Time and Again

[40] Friends Forever

Pretty was surprised to see Isabel with a gin and a shot glass in front of her.

"Isabel?"

"Thank you for coming to my aid Pretty, baby."

Isabel hugged Pretty.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Pretty held Isabel's shoulders.

"If only you knew what happened."

Isabel started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Isabel. I'm just shocked to see you drinking gin. I'm not used to seeing you like this. What happened?"

"I told you before, we should not expect too much from that stupid watch!"

"Calm down. What happened?"

"Ken, my lover's doppelganger was already engaged to someone else."

"So?"

"Sooo!!!"

"They're just engaged! Come on! They are not yet married. So, what's the fuss?"

"What's the fuss?! Can't you see that he already belonged to someone else? There's no more chance for me and Emilio, I mean Ken, to be together again."

"Grannie! They are not yet MARRIED! They are not yet bound to each other. Even the biggest continent can be separated; how much more for the two individuals who don't have a marriage contract yet!"

"Are you totally out of your mind? Can't you see that he is not the right man for me? He is meant for someone else. I don't want to be the cause of their breakup. I hate that fucking watch! It gave me nothing but false hope. I should have thrown it a long time ago!"

"Whoa! Chill out, grannie! Since when did you learn to curse?"

"Chill out?! You think I can ever calm down. This accursed watch gave me wrong expectation. It didn't only turn my life upside-down, it broke my heart into a thousand pieces."

"Your heart will really be broken into a million pieces if you keep on whining. Stop it! Think first before you react violently! You keep on jumping into crazy conclusions without even trying to assess the situation. They are just engage for God's sake! You still have a chance. What if something happened and Ken's fiancée will break the engagement? Or what if Ken will realize that you are the woman he'd been searching for all his life?"

Isabel was silent despite of the tears that fell from her eyes.

"What now?" Pretty broke the silence.

"Nothing."

Isabel poured Johnnie Walker whisky into her glass.

"Stop that!" Pretty spanked her hand.

"I wanted to drink the whisky of the new generation. In my generation before, we only have coconut wine."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Pretty almost choked from laughter.

"Come on, I bought this drink for 1,000 pesos. Let's not waste a good whisky. Let's drink until we drop. The night is still young."

"What?! I can't imagine my grannie being influenced by what the old people called crappy generation."

"Come on, Pretty baby. I wanted to know how it feels like to be drunk. I've never done this before. You know how strict my father was."

"Fine. I'll join you for one bottle of whisky only in one condition."

"Anything for you, my dear."

"We must be home before 12 midnight."

"No problem."

"I don't want to drag a drunk old woman in the middle of the night."

"Don't worry, we'll go home before 11pm."

Isabel and Pretty drank and laughed. They reminisced their funny moments. Whenever Isabel tried to open up Ken's engagement, Pretty would cut her off and divert her to another topic. They consumed the whole bottle of gin before 11 PM. They were both tipsy.

Pretty hailed a taxi going to Isabel's apartment. Isabel was too tipsy to walk home.

Pretty put Isabel's arm around her shoulders to guide her step. She put her arm below her back to guide her in getting inside the taxi. She stayed by her side until they arrived at her apartment.

"This is the funniest moment I ever have with you." Isabel said.

"Now, I've seen your dark side, Isabel. I never thought you are this crazy when you are drunk. Your laughter is unstoppable. You laughed as if it is your last."

"Thank you so much for being there for me whenever I need you."

Isabel hugged Pretty and cried again.

"Stop that. You know that you are like a sister and a grandmother to me."

"Can you please stop calling me your grandmother?!"

"Wow! Ever since you have the capability to rejuvenate physically, your mind was also influenced by crappy youthful stuff."

"Don't call me grandmother during my youthful hours. Just call me sister."

"Alright, sistah."

Isabel hugged Pretty.

"I don't know what I did to deserve a sister like you."

"I don't know what I did to have a grandmother like you."

"Shut up. Don't call me that."

"Why, 70's girl?"

"Stop calling me your grandmother! I'm not your grandmother!"

"Fine. I'll call you my grandmother later, sister."

"You are not only sweet but mean."

"That's the reason why we get along well with each other because we're both mean and sweet."

"Friends forever."

Isabel offered her pinky to Pretty.

"Forever and ever."

Pretty linked Isabel's pinky with hers and they hugged each other.

Isabel was so tipsy. Pretty guided her inside her room and made sure that she was already asleep before she went home.