Chapter 11 - Family’s Day Out

Sunday morning, the whole family including Angela and Katie were preparing for a morning mass. Angela is Andie’s elder sister and Katie’s mom. Her husband was in Malaysia that time to import RTWs for their shop, so they spent the weekend with her family.

Josh received a text from Andie first thing in the morning.

“gud am,
r u up?...” her text goes.

“hi, yup
wat r u doin?” he texted back.

“im prepring 4
2day’s mass
wud u lyk 2 come?”

“ok, which church?”.

“Good Shepherd’s
Cathedral in fvw.”

“wat tym is
the mass?”

“the mass is at 9 am.”

“2 early!
i thot its gonna be l8r
in the afternun?

“ok, u can tke
the nxt mass
if u came l8.”

“w8 4 me, ill come,
txt me hw I can loc8
that church.”

“pass thru dahlia st.
landmark is fvw mall,
drive str8 then ull c
the church on
the ryt syd.”

“ok, got it,
ill leave in 15 mins,
c u,” he texted.

“k, we’ll sit at
the ryt syd
so u can c us
ryt away,” her text goes.

The whole family was already in the church 5 minutes before the mass starts. They seated at the right side benches so Josh could easily locate them when he arrives. The mass started but Josh was still on the road. It’s already in the homily part when he texted.

“andie, I myt not go,
im 2 l8, jst inclde me
in ur pryrs, aight?” Josh texted.

To her frustration, she didn’t reply on his text (it’s already the offertory part of the mass).

The ending mass song was played and the people inside started to scatter. Andie’s phone suddenly rang.

“Hello, where are you? I can’t see you around,” he said.

“Where are you, I thought you’re not coming?” she asked.

“I’m here at the entrance alley, come here.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you there, bye.”

Her sister called him when she saw Josh at the entrance. He looks so handsome and fresh on his outfit that day.

“You’re late!” Andie tapped his arm. “And why did you text me you might not go?”

“Remember your invitation is so late and I’m coming from Valle Verde, so how’s that?”

“I’m thinking of going back home if I didn’t see this church but I did, so I’m here,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Then you wait for the next mass, we’re heading to SM Fairview,” she teased.

“Okay, be like that!” he exclaimed.

“Hey lower your voice, this is a church remember?” she said.

“Ooooppps, okay, let me pray first,” he smiled.

Josh kneeled and prayed. She was just glad that he kept his promise. Josh gets used to her lifestyle already and Andie thinks she’s bringing out the best in him.

“So where are we going next?” Josh asked them after he prayed.

“We promised Katie to bring her to the mall today, would you like to come with us?” she said.

“Okay choose, Glorietta or Rockwell?” he suggested.

She raised her brow. “SM Fairview is right that corner, why do we have to go that far?” she said while pointing to the direction of the mall.

“I’m kidding, you know. I parked that side,” then he points to the area.

After talking to the mass sponsors, Andie’s parents left. Her dad drove their owner-type jeep toward home.

Katie and her mom sat behind them in the truck. “Hi Katie, remember your Tito Josh?” he asked her while peering on his rearview mirror.

Katie just nods. Angela was smiling over his playful acts.

He parked at the back parking area of the mall the minute they arrived.

“Hey look at the car’s compartment, it’s open,” she told Josh.

“Don’t mind that, it’s not your car,” he replied.

“Josh, be a good Samaritan for once. Look it’s really open,” she insisted.

“Okay, page the car’s owner from the customer service then,” he laughs.

They carefully checked the car and it turned out the compartment could not be fully closed and it was only locked through a long wire coiled underneath.

“See you’re so nosy!” he told her. Andie was embarrassed. She just covered her face for that.

“So, where do you wanna eat, Pizza Hut, Max’s or Barrio Fiesta?”

“No, Katie likes to eat at Jollibee, so let’s go!” she told him.

“Jollibee? Jollibee it is!” he said when he felt Andie’s elbow hollowed on his side.

Josh took the vacant seats at the back and watch over Katie while the two were placing their orders.

It’s the first time he’s going to watch for a kid actually so he had no idea how. Is he going to baby talk to her? Should he be playing with her or telling her old stories or fairy tales? He really had no idea.

Katie looks at him and he looks back.

“What’s taking them so long? I feel Katie’s more difficult to handle than Andie,” he thought to himself.

When Katie felt so bored, she started to roam around and left Josh worried. He doesn’t know if he should watch their seats first or watch Katie. He called her a few times before she returned. Finally, he was able to think of what he can do to entertain Katie, tell her a story or sing her a song perhaps.

“Hey Katie, I have a song for you,” he told her when the song just popped into his mind after seeing Barney printed on the kid’s shirt sitting near their table.

“I love you, you love me, let’s all play and kill Barney with a shotgun, bang bang, Barney on the floor, no more stupid dinosaur,” he sings enthusiastically (lol).

When he’s about to repeat his song, Katie cried out and shouted so loud that it turned all the diners’ attention on them. Katie, as a 3-year-old kid, is capable of throwing tantrums anytime. Josh immediately covered her mouth and pacified her so Andie will not suspect it’s Katie who’s whining.

Unfortunately, Andie and Angela finished ordering.

“Patay!” He thought to himself as he sees them coming.

“What happened to Katie, what did you do to her?” she curiously looked at him.

“I didn’t do anything, I just sang this Barney’s song then she started to cry,” he continued while covering his face.

“It’s okay Katie, don’t cry, Tito Josh is nice, don’t cry, he’s nice,” she told Katie while her mom is wiping her tears, then she’s calmed down.

Josh felt so embarrassed and stayed quiet while they’re eating.

“Smile, smile,” Andie told Josh while nudging him. He immediately smiled at Katie.

“What’s wrong with that Barney’s song?” he moved closer and whispered to her.

“Did you sing that real Barney’s song?” she asked.

“Real Barney’s song?”

“Oh shoot, that’s a spoofed song.”

“Josh, it’s her favorite TV program. Katie cries every time her little cousins tease her with that spoofed song and that agitates her.” She told him.

“Now I know.” “I didn’t even realize how stupid I was after singing that song, but man the song is cute,” he just laughs while Andie stares at him. He then turned serious.

“Hey Josh, do you play Bingo?” Angela suddenly asked him.

“Bingo?” his forehead wrinkled.

“Ate, he doesn’t play small-time gambling,” she interrupted her sister as it embarrassed her.

“Is that true? I bet you only play in the casino,” Angela started.

Andie and Josh looked at each other as he was signaling her not to tell her sister about it. Andie was able to read his gestures precisely so she diverted the topic.

“Ate, Katie is already tired we need to go home.”

“It’s okay, we’ll just sit there while waiting for the announcer’s call. Come on Andie, I heard the jackpot price already rose to 100,000,” she insisted.

“You know Josh, Andie is the best Bingo player, she always goes home with the price, I can feel this time we’ll take home the jackpot!” she was excited.

“Ate!” all she could say.

“Really?” Josh was surprised.

“No! Don’t believe her!” she was really embarrassed.

“I think I’d like to see that, let’s play Bingo then,” Josh had a silly grin.

Angela bought six cards for them while the three were already seated at the vacant area near the entrance. They waited till their game was called.

“How do you play this?” Josh asked while placing his two cards on the table.

“When the announcer called the letter, he will subsequently call the number corresponding the letter, so you should check if you match with the number called, and if it does, mark the card with a chalk. You should have diagonal, horizontal, or vertical matches to win.” She explained.

“Sounds interesting!” he was really excited. “You’re really expert on this, huh?” he teased.

The announcer already called the next round of game and started calling the letters and numbers.

“Hey look, I already had two matches,” he was thrilled.

“You’re doing good!” Andie told him.

“See, he’s enjoying it!” Angela commented. Then there were laughters.

“Gosh, I don’t have that number!” he remarked when the next number was called.

“Take it easy, Josh,” Andie told him when she felt he’s seriously taking the game.

“I only have two numbers left for the win!” he was stomping his feet to the floor. “What about you?”

“Three numbers left on each position,” Andie calmly answered.

“Oh my God, I only have one left!” Angela was screaming.

They both looked at her cards and started to pay closer attention to the announcer’s call.

“Yeeessss!” Josh suddenly screamed aloud and raised his both hands when he got another match. The players in front gazed on their site laughing at his weirdest reaction.

“Sssshhhh….” Andie calmed him down, as she was very mortified because of their behavior.

“One more number then I’ll win!” he crossed his fingers.

All the players were also thrilled while waiting for the next number to be called. Some bluffly shouts BINGO (meaning-matching all the numbers on the card in a certain position), which makes Josh more agitated.

“Bingo!” a man finally shouted winning the first game with only three Bingo chips left.

“Sh#t!” he was very frustrated when somebody finished the game before him.

Angela was upset as well. Andie could picture how he looks while playing in the casino. He was very eager to win so he ambled to the counter and bought five cards for each of them.

“We’ll win the next round,” he confidently remarked.

“Josh, don’t take it seriously,” she reminded him once again.

“Andie, let him play,” Angela insisted as she was indulging the pleasure of a free game.

“Ate, Katie is sleepy already.”

“If you like you can watch Katie first then we’ll play your cards,” Angela suggested.

“What?!” her eyebrows crossed.

“Just kidding! Don’t spoil our luck,” she was grinning.

“Relax Andie,” Josh said.

She didn’t argue anymore even if it irritates her. The game begins and the announcer started calling the numbers. He screams whenever his numbers matched. Katie already fallen asleep so Andie took her and leaned Katie’s head on her lap. Angela paid no attention to her sleeping child that upsets Andie more.

“Win or lose, we’ll go home,” Andie commanded the two. They just ignored her.

“He was really serious about this game, how much more when he bets thousands of money in the casino,” she thought to herself. She was really disappointed in him.

Already 30 minutes passed when the last number was called. They only have one number left when another player shouted Bingo. After carefully checking the winning card, the announcer declared the jackpot price winner. Angela knocked the table in disgust while Josh couldn’t believe he didn’t win again.

“So, let’s go?” Andie plainly asked them.

They’re still unsettled. They even argued with the announcer about the numbers called, but the decision is official.

“Don’t you really care about Katie?” Andie finally broke her silence and complained at them.

The two kept quiet. Angela immediately carried Katie when she saw Andie erupted in anger.

“Ah-I didn’t realize I got hooked on this game,” he was embarrassed.

“It’s disappointing Josh.” She told him when they left the place.

“I really can’t take off this habit, but like what you said, this is only a small-time gambling.”

“But it’s still a gamble. You only have a lesser chance of winning than a 10-fold chance of losing. Look at ate, she almost forgot that Katie is with her,” she remarked.

Actually Andie felt he almost forgot that she’s with him.

“Do you still play in the casino, Josh?”

“Not anymore, but honestly while playing this game, I almost want to gamble again.”

“I can feel that. I’m not here to stop you nor change your habits, just think about what I’ve said; remember your uncle Josh?”

“Hey stop linking everything to my uncle!” he turned furious.

“Sorry,” all she could say. She lowered her head down while they’re walking at the basement toward the exit.

“Wait Andie, I didn’t mean to say that…..” Josh walked fast to catch her up then grabbed her hand. She resisted but he held it tightly. Andie pulled Josh to stop, as she didn’t want her sister to see that they’re clung onto each other. The people behind bumped into them when they abruptly stopped, they just laughed at each other while excusing themselves from the mallers.

“Am I forgiven?” Josh asked her, already holding both her hands facing each other.

“Only if you let go of my hands,” she smiled at him.

“Later in the parking lot,” he smiled back.

The two then walk hand in hand. It was such a long time since she last held his soft hand. Josh squeezed her hand and held it gently as if he was holding it for the first time. Andie suddenly felt a rebirth of her feelings for Josh. She actually missed that same feeling she felt a long time ago. Josh was content that he was holding her even for a little time.

Will that be the start of the start? lol…Let’s follow them!