Get Back to You 315 Three old friends

But none of their minds were on the television. Though steady eyes posed as if interested, their thoughts rested somewhere else. With no Jake, Giselle, and even little Lia, the atmosphere switched to deadly silence.

Anna glimpsed the other two: Lillian to her right and Diego to her left. Both clearly faked watching the movie with serious intention or even for relaxation.

"So, we're getting fucking old," Anna remarked to get their notice.

"Stop it," Diego said.

"So, old!" Lillian added.

Diego hissed loudly to stop the ladies. It turned mute again as if the volume isn't audible.

"You used to be the one to devour food, but now you're great at making them. I'm very proud of you," Lillian said.

"Dad would be proud of you," she added with a touch of high praise.

"Edwin would…" Anna smiled from the recall of numerous Thanksgiving dinners Edwin Grey cooked in the past.

Not only Anna, but all three reminisced together with a nostalgic smile.

"Did you call Edwin?" Anna inquired.

"I did, first thing in the morning! He's having Thanksgiving dinner with his club members."

"Edwin joined a club?" Diego asked.

"Fishing! Once a month, they go on an expedition to catch fishes. One of the guys owns a boat, makes it easier for the group to hang out together."

"Let me guess, the guy with the boat is the president, right?" Diego speculated.

Lillian agreed with a low chuckle.

"Hmm…" Both Anna and Diego nodded together.

"How is he doing?" Anna asked.

"He's pretty good at cooking the fish rather than catching them. The club president keeps dad close because he makes the best pastrami fish sandwiches,"

"Wow, I want to try it," Anna almost got hypnotized from hearing Edwin's cooking adventures that she forgot the context of the question.

"Idiot! I'm not asking about how he's doing in his club, but his life in general!" she exploded from almost biting the bait.

Lillian finally registered to answer that her old man was doing good.

A weak response implied that the father of the only child has his own worries to handle. Anna understood the story behind her tone and grabbed a nearby soft pillow to slap Lillian's face. Diego saw and didn't care to interrupt Anna's scolding. He didn't want her attention to fall on him, so he let Lillian struggle.

"Of course! He's only doing alright with a daughter like you!" Anna hissed as she landed several strikes on her target. Seeing how unresponsive the prey seems to act, it wasn't fun anymore. Therefore, she stopped hitting her.

"Look, Lilly! Giselle's back now. You have to do something," she spoke with a genuine interest.

"It's been years now! She moved on, and so did Giselle."

Diego had to cut through. He had no choice but to let Anna's attention fall on him, even at such risk. Today, Diego was going to sit silent and let his girl friends talk. However, from the looks of it, he chose to let Lillian know, little by little, how wrong it would be to fancy Giselle.

"Diego!" Anna snapped.

"She has a fricking child now. Do you think she'll have time for romance?"

Diego argued back.

He was certainly not letting it go from now on, especially since knowing that Giselle is aware of his still ongoing unrequited love that never got confessed.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Anna rebuked angrily.

"I'm saying don't hold onto some high school fling."

"It's not a fling, Diego!" Lillian meddled to declare.

Her interruption bought forth a pause to the heated faces. Anna stared at Diego, and so did he.

"It's been ages, Lilly!" he said to his eyes still fixed on Anna.

"So what?" Anna returned.

"So what if its been years? If their feelings are sincere, then there is nothing wrong to pursue," she confronted firmly to his opinion.

Diego removed his gaze from Anna and shifted it past her, to Lillian Grey.

"Lilly! It didn't work back then. Do you think if you go sweet-talking to her again, she will accept?"

Although his words had a certain level of truth to it, Lillian couldn't respond somehow. She remained idle to his questioning stare.

"Stop it! For Christ's sake! Diego!" Anna yelled at this time. She wondered what made him sound downright cynical.

The movie ended with its final scene and credits began to roll on the screen. After Anna's loud cry, Diego stopped. None spoke, and they all returned to gawk at the television, their minds reflecting the conversation.

"What about you?" Anna asked, following the credits.

"What about me?" Diego glanced at her, confusedly.

"Why did you dump Brittany?"

Diego's disconcerted look changed to his disappointment. He strived to get away from this interrogation, but he couldn't escape.

Brittany is a beautiful woman from Anna's social circle. Anna arranged a blind date with Diego, and the only news she received following a few days was her dear friend, Diego, dumped the beautiful woman's calls after their first date. Anna did not get a chance to address this to the guy, but seeing him now making suggestions for Lillian made her bring this to the table.

"She has spider legs!"

It took Diego several seconds to respond, but it didn't seem to impress his audience.

"What?" Anna groaned, astounded.

Lillian attempted not to join but kept her ears sharp to overhear.

"What the hell that has to do with dating her?" Anna cried.

"It makes me think of spiders, which I hate with my soul," Diego cried back.

"You keep doing that to all the dates I arrange, Diego!"

"I'm going to dump you in a box full of spiders," Anna exploded frantically.

"Stop it!" Diego flinched just to the imagination.

Lillian inaudibly laughed at him. Diego hates nothing but spiders. It can be one tiny baby spider, but one sight at it, this adult boy would run away as if his life got threatened by such a small entity.

"What is wrong with both of you?" Anna sighed, finally resting back to the couch.

"Love."

Lillian and Diego coincidently had the same answer that they shared a humble smile between them. Despite their different opinions, the two had a strong bond called friendship, resting on their shoulders to comfort their lonely hearts.

Lillian turned away, but Diego kept watching her. Both bounded by love and pain.

Anna could agree to Lillian's suffering of love, but she got surprised to hear it from Diego. She had set him with several blind dates, and Diego rejected them all after a formal dinner. Now that she considered him, he had never been in a proper relationship ever. He goes to his blind dates fixed by his close friends, sits down with these strange women, never to feel attracted or charmed by their presence. After his dinner, he avoids or declines the follow-ups.

It turned to a mystery for Anna.

"Why are you saying Love?" she asked him.

"You dump every girl I set you up with-" Anna explained to Diego's interruption.

"I don't like them!" he sharply stopped her from repeating his blind date ventures, especially in front of the person, whom he genuinely loves.

"All of them?" Anna probed.

"You're telling me that you don't even like a single woman you've met?" she exploded in a fit.

"Yes, all of them," Diego leaned at her to sternly respond.

"You know what? I'm starting to think that you don't like women at all, Diego!" Anna remarked furiously.

"Welcome to the club!" Lillian raised an empty glass to commemorate.

"Shut up, Lilly," Diego snapped harshly. If at all anything, he didn't want her to make such insulting assumptions. Lillian smirked to his fit.

The credits ended at last. Diego seized the remote to change the channel to something else as a distraction.

"Now that you say, I can imagine-" Anna began to tease, but Diego raised the channel volume. Her voice plummeted to the sound of men showing footage of Thanksgiving celebrations from all around the country on a news telecast.

Lillian and Anna slapped their hands, away from his notice, to share a short giggle. Diego harshly pressed the buttons to hear their faint noises. He landed on a channel screening old cartoons, and one of their favorites was currently airing.

"Stop right there!" Anna screamed.

"Don't change the channel, Diego!" Lillian shouted.

Startled to both of their screeching sounds, Diego dropped the remote. He picked it up carefully to place it on the table. Joining his friends, the three watched the television. Their eyes and hearts stuck to the TV screen, and minds rested to watch their favorite characters after a long time.

Peace returned to the living room, for the friends didn't quarrel anymore or had worries occupying their restless minds. They laughed to the animated character's antiques and moved along with them once again, repeating the dialogs after them while forgetting their age and old limbs.

"No matter what, you two have to find your love sooner or later," Anna said to remind them.

"I know," Diego agreed, glancing at Lillian Grey.

"I have to buy another house with more rooms in it!" Lillian noted.

Chapter end