Melpomene

[1] Serpent Heart Hid With A Flowering Face (Part 3)

ROSE DE GUZMAN
[1]

Dahil sa excitement ko, I only got little sleep. Mas nauna pa akong magising kaysa sa alarm clock ko. I looked at the time and it read, 7:00 AM. Then, I looked at my roommate sleeping in front of me.

"Dalawang oras pa bago mag-simula ang Welcome Festival," bulong ko. To kill the time I decided to read my Shakespeare paperback of 'Romeo & Juliet.' One of the famous clubs in Melpomene is the Shakespeare club and I really intend to join that.

Along with my posters and guitar, dinala ko rin ang collection ko ng Shakespeare paperbacks ko. Unlike other schools, may sariling curriculum ang Melpomene Academy at iba ang mga subjects nila dito. Kung sa normal university, reading Shakespeare is done during pastime, then dito sa Melpomene, it's part of the curriculum in Drama History.

"Wala pang first day, libro na agad hawak mo," Laurel greeted. "Good morning, by the way."

"Kung gusto ko makapasok sa Shakespeare club, dapat ipakita ko 'yung mga nalalaman ko about his works," I replied. "Ikaw ba? Saang club mo balak sumali?"

"Hmmm... I'm thinking about joining Arts & Crafts. Ako kasi palagi 'yung costume designer sa high school plays and movie projects namin dati," sabi ni Laurel.

"Ibig mong sabihin, 'di ka pa nakaka-perform on stage?" I asked.

"Minsan nakakakuha ako ng supporting roles, pero ako pa rin ang costume designer nila," sagot ni Laurel.

"You know, there's an annual Showcase in Melpomene. All of the famous directors and actors will be in the audience to scout for new talents!" I said. "Kung gusto mo, subukan nating sumali? Alam ko mga first year pa tayo pero malay mo naman, 'di ba?"

Laurel smiled, "I really admire your optimism. Pero bago tayo mag-audition para sa Showcase, let's survive first the Welcome Festival."

Sinara ko na ang binabasa kong libro at nilagay ito sa bedside drawer ko. "Staring contest ulit kung sino una maliligo?" I challenged Laurel.

For the second time, natalo ako sa staring contest kay Laurel, who already wrapped her towel on top of her head. "Hay nako, Rose. Kailan ka kaya mananalo sa akin," pang-aasar niya.

"Che!" I said, throwing a pillow at her. "Huwag mo lang tagalan, okay? Alas nuebe kasi magsisimula 'yung Welcome Festival."

"There would be a singing of the national anthem, an opening speech—" sabi ni Laurel bago niya napansin ang matatalas kong titig sa kanya. "Okay, fine. Bibilisan ko na."

"Yey! Thank you, Laurel!" I said, reading my book again. Andito na ako sa pinakakilalang balcony scene na kung saan nakipag-kita si Romeo at Juliet. Reading this for the first time on my ninth grade, I used to imagine myself as Juliet and my high school crush as Romeo. Ito rin ang iniisip kong motivation while performing the stage-play.