Lily got off her bed and walked into the kitchen, where her father was making dinner. She walked over to where he was by the stove and gave him a hug.
“What was that for?” Jack Maire asked. He leaned his head back to rest on hers, and smiled.
“Nothing really. Just felt like letting you know how grateful I am to have a dad like you.” She sighed, and continued. “I just called Jude. He couldn’t talk to me right now, but I just want him to have someone to vent to about his dad, you know?”
“Lily, that’s a great idea, but make sure you let him bring it up. Otherwise, he will feel pushed to talk about it. Oh, and do more listening than talking. But, I am proud of you for trying to help him out.” Lily’s dad knew that Lily wasn’t doing this just because “it was the right thing to do”, but because she wanted to and cared about Jude. It was that kind of caring, he thought, that made real friendships.
“Sounds good, Dad. Thanks for the advice.” Lily released her Dad and turned to the refrigerator. “What’s for dinner?”
“Oh, nothing special, just some shrimp fettuccine with fresh basil pesto.” Lily’s dad knew that was her favorite dish, and had felt like doing something special for her.
“Really? Dad, you are amazing. Just don’t scorch the shrimp this time, okay?” Last time he had forgotten to check the shrimp, and they had been rather hard and crunchy.
“You don’t have to remind me. I learned from my mistake.” He didn’t enjoy the food the last time, either.
“Well, I am going to take a quick nap. Wake me up when dinner is ready, okay?” As her dad nodded, Lily turned and went to her room, where she flopped down on her bed. As she started to doze off, she thought, I hope Jude is having fun at his poker party.
