"Oh my God, Seth!" Keely said, standing up and hugging him, Phil stood up too.

"Hey, how have you guys been?" Seth said.

Dana was so unbelievably shocked that one of their old friends had shown up on the exact same night Phil planned to propose to Keely, it was a sign, or the most annoying irony that she had witnessed in her entire 16 years of life.

"Hey, who's this?" Seth said looking at Dana who had turned the other way because she was so annoyed by this.

"Oh, Seth, this is our daughter, Dana. Dana, this is our old friend from high school, Seth Wosmer." Keely said

"Hi," Dana said, shaking his hand, but still irked about him being here.

"Now that we all know each other, we need to know how your life is going, are you married to Tia? Do you have any children? What's happened since you graduated?" Keely said

Dana slowly left her chair and went and stood at the balcony, and looked out over Boston.

Phil noticed that she had left, and joined her at the balcony.

"Hey," he said to her,

"Dad this is so messed up, you have to propose to her, like now," Dana said

"I know, I think I'll give him another minute and then just propose."

"Thank God!" Dana said

Phil put his arm around Dana, and they walked back to the table.

Keely was watching Seth with a romantic look in her eyes, this sent chills down Phil and Dana's spines.

"Uh oh." Dana whispered to Phil

"What if they-" Phil started

"Dad, stop. They won't. Or at least….they better not." Dana said

"Dana, we don't know that, I mean he could be talking about me,"

Dana stared at him, totally afraid that he was serious.

"Um, I'm kidding," Phil said,

"Oh!" Dana said relieved

"Phil, Seth and I are going for a walk, you don't mind do you?" Keely said

"Um, no. Go ahead."

Dana slapped Phil really hard

"Ow!" Phil said

"What are you doing?" Dana said, whispering loudly, "You're just letting her go with him, what about what you were going to do!"

"Dana, it isn't important."

"Excuse me?"

"It isn't my first priority, if that's what she wants to do, then let her."

"But dad-"

"Dana, this doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, dad, it does. You are my dad, and she is my mom, therefore it is my concern."

"Dana,"

"Fine," Dana walked past her dad and left the balcony.

"Dana," Phil called after her, he tried to catch up to her, but it was impossible, she was going to fast.

Dana was already outside, sitting on the ground crying. Phil wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, he just sat down next to her.

"Dana, I shouldn't have said this wasn't your concern, because it is, Keely is-"

"That's not why I'm crying." Dana said

"What? Well, then, why are you crying?"

"Because mom and Seth, were-" Dana stopped when she say her father's face turn into a look of pure fury, Dana decided not to finish the sentence.

"They, um, left." she sad turning away from him

"They kissed didn't they? I knew it, God damn it. Why? Why does this happen to me? I mean what have I done to deserve this?"

"Dad, she-"

"Please Dana, I don't want to talk right now. I need to think."

"O.K." Dana stood up and walked over to her dad who was standing by the curb with his arms crossed. She stood next to him and hugged him. Nothing was said, they stood there hugging for a long time, before Dana's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" She said, walking across the front lawn of the restaurant, so she wasn't in hearing distance of Phil.

"Hi, Dana, is your dad O.K.?" Keely's unforgettable voice said on the other line

"Well, a little, um, mad at you right now. But O.K. otherwise." Dana said

"Oh, I'm so sorry you saw that, I don't know how that happened, but I don't have feelings for Seth, it was kind of just in the moment, you know what I mean?"

"No."

"Well, Dana, try to understand, you're 16 years old, I'm sure you've seen this happen before."

"On TV and stuff like that, never with my own parents."

"Dana, why is this so upsetting? Dad and I aren't even married."

"What if he wanted that to change? How could he do that now?"

"Dana what are you saying?"

"I think you know."

"Dana, I had no idea, he…."

"Mom, I have to go, Dad needs me."

"O.K., I'll talk to you later, I love you"

"Bye."

Dana hung up the phone, and then walked over to her dad.

"Dad, Mom doesn't have feelings for Seth." She said

"Oh, she still kissed him, she must have some," he said

"No. He's an old friend of yours right? So she was just reminiscing, it's not a big deal."

"Well, if it were any other night, I wouldn't care, but I was going to propose to her Dana, and this just shows that she isn't ready to be married to me, and I'm just going to have to accept that."

"Dad, she.."

"I know she's your mother, and I want us to end up together as much as you do, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen,"

"Dad," Dana started, but she couldn't hold the tears back any longer, she tried so hard to finish the sentence, but the words were absent, she could say anything, so she just turned and ran to their car.

Phil followed her, and they got in the car and drove home. Dana was in the back seat, trying to cry as quietly as possible, but it was nearly impossible.

"Dana," Phil started.

"What?" she answered

"I think that I went a little too far saying that your mom and I can't end up together, because I know we will, and that this will all work out for the better, I promise."

"Dad, I know you will, but the fact that you didn't believe that, even for a second, scares me."

"I know, it scares me too."

"Why did you say it then?"

"Dana, just because I say something doesn't necessarily mean it's going to jinx your mom and I."

"I know, but, still….."

Dana and Phil didn't talk the rest of the way home. When they got there they were afraid to go inside, and for a good reason. When they got inside, what they saw was even more scarier than they could have ever imagined.