Stranger on the Riviera

Chapter Four

"Hey, Dad." Lillian answered in a low tone that was laced with uncertainty, as she still tried to shake the dream away.

Head tilted to the side and shoulder raised, Lillian kept the phone propped between the two while she reached up to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear, listening as her father greeted her on the other side.

"Hey, Dad? That's all I get? I've been trying to reach you all day and all you have to say is hey dad? Did you not get my texts today?" He asked in a rather gruff, terse tone.

Lillian drew her head back in confusion, and with knitted brows she stared at the sand colored walls with perplexed eyes, reeling the events of today through her mind and not once seeing that her father had tried to contact her. Granted, the cell phone she had would occasionally act wonky, never alerting her of texts, or even calls for that matter, but she always seemed to catch it once she opened her phone. Pulling the phone away from her ear and putting her father on speaker, Lillian opened the home page only to lift both brows in shock, as she saw the missed phone calls and texts. Texts that had been sent around three this afternoon, and looking over at the clock on the stove in the small kitchen, it currently read seven o' clock in the evening. Lillian sighed while staring obstinately at the clock, trying to come to terms with how much time had flown by since accidentally falling asleep.

"Hello? Are you there?" Her father asked, breaking her train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm here. I..." Lillian closed her eyes, rubbing a hand over her tired, groggy face, before moving to sit down on the couch. "I didn't realize what time it was. Sorry, Dad. I fell asleep after I got off work. Wasn't feeling too well so I left a bit early. Is everything okay?" She asked, sitting back on the worn couch- a couch she knew needed to be replaced- with its goose feather sticking out of the pillows and flat cushions. It was a couch that had been a hand me down from her parents after she got out of college, and years later she was still telling herself to buy a new one. Yet here she was with the same couch. Why, she didn't know.

Lillian's father sighed, sounding weary. "Yes, everything is fine. I'm sorry if I sounded mad, I'm not. You just worried me. After-" Her father began, but Lillian abruptly cut him off before he could go on any further.

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry. I promise I'm okay. I really did fall asleep. If everything is fine with you, why'd you call? What's going on?"

"Well, after work tomorrow, I was thinking of coming down for a couple days. Get away from the hustle and bustle a bit. I thought you might want to meet up maybe grab some dinner and meet up at our favorite restaurant we would all stop at on our way home. That is, if you're not busy, and have some time to catch up with your old man." Her father laughed.

Lillian smiled. "Yes, Dad. I have time. When were you thinking of coming down?"

"Sometime tomorrow. Should be there late afternoon if you want to meet up in the evening for dinner."

Lillian clicked her tongue, nodding her head that was tilted to the side as she looked around with skeptical eyes. "That might be cutting it close. You see, I might not be able to make it. I have a date with ramen and noodles and I'd really hate to cancel on them. It'd be so rude, you know?"

Catching on, her father chuckled before saying, "Well, if you'd rather keep your date and just add water before microwaving for three minutes, I'll go and enjoy a forty ounce with some chicken without you l, and send you a photo of the free meal you could of had."

"Well, when you put it that way, I might as well just go and meet you tomorrow for dinner. Especially, if it's free. How can I pass that up? It'll be fine. I think my date will understand."

"Uh-huh. Alright, kiddo. Let me let you go. I have to get some work done for tomorrow and I'll see you then, okay? Get some sleep."

"Sure thing! I'll see you tomorrow."

Saying their goodbyes to one another, Lillian hung up, setting the phone down on the cushion beside her. Scooting down, Lillian leaned her head back, closing her eyes while she let out a worn sigh. Eyes closed, her mind was spinning once more with thoughts of the past and of the dream that had seized her mind. In the midst of the pondering, Lillian's stomach growled, interrupting all train of thought. Knowing she should probably eat something before going to bed, she grabbed her phone and stood from the couch, heading into the small kitchen that flowed into the living room.

Unfortunately, going to the store was an errand that was supposed to be fulfilled before coming home, but that didn't happen. Luckily, the pantry was fully stocked with packs of ramen noodles. There were now ten left out of the forty-eight mega pack that had been bought. Ramen noodles were a meal Lillian enjoyed and it was both quick and efficient. As much as she ate them, never did she tire of them. At least not yet anyway. Opening the pantry door, Lillian reached inside the large cardboard box that contained the packs of ramen, grabbing one before putting it into a bowl with water and heating it in the microwave.

While patiently waiting for the ramen noodles to heat, Lillian leaned back against the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen, with its fake granite countertop, and scratched cherry wood cabinet doors. Arms and ankles crossed over one another, the sound of the microwave's hum filled the quiet apartment, and with her eyes glued to the door, Lillian watched the bowl swirl in circles as she became lost in thought once more. She hated that she caused her father to worry about her. She hadn't meant to, and while there was a part of her that was annoyed about the many missed calls he made and numerous texts, she could also understand. After all, it was only just the two of them now.

Frowning, Lillian rubbed her sternum, shaking thoughts of the past along with the dream of the stranger. A sad sigh escaped her dry lips, and with her head down, once more she frustratingly rubbed the bridge of her nose as she tried to cease the busy thoughts that plagued her mind. With the food done, Lillian grabbed the bowl of ramen noddles, dumping the contents of the packet inside before stirring while silently telling herself she was going to eat then head to bed. Hopefully, there would be no more dreams of the stranger, and tomorrow would be better a day. While throwing away the empty seasoning packet, Lillian's phone buzzed against the counter top catching her attention.

With slow steps, she made her way back over, seeing who had texted this late. Reading the text carefully, a small sense of agony swept over her as she read Arielle's text.

Greg asked where you were this afternoon. Didn't seem too happy when I told him. Just giving you a heads up for tomorrow. I'm sorry. You feeling any better? Arielle's text read.

Loads. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know. See you tomorrow. Lillian replied before tossing her phone against the counter top with a frustrated sigh.

She could only hope tomorrow would have been a better day.