting firewood which she finds funny but somewhat endearing, based on her sweet smile.  She asks him, “Anong ginagawa mo?”  Benjie explains that men who court ladies do this, part of the courting process in the Philippines.  “Nagsisibak ng kahoy.  Di ba pag nanliligaw, ganito ang ginagawa?” 

Sharina asks him, “nanliligaw ka sa akin?” if he is courting her.  He  nods, stating the obvious and asks, “Oo, bakit masama ba?”  if there is anything wrong.

Sharina only smiles thinking how sweet Benjie is.  [Kilig!!!!]

Rico wakens from Grace’s efforts to rouse him.  She insists she is not Trixie but Rico doesn’t listen and feeds her instead.  She asks Rico if she can go to the toilet first.

Benjie drinks water, he seems energized by his wood chopping activities.  Sharina thanks him and tells him she doesn’t really need any more firewood.  He asks maybe she needs water, he can go get some for her.  But she stops him telling him they do have plumbing and have water at the ready. “May gripo kaya di mo na kailangan mag-igib.”

Benjie asks her what else he could do.  Sharina is amazed at how honest and direct he is, not playing the usual courtship rituals.  Benjie’s reply is as honest, “Mahal kita Sharina.”  Sharina tells him she isn’t used to his style.

Nelson arrives with flowers but Ginella intercepts him at the gate, showing Sharina and Benjie enjoying their conversation.  “Nahuli ka na.”  She tells him he’s already too late.  Nelson observes how Sharina and Benjie seem to be enjoying each other’s company and wonders is they are falling for each other already.  “Nagkakamabutihan na kaya sila?”    Ginella adds more trouble by stating Sharina and Benjie had kissed.  Nelson is shocked.  He couldn’t believe it.  Ginella tells him if he ever needs company, she’s there for him “Pag kailangan mo ng kausap, nandito lang ako.”  Nelson, disappointed says nevermind and leaves.

Ginella talks to Benjie confirming that he is indeed courting Sharina.  Benjie says yes but he thinks he’s not doing it right.  Ginella comments, “Kasi naman panahon pa ni Rizal ang style mo.”  His courting style is very old.  He needs to liven it up a bit, more attuned to the times.  Benjie asks her, “Paano ba?”  How?  Ginella advises him, “Bigyan mo ng bulaklak.”  Give Sharina flowers.  She adds that a woman’s weakness, one of them, for sure is receiving beautiful flowers from a man.

Benjie is back again at Sharina’s this time it’s night and he tells her, “Gabi pala dapat manligaw.”  He only seemed to realize the right time to visit is at night.  Sharina is impressed at his perseverance, having a go at courting her twice in one day. “Bilis mo ah, dalawang beses sa isang araw ka kung manligaw.”  Benjie tells her he has something for her but she must close her eyes first.  Sharina agrees to it and Benjie takes out or rather brings in a huge flower arrangement, only he does not know that this type is usually given to the dead.  But when Sharina sees it, she doesn’t get upset.  She chooses a white rose telling him that this is her favorite flower.  Benjie and Sharina share a look, then a kiss.  Benjie is confused at first but seems to get the hang of it, the kissing.   He closes his eyes like Sharina and get lost in the kiss.

Gimo calls Trixie’s father to tell him that they have his daughter.   He asks for 5 million pesos as ransom.  But to his surprise, Trixie’s father tells him he’sjoking, Trixie is at home with them.

They realized they’ve got the wrong girl and look at her, all wondering, asking who is she? “Kung di sya si Trixie, sino siya?”

Sharina cuts the kiss, asking  Benjie why he kissed her like that.  Benjie apologises.  She panics, telling him that she’s confused, that maybe he will declare that he was possessed by something prompting him to kiss her.  Benjie assures her the kiss is for real because he loves her. “Baka dahil mahal kita.”  And adds that he could tell from their kiss that she loves him back, “at mahal mo rin ako.”

ABANGAN:  Pepay meets Monica and recognizes a sketch of Gimo.