Everything Has Changed

VII

All they hear is the sound of forks involuntarily scraping their plates with a squeak, the knives scratching on them while they cut the beef into slices, and the other people talking and telling their orders to the waiters. Pippa and Dylan look at each other. They feel so much awkwardness in the air, and they know that someone has to break the ice, although they don't know why they're not talking. Pippa raises her eyebrows repeatedly, telling Dylan to do it. Dylan shakes his head and tells her "You do it!", without any sound. She gives him a sullen look before breathing deeply.

"Mama I'm done." -she tells Patricia. "I want something for dessert."

Dylan looks at his sister, frowning. He does that gesture they always do like saying "What the hell was that?"

Pippa knows that was not the best way of breaking the ice. But at least she did.

"What do you want, sweetheart?" -Patricia asks her daughter.

Pippa thinks before answering. "Brownies with ice cream on top!" -she says with a wide smile on her face.

Migo wipes both sides of his mouth with a cloth. "I know a place where they have the best brownies." -he smiles at Pippa.

"Really?! Where po?"

He's about to answer when David butts in. "I know a place too! That was your Mama's and my favorite place to go to when we were young." He smiles then looks at Patricia. "We would always go there once or twice a week when we were in college."

Migo squints his eyes while looking at the both of them. Then looks away to stop hurting himself. He swallows before holding the glass of wine and takes sips of it.

Patricia awkwardly smiles then puts her attention back to Pippa. "Where do you want to have it? Here or the Dessert House your dad is talking about?"

Her dad? Migo thinks. He frowns. HER dad? What the hell? David is her father?!

"Mmm..." -she takes a bit long to reply. "I think I want to go to the place uncle Migo is saying. They make the best brownies, he said. I trust his words." She grins at him.

Migo smiles back. "Uncle?" He chuckles. "I prefer for you to call me tito, honey. Masyadong nakaka-tanda ang uncle."

Honey? Patricia looks at him. He doesn't have the right to call my daughter like that. Honey?!

Did he just call me honey? Pippa smiles sweetly. Wow... I never heard someone call me honey that sweet. Aside from Mama, of course..

David looks at Migo. His smile fades away. "So, Migo, is painting really your hobby right now? Hindi na volleyball?"

He smiles. "Volleyball will always be a part of me. Dumagdag lang ang painting. I've always loved art, after all. I was already into it since I was a child." He looks at Patricia then back to David.

"Then if Your Paraíso is your gallery, that means you painted all the paintings in there, tito?!" -Pippa butts in.

He chuckles before nodding. "Most of them."

"Wooow! I've always been a fan of art too, tito Migo. I always paint in my free time. And to tell you the truth, I felt love at first sight when I first laid eyes on your paintings."

Migo laughs at how "poetic" this kid can be. Her words don't suit her age, sometimes. And the way she talks... He slowly stops laughing then smiles lightly. She's really like Patricia. "Thank you. One day I'll let you tour my gallery, whole day for free. Yes?"

She gasps. "Oh gosh, yes! Yes please!"

He winks at her. He turns to Dylan. "Ikaw, pogi? What's your hobby? You like painting too?"