Wedding Dance

By: Amador Daguio

Despite of the loud music and the blasting echoes from a ceremony nearby, it is
the darkness that envelops a particular house stands out. With the fire on the stove as
the only manifestation of light, Awiyao talks to Lumnay, his previous spouse, about her
absence in the dance and urge her to join there as a sign of acceptance from her ex-
husband's new marriage. Lumnay looks frail and weak and broke for she loves her
husband and knows that he doesn't want any other woman for him but her. Awiyao
praises Lumnay for being a good and generous wife that can give everything to him but
just not a single child. He is tired of waiting and the requisiteness of a man having a
child bothers him a lot; thus, he believes that marrying Madulimay is the right thing to
do.

Lumnay knows that she did her part to consistently pray to Kabunyan but it
seems that Kabunyan does not see them fit to havetheir own child. However, despite of
Awiyao marrying Madulimay, he guarantees Lumnay that she is better than Madulimay
and that he is willing to give both the house and the field to her. And once that
Madulimay cannot bear a child of him, he assures that he will always find a way back to
Lumnay's arms.

Lumnay's memories about all the hardships and adversities she and Awiyao had
shared and endured came to her thoughts. She pictured his face and their life together
before. But it seems that no one can change his mind not even her -- not even her life
nor death.

When it's time for Awiyao to leave, he hesitates for a while but immediately let go
of the thought. He, then, gives the beads -- a resemblance of his love that was passed
through generations, to Lumnay.

Being alone in the dark house makes Lumnay wanted to protest and get his
husband back. She is about a meter from the dancing ground when she stopped. She
trails down the mountain alone as days, months and years stretched but she is still
touching the grown beans from her very first day downhill.

Barosa (Madulimay) Panopio (Lumnay)

Bautista (young Awiyao) Ruina (Lumnay's mother/script writer)
Cabason (Leader/ summary and script Reyes, R. (Floor director)
writer) Saquido (young Lumnay)
Danseco (Lumnay's father) Tabajonda (props maker)
Labarda (Awiyao) Tan (script writer)
Macasaet (props maker) Velasco (props maker)
Mendoza,G. (props maker) Vergara (props maker)