Lillian Grey returned with a clear mind. Talking with her friends did help her in understanding the unusual behaviors. She went home deciding to let the time heal the process. However, even now, she seemed a little timid mentally....
"Hey DAD," Lillian came down from her room; tip-toeing her way into the kitchen where Edwin"s cooking their dinner.
"Hey champ, did you finish your homework?" Edwin asked.
He was worried because when Lillian returned home after school, she looked like she got attacked. She seemed unsteady with a lot going on inside her mind. Edwin didn"t want to intervene by himself and waited for her to approach him for help. He doesn"t want to be the nosy parent.
"Yeah, all done. What are we having, dad?" Lillian asked while peeking into the pot.
"Stew" Edwin answered focused on cooking.
Lillian looked at her dad for a while and then went off to set the table. Edwin appreciated her help and resumed cooking.
"So, dad?" Lillian spoke in hesitation while arranging the plates.
"Hmm…" Edwin replied, not bothered by Lillian"s skepticism. His focus was on the beef stew. His hands played like a magician casting spells; carefully stirring the stew while preparing the potato salad.
"Dad?" Lillian called out again.
"Yes, dear," Edwin reacted.
He turned to face Lillian and saw her expression. She looked as if she"s expecting something from him. It made the father worry. Edwin raised his brows to let Lillian speak.
"I… I want to know how you met mom."
Lillian"s words made Edwin startle. He almost slid his fingers of the knife which could have ended in disaster, hadn"t he quickly reacted. His gaze fixed on Lillian.
"Alright, I can"t hold it in. Who"s the guy?"
"Tell me, who hit my precious daughter. Don"t think that I will allow you to date just any guy. He has to go through me to get you." Edwin maddened in jealous mostly.
He knew Lillian reached the age where she gets to date guys, which is also giving him the chills. However, up until now, Lillian never spoke about the topic. But, she did show a few signs of the youth love madness from yesterday. Edwin got scared; wanting to handle it without getting mad or hurting his precious daughter.
"Dad," Lillian exclaimed.
"Nothing happened. I just thought of asking it for a while but didn"t want to make you remember about mom and feel sad. That"s why I hesitated." Lillian replied.
"What? It"s not about guys." Edwin sighed loudly.
The stew is finished and so, the rest of the dinner. Edwin brought the food over to the table as they both sat down to eat.
"Thank G.o.d. I thought I was going to have- you know "the talk" with you, today." Edwin spoke in uncertainty.
"The Talk?" Lillian knew what her father referred to, still acted as if she doesn"t have any idea of such a topic.
"Yes, I know it"s going to happen soon or later, but let me take rest for a while now. G.o.d, having a girl child is tough but when they grow up and going to start dating is too much for any father to handle." Edwin kept ranting about being a father.
Lillian started digging into the delicious beef stew. The food tasted great.
"So, tell me. How did you and mom meet?" Lillian charged again.
"Oh, that"s easy. In a bar," Edwin replied in all animation.
Lillian raised her brows in irritation. It"s like the usual stories. She was expecting something more dramatic, but her father denied saying that they both met in a bar.
"No love spark, no b.u.t.terflies, no stars, no lights around, and no sparkle, sparkle effects?" Lillian asked curiously.
"Nope, not at all," Edwin laughed.
"Oh my G.o.d, no wonder my skills in that department are so bad. I gotta step up the game or else my future kid is going to kill me." Lillian appeared troubled.
"But you know, I didn"t experience those weird love-struck s.h.i.t when I met your mother. However, I felt shaken by her presence. The moment after I met her, she got stuck in my mind. I let it go at first but then, soon I realized that I had feelings secretly developed for her." Edwin spoke very quietly.
His voice expressed reminiscences of memories with his wife as he got emotional. Lillian went in to comfort her dad. She hugged him until Edwin had calmed down.
"I will tell you this. I don"t believe in love at first sight, honey. But, when it"s the right person that you meet, you will know that it is "The One." Until then, you have to wait." Edwin advised sincerely.
Lillian promised her father that she would wait for hers. After dinner, Edwin and Lillian spent time watching television and playing video games. Edwin isn"t a fan of video games, but he would often play with his daughter to have some fun and spend time with her.
…
It was time for bed and Lillian came out from the shower. She lay down on her bed and recollected her father"s words. Without knowing, she smiled thinking about his words and advice.
"Alright, I can"t be like this. I"ll let the time take over my feelings. Let"s see what happens in the future." Lillian murmured before dozing off to a deep slumber.