378 Everyone's Christmas Morning - Part 2

Lillian arrived along with the daybreak, reaching Edwin's house early in the morning. One look at the old building, a new glint of joy reflected from its Christmas decorations. The gates held a couple of garlands, and the house dressed in Christmas lights. The glammed-up front porch flocked with decor and a riot of colorful ornaments. It was flashy for an old guy living alone in a gray building, especially when his daughter refused to visit home for holidays. Lillian did not expect to see such a festive sight. She sighed, embracing the holiday spirit as she pushed open the gate to enter. Along the way, the garden looked less appealing without any flowers to bloom under the weather. But Ethan planted several Christmas elves as an attraction and hung Christmas lights around them to decorate the path. Lillian didn't care as she paced her way to reach the house. She rang the doorbell a couple of times before it got answered by her father, who'd just woken up from his sleep.

Edwin opened the door to find an unexpected guest. His brain stuttered for a moment, and his eyes take in more light than expected. Aside from greeted by the morning breeze, Edwin saw his daughter's figure standing in front of him.

For a moment, he thought it was just an illusion from his deep consciousness. But, soon, he realized that it wasn't a delusion but his real daughter in front of him.

"Lilly?" he gaped in awe.

"Hey, dad!" Lillian greeted, feeling exhausted from making a surprise visit.

"Why- come in-" Edwin welcomed his daughter inside before willing to question her sudden visit. He worried if something serious had happened like last time and that his daughter chose to run away to hide again from reality. To his suspect, Lillian also behaved in a way, exposing her fatigue publicly as she walked like a corpse, taking sluggish steps as she entered the living room. She went straight for the couch to take shelter quickly, but upon reaching, Lillian noticed another figure occupying the spot.

Another old guy slept cozily, covering himself with a blanket while snoring peacefully in his sleep.

"Who's this?" Lillian asked, turning to her father, feeling irritated.

"Ah- he's a friend of mine. He came last night for dinner, and the poor guy couldn't go back, so I let him sleep here," Edwin replied.

Lillian's irritation only heightened from hearing a boring story. She was absolutely too tired to take pity on some old guy who couldn't return home after his dinner with a friend. On the other hand, Edwin grew more suspicious of Lillian's mood and wanted to confront her immediately before things get out of hand, like the last trip.

"Ignore him for now, but how come you're here- I never got any message-"

"It's a surprise, dad!" Lillian revealed wearily.

Lillian threw a cold glare at his flat response.

"Do you have any idea what happened last night?" Lillian groaned heavily.

"You were at Donna and Clemente's house for dinner with Diego, right! Donna told me-"

"I know! I know! I'm not talking about what happened before the clock hit twelve, but after!" Lillian raged to threw her bag on the floor and got hold of a chair to sit down first.

"What happened?" Edwin asked, having no clue to guess but slightly worried from watching his daughter's irked demeanor.

"I thought of surprising you, so I packed my bags to catch a flight, and guess what? I spent the night in the airport before my luck ran out to get me a ticket."

Lillian spoke too fast in rage that Edwin couldn't apprehend her situation.

"What?"

"You didn't get a ticket!"

"Yes! Since it's the holidays, all the flights got booked full. I had to wait there to test my luck, and thankfully, after spending a few hours of idling, I got a ticket, charged heavily, not that I care, but still-" Lillian exploded from remembering.

"You do realize it is your fault! You could have gone home!" Edwin couldn't help but comment honestly.

Lillian's cold glare returned to poke holes into her father's aged skin.

"There's no point in staring at me!" Edwin exclaimed to see his daughter quite devastated.

He sighed, realizing that it was all done for his sake. He ignored to comment more on the subject and thanked Lillian for not giving up. His smile revealed his sincerity, and Lillian noticed it to calm down.

"Well, I thought, why not go visit my father since it's all people ask me!" Lillian said to groan.

She stood up to pick her bag from the ground while glancing at the sleeping guy on the couch. She envied his state with a heavy heart and sore limbs.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get a rest?" Edwin suggested.

"No- I'll fresh up and come down- for breakfast!" Lillian dragged her words, informing.

Edwin flinched from shock. It was not the usual words from her but sounded like a wish. Edwin had no choice but to be grateful that he still get to hear his daughter's silly desires. He smiled to agree.

"Alright!" Edwin answered to move.

Lillian went straight to her room while Edwin entered his kitchen.

***

Lillian came downstairs after some time. She looked much better in her clean skin and fresh pair of clothes. Still, the bags under her eyes remained written in the stone. By the time she descended the stairs, the old guy taking a refugee on the couch was not there. Lillian assumed he just woke up to return to his home, but to her startle, he hung out in the kitchen with his friend and host, Edwin Grey.

Edwin laughed and chatted heartily with the old guy. Lillian watched them in a stupor for a while before the laughter ceased, and Edwin noticed his daughter.

"Lilly! Come here!" he summoned casually.

Lillian marched to enter the kitchen and took the counter seat next to Edwin's friend.

"Paul, this is my daughter!"

"Lillian, this is my good friend, Paul!"

Edwin made a brief introduction and informed a little more about Paul to Lillian and vice versa. Paul was 72 years old, and his fossiled skin with million freckles added a few more years to his appearance. However, when he spoke, his words came out crystal clear without any stuttering.

Within the short span of their conversation, Lillian came to realize how Edwin had already told his group of friends about his daughter's fame as a writer.

Lillian heard the guy praise several times and mention how Edwin had been proud often in his conversation. Lillian guessed these two should be best friends since they chat comfortably with each other.

Edwin invited Paul to stay for breakfast. Paul glanced at Lillian for her reaction. Lillian nodded with a smile. She followed her father, requesting him to join them.

"After all, the more, the merrier!" Lillian said.

Paul returned a full smile to agree. He bragged about being lucky to eat Edwin's cooking again after last night's dinner. Together, the three sat down to enjoy a simple Christmas breakfast, sparing words and laughs while eating.