Piece of Cake

deal

"Come on, Naddie! I promise you, this will be the last one!" James exclaimed as he keeps on trying to get Nadine's attention.

"James, I thought we already talked about this? No attending to any of our family's wedding." Nadine said as she continues to scan the shelf of the vintage vases in the antique store James brought her to (more like dragged) because he said there was something he wanted to ask her.

"Come on, my sweety baby Naddie. I thought you owe me a favor for saving your life the other day?"

"Ha! I knew you were going to pull that card on me. Besides, what happened to me wasn't that much of a life-to-death experience!" Turning to him, she said like it was a matter-of-fact statement.

"Really? Well, I thought your face looked hi-la-ri-ous! I mean, when that guy started pulling out his tattoos of a red spongebob on his arm, you looked like you wanted to chicken out of that blind date!" He said and then bursted out laughing afterwards.

"Hey, stop humiliating spongebob! And he wasn't that bad.."

" 'Not that bad'? You looked like you were dying because of boredom when he was busy eating his gluten-free, vegetarian salad."

"Can you just quit shaming my date the other night? And no, I am not going with you on your father's wedding!"

"Yes, you are! You owe me from spying you and your weird date and then saving you from him afterwards." He said grabbing the dusty antique silver plate from the store counter.

"Now, how 'bout this as a wedding gift?" He said raising the plate making the dust travel to Nadine's face.

Smiling, he looks at a coughing Nadine who seemed like she inhaled the dust.

"It's still a no."

"What? You don't think this plate it wedding-worthy?"

"Yes and the other 'no' for me who is not going with you in the wedding."

Putting his raised arm down from showing the plate from Nadine.

"Come on, Naddie. I really need someone to go with me there" he said as he whines like a 7 year old child.

"Look, James. Just go there and when your father approaches you and asks you about life and some other decision kind of topics, just say to him: 'Dad, whatever you do, I'll be happy. What makes you happy, makes me happy.' See it's not that hard!" She says as she laughs after her last statement.

Nadine turns her back on James and walks towards the exit door of the antique shop.

James chases Nadine as her opened maroon trench coat swayed because of the chilly pre-Christmas wind in Chicago.

"Hey, wait up!"

Nadine stops and turns to James, "Okay, let's make a deal. I'll go with you on your father's wedding-" James cuts her off.

"YES! Thank you so much, Naddie. This is why-"

"Hey! I'm not yet done speaking! Okay, here's the deal: I go to your dad's wedding with you, but you have to get me another date afterwards. There's this charity gala at our company launch and I really - I mean, REALLY - need someone to show up with me. Deal?" She asks, raising her right hand for a decent handshake.

"Ugh, fine. Deal." He shakes her hands.

But of course, deep down, James wonders - with his cute tagalog accent of course - "Bakit kaya 'di niya naisip na pwede ko naman siyang samahan sa event?"