Chapter 17: Frustration
It was the last day of school in that week and there was only one more day left in the following week to start the vacation. Dixie was walking in front of Kong Kollege and, minutes later, Diddy also arrived to greet each other.
"Diddy, do you know what we're going to do the other week?" Dixie asked with emotion.
"We're going on the vacation trip!" Diddy exclaimed in the same tone. "Have you already told Tiny, Kiddy and Chunky?"
"Of course, they're super excited. We haven't had any vacations like that in years."
"We're leaving!" they said in unison, high-fiving their hands with emotion.
"Oh, right, Dixie, I wanted to ask you also if we could go to the waterfalls today; there is... something I wanted to show you," Diddy said, smiling at her.
"Oh, okay. I'll see you this afternoon then," she replied smiling. "Are you going to show me somewhere new?"
"No, it's not a new place. It's just... Well, you'll see. It's an important thing."
"Anything important?" she asked curiously. "About what?"
"You'll find out later," Diddy finished with a smile.
They both continued to walk towards the classroom. This time, they were calm knowing that it was their last days in that school year, and they could not wait any longer to enjoy the vacations.
"How about it, you pair of mangy lizards?" Mandrew told them, passing by them along with the group.
Diddy and Dixie turned to look at the quartet in an annoyed way.
"Hi, lousy ape faces," Dixie replied in a mocking tone.
"Lousy apes," Melenky added, imitating her and making a mocking gesture. "Numbskull girl!"
"You are numbskulls!" contradicted Diddy in defense.
"Ohh, you are defending your... little girlfriend," Rocky added, and the others began to laugh mockingly... except for Jemky, who just looked at the two by rolling his eyes.
"Shut up!" Diddy exclaimed, annoyed at the reckless comment.
"Hey, monkey, seriously," Melenky continued, with every intention of annoying them. "Is she your girlfriend?" he added, pointing to Dixie.
Diddy and Dixie wanted to beat them up to shut up at once.
"No, and don't talk nonsense!" replied Diddy.
"Yeah, yeah, 'nonsense' you say," Mandrew exclaimed mockingly. "We'll see the two of you together."
"Ugh, you are so annoying!" replied Diddy, trying to downplay the matter. "Dixie is only my friend; I'd never see her any other way!"
"Ohhh!" the four exclaimed in an uproar tone at Diddy's answer.
Dixie, on the other hand, showed a sneaky frustrated look at Diddy.
"What?" Diddy exclaimed, confused to see that everyone looked at him in different ways.
"Good morning, sir students!" Mr. Pinky appeared, calling them all. "Class is about to begin! To the classroom everyone, please!"
The teacher went to the classroom to wait for his students to pass. His class began and continued normally. In short, he had been very strict, he spoke very firmly to the children and passed them to the front to solve complex exercises. But fortunately, that was already the last class of the school year; the following week they'd only have to submit their pyramids as final exams.
Later, the break hours had arrived, so all the kong children went out.
"Wait," Diddy said curiously as he was talking with Dixie in a corner. "Did Jemky really tell you that?... Tell me more."
"Yes, and that their dads work hunting giant monsters," Dixie murmured. "Oh, and that the guns you told me about, were actually stolen secretly from their dads, it was not that they gave them on their birthdays."
"I didn't know that," Diddy said. "When they were my friends, they had only told me that their dads hardly saw them, but nothing more. They didn't even want to mention them, so I didn't continue asking them anything about that."
"I wonder what they will really be like in their homes."
"Although I don't really know his parents, I haven't even seen them at school events... Wow, hunting giant monsters? What kind of job do their dads have? That sounds very... strange?"
"No idea, then he didn't want to tell me anything else. Even, Jemky didn't seem to feel so good about having told it."
"I mean, how would they go hunting giant monsters?" Diddy asked, smiling a little in confusion. "I thought their parents were thugs like them too or worse... And first, how could Jemky tell you something like that? I mean, unless he tried to approach you by telling you about his life or if you had accepted a date with him."
"Well, I answered him that way, and then his face totally changed. And since he was calm at that moment, I could ask him."
"I had only been told that their parents didn't spend that much time with them," Diddy said with a shrug. "They were even so evasive if I asked them anything about their lives. Anyway, I don't understand how they could have learned to be the way they are."
"And you know? In the end-"
"Ahh, how close together are you two again, huh?!" Mandrew appeared along with Melenky by surprise. "Are you already in love?"
"You're a couple!" Melenky exclaimed, pushing them both.
"No!" Dixie replied with an annoyed look. "What are you saying?!"
"Yeah, stop talking fallacies!" Diddy added in the same way. "We're friends!"
"But what fallacies are you talking about, monkey?" said Mandrew, staring at him in a mocking way. "If you like Dixie."
"What?!" Diddy exclaimed, defensively. "Hey, what are you talking about?!"
"Don't pretend you don't, we know you do like her," Melenky added, pushing him towards Dixie. "And you too, Dixie, you like Diddy!"
"Hey, what are you talking about?!" Dixie replied. "That's not true."
"Get together!" Mandrew exclaimed, pushing them both.
"Just say it, you are girlfriend and boyfriend!" Melenky continued.
"No, leave us!" Diddy replied, pushing them away. "You are saying antics!"
"Don't pretend, we know you do want to be together," Mandrew added, staring at them. "Let's see, what do you say, Dixie? Do you like Diddy?... Or do you like Jemky more?"
"What?!" Dixie exclaimed, looking at them strangely. "Hey, don't talk nonsense! I don't even like Jemky!"
"Ahh, but do you like Diddy then, huh?" Melenky said, giving her a little push.
"N-no!" Dixie exclaimed, trying not to blush. "He's just my friend!"
"Yes, of course, you only see him as a friend!" said Mandrew with a mischievous look, before giving Diddy a push. "Come on, Diddy, and what are you waiting for to take the first step?... Otherwise, Jemky will beat you."
"Urgh, stop talking nonsense!" Diddy replied, losing his patience. "I'd never see Dixie in that cloying way, no way!"
Both Dixie and Mandrew and Melenky made different gestures, especially the latter, who saw Dixie showing frustration clearly and as if she had been annoyed.
"Oops, that hurt me," Melenky murmured, looking away.
"I-I mean... I wouldn't see Dixie like that," Diddy replied, trying to look serious. "She's just my friend."
"Yes, whatever you say," Mandrew added with a fixed gaze. "But I bet you-"
"Sir students!" Mr. Pinky suddenly exclaimed from the door of the classroom. "Break is over! Everyone to the classroom, please!"
Instantly, the children stood still when they heard the teacher's voice, so they stopped everything they were doing and headed towards the classroom. Even Melenky and Mandrew had finally calmed down and changed their expressions as they walked tensely into the classroom.
Meanwhile, Diddy and Dixie were also heading towards the classroom... although Dixie seemed to be somewhat serious as she looked sideways at Diddy. Then, the class continued later.
In the final hours of the class, Mr. Pinky had put to do some mathematical exercises to the children. Some of them had already finished, while others were still solving them.
On the one hand, the bully children were with their tables gathered doing such schoolwork. But as they did that, they seemed to be looking sideways at Diddy and Dixie.
"Hey, fellows, and what time are we going to execute our plan with those two?" Mandrew whispered to his group, in an almost silent voice.
"I say be today, since we're going to stay here this afternoon," Rocky said in the same tone. "At least to make it more fun when leaving our extra classes."
"No, I say be the day after tomorrow," Melenky added. "Or by the way, the last day of classes, after we submit the pyramids."
"No, no, I say be from today," Jemky said. "Moreover, I will go to achieve the goal."
"No, we all together better go to, or I'm going," Rocky snapped.
"No, if we all go to, those two are going to give us away," Jemky said. "We would even only have to go for one of them."
"I say it because you always end up causing disasters or getting into trouble," Rocky replied.
"You relax, I know what to do," Jemky added. "In addition... maybe we should try it in a bad way."
"Messrs. Jemky and company!" Mr. Pinky exclaimed suddenly, catching the attention of the four children and leaving them paralyzed. "Don't forget this afternoon to stay for your extra classes."
"Oh, and do we really have to stay?" Jemky reluctantly replied.
"Of course, I've been telling you for two days, and today you must start. And you must also come tomorrow and the day after!"
"Hey, Mr. Pinky, but it's the weekend," Mandrew exclaimed in the same way. "Couldn't it be just today?"
"The three days are the ones that you must come!" replied Mr. Pinky firmly as he read some pages. "According to the reports of your grades this cycle: you are already failed, but that is not the worst... Your grades are even in danger so that you cannot access the recovery exams. Come and see this!"
The quartet, though tense at first, went to the teacher's desk and saw the sheet he was carrying.
"Just look here," the teacher pointed out. "Mr. Rocky can save his grades by attending the extra classes. Mr. Mandrew and Mr. Melenky must do the same, but separately, they must submit their pyramids to save themselves. And as for Mr. Jemky... I regret to say that to save himself, he'll have to submit a well-made pyramid, otherwise, he'll be directly out of the cycle."
"Hey, are you serious?" Jemky exclaimed, arms crossed. "So, we... Are we going to have to take those extra exams?"
"Yes, that's no matter what," the teacher added. "This weekend's extra classes are just to help you access those exams with Mrs. Wrinkly when she returns or at the start of the next cycle, otherwise, you'll be expelled and a report will be sent to your parents."
"Hey, mister, but isn't there anything else to do?" Rocky asked him in disgust. "And with our dads it's in vain; they won't want to come and even don't have time."
"Well, somehow that's going to be communicated to them! You are the ones who have the lowest performance here," replied the teacher, before looking at them more seriously. "Or perhaps... is there a problem in your homes or with you, kids?"
"What? Of course not, not at all," Jemky replied, looking at him strangely.
"Your parents... Do they pay attention to your school activities?" Mr. Pinky asked them, still looking at them seriously. "What do your parents do?"
"Well... they just spend working," Mandrew replied with a shrug. "They go hunting giant and exotic monsters."
"What?" exclaimed the teacher with a look of great strangeness at the response of those children. "And that... is a job? What kind of monsters? Have you seen them?"
"No, they never take us," Melenky replied with a shrug as well. "But that is already normal of them."
For the first time, apart from his usual authoritarian gaze, Mr. Pinky let a different expression show in him, and it was as if he was surprised by what those four children were telling him.
"Well, so…" said the teacher, shrugging, "did you bring your camera for the extra class activities?"
"Of course, here it's," Rocky replied as he headed to his desk and returned with a camera in his hands. "It does serve us, right?"
"It'll give you better results in the work you will have to do," the teacher replied. "This camera belongs to your parents, right?"
"Of course," Jemky replied with a forced smile and looking sideways at the group. "And what are we going to do with that, by the way?"
"You'll have to take pictures of different species of plants and insects, and then you have to point out their details, all well explained and with drawings."
"Hey, that's too much," Jemky said in disgust.
"Or else, you're not saved from this cycle!" replied the teacher, leaving them still with his tone of voice.
Suddenly, Diddy and Dixie also appeared at the desk to submit their class exercises.
"Okay, Mr. Diddy and Miss Dixie," said the teacher. "You can leave. And don't forget next week to bring your pyramids so you can pass the cycle. You too, Messrs. Jemky and company, submit your exercises right now and leave. And you know, come back in an hour here for your extra classes, and if you can, take your pictures in advance."
The time to leave had finally arrived, and classes were practically over as such. Everyone left the classroom happy, almost feeling the vacation.
"The other week we'll just have to come to the submitting of those pyramids and that's all," Diddy said as he walked with Dixie outside the classroom. "And finally, it'll be vacation."
"Yeah... And we can go on that trip later," Dixie added, smiling a little.
"I just hope everything-"
"Oh, the girlfriend and boyfriend are leaving together!" Mandrew and Melenky exclaimed, appearing by surprise.
"Do you want to shut up?!" Diddy replied, annoyed. "Stop bothering us!"
"You two are a couple! They are a couple!" Both children exclaimed, pushing them. "You like Dixie!"
"No! Stop talking nonsense!" exclaimed Diddy, losing his patience. "That silly guess of yours will never pass!"
Instantly, the bully children murmured again in an uproar tone, while Dixie gave some look of disgust towards Diddy in a sneaky way.
"Come on, monkey," Mandrew said, pushing Diddy. "Don't pretend it anymore, you do-"
"Agh, shut up at once!" replied Diddy, beginning to accelerate the pace along with Dixie to get away from them, while they continued to laugh mockingly. It was too awkward for Diddy that someone mentioned such a thing in front of Dixie.
Diddy and Dixie headed to a corner further away from those children, who were reunited in their group of four. When they could finally be calm, they stopped before saying goodbye.
"Fools," Diddy said, looking into the distance at the quartet, and then looked back at Dixie trying to act normal. "Ignore them, you know it's not true what those fools say, they talk antics. You and I are just friends, aren't we?"
"Yes... Of course," Dixie replied with a short-forced smile.
"Well, so, I'll see you this afternoon, Dixie," Diddy said, smiling and reminding her that he had invited her. "I'll wait for you near the waterfalls in the middle of the afternoon."
"Okay," Dixie replied, although with a certain coldness.
"Uh? Is something going on?" Diddy asked with a strange smile when he noticed her change.
"No... nothing," she added, hiding her frustration at Diddy's answers. "Uhh, hey, Diddy, I think... I don't want to go out this afternoon."
"What? Hey, but…" Diddy said, looking a little disappointed, "we agreed to go today."
"No, no, it's that... I just don't feel like hanging out today," she reaffirmed, looking at him with a hidden frustration. "Or we can go another day."
"H-hey, no, what do you say? Today I wanted to... show you something important. Could you go today, right?"
"Well, not now…" Dixie replied, still hesitant, but then trying to smile at him. "Or well... Okay, better yes. Let's go today."
"Okay, then see you later, Dixie," Diddy finished, smiling at her.
Diddy said goodbye and left on his way home. Meanwhile, Dixie stared at him as he walked away. She was a little disappointed; Diddy's comments about if the two of them would date, made her frustrated and she was unable to help it. In fact, whenever someone mentioned that matter to them... he denied it as if it were not a good thing. She came to think that maybe Diddy didn't love her the way she did or he wouldn't be interested in taking the first step.
"That dwarf monkey still doesn't tell you a little love secret?" said Jemky, appearing behind with a few small laughs, before approaching Dixie. "That monkey doesn't love you; he's a coward and doesn't look interested in you, don't you think?"
Dixie turned to look at him in disgust at the comment, and then looked back at Diddy walking away into the distance, still with a frustrated expression. After sighing disappointed, she started walking to leave too, when suddenly, Jemky stopped her.
"Hey, Dixie," he called her. "By the way... I wanted to talk to you about something."
"And now what do you want?" Dixie exclaimed reluctantly, as Jemky began to smile at her.
"Well, you'll see…"
Diddy was home in the mid-afternoon hours. He was sitting on the couch assembling what appeared to be a very small box, almost the size of the palm of his hand, with a red ribbon on top and on which he had placed a note inside.
"Diddy, I'll go with Candy to- Huh? What are you doing?" asked Donkey, seeing him with that little box.
Diddy turned to look at Donkey with a broad smile, before answering him.
"I'll tell Dixie," he replied without further ado, this time, being determined.
"Wait!" Donkey asked with a raised look, to which Diddy nodded all smiling. "Wow, little buddy! Now you've decided?"
"Well, yes... or so I think," Diddy replied, blushing a little.
"That's my little buddy!" he said, patting him on the back. "Will you go right now?"
"Of course," Diddy replied, getting up and heading for the door. "I told her we'll meet this afternoon."
"But you won't be nervous again, will you?" Donkey said, hands at his sides.
"Of course not, Donkey," Diddy said with a few small laughs. "Or at least I want to believe that."
"Okay, then, good luck, buddy!" Donkey exclaimed, smiling. "I know you can do it."
"I hope so," Diddy replied with a small laugh, although deep down, he was already getting nervous. "See you later, Donkey."
Diddy left his house. The reason he had asked Dixie to hang out that afternoon was because he had finally made up his mind about saying his feelings about her; after all, it was the only way to know if he would have any chance. Although anyway, just imagining what it would be like made him very nervous. He knew it was time to do it if he wanted to know if Dixie would reciprocate, even if it put their friendship at risk... and even if he spent trying to hide his feelings at all costs.
After a long journey, Diddy arrived at the place where he had said to meet Dixie. He was in the middle of the jungle a few meters from a lake; there he was... waiting for Dixie, and waiting for that moment. Diddy did not stop feeling that enormous tension, because in a few minutes later, he would have to know how Dixie would react and, above all, if he would be able to tell her this time without being attacked by nerves. He looked at the small box he had made and only thought of Dixie receiving it.
Suddenly, he saw a silhouette in the distance of someone approaching... Indeed, it was Dixie... As soon as Diddy recognized her, his heartbeat accelerated to a thousand. In recent times, he no longer felt nervous about being with Dixie, but when it came to trying to reveal his feelings to her, those emotions revived.
"You can, Diddy" he said to himself in mind "Just do it, you can."
"Hi, Diddy!" said Dixie when she arrived.
Diddy froze the instant she spoke to him; his time had come and now he would have to tell her no matter what.
"H-hi... Dixie," he replied smiling, trying to hide his nerves as much as he could. "Uh, are you ready to go?"
"Uhh, Diddy, you'll see…" Dixie said, smiling in an apparent forced way and looking sideways, "I have to tell you something very important right now."
"Really?" suddenly, Diddy began to fill with various thoughts, which made the nerves attack him more intensely, but he struggled to hide it. "Do you know?... I was going to tell you something important too, Dixie."
"Oh, really?... What a coincidence," Dixie replied with a small smile. "Tell me you first."
Now there was no turning back for Diddy; he had to do it no matter what and without hesitating again.
"Uh, so... I... Well... you…" he began to try, but he still couldn't; again, his nerves were attacking him and his mind was blocked. "Or not, say what you have to tell me first, Dixie," he added with a forced smile.
"Okay... You see, maybe this sounds crazy to you, but…" Dixie took a few seconds of silence and took a strong breath before continuing. "I'm going to... start hanging out with Jemky."
"What? W-what did she say?" Diddy thought instantly.
Diddy was paralyzed by such a sudden response. He wanted to make sure he had heard Dixie right.
"W-what?!" was the first thing Diddy expressed. "Say... what?... You with... that orangutan?... Hanging out on a plan to…"
"Yes…" Dixie replied, showing some shyness. "We're going to hang out on a plan to... you know, dating," she said, smiling subtly.
"What?!"
"Uh, yes, and in fact, I think you'll have to excuse me, but... we have our first date this afternoon too," Dixie added with a forced smile. "I'm sorry, Diddy, but I won't be able to go with you today."
"Hey, wait, wait, but what are you saying?! I mean... We were going to go this afternoon."
"Ahh, yeah, but I won't be able to today, Diddy," Dixie replied with the same expression.
Suddenly, Diddy felt a strong knot that started in his stomach and reached his heart; that physical sensation it feels when someone finds out about something it was better off without knowing.
"Hey, O-one moment!" Diddy exclaimed, who still hadn't fully processed what Dixie was telling him. "First, you had told me that we could go to the waterfalls this afternoon."
"Well, yes, but… I forgot that I also had that date with Jemky today, since he had to stay in the extra classes," Dixie said, smiling hard. "Sorry, I don't think I can today, Diddy."
"And second, with Jemky?" interrupted Diddy as he assimilated it. "I mean... Not that I give it importance, but... it's Jemky, h-he's one of those hateful fools. Besides, you always said that he was a silly, daring and ugly orangutan."
"Uhh, well, it's that... this week we've been talking after school and... he's not as bad as we thought," Dixie replied, smiling and looking sideways. "And in fact... I think I already started to like him."
Diddy was all confused; he didn't know what to do or how to react to what Dixie was telling him.
"H-hey, don't take it badly, Dixie, but... don't you remember how braggart he is?" said Diddy, looking at her strangely. "So, how long have you been dating? I didn't know that... Or is it a joke?" he added, crossing his arms and staring at her.
"No, it's true, Diddy. Four days ago, we started talking more," Dixie reaffirmed with a smile. "And I hadn't told you because... I didn't know what face you were going to make, because you know, we've never gotten along with that group. And he's not so bad now that I've talked to him more, you just have to get to know him better," she explained, still smiling. "Now tell me what you were going to tell me, Diddy."
Suddenly, and for the bad luck of Diddy, who wished it was a joke in very bad taste... Jemky appeared and stopped right next to Dixie.
"Hi, my beautiful Dixie," said the orangutan boy before hugging her.
"Jemky!" exclaimed Dixie, smiling and apparently reciprocating the hug. "Will we go for a walk as you promised?"
"Of course, pretty, wherever you want. And we'll take a lot of pictures of the two of us," he replied in his sweetest tone, even carrying the same camera they had taken to school. "Oh, hi, monkey," he said to Diddy, waving at him. "How so around here?"
"Uh, it's that... I hadn't told Diddy about our date," Dixie told Jemky. "But now he knows."
Diddy only stared at them with a paralyzed expression; he felt strong urges to give Jemky his comeuppance and tell him not to bother Dixie... But no, this time... Dixie reciprocated him as if nothing?! Had she agreed to date the orangutan boy? Diddy, who a few minutes ago was one step away from telling Dixie how he feels, now had just learned something that took away all the momentum. Then, he observed for himself the small box he had made.
"Hey, didn't you have something to say to me, Diddy?" Dixie asked him later.
Diddy knew that it would be useless to confess his feelings to her; he just wanted to get out of there to better process what was happening.
"N-nothing, forget it!" Diddy replied, looking at her with utter indifference. "Hope your date goes well."
Without further thought, Diddy turned around and immediately left; he didn't want to know anything else for the time being.
"H-hey, Diddy, wait, wait!" Dixie tried to call Diddy, but he had already quickened his pace.
"Oh, leave him, pretty," Jemky said, taking her arm. "It's getting late for our date."
"But it's that-"
"And well…" he said, staring at her in a steady, serious way as he held her arm. "What object did I tell you to hand me over right now?"
In the evening, Donkey was back home after dating Candy earlier that afternoon. He climbed the stairs and entered, all glad to have hung out with his girlfriend once again.
"I've arrived, little buddy!" he said cheerfully as he closed the door. "Hey, right, Funky told me to go to the beach tonight. Don't you want to come?... Diddy?"
Donkey stood still for a few seconds when he saw his nephew: he was lying on the hanging tire, his eyes lowered and a smile all absent... very contrary to how Donkey expected to find him after he told him what he would do that afternoon.
"Hi, Donkey," Diddy uttered in a weak voice and barely looking at him.
In that state he was in, Donkey guessed what could have happened. He walked to where Diddy was to talk to him better.
"Uhh... Something... went wrong?" Donkey asked insecurely.
"Worse," Diddy replied, beginning to look up.
"Oh, no... What happened, little buddy?" Donkey asked, looking at him with concern.
Diddy looked down again, while hesitant to answer.
"Dixie told me that... she was dating... Jemky."
"W-what?!"Donkey exclaimed, confused and wanting to be sure of what he heard. "Hey, wait, wait... Did you say... Jemky?... That orangutan boy from your former group of friends who was chasing her?"
"Same."
"And... so you didn't tell Dixie?"
"No, now for what," Diddy replied, both sad and angry. "The worst thing is that when we gathered, she told me she couldn't go with me because she was hanging out with him."
"But what?! How did that happen?" Donkey also had difficulty assimilating what Diddy just said, and it even sounded so strange and sudden to him. "A-Are you sure that's true, little buddy?"
"She told me herself!" Diddy exclaimed in an anguished tone. "Then Jemky arrived to go to the date, the two of them hugged, and then I just told them to do well and left, I couldn't stay any longer."
"What?!" Donkey said with a look of weirdness. "But how with that boy? Are you really saying it, buddy?"
"Yes! I saw and heard it myself," Diddy replied with a look of frustration. "I didn't want to believe it either, but I saw it."
Donkey was now shocked; he could not believe that either and it was very strange what Diddy was telling him. Then, he started pacing back and forth as he tried to understand the situation and process everything.
"But I don't understand, I mean... you are her best friend, with whom she has spent the most time and with whom she has shared the most... Even not only me, some of us were convinced that she might feel the same way you did. How instead of choosing a good and charismatic monkey like you, she chose that orangutan boy-"
Donkey stopped when he saw Diddy turn his back… And he could see him wiping his eyes with one hand.
"Oh, no, no, little buddy," Donkey said with pity, returning to him. "Are you…"
"Donkey... I loved her," Diddy said, shedding tears. "But it's too late as you told me," he added before breaking down in tears.
Donkey was very sad to see how his nephew, for the first time in his life, was heartbroken. He couldn't do anything else, so he just hugged him to comfort him a little.
"Calm down, calm down, little buddy, those things usually happen and hurt a lot, I know... but not forever."
Diddy didn't answer anymore; he just let his tears fall into Donkey's arms, which made him feel sorrier.
"Oh, Diddy," Donkey said sadly, before letting go. "Hey, come, let's talk here."
Diddy, though reluctant at first, got off his tire and accompanied Donkey to sit on the couch. Diddy still had live tears in his eyes.
"Now what am I supposed to do, Donkey?" he said as he wiped away his tears.
"Well… If she is with that boy, you should let her be happy with him if she wants to... Although you have never wanted to tell me well how those children are, what is that Jemky like?" he asked, frowning.
Diddy, to date, had not told him what those children were really like. Although they four were no longer as annoying or threatening compared to several months ago, Diddy still lived with the insecurity of telling it, and had only told Donkey that he was no longer friends with them because they simply took distance. However, Diddy also didn't want to get overwhelmed any more at the time or have an argument with Donkey regarding that topic, so he tried to be concrete to answer.
"Well... the truth is that he's very braggart in that way," Diddy replied. "I just hope he won't treat her badly afterwards. And they two barely started dating this week, Dixie told me."
"Since this week? But what's wrong with Dixie?" exclaimed Donkey, looking too confused. He paused before continuing. "Hey, I don't really believe that that's true, little buddy, it's very weird... Are you sure that's true?"
"But she told me herself, Donkey," Diddy added as he continued to shed tears. "Even when we left school, she had told me first that she didn't want to hang out with me today… and now I understand why. And I can't do anything anymore."
Donkey, although looking at the situation with some oddity, was also sorry to see Diddy expressing himself in that way, so he wanted to try to cheer him up as best he could.
"Uhh, but look at a good thing, little buddy: at least you and Dixie are best friends, you still have that friendship... I know it's not the same, but at least you'll still be there for her when she needs it. Besides, I don't think she's going to last long with someone like that orangutan boy. As I've told you before, I always have had a bad feeling about those kids. I even find it very strange that Dixie dates with one of them, maybe she leaves him later."
Diddy lowered his gaze as if there was nothing to cheer him up again. Donkey, feeling bad and pitied, placed a hand on his head.
"Okay, little buddy, you can cry and vent whatever you want for the moment, since it must hurt a lot… But you should not let this situation end the happy and funny monkey you have always been; you still have you, you have me, you have our other friends. This isn't the end of the world, is it? You'll see that later you'll get better... But of course, if you want, for now just vent all you need."
"Okay, Donkey…"
"I love you, my little buddy," Donkey said, before hugging him like a father to his son.
"And I to you, Donkey," Diddy replied again smiling a little while still had tears in his eyes.
"Come, we'll make a delicious dinner to make you feel better, okay?"
Donkey took his nephew to the kitchen where they prepared a banana dessert, all to make him feel better after the love disappointment he had just had; with that, Diddy regained some spirits. And, as Donkey had mentioned upon arrival, they later went to Funky's house as well where they hung out near the beach.
But between moments, Diddy was again invaded by those bad emotions: Dixie, who was his best friend and for whom he felt something more than a friendship for a long time, had apparently agreed to date one of his archenemies from school, and could not even tell her what he felt, making him understand that he could no longer have a chance with her. He thought maybe that's what Donkey meant by it might be too late... All the illusions he had created with Dixie, collapsed that day. He hated Jemky more than ever, but if Dixie wanted him, he didn't want to interfere in her decision either... Although he didn't like the idea of her being with him either, it seemed very strange to him and it overwhelmed him to think about it. He wanted to get the idea that it wasn't true, but he couldn't, not if Dixie herself had claimed it.