Nino and his Butai

As usual, even in my dreams, I was running late.

Nino was holding a stage play at Palma Hall, UP Diliman as part of a cultural exchange. An online friend and I had agreed to see the play together and was meeting her at the venue of the play.

When I arrived, it was already in the middle of the play. Nino was throwing a very long monologue. There was nobody else on the stage. I immediately sat beside the online friend, avoiding sentences that needed to use her name. Even in dreams, I couldn't remember names of those I just met.

I asked my online friend how late I was as I took off my jacket. She said that I missed the whole first act and how awesome "our baby" (Nino) was. I brushed it off and told her that it was ok since I was going to see the play again on another day with my fan-girl friends, I just wanted to be there ont he first day.

The auditorium was almost empty. There were just the two of us in our row, and around five others scattered around us. When I looked up at the balcony, all seats were occupied. There were five girls in their Poveda uniform at the corner seats right above the door, so I thought, must be a school requirement.

When I looked back at the stage, Nino was looking at and then gave me a salute, to which i responded with a salute as well. But, then, halfway to my salute, I realized, it was part of the play, and that he couldn't have thrown me a salute, for he didn't know me (sometimes, in real life, I forget I'm really not married to him LOL).

I watched intently as the monologue continued, despite not understanding the lines -- it was in Japanese. He looked at me several more times, and I felt a funny feeling like he knew me. I brushed it off again and again, thinking he couldn't. At the end of the monologue, he walked off the stage and headed for the door I used to enter the auditorium. I guessed it was part of the play, but the five girls suddenly jumped up and started screaming fan-girl shrieks, calling out "Nino! Nino!" They were so excited, and I was so out of it, I hadn't realized the lights were already on and that the intermission had started. Before going out of the door, he gave me one last look and disappeared behind it.

My online friend told me that the 3rd act would be a short one. She, then, excused herself to go to the comfort room. I exchanged pleasantries with the other audience as if I knew some of them.

A little boy, the son of the woman in charge of the play, came rushing to me and started clinging to me. As his mother was busy, I took it upon myself to play with him and keep him from wreaking havoc in the auditorium. When he touched the microphone by the stage, the microphone burst out a feedback. It wasn't a loud feedback, but it was still annoying. I grabbed the little boy, tried to take him back to the seats as the audience started to take their seats as well.

The lights dimmed, the play was about to start again. I was still dragging the boy to his mother.

But then, the light completely went out and I woke up.
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Auditorium or lecture halls --like that in my dream-- meant that I'm to learn something and that I need to pay attention. Watching a play meant I need to draw inspiration from others. It may also mean that I'm going to have pleasure in the company of new friends. But I always have new friends, so I'm more inclined to believe that I need to pay attention to something.

Being late can mean two different things for me. Either I'm apprehensive about this very late change in my life or that I'm psyching myself up that it's better late than never. The exhiliration of seeing Nino in person up close (at least in my dream), made it worth it even though I'm late. I wasn't worried about being late either for I could see the play again another day. So I'm leaning towards "better late than never."

The microphone means I need to voice out my thoughts. This has something to do with family issues I'm going through right now. I have been silent these past five days. I want to say something, but I'm afraid that if I do, it'll just fan the flame.

The naughty little boy, I can't figure out. Who is this boy? It sure did bring out my motherly instincts. But, what does he represent? Why was he clinging on to me so much? What is he keeping me from seeing, like the way he kept me from seeing the 3rd act of the play?

First time I'm stumped.