MMK: Hairclip

This week's episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya, entitled Hair Clip, features Michael de Mesa as Nick Guevarra, a conscientious school teacher and devoted father who is falsely accused of rape.

Carla plays Pamela, one of Nick's daughters. Also in this episode are Megan Young (who plays Dindin, Pamela's younger sister) and Valeen Montenegro (as Sara, the girl who accuses Nick of rape).

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This blog entry summarizes Carla's scenes in MMK: Hair Clip

When Pam comes home late one night from study group, her younger sister Dindin is quick to notice that Pam's wearing her hair clips. The two sisters exchange words and their father, Nick, is quick to reprimand them both. He reminds the sisters that they should learn to respect one another.




The next day, their family meets Sara, who is a new boarder at the boarding house that's operated by Nick's mother and sister. Pam goes out of her way to be friendly and to make Sara feel welcome.




At the church bazaar where Nick and his daughters are helping out, Nick meets an old friend who asks him if he'd like to try working in Dubai. Nick says no, adding that no one would take care of his girls if he were away. Turns out Nick is no longer with his wife, and he has not remarried.



One evening, Nick and Pam learn from a distraught Sara that she had been molested while commuting home. Nick is outraged and encourages Sara to file a police report, but Sara refuses, saying she's afraid. Soon after, she leaves the boarding house.



Life goes on, until one day, Nick is invited by the police to go to the precinct to assist with Sara's case. He goes, thinking he could help Sara with her molestation complaint. He is shocked when Sara appears and accuses him of rape.



Later, Nick comes home to find his family gathered quietly at the dinner table and Pam is crying uncontrollably. Nick finally sees the tabloid headline that says he's been accused of rape. He protests his innocence and storms out of the house when his family doesn't seem to believe him.




On the way to school the next day, Pam and Dindin overhear the neighbors saying there's a good chance that Nick really did the commit the rape because he's always liked younger women.



That night, Dindin and Pam are silent at dinner. Nick asks them to speak up and say what's on their mind. Dindin tearfully tells him what they overheard earlier. Outraged, Nick says people who don't know what happened between him and his wife have no right to judge him.




In flashback, we learn that Nick had fallen in love and married one of his students, and that after a few years of marriage, his wife was no longer content. Nick tried, but the last straw came when he found his wife entertaining a younger man in their home while their two young daughters were left unsupervised. Nick took his daughters and left.




Nick's daughters come in and apologize for ever doubting him.



The family comes under more pressure when the parents of Nick's students start worrying and pull their students out of his class. Things turn for the worse when the other boarders decide to leave as well, leaving them with less income.

Nick consults a lawyer, who tells him that he has filed for a motion for reconsideration because Sara did not file her case within 48 hours of the event.

With the case not going well for him, Nick decides to leave town, leaving his daughters in the care of his mother and sister. He kisses his girls goodbye as they sleep and leaves.



Days pass, and Nick's daughters visit and make an impassioned plea for him to return home. Nick is moved, but he decides to stay in hiding.




Against their father's wishes, Pam and Dindin go see Sara to plead with her and ask her to drop the rape charges. Sara agrees to do so -- in exchange for P350,000.



The girls return home to tell their aunt and grandmother of Sara's demand.



Later that night, as the girls work together on another lettering project, Dindin notices the trouble that Pam has with her hair, and offers her sister the use of her hair clip. Pam puts the clip on, and it is a bittersweet moment as the two sisters remember their father and hug each other.




The girls visit their father to tell him the news: Sara will be dropping the charges. They managed to raise the money by borrowing from relatives and by putting the boarding house up as collateral. Nick is unhappy to hear this, especially since he did nothing wrong.



The family prepares for Nick's return, only to find out that the police have arrested him.




At the police station, the cops say they've not been informed about the charges being dropped, and that until they get the official word, they have to detain Nick.



Nick's daughters visit him. Pam apologizes and promises that they'll talk to Sara and clear things up so he won't have to stay in jail long. For the first time since his ordeal started, Nick is very calm as he tells his daughters that after years of wondering if his marriage was a mistake, he now knows it was the best thing to have happened to him because he has daughters like them.




The charges are finally dropped and Nick's daughters pick him up from jail.



They come home to whispering neighbors, and know they'll have to put up with the gossip.



Dindin narrates: Siguro nga habang panahon nang nakakabit sa pamilya namin ang iskandalong kinasangkutan ni Itay. Pero hindi na namin iniisip 'yon. Alam naming balang araw makakalimutan din ng lahat ang nangyari at mananaig ang katotohanan. Para kay Tatay, ang mahalaga ay buo kami.



At para naman sa amin ni ate, wala nang papantay pa sa karangalang taglay namin sa pagkakaroon ng amang tulad ni Tatay. Minsan mang nadungisan ang malinis na pangalan ni tatay sa paningin ng iba, pero 'di nila kayang dungisan ang malinis na puso.