Act II: Scenes 1-7 Summary

Act II opens in Rio's grandmother's garden. Nestor and Barbara announce that their show is to become "disco, chismis, coup d'etats ... a dark fiesta" (p. 69). It is the same day as Senator Avila's assassination, and Rio is getting high in her grandmother's garden. A specter of her grandmother, Lola Narcisa, appears to her. Lola goes about tending her flowers while Rio comments that she cannot ever really forget Manila, as long as she's been away. Freddie enters and immediately knows that his daughter is high. Annoyed, he tell her the news: the Senator has been assassinated. Rio involuntarily laughs, infuriating Freddie. He tries to warn her that the worst is likely to occur. Rio blames Freddie for destroying the family and rails against the class warfare in the Philippines.

Scene 2 is an action movie scene, narrated as...