The small victory we had was fleeting as I was becoming anxious about the date on Friday.

I hoped everything goes well so I could go home and see Papi. It was a mistake that I called Ryder for the date.

Papi began forgetting some things and I wanted to be there before he forgot me. We never missed a call even when he went for his hospital checkups.

My throat would clog up seeing him living his life with a smile even going through hell. Mom called me yesterday and asked me to come home. She was the one who broke that Papi wasn't sleeping for days. Not even the pills were working on him. The hospital was hesitating to give any higher dose considering the age factor.

I had a ominous feeling about Friday, not sure because of Ryder or going to see Papi but something was unsettling.

Regardless of the blatant threat, I decided to go on date with him. Abby assured me, Matt assured me, Luke even promised to accompany me home this time.

After my college hours, I called Papi.

"Hello. May I who this is?", my stomach dropped.

My tongue was twisted and no words seemed to emerge.

"Its Emily", I said.

"Hi, Emily. What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you Papi"

"I'm not Papi and if you are in trouble its better to reach out to Police than to call some strangers. I would have talked to you but I am having headache so yeah"

Tears were flowing down my cheeks as I remained without an answer. The pain of going through your worst fear was too much.

I didn't know how to handle it. I was still half way from library. My hands and legs were shaking.

"Emily?", Papi called on other side checking if I was still on the line.

Suddenly a loud laughter emerged on other side of the phone.

I could hear trudging and Papi was calling for my dad. Dad was telling him not to run and Papi was saying something until I figured out last few words.

"She fell for it. She totally fell for it"

I was still baffled when Papi laughed at the speaker telling me he pretended to forget me and the trick was a success.

Unable to take it anymore, I ended the call not bothering to respond to him.

I wasn't mad at him but was mad at how life went. He was someone I loved dearly, someone I never imagined a life without.

Life put me on spot threatening me to take him away from me anytime.

I was least bothered about my outbreak on the deserted road, not like any one was going to judge me.

He was calling me without a break that atlast I picked up the call.

"Emily, dear I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you", he apologized.

"It's fine. It's just I didn't expect a prank. I was a little vulnerable and don't think I'm letting you like that. I will be coming back with a huge trick that you'll be surprised how I came with it", I playfully taunted.

"Oh young lady, there is nothing that could surprise me. The last time I was surprised was when I held you for the first time. You were all petite and beautiful."

I walked down the alley to library holding my phone on one ear.

"That can't be true. That happened before 18 years and no way you weren't surprised once"

"No way. That's how I am", he said in a cocky tone.

"Then am I your biggest surprise?", I asked as I placed tarts on Ralph's table. He rose his eyebrows at phone and I mouthed him Papi.

"You're not my biggest surprise", he said as I walked out of the doors into the alley.

"Then is it when Dad was born or when you found she was pregnant", I started guess.

" Those were my biggest blessings. The surprise that stopped my heart was when I saw her walk down the aisle to me."

I could see the smile on his face through the phone.

"Not to mention you bawled your eyes out and grandma didn't let a tear slip. You guys looked funny in those photos, with you wiping the snot and she was proudly posing for the photos", I mocked laughing at his wedding photos, the one my grandma hung on our living room. A snot photo wasn't your proudest moment.

"I wanted to kill him very badly. I shed a few tears and he made it look like a goddamn woman on period. I don't want to comment about the snot. It's just natural when you cry a little.", he huffed.

"I miss you so much", my voice broke.

"I miss you too, dear. If I had known I would miss you this much I wouldn't have fought with your parents to send you this far"

"I'll be home this week and its just one day in between. We're gonna have fun this week. I want my homeboy ready"

"Oh yeah!! Homeboy ready for some hip shakes", I heard him say followed by my Dad's horrified tone, "Dad don't shake your hips like that".

We both burst out laughing. The phone call ended and I immediately felt different, like living on a different world.

The feeling of heaviness weighed me down as I entered the library. Ralph engulfed me in a hug as I shed a few silent tears. He offered to take a break for few days and I was thankful for the thought regardless of I'm taking it or not.