I Lost A Friend (part 1)
We at the office thought it was a bad bad joke...
Our show's head writer, Larra, has not been in the office for two days. Since she also works as researcher for a bigger television network, and we have been informed that she will be in Samar Province to cover a reunion of a housemaid and her family in this poor area for her other show, we surmised that she was away. Although she had written advance script for upcoming segments and episodes, Tita Malu, our production manager was scrambling to get in touch with her. We had a segment cancelled and a was replaced by a new one, and it did not have a script.
I volunteered to write the script for the new segment, which was okay since Larra is a great friend of mine. We are like partners in the show's creative aspect. Larra writes the scripts for segments and episodes while I execute the shots, revise the spiels if need be, accompany the editor with the splicing, and make a great segment. We often leave the office together and have dinner at an eatery or be pampered at a salon.
Larra, like I, is also gay. When I first met her when I was new at the job, I must admit that she was my karma. She worked at a TV network that I despise, studied at a university I also despise, and was a meek, humorous contrast from the loud, serious then-researcher.
***
As I was typing a script for the sudden segment, Tita Malu gasped in words of shock. "Please tell me this isn't true," she exclaimed to the other end of her mobile. As if upon signal, all the staff and crew drew near our production manager, wondering what that was about as sadness and bafflement marked her face. "This isn't happening," she answered back as she puts the cell phone down. Tita malu then announced to us what seemed to be a bad bad joke.
"She's dead."
"Who?"
"Larra."
The people at the office blurted a chorus of what-happened's and why's. Tita Malu answered, "11 stab wounds."
More questions were raised in the office.
"Since when?"
"She was dead for two days now."
"Who was on the phone?"
"It's our boss. She said she was informed by our former head writer."
I shook my head as I try to re-compose myself and continued on typing the script. "That's definitely anouther bad prank from a disgruntled employee." I seemed to kept on reassuring myself.
After seconds of thinking what to do, Tita Malu instictively contacted Larra's colleagues from her other show. After minutes of waiting on hold and seemingly-endless referrals, she finally have gotten in touch with one of their writers. Tita Malu pretended that she was looking for Larra because she had a message from her older sister. Tofe, the other show's co-writer was asking for any contact number from Larra's older siblings. Finally, after we cannot wait for a "no Larra's not dead" any more, Tita Malu opened up and told Tofe that she had received a news that Larra was dead.
"Yes, Larra's dead."
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