| Fan Fiction |
by kglove
“This is your idea of a night out, dad?” Gerald teased his father. They were seated at the patio near the swimming pool drinking beer.
“Son, I am way too old to be going out in those bars or clubs or whatever. Besides, the whole point of this night is for us to talk.” Randy Anderson told his eldest son.
“Well, it feels good hanging out with you. It’s been a while since the last time we did this.”
“It’s a challenge keeping a bond with your son especially if he doesn’t visit very often.”
Gerald smiled at his father guiltily. “Sorry dad. I really wanted to see you as much as I can but…”
“No RJ, there’s no need for you to say sorry. I understand that you and Ken have your own lives now. I just wish I could’ve done something about it. I mean, I should’ve visited you and your brother frequently. I'm partly to be blamed as well.”
“Dad, you have a family here. We get that. Don’t worry; I promise from now on, I’ll visit at least once a month at the very least.”
Gerald raised his bottle and so did Mr. Anderson.
“Now tell me, what really brings you here?” Gerald looked at his father, eyebrows furrowed. “In as much as I’d like to think that you came here to spend time with your old man, I know there’s a reason you drove all the way here. Something’s bothering you, kid.”
“Is it that obvious?” Mr. Anderson shrugged. Gerald took a deep breath. “It’s Kim, dad.”
“What about Kim?” Mr. Anderson asked.
Gerald sighed. “I've been trying to move past our failed relationship and be friends with her. But apparently she doesn’t think we can be.”
“Maybe she’s just not ready yet. You’ve been together for such a long time and it’s really hard to be friends with somebody you once loved. Your mother and I took more than a few months to be friends when we separated. It’s not that easy as you think.”
“She’s not the only one hurting, dad. It was not easy for me letting her go either. I loved her so much.”
“But you let her down when she needed you the most, RJ. You can’t blame her for that.”
Gerald ran his hands to his face in aggravation. “I know that. I regret that every single day. That’s why I'm trying my best to be at least her friend. Maybe that way, I can make up for my idiocy.”
“Yes, you are an idiot for letting Kim go. She was perfect for you. Hell, you were even the perfect match for her. But you let your fears and insecurities get the best of you.”
“I freaked out, dad.”
“No doubt about that. So if Kim is giving you a hard time with this being friends thing that you want, suck it up. You deserved it anyway. I mean, you’re my son and I love you but I'm with Kim on this one.”
“But I'm only asking for her friendship. I'm not even asking for her to take me back.”
“Son, are you sure that friendship is all that you’re after?”
“Just friendship.” Gerald dismissed.
“That’s funny. From where I am standing, I can see that you are upset because you can’t make a move to win her back if she ain’t talking to you. But then again, that’s just an old man’s point of view.”
Gerald was speechless at his father’s pronouncement. He thought it would be best if he neither confirm nor deny the accusation.
***
“Sis, I think you need to apologize to Gerald.” Cathy said. They were having late lunch together, something that they always do during weekends.
Kim rolled her eyes at Cathy. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?” Cathy shook her head. “I don’t owe him any apology whatsoever. I told him the truth about how I feel. What’s wrong with that? And anyway, whose side are you on?”
“Kim, Gerald is also my friend.”
“But I am your best friend. I deserve your unwavering loyalty.”
“Yes Kim, you are my best friend so it is my responsibility to knock some sense into your head. I'm sorry but right now, you’re not making any sense at all.”
“Great. This is probably a first. My best friend sides with the guy who I broke up with.” Kim sniped.
Cathy groaned. “Kimberly Sue, you can be so unfair sometimes.” Kim looked at her irately. “Okay, I know what Gerald did was stupid and I don’t exactly like him for that. But Kim, the guy deserves a chance to be your friend at the very least. If you weren’t ready for that, you should have told him that from day one instead of just blowing him off like that.”
“I did tell him I wasn’t ready.” Kim countered.
“Not before you realized that all the attention he was showing you was because he wanted to be JUST friends.”
Kim glared at Cathy with furrowed eyebrows. “Are you insinuating that I'm still in love with Gerald?”
“You tell me. Are you over him? Because if you are, then why do you find it so damn hard to be friends with him. Do you still love him?”
Kim was saved from having to answer with the arrival of Cathy’s fiancé, Xian Lim.
“Hey girls, sorry I'm late. Traffic was so bad.” Xian leaned over to kiss Kim on the cheeks and sat beside Cathy after giving her a kiss as well. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw that both Kim and Cathy were frowning at each other. “Oh, come on, I should get a free pass today since the last time we went out, you made me wait for an hour and a half.”
“No, honey, I'm not mad that you're late.” Cathy assured him.
“Then what is it?” Xian asked.
“Tell me something, Xian. Do you think Gerald deserves to be Kim’s friend?”
Xian switched looks between Kim and Cathy. “Is that a trick question?” Kim was eyeing him skeptically. “D-do I really need to answer that?”
“Sure you do. Gerald’s your friend as well.” Cathy demanded.
Xian stammered. “Well, uh, I think…” Cathy was looking at him, egging him on. “Everybody deserves a second chance, that’s what I think.”
“Of course you’ll say that. She’s your fiancée.” Kim said, irritation clearly imminent in her eyes.
“But…” Xian was interrupted when Cathy raised her hand to stop him. “Okay Kim, let’s forget about this. I don’t want to get in a fight with you. I have a question you haven’t answered yet. I know that you know the answer to that and so do I. But I'm not going to force it out of you. I am your best friend and please remember that I am always here for you. If you're ready to talk, you know where to find me, okay?” she held Kim’s hand in assurance and clasped it. Kim sighed and nodded in defeat.