You were the song stuck in my head
Every song that I've ever loved
Played again and again and again
--Favorite Record by Fall Out Boy
--
After the scrumptious lunch prepared by Blake's family, they all rode the boat home. Hapon na nang makarating sila ni Cyrus na bahay niya. They originally planned on having dinner (he'll cook, she'll eat), but had second thoughts about it when they saw her dad's car parked outside.
Agad itong lumabas ng kotse nang makita silang paparating.
"Good afternoon po," bati ni Cyrus sa daddy niya. Then he turned to her and said, "I'll just put your bags inside."
"May lakad pa kayo?" tanong agad ng daddy niya pagkapasok ni Cyrus ng bahay.
"Wala po. Kakain lang," sagot niya.
"Can you re-schedule? I want to take you out to dinner."
"Okay po." Alam naman niya kung bakit. Before Julie's wedding, her dad already told her that he will talk to her when she returns. At alam na niya ang gusto nitong pag-usapan nila.
She told Cyrus that she'll be having dinner with her father. Wala naman itong magagawa kundi pumayag. So he kissed her cheek and bid them goodbye. Pagkaalis nito ay nagpahinga lamang siya nang kaunti bago sila umalis ng daddy niya. Since her dad made her choose where to eat, wala itong naireklamo nang ayain niya ito sa Jollibee.
She ordered her favorite meal: spaghetti. Noong bata pa kasi siya, madalas sila sa Jollibee kapag kumakain sa labas. Paborito kasi ng mommy niya. Nasanay tuloy siyang doon kumakain. Although mas masarap 'yong lutong spaghetti ni Cyrus, iba pa rin ang spaghetti ng Jollibee. Nostalgic.
As usual, um-order pa ng ibang putahe ang daddy niya. Gusto kasi nitong maraming options sa pagkain. At gusto rin nitong tumaba siya kaya may burgers, peach mango pies, fried chicken, fries at sundaes pa.
Habang kumakain sila ay nagpakwento ito tungkol sa nangyari sa kasal. She had to omit a lot of parts just to keep it father-approved. Her dad listened intently, occasionally asking questions and making comments.
"Does he know?" he asked at one point.
Without even mentioning it, she immediately knew what he meant.
She nodded. "Nakita nya po kasi, dati pa."
"How did he react?"
"He didn't find it repulsive," she replied, remembering what happened like it was just yesterday. Ilang buwan na rin pala ang nakalipas mula noon. Cyrus didn't change one bit. Kung gaano ito kaalaga noon ay ganoon pa rin ito hanggang ngayon. "Do you find it repulsive, dad?" tanong niya sa ama.
"I find it upsetting, Lena."
Bigla siyang nakaramdam ng hiya. Her father's a happy man and always finds something to smile about, but he wasn't smiling at that moment.
"You're the closest to my heart because you're my first child. I experienced so many firsts with you. Una akong naging tatay sa 'yo. What you did to yourself break my heart. Pakiramdam ko, ang dami kong pagkukulang bilang ama."
"Daddy..."
"Alam mo bang iyak nang iyak ang mommy mo habang ikinikwento nya sa 'kin ang tungkol dyan? I made a vow to her the day we got married that I will never make her cry out of sadness. And seeing her cry that night made me feel that I let her down."
"But it wasn't your fault that she cried. It was because of me." Why won't they blame her? Bakit sarili nito ang sinisisi nito?
"We're at fault too. Whether we like it or not, we're always to blame for each mistake our kids make."
