Lea was sleeping peacefully when the sound of rocks hitting her window woke her up.
It stopped as soon as she opened her eyes, so she thought she was just dreaming. Her eyes still felt heavy, so she began to close them.
Not even 5 seconds later, her phone rang. Squinting, she reached for her phone and looked at the caller ID.
Aga Muhlach
12 missed calls
Her mind processed this information late. She was so sleepy, and her brain was telling her to go back to sleep.
The continuous buzzing of her phone jolted her awake. She swiftly answered the call.
" Aga? "
His voice was hoarse and quite high when he answered, " Babes, dito ako sa labas. "
Hearing that was more than enough as a wake up call. She ran out of her room and down the stairs so fast, she wasn't sure if she touched all the steps.
She looked through the peephole before opening the door, and she saw Aga standing outside.
" Aga... " she called, " It's 2 am. "
Her leading man grinned at her. " Kaya pala ang dilim na? "
She stepped outside, and walked towards him. 2 feet away from him, she could already smell the alcohol from his clothes.
" Saan ka ba galing? " she asked, tight lipped. " And why are you here? " She took his hand, and slowly guided him to the door. Aga was drunk, but he wasn't that smashed yet. " Paano ka nakarating dito, Aga? "
" B dropped me off. "
Ah. So he was drinking with Bea. That certainly changes things.
" Drink some coffee, then go home. " she said, coldly. " Alam mong wala kang driver, tas maglalasing ka. "
Aga steadied himself by leaning on the wall. He slightly pulled his arm away from her touch, which was something he rarely does. He stared at her, then flashed a hurt smile. " Iniwan mo kasi ako eh. Bakit ba lagi mo akong iniiwan? "
It wasn't his sad smile that broke her heart. It wasn't even the smell of booze and cigarettes that he reeks of. It was what he said that split her heart in half.
---
(1999)
Miss Saigon was a dream come true for Lea. She has long dreamed of being in theater, and when Miss Saigon asked her to come back and play Kim again, she dropped everything she was doing in the Philippines and went back to London. Everything, including her relationship with Aga.
Tonight was their last show, and she was wondering if the things she sacrificed were worth it. She stared at the crowd outside, waiting for the cast members to come out and sign their play bills. She told Monique, her friend and the alternate Kim, to go outside and wait for her there. She wanted one last moment alone, on the stage.
Was all of this worth it? Her mind kept repeating. She slowly walked towards the center of the stage. People were already taking down the props on stage. It was silly, but she wanted to keep everything here. She wanted to freeze this moment, this last moment on this stage.
