IF I COULD TAKE THE PRIDE YOU SHOULD BE HAVING AND BURST WITH IT...

Lillian Ross, the legendary writer for The New Yorker, had come to interview me in my dressing room at the Jacobs Theatre while I was finishing up the Broadway run of Glengarry Glen Ross. During the interview, a large envelope arrived from the publisher with the first copy of my book in it. She watched me open the envelope and take out the book, and as soon as she realized I was seeing it for the first time, she started scribbling a note on her small pad. "You'll take that home and read it," she said. "You'll want to see your words in print."

"I don't think so," I said, oozing of cool professionalism. "I read them hundreds of times while I was rewriting them."

"You haven't read them in a book yet. You'll want to see how they look on the page. Every writer does."

I smiled. But when I got home, I cracked open the book and started reading. It was like a drug. Words I had puzzled over, penciled out, and penciled in again were now set in type. Other people soon would be holding a book just like this, reading these same words...

That was an excerpt from Alan Alda's autobiography, 'Never Have Your Dog Stuffed.' He went on to vividly describe the first time he held his book in his hand and read it.

I can appreciate how he must have felt and how sweetly he must have savored the moment. I can imagine his excitement, his pride, his joy... or whatever you call the feeling when you see your life's work immortalized in print and knowing in your mind that there may be one, or ten, or a hundred others reading it along with you.

I only wish Alda could have described how his wife felt too because I'm pretty sure that amid those words, I would see snippets of how I'm feeling right now... the quiet pride that forces us to take the backstage so our husbands can glow in their moments untethered, as they rightfully should... the hidden smiles that follow the furtive glances as we watch them try to contain themselves to remain on ground level lest they lose perspective. She must have felt this too. She must, because there's not a lot of feelings we could choose from. This, after all, doesn't happen everyday to every Tom, Dick and Harry.





On Monday, April 14, at 3pm, my husband, better known as Batjay to the blogging world, of the Kwentong Tambay fame, will be in Manila for the launching of his second book, 'Batang Kaning Lamig.' It will be held at Fully Booked, at The Fort. I am inviting everyone... friends, family and followers of his blog and mine (yes, all 3 of you) who will find themselves in Manila on the said date, to join us in sharing and celebrating this moment.

As my BIL, Howlin' Dave, always says, 'Be there or be square!'