Get Back to You 264 Drowning in the pit of her mother's pas

Ethan appeared more relieved like the weight been lift of his chest post the conversation he had with his daughter. Lia isn't aware of Lillian Grey in detail, but at least she finally knows the value of that person in her mother's life. Additionally, Lia did learn to treat everyone equally with love and respect- this made the father pleased.

Meanwhile, the one struggling most was little Lia. To get deposited with too much information burdened the young girl. She stood lost and distant, perplexed from engaging to the surroundings. Ethan, who was celebrating his victorious vestige from this event, noticed his daughter thoroughly bewildered. He watched her voiceless and exposed to many elements that are hard for her age. Apprehending her remoteness, Ethan wished to aid her.

He called forth for Lia, informing her about a message from Giselle before she left for work.

"Didn't you wish to invite your friend, right?" he said.

Much to his await, Lia reacted, amusing herself away from blowing steam off of her head from wearing out. She peered curiously at her father.

"Well, we have lots to do now, baby girl."

"We have!" Lia gapes.

Giselle already gave instructions to Ethan before leaving for work. Initially, she planned to invite Lia's friends over for lunch, but the last-minute party for Jayce and the film crew ended up letting Giselle skip the lunch and pick dinner.

"Your mother will only return at night. So, we need to take care of lunch and dinner by ourselves," Ethan reminded.

Lia blinked for a while.

Meantime, Ethan moved away to collect his mobile and a piece of paper to return by Lia's side as they both seated on the dining table facing each other.

"Now, before we can think about lunch, we have to invite your friends to tomorrow's dinner. Your mother already wrote numbers in this paper-" Ethan said and handed out a slip of memo where Giselle wrote down all three numbers.

Back when she met everyone's parents and had a long conversation, they all exchanged personal contact. With the help of this information, Ethan asked if Lia could join him in calling her friends and invite them out!

It can hopefully distract Lia as Ethan wished for his daughter to move forward without drowning in the pit of Giselle's past. Lia is a smart girl and a kind soul. As she grows, she would connect the words her father narrated with reality. It is the only way she could experience life and live.

Lia heard it right and went along with the flow. With her father's help, she managed to call all three of her friends by herself to her appeal. Ethan let her speak as he sat in front to guide her greet and signal accordingly.

Jessica secretly asked if the fight with her mother was over, and Lia vaguely pointed out that they reconciled. She kept her voice low and blushed when her father softly chuckled from overhearing the talk. Lia quickly diverted the subject to the dinner plan. Jessica praised Lia still and shared her excitement for the dinner party. Andy and Stephanie also loved the idea and expressed their impatience to meet and play together.

The joy resumed in the home with their special guest. Ethan appeared gratified from seeing his sweet daughter smile all bright like she always did.

"Now, shall we go out on a date?" Ethan said, following their calls.
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By this time, Lia had long forgotten about their heartfelt conversation. Thanks to her father's company, Lia returned to her energetic self and agreed for a sunny afternoon date.

Lia matched with her father's casual look as the two wore denim bottom and fancy designed tops to match, respectively.

...

The midday crowded the streets with groups of people as well as individuals hanging out, chattering busily to their heart's content.

However, stepping out to the sun, and meeting these many people on the sidewalks left Lia effortlessly return to her former gloomy state.

The conversation she had with her father left the young girl still stupefied. So much happened to her mother's life, and Lia never knew anything.

She considered her age to be a factor for her unawareness, but still, the little girl felt grateful for her father, who put in his trust to reveal it all or maybe not! Nonetheless, she at least learned it sooner. That made Lia not to soak in sadness any longer.

"Ah, finally, this looks like a pleasant place to eat, Lia," Ethan said to Lia's notice.

Lia looked out to see that they were standing in front of a restaurant called the 'Chicken & Waffles.'

"Are we having waffles for lunch?" Lia asked.

"Of course, this is my first time in the States, and I would like to taste a variety of food they cook in here! Let's go inside!" Ethan urged.

The two entered a dimension where the closely spaced tables gave a comforting feeling while also burdening the waiters to be careful about their travel to serve the customers.

Despite the busy Saturday, there were a few tables left to occupy, and Ethan picked the one that is nearer to the window.

They placed their orders as quickly as possible due to growing visitors:

Two plates of Chicken and Waffles, a vanilla milkshake for Lia, and a mocktail for Ethan.

While waiting for the food to arrive, Ethan received a call from a colleague, and he signals Lia before answering.

Letting her father attend to his call, Lia chose to entertain herself by studying the people and reading them for no reason. She glanced over the place and found a few families, a group of teenagers, businessmen, and random people. Lia's eyes wandered over to the billing counter that caught almost everyone's focus as the line's length kept increasing every half hour. It appears that this place serves good food that often people rush in to order takeouts.

It fit Lia's thirst to study people, and she sharpened her focus to look at the growing queue.

Amongst the line stood different people, and Lia studied them one after the other:

A super-busy man, as Lia named him herself, was talking on his phone already while waiting after paying the money.

Behind him stood a group of friends who upfront look like they are in college as their growth and behavior seem to match that of a college kid. Followed by a single woman who maintained a calm demeanor and-

Before Lia could cut to the next person, another one entered the restaurant to join the single lady much to everyone's startled. This woman came in like a hurricane, swift with grace, she greeted the lady with a smile, followed by a kiss that sent the second shockwave to their surroundings. Lia's eyes grew from the sight, and naturally, she looked around to check if people are witnessing it as her. Soon, the lady joined, and the line moved one step further to the counter, for it is the college kids' turn to order their takeout.

Lia stopped with studying the line and only kept her eyes fixed on the two ladies who openly shared a kiss and expressed their relationship.

The little one did compare it with the scene she encountered with her mother and Ms. Lillian Grey. Much to her surprise, Lia couldn't find many such pairs throughout her trip outside the home. She realized how rarely she gets to meet people like this outside. However, until now, the child never paid attention because it never mattered to her.

Her gaze once again shifted to watch how others react. The college kids in front of the ladies seemed not bothered by them, and in fact, one of the girls from the gang even smiled at them kindly. Meanwhile, a table near the counter occupies a family with three kids and their parents. As soon as the invasion of this new woman, the mother distracted her kids from looking at that side. Lia noticed how the stern parents kept glaring at the two ladies with their mean looks and low gossips.

The line moved, and it was the ladies' turn. They placed their orders and waited for a while before it finally arrives. Having received it already, the two acted like they did not bother about the empty looks, assuring smiles, or even rude rustling gossips swirling around them. They held hands and walked close, next to each other, to exit the place. Lia turned her head to follow them and see them still maintain the same face they had inside the restaurant. Despite some unfavorable reactions, the two women kept going.

Lia returned her gaze and found the family relaxing after their exit and resumed to enjoy their feast. Lia's mind packed her a lot of questions, but she began to get exhausted from overthinking.

In the end, the food arrives at the table as Ethan excused himself to end the conversation and let his speaker anticipate for the return call.

The two plates of chicken and waffles appeared to impress, and Ethan and Lia started eating it fresh and hot.

The subtly sweet waffles, along with the perfect crunch of the meat, instantly became a luscious bite. Also, the spices added to the fried chicken became a hot trend and a power duo.

Ethan gasped from the flavor, and Lia agreed.

The surprised father noticed how Lia's expression kept differing at times, and he worried if the impact was still going on with her as the child appeared lost somewhere in her mind and only ate like a robot. Because Ethan silently noticed her daughter's careful attention to the couple that just left the place several seconds ago, he assumed if Lia is still bothered or not from hearing the truth.

No matter how hard the child tried to avoid conceiving, her mind instinctively went back to her mother. A concern that never seems to end to her wonder.

While solving the various doubts that arose in her mind, Lia landed on a mine that is dangerous to face it alone.

"Papa?" she called.

Chapter end