Unfinished Work

I don't make stories. I write stories.

That preoccupied my school vacations. Around Grade 6 to high school, I was so engrossed with Filipino movies that I made up my own showbiz world. I wrote stories and transformed them into comics styles. There were characters assigned to this comic strips. I had two production companies that compete with box office and TV rating. I was also in charge which company grossed better. The stars also had endorsements, intrigues, own TV shows and press releases. Towards the end of vacation, I had two award giving bodies where the main stars of the two production outfits may split winners for the best actress or one may get a grand slam.

I was able to do this because I grew up having a typewriter in the household. My father had a home office. I also remember other pupils/students in the neighborhood would visit our home to use the typewriter for school projects. Then, there was a computer. I've always wanted to have a computer then so that my pieces be computerized and to do my comics through computer graphics. When we had one. I was doing others things already and had long stopped running my imaginary production outfits.

I was not able to save any of my works. Or, I actually disposed them to forego that area of my life. I was taking accounting in college then that made it difficult to continue. I might have matured by then that I felt I was missing other things by staying at home writing and drawing these stories. 

This is an example how my comics looked like 

17 years ago. this is not original. I redrew it. 

This might explain why my talent never get me

anywhere.    

Everything went back last year when my students told me they were shooting a film as a school requirement in English subject. I then asked what their story is. It was entitled My Bestfriend's Boyfriend. The "No Other Woman" genre was so hyped for them to consider it as their peg. I gave myself a challenge to write something out of the plot they gave and promised not to read their script nor watch their finished film not unless I am done with my version. It tells a story of a rich college student who has everything except the man she loves, who happens to be her bestfriend's boyfriend. Her bestfriend turned out to be a long lost half-sister. 

That was when I went back to writing stories. I searched the correct format of a film script. Anyway, my plan to join Carlos Palanca awards was long overdue -13 years past due. My comfort zone was script style but I have problems with length. The requirement is around eighty pages. I never tried doing short stories and now I have to. It's so easy to fill up twenty pages.

For the past months I have been so much into writing but I forgot this one thing. I was looking for something from my files when I scanned through My Bestfriend's Boyfriend document in my folder. I remembered my unfinished story. I don't even know how to go through it.

***

MY BESTFRIEND'S BOYFRIEND

(the unfinished version)   

Ako si Marla. May bestfriend ako na - sori pero preempt ko na ang dapat na climax, kapatid ko pala. Supposedly sa ending pa malalaman na half sister kami ni Julia. Bahala na ang writer sa gusto nyang twist sa huli.

1. Sa school ay kausap ni Marla ang registrar.

Registrar

I’m so sorry but you have to fix your records. We can not accept that you don’t have a middle name.

Marla

Ma’am anu po ba ang dapat kong gawin? Wala po kasi ako talagang nakagisnang ama.

Registrar

There’s nothing I can do.  Go to NSO and ask for an advice.

Marla: Maam?!

Registrar

I have lots of other things to do. Just go.

2. Naglalakad si Marla ng inapproach siya ni Hero.

Hero

Marla, wait. Malungkot.. any way, why are you sad?

Marla

Wala napuwing lang ako.

Hero

I didn’t say you’re crying… pwede ba sad muna?

                                      

Marla

Pwede ba iwanan mo muna ako.

Hero

I can’t stand seeing you like that miserable.

Marla

Upo ka, ok.

Hero

You are a damsel in distress and I’m Hero.

Marla

Remember, ang boyfriend ko. Bestfriend mo. Si Jim.

Biglang kumidlat. At natakot si marla napayakap kay Hero.

Marla

Hero, paumanhin.

Dumating na si Jim

Jim

Anung ibig sabihin nito?

Hero

oh, dude. Takot pala si Marla sa kidlat.

Jim

ah ganon ba.

Marla

Eto hinaharass na naman ako ni Hero. Joke,

Hero

Dude naman. Kanino ka ba maniniwala.

Jim

Eh di sa yo.

Marla

What?

Nag-iba ang eksena at naging maikling kuwento ang format instead na script pero same story pa rin.

Mag-uumpisa ang kuwento na buo ang pamilya. Bumukas ang van pababa ang pamilyang magswi-swimming sa beach resort. Teka, isara ulit ang pinto ng van at i-rewind. Paatras pababalik ang van mula sa bahay ng pamilya. Hindi pala yan ang gusto kong umpisa ng istorya.

Bumalik sa eksenang aandar na ulit ang van. At nang umalis ito sa kanto, naiwan sa eksena ang binatilyong may hawak na kabibiling pandesal. Extra lang pala ang pamilya sa van kanina. Si andro pala ang bida. “Ha ako ba ang bida?”

“Akin na nga ang mic. Gusto first ko first person ang narrative”

Ako si andro.

***

I can't remember how I envisioned this to end. Should I want to continue such projects I better learn how to do computer graphics.