SYNOPSIS
BEA, a plain housewife, religiously attends to the daily needs of her husband, VIKTOR, a businessman, and her daughter, SAM, an engineering freshman. She cooks their food, prepares their clothes, and keeps the house clean and orderly. Every rest period at any time of the day, she sits to knit a red yarn with a crochet hook.
While Sam tends to be closer to her Dad, Bea appears to be more affectionate towards LYKA, Viktor’s niece. Sam is oblivious of this, but she wonders what crocheting the red yarn is about. Bea keeps things to herself. But Viktor knows.
SPEC SCRIPT
ESTABLISHING SHOT: SAPLING’S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
INT. KITCHEN
BEA, with a red apron neatly wrapped around her waist, carefully cuts a kilo of chicken. On the kitchen table, there are a medium-sized plate containing six pieces of boiled eggs, a serving dish full of sliced potatoes, a bowl of chicken liver, a can of pineapple cubes, and a saucer of finely-minced garlic.
CUT TO
INT. SAM’S BEDROOM
SAM, in her worn-out, oversized white shirt and stone-washed denim shorts, comfortably sits on the couch set against the grilled window, picks up her book, and flips through the pages to find Chapter III of Silas Marner. Before she begins to read, her phone rings. She hastily stands up to pick up the call.
SAM
Hi, DAD! Pauwi ka na po?
Yes! Black Forest, of course!
And a box of caramel-filled chocolates, please…
Ok, Dad. Come home fast.
Ingat po.
CUT TO
INT. KITCHEN
Bea, holding a wooden ladle in her right hand, stands akimbo on the left side of the stove. Her eyes throw blank stares towards the window, at the ceiling, and on the kitchen table. Bea comes back to her senses when she hears Sam’s voice.
(O.S.) SAM
Ma, pauwi na raw po si Dad.
BEA
(replies inaudibly)
Okay.
Bea moves to uncover the simmering pot of chicken adobo, stirs it with the wooden ladle, and scoops a teaspoon of sauce to taste. Satisfied, she puts back the pot cover and puts off the flame. She drops the wooden ladle in the sink, unwraps her red apron, hangs it near the refrigerator, and walks towards the dining table. She sits down and picks up the crochet hook and red yarn, and starts looping.
FADE OUT.
EXT. GARAGE AREA – NIGHT
Sam walks towards the gate, opens it and peeps outside. She steps back, closes the gate, and walks towards the outdoor coffee table to pick up her phone. She sits on the doorstep, and types a text message.
CLOSE ON
(TEXT MESSAGE) Dad, wru na po?
Before Sam sends the message, she sees her Dad’s car parking outside the gate. She stands up and runs to open the gate.
SAM
Dad!!!
(hugs her Dad)
Kanina pa kita inaabangan.
DAD
(carries a box of cake and a paper bag)
Sorry, anak. Na-traffic kasi ako.
(closes the gate)
Sam’s Dad hands over the box of cake to his daughter.
DAD
Ang mama mo?
Dad and daughter, holding each other’s hand, walk towards the door.
SAM
She’s inside, probably crocheting again.
CUT TO
INT. DINING AREA/KITCHEN
Bea, aware of VIKTOR’s (her husband’s) arrival, stands up to put away her crochet stuff. She walks towards the kitchen, opens the refrigerator…
VIKTOR
Hi, Ma!
(walks towards Bea)
Ano’ng ulam?
BEA
(closes the refrigerator and faces Victor)
VIKTOR
(kisses Bea’s forehead and sniffs)
Adobo.
(steps back and walks away)
Kain na tayo.
FADE OUT.
INT. LIVING ROOM – LUNCH TIME
Bea switches on the TV, picks up her crochet hook looped with a red yarn from the centre table, and sits on the sofa. She only listens to the TV show because her eyes are focused on looping the red yard. The door bells… (DING-DONG! DING-DONG!)
CUT TO
EXT. GARAGE AREA – CONTINUOUS
Bea opens the gate.
LYKA
(holds a food container)
Hi, Tita! Anjan po si Sam?
BEA
(gleefully)
Lyka, anak.
(hugs and kisses Lyka)
Halika, pasok ka.
(holds Lyka’s hand, leads her inside, and closes the gate)
Buti naman at binisita mo ako.
May niluto akong chicken adobo,
samahan mo akong mag-lunch.
LYKA
Naku, Tita…
(shows the food container to Bea)
Chicken adobo rin po ito.
Pinadala ni Mama.
(hands over the food container to Bea)
BEA
(receives the food container)
Luto ng Mama mo?
LYKA
(smiling)
Si Papa po.
(apologetically)
Tita, I need to go,
kakain na po kasi kami.
BEA
Okay, anak.
(opens the gate door)
Pakisabi, salamat ha.
LYKA
Opo, Tita.
(steps out and leaves)
BEA
Ingat ka, anak.
(closes the gate and smells the food container with gusto)
FADE OUT.
INT. BEDROOM OF VIKTOR AND BEA – NIGHT
Bea sits in front of the dresser mirror and combs her hair. Viktor puts on his sleeping shirt, and lies down on the bed.
VIKTOR
Busog na busog pa rin ako.
Nag-order ba naman si Sam ng isang kilong shrimps;
And one big platter of pancit canton!
BEA
(puts down her comb and picks up her crochet hook and red yarn)
Sabay ba kayo ni Sam bukas?
(sits on the bed, beside Viktor, and starts crocheting)
Magbabaon ba kayo?
VIKTOR
(closes his eyes)
Chicken adobo na naman ba?
(turns to his side facing the window)
BEA
(unravels what she finished crocheting, puts off the lamp, and lies down)
Good night.
VIKTOR
(takes a deep breath)
Good night.
FADE OUT.
INT. SCHOOL LABORATORY – MORNING
Sam enters the laboratory and greets Lyka, who is weighing a pan of her experiment sample.
SAM
Hi, Sis!
(puts down her bag on the table)
Kadarating mo lang?
(opens her bag and brings out her book)
May quiz ako mamaya.
(sits down and opens her book)
Review muna ako ha.
LYKA
(faces the analytical balance)
Nagdala ako ng chicken adobo sa inyo kahapon.
SAM
(flips a page of her book)
Know what…
Amoy-chicken adobo ang kitchen namin.
LYKA
(chuckles and moves to prepare another sample)
SAM
(flips another page)
Bilin nga pala ni mama,
dumaan ka mamaya sa house namin.
LYKA
(weighs another sample)
Next time na lang.
Susunduin ako ni Papa at Mama this afternoon.
Flight ni Papa bukas kaya sa labas kami magdi-dinner.
SAM
(throws a glance at Lyka)
Bilis naman ng bakasyon nya.
Wala akong pasok bukas.
Sasama ako sa paghatid kay Tito.
(flips another page and reads)
LYKA
Ok.
FADE OUT.
INT. KITCHEN – AFTERNOON
Bea pours a pot of chicken adobo in a food container and puts it in a paper bag. Sam pops in from the door.
SAM
Hi, Ma.
BEA
(throws a glance at Sam)
Hi.
SAM
Dinner daw po sila Lyka sa labas,
It’s Tito’s flight tomorrow.
(walks away from the kitchen)
Bea remains standing for a while. Then, she dips her right hand into the paper bag, and takes out the food container. She pauses for a while, and then walks towards the refrigerator. She pauses for another while, and then opens the refrigerator. Slowly, she puts the food container inside the refrigerator.
FADE OUT.
INT. LIVING AREA – NIGHT
With a bowl of cheezy popcorn in her right hand, Sam switches on the TV, and sits on the sofa right next to where Bea sits. Sam stares at what Bea is crocheting. She munches a handful of popcorn, her eyes glued on Bea’s crocheting. After some minutes of wondering, she stands up, and heads towards the door.
Bea, in seemingly deep thoughts, stops crocheting, reclines on the sofa, and stares at the ceiling. She remains reclined, looks at what she finished crocheting, and leisurely irons it with the palm of her right hand.
DISSOLVE TO
EXT. GARAGE AREA – NIGHT
Viktor and Sam lean against the newly-wiped car.
VIKTOR
(glances at Sam)
Anak, where do you wanna go this coming term break?
SAM
(glances back at Viktor and asks, reluctantly)
Dad, ano ba yung ginagawa ni Mama?
Parang di matapos-tapos.
VIKTOR
(glances away and crosses his arms, as if to ward off the night’s chilly air)
Why do you ask?
SAM
(stares at the night sky, and shrugs her shoulders)
Just wondering.
(remains staring at the night sky)
Wala akong makitang star.
VIKTOR
(closes his eyes)
FLASHBACK (17 years ago)
Bea, Viktor’s fiancée, stands beside the cook for the day, MARKO, Viktor’s twin-brother.
INT. KITCHEN – HOURS BEFORE LUNCH TIME
Bea tastes the sauce of chicken adobo that Marko is cooking.
BEA
Sarap naman ng timpla mo!
(sniffs the sweet and sour aroma of the simmering pot of chicken adobo)
MARKO
(lightly stirs the chicken adobo)
This is mom’s recipe.
BEA
(seriously)
Ituro mo naman sa akin.
MARKO
(jokingly)
Mahal ang PF ko...
BEA
(in a flash)
Muffler na lang!
May winter sa States, di ba?
MARKO
(switches off the stove and looks intently at Bea’s face)
DEAL!
FADE OUT.
(V.O.) SAM
Dad, are you listening?
(V.O.) VIKTOR
Maghintay tayo, anak.
Maya-maya lang, magpapakita ang star.
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