Dear Katharine

December 16, 20xx

       
Dec. 16, 20xx
7:49 p.m.

Dear Kath,

                   We just had our play awhile ago. It was a disaster! Everything was set. The props, the sound design for the demolition that my groupmates came up with, the Manila paper strategically hidden so that Chris would just read them, and I have memorized my lines so well all for the sake of a good grade. But all these are in vain because Chris didn't show up! I was in panic especially other students from different grade levels were watching. I was nearly forced to play doble-cara if Rob didn't agree to play his part.
                    I now understand why he hates to be on stage. He was terrible. He also told me he is now sure all the chance he got for this girl named Giselle has gone because of his performance. He has stage-fright, you see. And instead of playing a care-free boy, he played an awkward, careless, scared child ready to exit the stage a minute after he entered it. I tried to calm him down by reminding him to take a deep breath without compromising my character, so I held his hand and looked into his eyes and breathed before I delivered my first line.
                   “Is there a fire,” I began.
                   “Huh?” He said confidently without looking at the Manila paper which is the only line he said without awkwardness. The rest of his lines he mumbled and butchered, the same way the melancholy Christmas song is butchered by the characters in the end. I want to spare him the embarassment because he already had enough so I will already draw close the curtain of shame here.
                    Judging our performance, I knew we would be lucky to receive a grade of 85 which I loath because I have always received marks 90 and above. But instead of consoling myself, I had to console Rob for his unfortunate love life and for the bullying he will later receive. Although, consoling him is quite easy because the rest of the groups in our class did a poorer performance which compared to them, you'll consider Rob a genius actor.
                    We also watched the 10th graders perform which inspired everyone in our class to do better. But out of the many groups that performed, the play Moses, Moses by Rogelio Sikat was the most memorable for its splendid performance with a very relevant message. The group made an effort to translate it in English because our school is  so patriotic that they love English language so much.
                    The play was about a family who is dealing with the traumatic experience by their unica hija who was revealed to have been raped by the mayor's son. Their pursuit of for justice were discouraged by the people around them because of the suspect's connection. The eldest son named Tony, who, by the way, was played by Chard, would later put into his own hands the law to serve themselves the justice he believes they will be denied.
                      “Justice will eventually prevail,” Oly who plays the mother, Regina, exclaimed.
                     “Justice! How easy it is to say! 'Justice or poetic justice'? Is it really justice or the passive justice where we will only hope God will do something,” Chard delivered with conviction to a seldomly attentive crowd of highschoolers. “There are only three kinds of people who receive justice in this place. The strong, the powerful, the rich. If you are an average person, you are weak. If you don't have the strength, people will take advantage of you, threaten you even. You are poor, my bad, you have to endure injustice. Most of the time these three even go together—strength power, wealth.”
                     They have skipped a many lines to be able to perform under 10 minutes. Tony had already left to kill the mayor's son. Then Aida, played by Queenie, entered the stage and ruined the streak of amazing performances because she wasn't able to portray the anxious victim, haunted by her inhumane treatment which she is struggling to overcome. But what do I expect, Queenie is one of those girls who made fun of Jenna when they learned of her plight. Whoever casted her to play Aida deserves to be cancelled forever!
                      “Tony! What happened to you,” Regina cried when she saw the blood on Tony's shirt.
                     “We have to go, Inay. Quick! Wake up Ben and Aunt Ana,” Tony declared.
                      But Regina disagreed. “You will surrender, Tony. You killed him. This is a different crime from what happened to Aida.”
                      “'Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless,' God told Moses. 'If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.'” Chard stated this looking at the audience as if he was addressing the crowd, a powerful and compelling sight it was. “Where, how, to whom shall we ask, find, and receive justice? Who will give it? Inay, God's thunder shall be thrown to the hands of the oppressed and the sword of justice shall be in the side of those who have been denied of it.”
                       Two cops has arrived with the mayor played by Francis, Vincent and Rody, respectively. They cuffed Tony immediately. They kicked and punched him causing Tony to fall into his knees claiming he was resisting arrest. But before they could leave, Regina pulled the trigger to kill her own son.
                       “Why did you kill him,” the mayor shouted at Regina.
                       “If some children hurt your own child, and you can't do anything about it, don't you pour your anger at your own child instead? You told me you will arrest my son, but what have you done? You were already killing him here before you even arrive at the station.”
                       “He killed my son,” the mayor cried.
                       “The law only works when it comes to your child!” Regina exclaimed with passion. “Do you even know what justice means? Do any of you know? Mayor, do you know the meaning of justice?”
                       “Seize her,” the mayor ordered and the cops followed.
                       “She killed her own son! Parricide! Let's take her to the precinct,” said one of the cops.
                        “Yes take me anywhere. To the precinct, to court, to a judge, anywhere!” Regina shouted. “Take me anywhere you want. I will be responsible for the death of my son! I will tell everyone I killed my own son!”
                        The curtains closed and the crowd roared. They definitely gave an outstanding performance with the exception of Queenie's terrible acting.
                         I messaged Chard when I arrived home to congratulate him for successfully bringing Tony to life. He deflected all my praise to him and changed the subject instead.
                        He asked me if I agree with Regina's decision to kill her own son. I had to think for a while before I answered him. I told him I agree with Regina because they would have tortured him anyway. So as an act of love, she killed her own son to protect him.
                       He changed the subject again and asked me another thought provoking question: “Do you still love me?” I told him I will forever love him but if it is as a lover, I will have to think about that.
                       This has been a tiring day. I would like to shut my eyes and sleep. I'll write again next time.
                    

A/N: The translation of Moses, Moses by Rogelio Sicat is done by yours truly because I failed to find one on the internet. So if you believe I did a terrible job, my apologies. It is not my intention to destroy the wonderful legacy of THE Mr. Sicat.