Rewind

Chapter Twelve: Downtime

I've always loved going on spontaneous trips to restaurants or malls with my parents. The food we'd eat would just be as good as the conversations between the three of us, though both of them did most of the talking. Never mind third-wheeling; seeing my parents banter about even the littlest things provided me with a (not-so, at times) wholesome source of entertainment.

It made me glad to think that even just for a day, we were all able to set aside what had transpired in the past two weeks to just enjoy each other's company, though it was brought about by a spur-of-the-moment decision. At that moment, things seemed to be back to the way they used to be. The same fits of laughter that once filled the walls of coffeehouses and bedrooms became present once again. Nostalgia definitely rung in the air like church bells inviting people to Sunday mass.

"Remember that time when your dad thought he was the first person to arrive on set—"

"And it turned out to be one big April Fools' prank played on him by the whole production team. Yeah, I know," I chuckled. "Joke's on you, Daddy."

Mommy began to cackle and set aside the glass of apple juice she ordered. "If only you've seen how he reacted when he saw me dressed up as a white lady," she began jovially, "you would've died laughing. Man, it was priceless!"

"That wasn't even funny!" Daddy frowned, pounding his fists on the table while Mommy and I chortled until we both ran out of breath. Teasing him about his most embarrassing moments had always been one of our favorite bonding activities.

"The both of you are ganging up on me again. Wow, salamat, ah."

"Don't mention it, Ags. It's our pleasure."

"And it's a pleasure to see you two lovely ladies in such high spirits, too."

We all fell silent after realizing what Daddy had just said. I glanced at both my parents. For a while, she couldn't look him straight in the eye, pursing her lips as she looked out the window. His actions were no different than hers. He was looking down and began tapping nervously on the wooden table with his thumbs.

And then her gaze met his. Not a single word was uttered; they just gazed at each other with blank faces. Right then and there, I sensed the unspoken ordeal my parents had been going through. They both have tried so hard to present an image of toughness and conviction, thinking that feeding me with lies about the other would be enough to win me over. They've become so full of themselves that they now have the capacity to deny their affection for each other. Which they shouldn't do, because no matter how many times they shrug off their true feelings, I know they'll remain.

They had been gazing at each other for quite a long while already. As much as I didn't want to ruin the moment, I badly wanted to go home, so I snapped my fingers in front of their faces.

"Magbabayad na po ba tayo ng bill or stalemate na lang tayo forever?" I joked.

Coming back to their senses, they exclaimed in unison, "Ay, oo nga pala." They exchanged glances again. Giggles followed. He reached for his pocket; she, her bag.

"So, sino 'bang magbabayad ng bill?" asked Daddy.

Mommy raised her eyebrows. "Akala ko ba manlilibre ka?"

"I never promised anything, Lea."

This wouldn't mean another argument, would it?

"Right. And you aren't obliged to pay in full kung 'di ka willing. Let's split the bill in half?"

"That sounds better."

I breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first time in weeks that my parents have resolved something in a civilized manner, and I couldn't be any happier about how things were going.

I'm just hoping that this kind of set-up would last longer than I think it would.

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A/N: Hi, I'm finally back! Sorry if I hadn't updated in so long. Now that school's over, I'll try my best to be more active!

Apologies for this short chapter (it's nearly two in the morning and my body's telling me to go to bed already, haha). I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer, so consider this as a "filler" detailing how the Muhlachs' spontaneous lunch-out went. The next chapter will be devoted solely to the Family Day, which I know you've all been waiting for. Just stay tuned!

Please do leave a comment and/or vote! Thanks so much for being patient and for supporting my works! xoxo