The Beatles Girl and the Nowhere Man

Characters:

Beatles Girl, early 20s, student

Nowhere Man, 30s to 40s, low-skilled worker

THE STORY IS SET IN A SMALL ROOM IN A LOCAL TOWN LIBRARY WHERE OLD VINYL RECORDS, VIDEO TAPES AND CDs ARE ARCHIVED FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BORROW THEM AND TAKE THEM HOME. THERE ARE ALSO SOME VINYL PLAYERS AND VIDEO PLAYERS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO WATCH OR LISTEN TO CERTAIN MATERIALS ON THE SPOT. 

A GIRL ENTERS THE ROOM HOLDING AN OLD VINYL RECORD. SHE GOES STRAIGHT TO HER FAVORITE BOOTH, GENTLY PUTS THE VINYL RECORD ON THE PLAYER, WEARS THE HEAD PHONES AND PUTS THE PIN DOWN. THE BEATLES’ SONG “NOWHERE MAN” STARTS PLAYING. 

AFTER A FEW SECONDS, THE GIRL BECOMES UNEASY. SHE STARTS LOOKING AROUND AS IF WAITING FOR SOMEBODY TO COME IN. THE VOLUME OF THE MUSIC GRADUALLY TURNS DOWN.

Beatles Girl: (STARTS THINKING ALOUD BUT IT APPEARS LIKE SHE’S TALKING TO 

THE AUDIENCE) Yesterday, I was here too, in my favorite section of the local library, sitting exactly where I am now. I came in like the way I did today and went straight to my favorite booth. I was in the mood to listen to “Nowhere Man” but I couldn’t find the album “Rubber Soul” on the racks no matter how many times I went through the Beatles section downstairs so I got the album “Let it Be” instead. I put the record on the player exactly as I did today, sat and listened to it. 

I was enjoying the music at first even swaying my head from side to side until something familiar caught my eye. “Rubber Soul.” It was there on the player in the booth beside mine. The pin was unhooked and the record already stopped spinning. But the man, who was supposed to be listening to it just sat there, with his headphones on, for god knows how long, just staring into space. That was why I couldn’t find that damn album on the racks!

BLACK OU STAGE T. THE MAN ENTERS AND SITS ON THE CHAIR. 

Beatles Girl: Excuse me (TALKING TO THE MAN), I think your record was done playing. 

THE MAN DOESN’T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO HER.

Beatles Girl: Excuse me, I think your record was done playing! (LOUDER THIS TIME)

WHEN THE MAN REFUSES TO PAY ATTENTION TO HER FOR THE SECOND TIME, SHE TAGS THE SLEEVE OF HIS SHIRT.  THE MAN LOOKS AT HER BLANKLY.

Beatles Girl: Excuse me, I think your record already stopped.

THE MAN LOOKS AT THE RECORD PLAYER. HE PUTS THE PIN DOWN AGAIN.

Beatles Girl: Wait! Aren’t you planning to return that now? 

Nowhere Man: I want to listen to it again.

Beatles Girl: But you already finished listening to it.

Nowhere Man: Who says I can’t listen to it again if I want to?

Beatles Girl: But there might be other people who might want to listen to it, you know. 

Nowhere Man: It’s my wife’s favorite song.

Beatles Girl: Oh, how sweet (TENDERLY).

Nowhere Man: But she died in a car crash three years ago and her stomach got ripped and her 

intestines spilled on the car seat. Actually, she’s there right behind you waving at me.

Beatles Girl: What!

THE BEATLES GIRL FREAKS OUT. SHE SUDDENLY LOOKS BEHIND HER. 

WHEN SHE TURNS TO THE MAN, HE IS GIGGLING AT HER.

Beatles Girl: That was not funny.

Nowhere Man: Your face was funny. So what are you listening to? 

Beatles Girl: Beatles.

Nowhere Man: Beatles fan?

Beatles Girl: My dad is.

THE MAN INTERRUPTS THE GIRL

Nowhere Man: Don’t tell me your dad is also behind me waving at you.

Beatles Girl: I wish he was. I’ve never met him. He left us a few months after I was born so I 

don’t really have memories of him. My mom just told me that he likes listening to the Beatles so I also tried listening to their songs, makes me feel connected to him in a way. Did your wife play a lot of Beatles songs too?

Nowhere Man: Actually, no. She was not really a fan. I just said it was her favorite to make fun 

of you. 

Beatles Girl: Wow, thank you for being so frank. 

Nowhere Man: This was the song playing in the cab when I was on my home from her 

funeral.

Beatles Girl: So funny, am I supposed to believe that now? (SARCASTIC TONE)

Nowhere Man: She didn’t die in a car accident. She died in the hospital on New Year’s Day. 

THE GIRL PAUSES TO THINK WHETHER TO BELIEVE THE MAN OR NOT. 

Beatles Girl: I’m so sorry to hear that. I mean, if what you’re saying is true, then I’m sorry for 

your loss.

Nowhere Man: You sound sarcastic.

Beatles Girl: You sound unsympathetic… for someone who just lost his wife.

Nowhere Man: Why would I lie to a stranger?

Beatles Girl: You don’t know if you’d ever meet me again so everything you tell me now would 

be the only truth that I’d know. So why wouldn’t you?

Nowhere Man: I don’t know if I’d ever meet you again so I’d tell you the things I 

couldn’t tell other people who knew me well. You probably won’t care after this anyway.

Beatles Girl: So you’re not joking about your wife?

Nowhere Man: Seriously, you want to see the death certificate! (STARTS BECOMING 

IRRITATED) How many people joke about their wives dying on New Year’s Day? 

Beatles Girl: One. 

THE MAN IS IRRITATED. HE SIGHS AND REMAINS SILENT AGAIN.

Beatles Girl: How did she die?

Nowhere Man: Cancer. She knew that we didn’t have enough money for her treatments so she 

decided not to undergo any of those, probably to spare me from all the debts I would have 

acquired.

Beatles Girl: She sounds like a tough woman. 

Nowhere Man: She’s unfair. She’s so fucking unfair. When I found out that she was sick, I 

started planning carefully how to get the money for treatment, I looked for extra jobs I can take, I applied for loans, I asked friends to help out. I was willing to do everything to help her live longer but then she didn’t fight harder, I realized I was fighting so hard for somebody who had no will to fight as much as I had. I felt so cheated.

Beatles Girl: Cheated. Big word.

Nowhere Man: We made a promise that we would always be together. See, who broke the 

promise?

Beatles Girl: Well, she didn’t really intend to break it. Death is a normal thing. You can’t 

control it.

Nowhere Man: She stopped taking medications. She refused to undergo chemotherapy. That’s 

accepting defeat too easily.

   

Beatles Girl: That’s finding a peaceful resolve.

Nowhere Man: That’s giving up in the middle of the battle.

Beatles Girl: I think that’s guilt.

Nowhere Man: What?

Beatles Girl: Not about your wife, about you. I think you feel guilty.

Nowhere Man: Guilty? For What? (LOUDER)

Beatles Girl: You feel guilty because you couldn’t do anything for her. You feel guilty because 

she died and you survived. You feel guilty because---

. 

Nowhere Man: What are you saying? You don’t even know me. You don’t even know what 

happened. (PREPARES TO LEAVE)

Beatles Girl: Exactly, I don’t know you and your wife and I am not sure if I’m going to meet 

you again so I’ll give you my two cents worth now. Get over that guilt and live your life. 

Nowhere Man: You think it’s that easy?

Beatles Girl: It’s not. I didn’t say anything like that, what I’m saying is that it’s possible. People 

we love leave, they go somewhere, lead different lives, and we can’t be stuck at that point where they left us. I found out that after I was born, my dad left to work overseas to give us a better life but because of that, he met another woman and left us permanently. 

Nowhere Man: At least he didn’t die of cancer!

Beatles Girl: Good thing he didn’t! But we never saw him again. People come and people go, some people come back, some people don’t. What do you do when they don’t?

Nowhere Man: Hang yourself.

Beatles Girl: That’s too morbid for most people (LAUGHS).

Nowhere Man: Maybe jump in front of a train?

Beatles Girl: Too graphic. 

Nowhere Man: That’s actually what I’m planning to do on my way home (TURNS SERIOUS).

THERE IS SILENCE. A LONG PAUSE BETWEEN THE TWO. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, THE MAN GATHERS HIS THINGS, REMOVES THE VINYL RECORD FROM THE PLAYER AND SLIPS IT INSIDE THE CASE AND WALKS AWAY.

Nowhere Man: I’m returning this to the counter, in case you want to listen to it.

Beatles Girl: Hey, don’t kill yourself (PAUSES). I bet you don’t want others to feel what you’re 

feeling now.

Nowhere Man: I’ll try not to.

THE MAN LEAVES. 

BLACK OUT. 

Beatles Girl: That was the last thing he said yesterday before he left and until now he’s still not here. I am not sure if he’s ever coming back here. I am not even sure if he succeeded “trying” not to kill himself. I just hope he did.

THE GIRL GATHERS HER THINGS, REMOVES THE VINYL RECORD FROM THE PLAYER, SLIPS IT INSIDE THE CASE AND EXITS THE ROOM. BEFORE EXITING SHE LOOKS AT THE BOOTHS ONE LAST TIME AND LEAVES. 

A FEW SECONDS LATER, THE MAN ENTERS HOLDING A VINYL RECORD. HE LOOKS AROUND THE PLACE AS IF SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE. HE PUTS THE RECORD ON THE PLAYER AND STARTS PLAYING THE BEATLES’ “ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE.” THE MAN LOOKS AT THE EMPTY CHAIR BESIDE HIM AND CONTINUES LISTENING TO THE SONG. 

#END

*Staged by EDS Productions in Spring 2015 at the EDS Event at Charles the Dickens, Tokyo, Japan.

Places to Visit in Tokyo: Edo-Tokyo Museum

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Asahiwaka: Isang Mukha ng Hokkaido

***originally published in the March Issue of Pinoy Gazette

Also published on Pinoy Gazette's official blog: pinoygazetteofficial.blogpsot.jp

Asahikawa Zoo. (Kuha mula sa Wikipedia)

Tuwing mababanggit ang Hokkaido, unang maiisip ang lungsod ng Sapporo – ang pinakamalaking lungsod dito kung saan nagaganap ang taunang snow festival tuwing Pebrero. Karaniwang kaugnay ng Hokkdaido ang imahe ng makakapal na nyebe at napakalamig na temperatura na hindi kadalasang nararanasan sa Tokyo. Pero bukod sa Sapporo ay mayroon pang ibang magagandang lugar sa Hokkaido na maaaring subukang puntahan ng mga dadalaw dito.

Isa rito ang Asahikawa, ang pangalawang pinakamalaking lungsod sa isla. Mayroong mga budget airlines na lumalapag diretso mismo sa Asahikawa Airport. Maaari rin na lumapag sa New Chitose Airport (Sapporo) at mag-train mula rito papuntang Asahikawa.

Mayroong diretsong train hanggang Asahikawa na nagkakahalaga ng kulang-kulang ¥5,000 depende kung reserved or non-reserved seat. Makakakuha ng discount kung bibili ng apat na ticket. Tatagal ng dalawang oras ang biyaheng ito pero dahil maganda ang tanawin sa bintana at komportable ang upuan, halos hindi mamamalayan ang haba nito.

Pinagmulan ng Pangalan

           

Tinatawag ng mga Ainu o ang mga katutubo ng Japan ang Chubetsu River, ang ilog na dumadaloy sa Asahikawa mula silangan hanggang kanluran, na “Chiu Pet” na ang ibig sabihin ay “river of waves” pero inakala ng mga bagong dating sa isla na ang ibig sabihin nila ay “chu pet” o “river of the sun.” Dahil dito nabuo ang pangalang “Asahikawa” na nagmula sa pinagsamang mga salita na asahi (sikat ng araw) at kawa (ilog).

Asahikawa Winter Festival

Kung mayroon ang Sapporo, hindi magpapahuli ang Asahikawa. Mayroon din itong taunang snow festival na ginaganap din sa loob ng isang linggo tuwing Pebrero. Sa panahong ito ay nagtatayo sila ng malalaking ice sculptures sa Asahibashi at Heiwa Dori. Dahil karaniwang magkalapit ang araw ng festival dito at ng sa Hokkaido, posible na mapuntahan ng mga turista ang parehong festival.

Kung malalaking ice sculptures ang hanap mo, sa Asahibashi ito matatagpuan. Taun-taon ay iba’t iba ang tema ng kanilang mga masterpiece. Nakapasok sa Guiness World Record ang ginawa nilang Korean Fortress noong 1994. Mayroon din na iba’t ibang activities na pwedeng gawin ang pamilya dito tulad ng sleigh rides na hinihila ng kabayo at mga slides na gawa sa yelo. Sa Heiwa Dori naman matatagpuan ang halos 50 ice sculptures taun-taon na kasali sa isang kumpetisyon. Kung susuwertihin, maaabutan ang mga iskultor dito na ginagawa ang kanilang masterpiece.

Mga Pasyalan

Ang kadalasang maiisip na gawin sa Hokkaido ay ang mag-ski pero marami pang maaaring gawin at puntahan dito tulad ng sumusunod:

• Asahikawa Zoo – Isa ito sa mga pinakakilalang zoo sa buong Japan na dinarayo ng milyun-milyong turista bawat taon. Noong 2007 lamang, umabot sa tatlong milyong tao ang bumisita sa zoo. Napakalaki nito kung ikukumpara sa populasyon ng Asahikawa na 360,000. Mayroon 800 hayop sa zoo na binubuo ng mga polar bear, penguin at seal.
• Asahikawa Ramen Village – matatagpuan sa lugar na ito ang walong kainan na may kanya-kanyang klase ng ramen na patok sa iba’t ibang panlasa. Para sa mga hindi pamilyar sa ramen at mga turistang hindi makabasa ng “kanji,” mayroon silang inihanda na mga larawan ng ramen sa labas ng tindahan para madaling makapamili ang mga kakain dito. Pinakamaiging mag-taxi kung pupunta sa lugar na ito dahil nasa Nagayama ito na medyo malayo sa sentro ng Asahikawa.
• Onsen – Hindi mahirap hanapin ang mga nagkalat na onsen sa paligid ng Asahikawa. Hindi lamang ito nakaka-relax, mabuti rin ito sa katawan dahil sa mga natural minerals na mayroon ang tubig nito.
• Tatsuno Yu – matatagpuan ang onsen na ito sa Higashi Asahikawa. Mamula-mula ang tubig sa onsen na ito dahil mayaman ito sa iron.
• Kyowa Onsen – matatagpuan tio sa Aibetsu-cho o mas kilala bilang “mushroom town.” Pagkatapos magbabad sa mainit na tubig ng onsen, maaaring subukan ang iba’t ibang putahe na gawa sa mushroom. Mayroon silang espesyal na full course meal na gawa lamang sa iba’t ibang klase ng mushroom.
• Youyu Pippu – matatagpuan ang onsen na ito sa paanan ng Pippu Ski Hill. Kung nais ninyo rin mag-ski mainam na rito na mamalagi dahil mayroon ding hotel at restaurant ang onsen na ito. Hindi lamang magandang pumunta rito pag winter dahil sa ski, pero mainam din sa summer dahil mayroong malapit na golf course dito.

Produktong Kahoy

Dahil mayaman ang mga kagubatan ng Asahikawa sa matitibay na oak, ang paggawa ng mga produktong kahoy ang isa sa mga pangunahing ipinagmamalaki ng Asahikawa. Mainam ang mainit at malamig na panahon nito sa pag-preserve ng magagandang uri ng kahoy. Maraming kahoy ang dinadala pa rito mula sa ibang bansa para lang i-preserve.

           

Kilalang pang-export ang mga produkto ng Asahikawa. Maraming malalaking kumpanya ang nagma-mass produce ng iba’t ibang produktong kahoy mula sa maliliit na gamit sa bahay tulad ng mga plato at baso hanggang sa malalaking muwebles tulad ng lamesa, couch, cupboard at cabinet. Mayroon ding maliliit na mga specialty shops na gumagawa ng mga souvenir tulad ng mga card case, tissue holder at wine stands.

‘Imbisibol’ sa Asahikawa

Kamakailan lamang ay nag-shoot ng pelikula ang grupo ni Lawrence Fajardo, isang multi-awarded Filipino filmmaker sa iba’t ibang lugar sa Asahikawa tulad ng Asahidake. Ang “Imbisibol” ay tungkol sa buhay ng mga Pilipinong nagtatrabaho sa Japan. Ang pelikula ay bahagi ng Sinag Maynila, isang bagong independent film festival na inorganisa ng kilalang filmmaker na si Brillante Mendoza sa pakikipagtulungan sa Solar Entertainment Inc. Ang “Imbisibol” ay inihahandog ng Center Stage Productions at Pelikulaw sa tulong ng Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Film Commission, Japan Foundation Asia Center, CHINZEI-Kyushu Creative Network, Fukuoka Independent Film Festival, Snowbugs LTD at Likhang Silangan Entertainment. Ipapalabas ito sa mga piling SM Cinemas sa Maynila sa Marso 18-25.