My Beloved Episode 21 – The One with All the Tattoos

My Beloved Episode 21 – The One with All the Tattoos

Aired in the UAE on 13^th March 2012

Sharina shouts at Benjie to stop what he is doing to her, to stop saying he loves her.  “Tama na!”  She wakes up with a start.  It was all just a dream but somehow she does wish, deep in her heart that she saw Benjie.  That he is alright.  Monica also wakes and ask her if she is okay, “Ayos ka lang?”  Sharina is quick to reply, “Oo Monica, OK lang ako.” She goes back to sleep as Monica assures her, “tulog ka na ulit, andito lang ako, sige na.” 

Benjie walks aimlessly when Roan his former fellow-sundo appears.  He seems happy to see the guide and tells him so.  He is confused and seeks Roan’s counsel.  “Etong katawang ito, si Benjie, siya ang pumatay kay Junic.”  Revealing that his mortal body was the one who shot Junic. [Siya ba talaga, kala ko talaga si Gimo].

Roan nods indicating he knows.  “Alam ko.”  Benjie asks him, “Pero hindi ako yun.  Pati ba ako dapat may pananagutan din?”  It wasn’t really him, not yet as the switch happened after, so he wants to know if he has to be responsible for that mistake.

Roan doesn’t answer him; instead he takes him along. “Sumama ka sa akin.”

They hold hands and Benjie becomes Arlan again.  His spirit leaves the mortal body of Benjie and they sail to Death Valley.  Arlan asks Roan, “Bakit mo ako dinala dito?”  Why bring him down there, in hell.  Arlan seems scared, he asks it this is the way to hell.  the boat reaches a huge drop of what seems like lava…a lavafall.  They drop, as the boat falls down.  We can hear Arlan scream.

Grace had been waiting for Rico to come back and tell her that the coast is clear.  But what she doesn’t know is that Rico had been sent of an errand by Lola Inday to find out the whereabouts of Benjie who was helped by Gimo and his gang.   Grace couldn’t wait any longer, “Ano ba yan, ang tagal ni Rico!  Naiihi na ako, puputok na ang pantog ko!”  She decides to go downstairs, “Bahala na nga!” and tiptoes to the toilet.  There’s no one there so she enters.

Rico arrives at Gimo’s home and asks him where his elder bother is, “Kuya Gimo asan si Kuya Benjie?”  Tikyo [I think I called him Tikboy in some blogs! Sorry!] who was drinking with Gimo, offers Rico a shot.  But the young man wants to urgently know the whereabouts and the well-being of his brother, insisting where to find him.  “Asan?!”  Gimo tells his Benjie is in a safe place, “Nasa ligtas na lugar.”  But Rico still insists to know where.  Gimo suggests, “mas konti nakakaalam, mas ligtas kuya mo,”  the less people know about it, the safer Benjie will be.  Rico calms down after realizing this.

Grace sees herself in the mirror, the bruises and the grime and comments, “ang pangit ko na!”  She likens herself to the smoked fish, famous in the Philippines, “mukhang tinapa!” and decides to take a bath.  “Maligo kaya ako?” 

As she was bathing, Lola Inday comes thinking it’s Pepay in the bathroom.  Of couse with Benjie in hiding and with Rico at Gimo’s getting news about Benjie, the old woman thinks that there is only herself and Pepay left in the house.  “Pepay, naiihi ako.”  She tells her granddaughter she wants to pee and tells Pepay to let her in.  But Pepay appears behind Lola Inday making her think, “Andyan ka?  Kung nandito ka, sino ang nasa banyo?”  Lola Inday is not easily scared so off she goes to grab a knife and fiddles with the lock.  She opens the toilet to find Grace inside.  Grace screams!

Rico still wants to know where his brother is and reasons, “Pati sa akin itatago nyo si Kuya?  May karapatan akong mlaman kung nasaan ang kapatid ko.” 

But Gimo stops him.  Telling him he wasn’t even born yet, he and Benjie were already close.  He just has to trust him.  “Hoy Rico, di ka pa pinapanganak, tropa na kami ng kuya mo!  Kaya magtiwala ka sa akin, ligtas siya.”  He assures Rico his brother is safe.

Arlan and Roan see the original Benjie suffering in hell.  Arlan realises, “nagdudusa kasama na pagpatay kay Junic.” [so siya talaga? si Benjie talaga pumatay?]

Roan reminds Arlan, it is man who makes his own destiny.  Benjie the baddie sees them and tries to climb up the stony ledge they were standing on but he couldn’t.  He tries to ask for their help, “Tulungan mo ako, pakawalan mo ako, ayoko rito.”  They look at him but can’t really do anything, Benjie gets more forceful, “paalisin mo na ako rito!”

Arlan feels a bit scared but Roan assured him the spirits cannot hurt him.  Then Roan tells him, “tao ka na,” you are now mortal.  He shows Arlan, now Benjie [aka Arben!] that this is what awaits him if he continues on the path that Benjie lived.

On their way back, Benjie, the new one who is actually Arlan…he shares to Roan, “Masarap maging tao, maaaring magmahal pero maaari rin masaktan.”

Roan asks him, if he know then what he knows now, about being human and all, would he still want to be, choose to be mortal?”

Lola Inday wastes no time in asking Grace, “Kaninong babae ka?” Whose woman are you?  “Kay Benjie o kay Rico?”  Benjie’s or Rico’s?  Grace swallows but replies, “Kay Rico ho.”

Lola Inday makes the strangest reaction, she screams, “Yehey!  Lalaki na si Rico!”  Even Pepay jumps for joy and claps her hands.  Lola Inday is really pleased, “Hindi siya bading!”  Happy to know her other grandson isn’t gay.  [So funny, this scene had me laughing hard.  I love Nova Villa!]

Gimo asks Rico who has finally settled down.  If he really wants to help his brother, one way is to find out about his tattoo.  It is his downfall, pointing to him and damning him as the killer but it could also be his salvation.  He tells the boys, if they want to help Benjie, they must all do something, this is the test of their true friendship, “Ito ang tunay na sukatan ng pagiging magkakaibigan.”

Benjie now returns to his body as Roan reminds him to do what is right. “Gawin mo ang nararapat, Arlan.  Sana tama ang desisyon mo.  Sana balang araw, ako o isa sa mga kasamahan natin ang sumundo sa iyo at hindi ang mga sundong itim.”  He adds that he hopes someday, when the time comes, he or one of their kind will be the one to guide Benjie to the afterlife and not the black guides.

Roan leaves and Benjie more than ever wants to live a good life.  He wants to correct all the mistakes done by the old Benjie.

It’s morning at Sharina’s house.  Sharina is awake but still in her bedroom.  She retrieves the torn pieces of Arlan’s portrait and recalls the many moments she has with Arlan and Benjie.  She feels torn and angry.  She crumples the torn pieces and dumps them back to the bin.

Rico returns home and realizes he left Grace all alone upstairs.  Afraid that Lola Inday will discover her she hurries in only to find her grandmother in good spirits, feeding Grace.  She also notices that Grace is wearing one of her granny’s sundresses, a daster.  He asks her, “Bakit ganyan ang suot mo?”  Why are you wearing that? 

Lola Inday interrupts him, if he has found his brother.  Rico tells them it’s better they all don’t know anything but Gimo assured him Benjie is safe.  He also told Lola Inday that Gimo has thought of a way to help Benjie get out of prison.

Monica and Sharina with the private investigators personally hired by Nelson to help find Benjie.  These are men recommended by his uncle who is a top-ranking general in the Philippine army.  They assure the sisters Benjie couldn’t get that far and it won’t take long for them to catch him. 

At the hideout, Emie wakes up to see Benjie all dressed and already tying his shoes as if he’s going out.  Emie asks where he is going, “Saan ka pupunta?”  Benjie tells her he has made his decision.  He wants to go surrender himself to the police. “Nakapagdesisyon na ako.  Susuko ako sa mga pulis.”

Emie gets angry with him, after all the trouble she did and Gimo and his gang did, now all he wants to do is get caught?  But Benjie insists he made a mistake and must make up for it, “Etong katawan na to ang may kasalanan kaya dapat harapin.”  But Emie tells him to try and forget himself with her, “Etong katawan ko na lang kasi ang bigyan mo ng atensyon.”  She start to undress but Benjie stops her, telling her he needs to do the right thing.  He seems keen and set on his decision that Emie had to make a quick decision herself, she hits Benjie in the head with a bottle.  Benjie falls, unconscious.

Monica and Sharina at home.  Sharina asks if Monica needs help but she shoos her away telling her to go back to Nelson.  She comments that Nelson is really very kind and supportive of Sharins especially now that he is helping them with capturing Benjie.

She adds that Nelson had been courting Sharina for some time now.  He’s good, rich at most of all he isn’t a criminal like Benjie.  Sharina gets what Monica is hinting but she tells her sister, it’s not that simple, “Hindi naman ganoon kadali yon…”  Monica knows Sharina still has feelings for Benjie making things more difficult and complicated but she suggests Sharina turn her affections towards Nelson.  Maybe if she did this, she’d be able to forget about Benjie.  Then she prods her sister to go back to her visitor.

Benjie comes to and finds himself tied and he starts shouting, asking Emie to let him go.  Emie is on the phone with Gimo complaining about Benjie’s odd behaviour wanting to surrender.    Gimo gets upset about Benjie being so stupid, his actions could lead to all of them getting caught.  He decides to have Rico talk to Benjie to set his priorities and his mind straight.

Meanwhile Sharina tells Nelson how ashamed she is, first at declining his affections for him and now, finding that the man she chose over Nelson is her sister’s fiance’s killer.  Nelson assured her that there’s nothing to be ashamed of.  And that he is afterall, a friend.  He tells her his uncle sent really good private investigators and there are surveillance teams deployed to search for Benjie.

Sharina goes for a while giving Nelson a chance to talk to the private investigator and also showing briefly his true colors.  He tells the PI to catch Benjie as soon as possible so no one gets in the way between him and Sharina. 

Lola Inday sees  stranger who seems like a lookout in their place, maybe a cop in disguise or an informant waiting for Benjie to appear.  She tells him to leave.   Rico asks what the commotion was and Grace, not knowing who Benjie is asks about him and why the police are after him.  Lola Inday complains that for someone they’ve known for only a short time, Grace can be so inquisitive.  Gimo and Tikyo are walking towards them and Rico shoves Grace to hide down a table.  Gimo wants Rico to come with them so he can talk sense into Benjie.  Lola Inday agrees and Rico, endorses Grace to her speaking in code so that Gimo doesn’t realise Rico didn’t actually kill Grace.

Lola Inday called Grace, “Pasalubong” like a gift.  [Another funny scene, well played]

Another lookout is actually in place disguised as a taho vendor.  He calls his bosses that he will follow Gimo, Rico and Tikyo.

At the hideout, the taho vendor sees the place where they are hiding Benjie and calls for the police.  A squad arrives.

Meantime inside, Benjie please with Emie to set him free but Emie, fed up with his noise gags him.

Benjie, “Emie pakawalan mo ko, susuko na ako sa mga pulis para matapos na.”    Emie replies, “Di ka susuko at huwag ka maingay baka marinig ka ng kapitbahay.”

Benjie continues to mumble through his gag but Emie thinks he heard Gimo and the gang arriving.

She opens the door expecting it to be Gimo but sees the police instead.  She swallos hard, obviously nervous.

Emie, “Good morning po sir, may kailangan po ba sila?”  The police ask for Benjie Castor.  Emie quickly denies ever knowing anyone by that name, “Walang kakilala, pasensiya na ho.”  She quickly closes the door and locks it.  The police bang on the door, ordering her to open it.

The police tells Emie they will knock the door down if she doesn’t open it.  Meanwhile Benjie and Emie make their escape using a fire exit.  They are almost past the squad but Benjie still decided on surrendering makes a noise.  The police see him and they all turn around and order the pair to stop.

Desa and Monica are talking about how times have changed and that there are more men who are just out for a quick con.  Monica says Junic was one of the last few really good men, a waste he died young.  A PI tells them that news had just come in, Benjie Castor has been captured.

Desa looks at her friend and tells her not to get all affected by this news.  Sharina tries to put on a brave face telling everyone it is for the best he got caught. 

At the police station, Monica slaps Benjie.  “Walang hiya ka!”  For killing Junic.  Benjie asks for her forgiveness, “Sana mapatawad mo ko.”

She screams at him, his sorry won’t bring Junic back.  “Maibabalik ba ng sorry mo ang asawa ko?”

Benjie can actually see Junic, he’s standing behind Monica.  He looks at him as says, “Sorry.”

Sharina gets emotional and lashes out on Benjie too.  “Di kita mapapatawad, kahit ilang sorry, hindi mo maibabalik ang buhay ni Junic!”  She adds for him to stop being all goody-goody. “At huwag na magbait-baitan pa.”

But Benjie tells her what he says is true.  That his feelings for her are still true.

Sharina stops him.  Nelson butts in, to stop trying to fool Sharina. “Tigilan mo na si Sharina!”

Sharina asks him if he is that desperate.  “Ganyan ka ba ka-desperado?  Gagawin mo ang lahat para mapagtakpan ang ginawa mo?”

Monica adds more insult to injury, “Mabubulok ka sa bilangguan.”

But Gimo, Rico and Tikyo arrive telling the police and everyone there that they cannot put Benjie in jail.

A PI interrupts reminding them that they have strong evidence.  The tattoo on Benjie’s back.

Gimo asks, “alin yung tattoo?  sigurado ba kayo na siya lang may ganyan?”  If Benjie is the only one with that tattoo.

All three men remove their t-shirts showing the exact same tattoo that Benjie has on his back…on theirs!

Monica cries, desperate to catch Benjie and make someone pay for her loss.  But now, who among them is Junic’s killer?  The one evidence they held on to now means nothing.  Justice slips away again, moving Monica to cry louder.  Everyone is simply shocked.

ABANGAN:  Gimo decides to kill Monica to stop her from meddling for good.