SCENE 1 – EXT. PEACE MURAL/ INT. CAR – DAY
A peace mural is seen from inside a moving car. The view is hazy and we can barely see it.
AYESHA, 16, a pregnant Muslim lady is looking at something off screen.
SCENE 2 – WHITE LETTER ON A BLACK BACKGROUND: TITLE
SCENE 3 – EXT. TERRACE – DAY
We hear the neighbors fighting over a mango tree. DANNY, 30’s, a petite man, sees it from the terrace. He gets a little irritated, takes a stick of cigarette and puffs. There is a huge fruitless mango tree behind him.
SCENE 4 – INT. AYESHA BEDROOM – DAY
The bedroom is a mess. Ayesha is getting clothes from the cabinet, folds it and then puts it in the suitcase on top of the bed.
OMAR, 17, a lad with an athletic body, is sitting on the bed halfway zipping one suitcase, it is stuck.
There is a portable baby stroller on one side of the room as the sun is glaring from the window behind them.
After few more moments, Omar manages to fully zip the suitcase and puts it on one corner of the bedroom. AYESHA and Omar hears a car horn, they stop to hear the sound, the gate opens and the sound of the car entering is heard. They look at each other.
SCENE 5 – EXT. TERRACE – DAY
Danny is looking at the car slowly entering the gate. He takes a deep breath.
SCENE 6 – INT. LIVING ROOM/ KITCHEN – DAY
KHALIL, 30s, a tall man, enters with the pack of grocery in his hand. He hears frying from the kitchen, it smells burning. He immediately goes to the kitchen, drops the bag of grocery on the dining table and checks on the frying.
The two fish is already dark and over-fried. Beside it is a rice pot boiling. He turns the stove off for the fish, takes the thong and plate near the stove and puts the fish on. He then opens the rice pot, blows on it, puts the rice pot cover back, and then lower the fire.
He looks for Danny. He walks up stairs.
SCENE 7 – INT. MASTER BEDROOM – DAY
Khalil finds Danny in the Master’s bedroom.
KHALIL The fish burned. (Ya quema el pescao.)
DANNY Oh! Shit! (Chinga!)
Danny exits the room and runs down to the kitchen.
KHALIL Danny!
SCENE 8 – INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Danny is running downstairs to the kitchen. He sees the cat eating the two over-fried fish on the plate.
DANNY Sofia! No!
He shoos the cat away. Danny looks at the torn over fried fish on the plate. Khalil looks at Danny.
KHALIL It’s okay. Let’s just fry again. (Deja lang. Pri lang kita otra vez.)
He goes to Danny. Puts his hand on his shoulders. Danny shakes his shoulders and checks on the rice.
DANNY Sofia is hungry. (Con hambre si Sofia.)
Khalil is looking at Danny.
SCENE 9 – AYESHA’S BEDROOM – DAY
Omar grabs a bag to the side and is starting to fold the portable baby stroller. Ayesha sees it.
AYESHA That’s theirs. (Di ila se.)
Omar looks at Ayesha. Ayesha looks at Omar for a moment, then looks down. She continues packing her clothes.
SCENE 10 – EXT. BACKYARD – DAY
Khalil, is feeding the cat. He is looking at the cat while it eats, puts his hand at the back of the cat and start stroking it.
A sound of a broken glass stops Khalil, he pauses for a while, then goes inside the house where the sound of a broken glass seemed to come from.
SCENE 11 – INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Danny is picking the pieces of the broken glass.
Khalil comes in from what seems to be the backdoor of the kitchen, sees Ayesha from her bedroom door looking at Danny.
Ayesha notices Khalil. She looks at Khalil for a moment and then slowly looks away then enters the bedroom. Khalil goes to Danny who is picking the pieces of the broken glass.
KHALIL What happened? (Cosa ya pasa?)
DANNY My glass fell. Fucking careless. (Ya cae mi baso. De chinggada pagkatanga.)
KHALIL Don’t touch that. You might get hurt. (No se aguanta. Ay baka iri tu.)
Danny does not respond and continues to pick the pieces.
KHALIL Let me do it, come on. (Yo ya ba se hace. Sigi ya.)
Danny resists and continues.
KHALIL Danny, come on, stop it. (Danny ba. Basta ya se.)
Danny does not listen to KHALIL and continues.
KHALIL (Shouts at Danny) Danny!
Danny stops.
We hear footsteps and the bumping of suitcases. It is Ayesha and Omar making their way out of the bedroom. Danny stands up and faces the sink while Khalil takes a seat on one of the chairs in the kitchen.
Ayesha is carrying one small suitcase and a sling bag made of Yakan cloth, while Omar is carrying two large suitcases. They look at Khalil and Danny at the kitchen facing the sink.
Ayesha, puts one small suitcase near the door, walks towards the kitchen and stops at the dining table.
AYESHA We’re leaving. (Anda ya kame.)
Ayesha waits for some response from them but there is none. She looks at Omar. Omar nods his head signaling they leave. Ayesha looks at Danny and Khalil again as Omar pass at the background with the two large suitcases out of the door.
Danny wipes the tears off his face, goes to the table, then starts chopping again.
Ayesha moves a little closer to Danny.
DANNY If you did not leave anything, you may go. (Si no hay ustedes cosa ya deja. Puede ya kamo larga.)
AYESHA Danny, I hope you understand… (Danny, ojala entende tu…)
DANNY That you made us expect? No, I don’t understand it. (Na ya manda bo kanamon espera? No, no puede yo entende.)
AYESHA That I did not mean to hurt you. (Na kay hinde yo quere hace sinti duele caninyo.)
DANNY We were supposed to be the parents of that child, AYESHA, dammit! (Debe era kame el mayores de ese bata, Ayesha, cosa ya!)
Danny drops the knife hard on the chopping board. Danny cries. Khalil hugs Danny.
Ayesha is holding up hers tears. When she is about to break into a cry, Khalil immediately goes to Ayesha and irritatingly shoos her away from the house.
KHALIL Go on… Go on… leave. You may leave now. (Anda ya. Anda ya. Larga ya kamo.)
As Khalil continues to shoo Ayesha away, he passes by a small counter where medicines, coffee, creamer, sugar, a can of milk for pregnant woman, pamphlets about pregnancy, and a calendar with sticky notes that writes reminders about the schedule of prenatal check-ups among others.
Khalil picks a handful of pamphlets about pregnant women from the table, then gives it to AYESHA, as he continues to shoo her away out of the door.
KHALIL Here. Bring this. Go… go now… go. (Ta qui. Lleva ste. Anda ya. Larga.)
With the force of Khalil’s hand on Ayesha’s shoulders, she stumbles on the small suitcase near the door. Khalil is quick to hold Ayesha and kept her from falling.
Danny sees this but hesitates to go to the door.
Omar sees this while making his way back to the door from his car outside the gate. He rushes to Ayesha, checked her quickly, looks at Khalil, then punches him in the face.
Khalil drops to the floor, Ayesha immediately holds Omar to keep him from punching Khalil again. Danny sees this and immediately goes to Khalil. Before Danny could even go to Khalil, Khalil stands up, then punches Omar on the face. The two guys fight, punching each other near the door. Danny shouts from the background as AYESHA ties to stop them, she is crying. Danny arrives at the scene, pulls AYESHA away from the two men then pulls Khalil away from the fighting. The fighting stops.
DANNY Is this the kind of guy you want to father your child, AYESHA?(Este ba el clase de hombre quere bo queda tata del de bo anak, Ayesha?)
AYESHA He is still the father of my child. We are still the parents of the child, not you. (Ele siempre el tata del dimiyo anak. Kame siempre el mga mayores del de este bata, hinde ustedes.)
SILENCE.
Danny looks at Ayesha with amazement. Ayesha realizes what she just said then looks down. Omar holds AYESHA’s hand, then walks out of the door. Ayesha looks back at Danny she stops for a while. Danny keeps his sight from where Ayesha was, keeps it for a brief moment and then walks back to the kitchen and started slicing again. Khalil is looking at Danny, pauses for a while, looks at Ayesha, and then looks down.
Khalil sees the small suitcase near the door. He picks it up and then puts it outside. He has blood coming from the side of his lips.
KHALIL You don’t have to rub it in our face, AYESHA. We know it. (Hinde man necesita habla se cara-cara kanamon, Yesha. Sabe se kame.)
He then slowly closes the door. We see Ayesha one last time as the door is slowly closing on her.
Khalil is staring on the knob. He stares at it for a moment then turns his gaze to Danny. He touches his lips and he sees blood on his hand. Danny is still slicing.
Khalil walks towards the sink. He washes his lips. He then goes to the broken glass and starts picking up the pieces. Danny lifts a tray to the sink, accidentally drops it on the sink and then cries. Khalil goes to Danny.
Khalil holding holds Danny’s arms. Danny lays his head on Khalil’s chest. They cry.
SCENE 12 – EXT. OUTSIDE KITCHEN – DUSK
The cat is walking away from an empty cat dish as the bang from the mosque is heard from the background.
SCENE 13 – INT. KITCHEN – DUSK
Khalil is throwing the pieces of the broken glass into the trash using a dust pan, he is holding a broom on the other hand. A helicopter is heard from the background. He looks to the roof as the sound slowly disappears.
Khalil walks to the living room where the television is. He opens it, it is the news. He stares at the television for a while and then goes back to the kitchen, puts the dust pan and broom in one corner and washes his hands. There is dried blood on his lips.
SCENE 14 – INT. MASTER’S BEDROOM – DUSK
A framed picture of Danny and Khalil is standing on a table next to the bed. Behind it is a small statue of the Virgin of Pilar, a bible, and a small vase with a red rose that is almost dry. Danny is looking at their picture. He is sitting on the bed. He is holding on a child’s clothes from the box that sits next to him He puts the clothes on the bed.
He stands up and looks for something in his old bags again.
SCENE 15 – INT. STAIRCASE – MASTER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Khalil is looking up the second floor of the house where the bedroom is. He walks up the stairs.
He opens the door to Danny’s bedroom but he does not see Danny, only baby clothes on the bed. He walks toward the bed takes a baby cloth, then puts it back on the box then keeps it inside the cabinet.
He walks out the room.
SCENE 16 – EXT. TERRACE – NIGHT
Khalil sees Danny standing at the terrace facing the mango tree without fruits. He is smoking.
KHALIL I thought you stopped smoking. (Pensaba yo ya para ya tu puma?)
DANNY I am just helping the mango tree bear fruits. (Ta ayuda lang yo fruta el manga.)
Khalil walks to Danny.
KHALIL Let’s eat. I cooked. (Nya, sena ta. Ya cocina yo.)
Danny is surprised at the sight of dried blood on Khalil’s lips. Danny immediately snakes out of the bed and then goes to Khalil. He touches Khalil’s lips, Khalil irks in pain.
DANNY I’ll get some ice. (Saca lang yo ice.)
Danny opens the refrigerator to get some ice. The table is set for dinner. He wraps it with a baby’s glove and then heads back upstairs. On his way to the staircase, Danny passes by AYESHA’s bedroom. It is closed. He hesitantly opens the door.
The room is dark. Only the light that comes from the door is seen. Danny switches the light on. It flickers for a bit and then turns on. The room is almost empty. The cabinets are open, we see some hangers in it. There are no clothes. The bed is straightened and fixed. The baby crib is standing on one corner.
Danny goes to the crib, still holding the ice covered with the handkerchief. He touches the crib. A tear drops from his face.
Khalil appears on the door.
KHALIL Danny?
DANNY Oh sorry. (Pasensia)
He walks to the door wiping his tears.
DANNY I have the ice let’s go. (Taqui ya el ice. Nya.)
Khalil puts his hands on Danny’s shoulders. Danny cries. Khalil immediately hugs Danny.
KHALIL Sshhh…
Danny continues to cry.
SCENE 18 – INT. MASTER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The cat jumps off from his little cabin made of basket and a malong. He is walking out of the bedroom door. Danny is putting some ice on Khalil’s lips. They are sitting on the bed. The helicopter is heard from the background again. They look to the roof.
KHALIL That’s the third one tonight. The news says they lifted it to triple red alert tonight. (Aca-tres ya se ahora noche. Habla pa ay hace daw subi na triple red alert.)
DANNY What’s new? (Cosa man nuevo alli?)
Khalil can hear the bitterness in Danny’s words.
KHALIL Let’s go back to our old room downstairs. (Bira ya ta na aquel antes diatom cuarto abajo.)
DANNY I can’t. (No quere yo.)
KHALIL Ayesha is gone. (No hay ya si Ayesha.)
DANNY And so is the baby. (Pati el bata.)
PAUSE.
DANNY You’ve always wanted a child. I can’t give that to you. (Del cosa pa gayot tu quere tiene bata. No puede yo se dale contigo.)
Khalil looks at Danny, he lingers for a while. He looks down and taps Danny’s legs. Khalil stands and walks out of the door. Danny stares at the door for a moment and then looks down.
SILENCE. Khalil comes back with the cat on his hand.
Khalil smiles. Danny laughs. Khalil goes to Danny and sits on the bed. They cuddle with the cat.
SCENE 19 – INT. MASTER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The cat is sleeping and so is Danny. Khalil is looking at him. The helicopter is being heard from the background. Khalil hears someone is knocking at the door from downstairs. Khalil, hesitant, slowly snakes out of the bed.
Khalil is walking down the stairs wondering who is at the door. He looks at the clock, it is 4am.
KHALIL Who’s that? (Quien se?)
No one answers but the knocking is still continuing. He walks to the window and sees a car. He goes to the door and hesitantly opens the door slightly.
It is Ayesha, with her suitcases. She is wiping her tears with a handkerchief. She is looking down.
Khalil opens the door wider to let Ayesha in. Ayesha enters in with her small suitcase and a sling bag leaving her two more large suitcases at the door. Omar is seen from the background, from an open window of the car. He closes the window and rides off. Khalil takes the other two large suitcases in.
Ayesha goes straight to her bedroom, it is dark. Khalil follows with the suitcases. Ayesha puts her suitcase and her sling bag down, then slowly snakes on the bed, covers herself with a blanket and closes her eyes. Tears drops down her face.
Khalil puts on the suitcases. He stares at Ayesha for a moment. He slowly goes out of the room. He looks at Ayesha in the dark room for one last time at the doorstep, then slowly closes the door.
SCENE 20 – INT. MASTER’S BEDROOM – DAY
Danny wakes up with the cat on his belly looking at him. We hear someone cooking in the background. Danny is delighted with the cat, he smiles at it. He slowly snakes out of the bed and picks the cat and plays with it for a while as if it was a baby. He walks out of the room cradling the cat, humming.
SCENE 21 – INT. KITCHEN/ AYESHA’S BEDROOM – DAY
Danny is walking down the stairs. He sees Danny cooking breakfast, he smiles. The cat jumps off from Danny’s hands, Khalil hears it and looks at Danny at the stairs, Danny is following the cat to Ayesha’s bedroom.
Danny enters Ayesha’s bedroom to get the cat when he sees Ayesha to his surprise unpacking her things from her suitcases. Ayesha looks at Danny then the cat on the floor and gently caresses its back. Ayesha looks at Danny again, force a smile, and then goes back to unpacking her things.
Danny looks at Khalil in the kitchen. Khalil is looking at him too, then goes back to cooking. Danny looks at Ayesha again, he stands by the door looking at Ayesha for a while.
Danny goes to the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, takes a pitcher of water, takes a glass from the sink, and pours himself a glass of water. He drinks the whole glass. He puts down the pitcher and the glass on the table, then looks at Khalil. Khalil is cooking.
DANNY So he left her again? (So ya deja ya tam en le con ele?)
Khalil turns his head to Danny.
KHALIL She came back. (Ya bira le otra vez.)
Danny is surprised. Khalil turns his head back to his cooking. Danny turns his gaze to AYESHA’s bedroom.
SCENE 22 – INT. AYESHA’S BEDROOM – DAY
Danny appears on the door of Ayesha’s bedroom. Ayesha is still unpacking her things. She is putting a pile of clothes in her cabinet. Danny looks at Ayesha and lingers.
He slowly walks closer to Ayesha. He sits on the bed.
DANNY Why did you come back? (Por que tu bira?)
Ayesha stops unpacking her clothes. She sits on the bed.
AYESHA I was so scared when Omar left me before. I don’t know what to do. I can’t go home to Jolo, because it will be a big shame for my family. You know my Father, your uncle. He will not accept that his only girl got impregnated out of wedlock. I want to abort the child. But you were there. Thankfully you were there. At that moment, this child is not mine anymore. (Tiene gayot yo miedo cuando ya deja conmigo si Omar antes. No sabe yo cosa hace. No puede yo volve na Jolo, kay grande verguenza gayot este na dimiyo familia. Conose tu dimiyo tata, de tuyu tio. Hinde se le puede accepta kay disuyu solo anak mujer ya disgracia. Quere era yo hace cae con el bata pero talla tu. Gracias gayot, talla tu. Na aquel tiempo, este bata hinde ya dimiyo.)
SILENCE. Danny looks at Ayesha. He stands up, takes a pile of clothes from the cabinet then puts it in the suitcase. Ayesha looks at Danny with amazement.
DANNY Does uncle already know? (Ya sabe ya si Tio?)
AYESHA Not yet. (No hay pa.)
DANNY How about Omar’s father? Does he know? (El tata di Omar? Sabe ya?)
AYESHA Yes. (Si.)
DANNY We’ll take you to them. (Lleva kame contigo kanila.)
Danny takes another pile of clothes from Ayesha’s cabinet then puts it back in her suitcase. He grabs the baby’s crib.
DANNY Take this with you. (Lleva tambien este.)
Ayesha stands up and embraces Danny.
AYESHA Forgive me. (Perdoname.)
Ayesha cries. Danny hesitantly hugs Ayesha back. Slowly, he hugs her tightly.
DANNY Shhh… Stop crying, it’s bad for the baby. (shhh… Basta ya de llora. Malo se para na bata.)
Khalil sees Danny and Ayesha through the bedroom’s door from the kitchen.
SCENE 23 – EXT. STREET – DAY
The street is busy. Vehicles running, people walking, the mosque stands tall on one side and a church on the other. More people are walking, there is a mixture of people wearing hijab and those who do not wear it. Soldiers stand on every corner of the street.
SCENE 24 – EXT. PEACE MURAL/ INT. CAR – DAY
A peace mural is seen from inside a moving car. The view is hazy and we can barely see it.
Khalil is driving. We see a bruise on the side of his lips. He looks stern. Danny is sitting on the front seat looking at Khalil. Ayesha is looking at Danny from the back seat. She starts humming.
We see the busy road on the front window of the car while Khalil, Danny, and Ayesha are patiently waiting on their seats.
SCENE 25 – EXT. ROAD – DAY
The street is busy, cars are running side by side while people are crossing the streets.
CREDITS ROLL.
We see the I Love Zamboanga landmark from afar. Slowly we get closer to it.
FADE OUT/ END
Karen Ramos-Piccio 
Jann Dainver ‘Deejay’ Labadisos Maravilla 
Dan Ian Niño Jaducana