Isang Araw, Dalawang Pager, Apat na Nilalang (One Day, Two Pagers, Four Human Beings)

I am so thankful to my Creator for creating me creative.

As a writer, I have written poems, songs, magazine articles, teleplays (scripts for television), stageplays, screenplays (scripts for movies), books, etc.

Today, I would like to share with you the story, "Isang Araw, Dalawang Pager, Apat na Nilalang" (One Day, Two Pagers, Four Human Beings). To those of you who are too young to know what a pager is, this is what it looks like:

I attended a scriptwriting workshop under Mr. Nestor Torre and one of our assignments was to write a 15-minute comedy script. I submitted this script and it came back with these comments - "V. good. Very funny + sustainedly interesting". Mr. Torre liked it so much we read it in the workshop and he used it as example in other workshops of his.

I can't post the entire script here because it is more than 10 pages long. But here is the gist:

Alvin and Nestor don't know each other but they both go to the same gym. Inside the shower room, they give their respective pagers to an attendant. Both are excited but for entirely different reasons. Alvin (married) is going to spend time with his favorite callgirl while Nestor (single), who belongs to a Charismatic community, will know the "answer" of his sister in community whom he has been courting. The interesting thing is their pagers look alike, and both the callgirl and the sister are named Gretchen. [We shall call the former Gretch and the latter Sister Gretchen.]

The attendant mixes up the pagers. Both Alvin and Nestor receive the message from "Gretchen" that there has been a change of venue.

So, Alvin goes to the prayer meeting not knowing what a prayer meeting is. He at first thinks it is an orgy with all the people coming in.

Nestor arrives at Gretch's place and is shocked to find the callgirl dressed in sexy lingerie. Gretch thinks that her pimp included a new guy in her sked so decided to allow Nestor to come in for a "quickie" before Alvin arrives. Gretch starts to do her thing and poor Nestor had to close his eyes and pray.

Meanwhile, Alvin realizes that there is no orgy but a real prayer meeting. Someone shares his testimony and Alvin is moved to tears and remorse.

Back to Nestor, he "casts out the spirit of lust" in the room and Gretch says she is not possessed. Then Nestor holds her hand and says, "Sister, I want you to know that God loves You."

Alvin finally meets Sister Gretchen who has been busy in the music ministry.

Both Gretch and Alvin get "converted".

When Gretch realizes that Alvin needs to be contacted she pages him. It is the pager that Nestor has with him that beeps. This is when Nestor realizes how the mix-up occurred. He tells Gretch to page his number and ask where Alvin is.

Nestor and Gretch arrive at the prayer meeting just as Alvin is sharing his testimony in front of everybody. Gretch also boldly goes in front and shares her story.

Meanwhile, Sister Gretchen answers Nestor with her sweet yes.

Nestor and Alvin exchange pagers. Alvin says goodbye to Gretch, "Magkita na lang tayo sa langit" (Let us just see each other in heaven").

As Alvin leaves to go home to his wife, his pager beeps and the message is "JC: Welcome back to the flock". Who is JC?, he asks.

Nestor and Sister Gretchen just look at each other and smile.

THE END.

What say you?

Once in a while, writers come up with a "masterpiece" and masterpieces are meant for sharing. So, if you like a copy of the full script let me know and I will gladly email it to you.