by Mel Ryle
“Sorry,” he smiled apologetically in reply. “So, you’re going to the hospital today? That would mean you’ll be there for the whole day, right?” he asked, changing the topic quickly.
“Yes,” I replied, as I looked him suspiciously.
“Oh. Okay. Then, let’s go,” he stated enthusiastically as he walked towards me, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out of the seat.
“What do you mean ‘let’s go’?” I asked dumbfounded.
“We are going. Mark is downstairs waiting in the car,” he replied casually, unaffected by my tone.
“Was this your plan all along?” I asked him accusingly.
“If we keep on talking here, your father will be worried wondering why you’re late,” he spouted as he continued to pull me towards the door.
When I finally came to my senses, I pulled my wrist out of his grip and took a step back from him as I glanced the door. I looked back at him as my eyes narrowed in frustration and anger.
“I’m not falling for this trick. Don’t think I already forgot what you did yesterday,” I threatened him, my voice dripping with venom.
“I know you haven’t forgotten about it. You’re not dense. Well, at least, not about that…” he said wearily as he sighed. “Can you please come down to the car with me before you start with the sermon? I promise you, I will listen to you then,” he added.
“I’m not dense about anything,” I mumbled. “Okay, fine. Let’s go down now,” I added more loudly and gestured for him to lead the way.
I can’t believe he tricked me into coming with him so that he can come with me to meet my father at the hospital. What was his motive? Why was he doing this? He already knew what I thought of him. Why was he still trying?
When we finally reached the lobby, I was having second thoughts about my decision on allowing him to tag along. I’m not really ready to place him and my father in the same room again, especially after yesterday’s episodes, but it was too late to back out now.
William was very quiet as we walked towards the car. He looked almost nervous, but I didn’t pay much attention to it since my thoughts were elsewhere. I faintly recognized Mark as he opened the passenger door. I gave him a small nod of greeting before going inside the car.
“What took you guys so long?”
My head looked animated as it whipped quickly in his direction. I was startled at the familiar sound of my father’s voice. Then, his face broke into a smile as we stared eye to eye. The end of his lips twitched upward. I stood frozen outside the opened car door.
“What? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” he asked teasingly as his frail voice chuckled.
“Dad? Wha—what are you doing…?” I asked as I choked on my words in shock.
“William here called me early this morning for an invitation to a baseball game. How could I refuse to watch it live and in a bunker suite, right?” he replied. His face broke into a genuine smile.
“I was merely asking him if he wanted to come. He told me yesterday he was a fan and a friend had given me tickets. And, he told me you had to come,” William stated behind me, his voice somehow lacked its usual authoritative tone.
“When did you plan this?” I slowly turned to face William. My voice was low as emotions tried to punch their way through my guarded façade.
“Last night. And I finally decided to just wing it this morning…” he admitted softly as he turned his face away from my gaze.
“Well… Uhm… thank you…” I stated awkwardly, my voice lacking sincerity.
“Right, then, let’s go. The game will start in an hour or so,” he interjected, breaking our moment of awkwardness.
He lightly nudged my arm towards the car, making me roll my eyes at him. As I got in beside my dad, I heard his faint chuckle. I can’t help but smile at the sound of his delight. At this moment, I had no idea where this so-called “friendship” is going. If you asked me, I would probably freak myself out with my answer.
The car ride to the game was slightly cramped. I was wedged between my father and William. Though the car was huge and there was enough legroom, being seated between two full-grown men was not at all comfortable in any way. I was mostly leaning away from William while not crushing my father on my other side.
Somehow, on the way there, I felt William slightly twist himself on the side, giving me more room to breathe. I quickly stole a glance in his direction and found him looking out of the window. I looked at him for a moment longer, enough for me to see a small smile escape his guarded lips. I glanced away from him and turned to my other side, where my father was doing the same thing but his eyes were gleaming with happiness.
My dad laughed as he shook his head in amusement. I couldn’t help but let out a small squeal of excitement when we finally reached our destination. William suddenly looked at me. He was startled at my reaction but he laughed it off like my father.
“Are you ready?” William asked his face broke out into a huge grin.
I eyed him for a second as my eyes tried to remember his rare smile while my heart tried to calm itself down. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied gleefully, my enthusiasm breaking my entire hard exterior.
Beside me, my father smiled at my enthusiasm as he gestured for William to get out of the car. I didn’t notice that the two men in front had already gotten out as they opened the door for us. I didn’t think twice and followed William after he got out while my father exited on the other side of the car.
In that moment, I had forgotten what happened in the past few hours—how I treated William so begrudgingly and how he constantly kept invading my privacy. Why can’t he just give up? And why can’t I get away from him?
Twenty-Nine
After William ushered us to our seats in the field box as he had promised, he left us for a moment as he went to greet the friend who gave him the ticket. I turned my gaze on William as he walked towards his friend. He looked almost identical to him, wearing an expensive suit. He was a foot shorter than William with dark brown hair styled neatly. I watched their mouths move as they talked in hushed tones.
“So, what did you do to the man to have him do all of this?” my father quietly asked a few minutes after William left us.
“What? I didn’t do anything… I think…” I replied as I stared at him in disbelief. But then, I looked away when I remembered the kiss William and I shared yesterday morning. I could feel my cheeks suddenly heat up from the memory.
“Did you apologize for yesterday?” he asked sternly, ignoring my blush.
“Why does it have to be me who has to apologize? He was the one who crossed the line,” I replied in defense, annoyed that my own father was siding with him.
In reply, my father looked at me blankly. He kept that expression until I gave in and sighed in defeat. “Okay. Fine,” I concluded with resignation.
I stood up from my comfortable seat and stomped my foot with much emphasis that I didn’t like what I was about to do. My father watched me in amusement and chuckled at my reaction. I was about to take a step towards the door when I staggered back as I bumped into someone. I was about to apologize but halted my words at the man’s familiar voice.
“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t walk out like that, you know,” William stated smugly.
“Well, I was about to make sure if these seats are for real and not you pranking me into believing that you actually got these seats,” I countered in a dead tone. My plan on apologizing had evaporated. Who would want to apologize to a person that has this kind of high-and-mighty attitude?
I faintly heard my father’s cough in disapproval as I saw his head shake in disbelief in my peripheral vision. I didn’t waver and continued to stare William down.
“If you are trying to say thank you, you could have done it with a little less bitter face.” William grinned cheekily after a few seconds while he kept his eyes on me. I can’t believe he brushed off my mood.
I sneered at him as I turned away, ending that conversation. I slowly sat
down on my seat beside my father while William took the empty seat on my left. When we’ve finally settled down, I realized that we had the same seating arrangement when we were in the car and I didn’t like it. Would it be weird to ask my dad to change seats with me?
With a sneaky glance towards my father on my right, I gave him a silent signal to change seats with me. But my father’s mind was somewhere else. His eyes were fixed on the huge baseball field in front of us. For a second, I swear the fire in his eyes was palpable. Now, I’m doomed to be seated in this chair until the end of the game.
During the short breaks when the teams would switch from pitching to batting, I casually talked with my father so that I wouldn’t have to converse much with William. And when we did talk, it was on an unpleasant note. William asked me which team I would be cheering for and the answer I had given him made his face turn sour. We both bickered from time to time about the team each of us was supporting because somehow in his mind, he thought that his team was going to win. From a realistic standing point, the team I was cheering for was winning without breaking much sweat—exaggeration intended.
The game was about to end and much to my dismay, my team was on the verge of losing. We were screaming at the top of our lungs as we cheered and shouted for the last pitch. William and I were on the edge of our seats as we watched the ball getting hit on the ninth inning. I was so absorbed by the game that mentally I was praying for them to get a home run.
“Yeah!” I yelled in exultation as the ball flew high up towards the far end of the field as the batter ran through the bases. “We won! We won! Home run!” I screamed as I jumped out of my seat and fist pumped the air above me.
Beside me, I heard the sweet laugh of my father as he eyed me with amusement. On my left, William looked defeated yet the smile on his lips showed that he wasn’t too disappointed.
As we slowly made our way back to the car, I was still hyped up from the game as I talked about the game with my father. I had forgotten about everything that had happened. This was supposed to be about my father but why do I feel like he did this for me?
After talking to my dad, I glanced towards William. When I found the space beside me empty, I was slightly disoriented. I stopped dead in my tracks as I turned around, scanning the crowded hallway for William.
“Who are you looking for?” his deep voice suddenly whispered behind me.
I jumped in surprise as I turned around at the sound of his voice. William sniggered at my reaction and continued to look at me in amusement.
“I was looking for your losing face,” I replied in playful annoyance, my good mood hadn’t died down.
“You like looking at me?” he asked with a smirk, his voice teasing.
My eyebrows scrunched up together at his question, as my face slowly heat up. “No! I was looking for you to thank you for today. But, now, I think I’ll change my mind.”
“I was only joking, Andy. Why do you always take things to heart?”
“I know that was a joke,” I muttered shyly as I felt the stupidity of what I just said. I don’t know why I feel so bothered with this man.
“Come on. They’re probably looking for us now,” William changed the subject with a defeated sigh as he turned towards the direction of the car.
I didn’t give him a reply and followed closely behind him. I didn’t notice that they left without us. When we reached the car, my father was already inside while Mark started the car. As I entered the car, sitting in the middle again, my father looked at me with a question in his eyes. I knew he was asking me if I apologized and thanked William for today. I turned away from his gaze, giving him my reply. I heard his faint sigh again. I think he will be sighing a lot if we were going to have this topic about William and me.
The drive to my father’s hospital was silent and agonizingly long. I was left again to my thoughts as both men beside me looked out the window. And here I thought I was having a blast a few minutes ago. I knew it was my fault that both men aren’t talking to me. So I had to gather my confidence and talk to either of them. My first choice is quite obvious already.
“How are you, Dad?” I asked, my voice ringing in the silent, confined space.
My father turned towards me with his eyebrow raised. He knew for sure what I was trying to do. “Today’s good,” he replied softly. “Oh! I almost forgot…” he started, pausing as he leaned forward to look over at William. “Thank you for today, son. I had a great time watching a baseball game live. Plus, the bunker seat was just a cherry on top.”
“No problem, Mr. Peterson. I’m glad that you enjoyed it,” William replied and returned his enthusiasm with a smile.
I peered at my father and William as they made the exchange. I quickly looked away when my eyes lingered longer as William smiled. On my left, my father lightly nudged me, which made me glance back at him. He stared at me for a second and looked at William and back at me again. I squinted my eyes at him and looked away. I didn’t dare myself to look back at either side of me.
“My daughter says her thanks, too,” my father suddenly said, making me whip my head animatedly at his direction.
“Uhm…” William softly replied beside me, hardening my gaze on my dad.
When my father finally looked at me, I mouthed to him “What are you doing?” To which he replied by giving me a side-eye. My lips thinned into a grim line as I continued to stare him. The end of his lips suddenly twitched as he saw my expression.
“Don’t be stubborn, peanut,” he whispered to me before he went back to looking out the window.
I stayed silent after that and didn’t bother striking up a conversation with either of them. My father thanking William on my behalf made me feel like I was indebted to him and it irked me to no end. Talking to anyone at this point is no longer an option.
The car pulled up in front of the hospital and I’ve never felt more relieved. I started to breathe normally as we got out of the car. I didn’t notice William getting out with us until my father talked to him.
“Thank you again for today, son. Now, I think I can die peacefully… well, no, wait, I still can’t. I need to see my daughter settle down first.”
“Well, I can assure you she will be in good hands, Mr. Peterson,” William replied with a small shy smile.
“What are you two talking about?” I asked in confusion.
“Nothing, peanut,” my father replied with a secret smile. “I’ll be heading up now. You two can go ahead and enjoy the rest of the day while I take my rest,” he added as he slowly made his way towards the entrance of the hospital.
“Wait… What?” I asked, confused by his words. I caught up with him and lightly grabbed my father’s arm. “I’m staying here for the rest of the day... right?” I started yet trailed off into a question, unsure by my father’s words.
He leaned down towards my ear as he cupped the other side of my face. “William asked me if he can take you out after the game. I already gave him my consent,” he whispered.
I took a step away from him, putting a distance between us. “Why would you do that without telling me anything?” I asked, slightly annoyed at that sudden information.
“He hasn’t asked you yet?” he asked, confused by my reaction. “I though he asked you when we planned to separate after the game.”
“You two planned all of this? How could you? You know that I…” I started, my annoyance growing into anger.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like him, peanut. Terry already told me.”
“When did Terry tell you all of these things anyway?”
“I was worried about you after you walked out, so I called him. He visited last night after he came by your place and told me everything.”
“I can’t believe you two are gossiping about me. I’m not going on a date with him,” I added with more volume.
“Who said you are going on a date? I only agreed that he can take you out for dinner,” he asked, eyeing me with confusion.
“Dad,” I paused
and sighed. “A dinner between two people of the opposite sex, which doesn’t involve business or other formal things, is a date. Don’t pretend you don’t know this,” I continued monotonously.
“Andy…”
“Uhm… excuse me,” someone behind me interrupted.
I turned around and was about to tell the person off until my eyes landed at the man’s stern face. I gaped at him for a second before I gathered enough courage to say something, but he beat me to it.
“Andy, do you have anywhere else to go today?” he asked casually, though his voice was deeper and smoother than usual.
“No,” I replied softly, knowing what was going to happen next from my father’s tip off a few moments ago.
William paused for a second as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. From the way he was shifting his weight and fidgeting badly, he’s awfully nervous. I don’t get why he’s being nervous after what happened between us.
“Go ahead, son. Ask her already,” my father interrupted impatiently as he walked up to William and patted his arm in comfort. “You kids have fun. Take care of my baby girl, William,” he added as he quickly walked away from us towards the elevator.
My eyes followed my father’s every step while my mouth hung wide open. I can’t believe he just gave him permission to take me out on a date. My father had never done such a thing to my past suitors – not that William is in the same league as them.
“Your dad is a very enthusiastic man,” he stated with a chuckle after my father was out of our line of sight.
I turned towards him wearily. “Yeah. He’s like that when he likes someone. I’m so sorry about his comfortable approach on you.”
“Don’t be. I like it that calls me son,” he admitted without shame as his lips twitched into a grin.
“Don’t let it get to your head. The moment you do something wrong, he’ll start calling you ‘that prick’.” I chuckled at a memory of how he handled my ex’s.
