Once inside the restaurant, Mr. Graff and Lily went straight to the ordering desk. But something unexpected happened. Lily was surprised because her father's name was already on the reservation list at the restaurant. She looked at Mr. Graff with a look of disbelief.
"Have you planned dinner tonight?" Lily asked Mr. Graff.
Mr. Graff smirked. He then walked after the waiter, who led him to the table prepared for him. Lily followed behind Mr. Graff.
The restaurant waiter invited Mr. Graff, and Lily sat at one of the tables in the restaurant's corner. Mr. Graff and Lily immediately sat down in the table's red curved chairs. The two of them then opened the menu book given by the waiter, who escorted them.
Mr. Graff ordered fried calamari as an appetizer and a T-bone steak for his main course. Meanwhile, Lily ordered a shrimp cocktail and ribeye steak. They compactly chose baked potato as a side dish for their steak and chocolate brownie pie as their dessert. They also ordered a bottle of wine to accompany their dinner.
After the waiter recorded all their orders and left the table, Mr. Graff and Lily stared at them. Lily glanced at Mr. Graff. "Since when did you plan all this, Dad?"
Mr. Graff shrugged. "I just made a reservation when you waited for me in the lobby."
"Why here?" Lily asked.
Mr. Graff smirked. "Your mother and I often come to this place. When we want to celebrate something, we will come and celebrate it here."
"So, what are we going to celebrate now?" Lily again asked Mr. Graff.
A waiter suddenly came to Mr. Graff and Lily's table. He brought a bottle of wine ordered by Mr. Graff and immediately poured it into the glass in front of Mr. Graff and Lily.
"Thank you," Lily said after the waitress poured the wine into her glass.
The waiter nodded slowly and left Mr. Graff and Lily.
Mr. Graff then raised his glass while smiling at Lily. "For our research and Matthew."
Lily's cheeks immediately flushed when Mr. Graff mentioned Matthew's name. Lily also raised her glass, and the two then clinked their glasses. After that, they both drank the wine in their gulps.
Not long after, the waiter came with an appetizer for Mr. Graff and Lily. The two of them quickly ate their entrees without much to say. After that, the main course for them was served.
As soon as Lily's plate was served, Mr. Graff immediately took the plate and cut the meat on Lily's plate.
"You don't have to do that, Dad," Lily said.
"I still want to do it," said Mr. Graff while cutting up Lily's steak. "I don't know when I can do it again for you." He then looked at Lily with a smile.
Lily sighed in resignation. "Then let me pay for it."
Mr. Graff shook his head. "Tonight, I will treat you. Slice the meat for you and pour the wine into your glass." Mr. Graff then placed Lily's plate in front of Lily.
The two of them then began to eat their main course. Occasionally Mr. Graff noticed the atmosphere around the table where they were eating. It's like remembering the times he was with the woman he loved. Lily watched him and let Mr. Graff be lost in his memories with her mother.
----
Lily muttered under her breath after eating her dinner series with her father. "Would she do this too if she saw the leftovers in your mouth?" she chuckled when she saw the chocolate stain on the corner of her father's lips. She then took a napkin and wiped the corners of Mr. Graff's lips.
Mr. Graff gasped. But then he laughed softly and let Lily wipe her mouth. "Your mother likes to do it."
Lily took a deep breath. "I never met her. But she seems to be a woman who loves you very much."
"I love her. But I don't know how much she loves me. We love each other, "said Mr. Graff laughing softly. He suddenly fell silent as he looked at Lily.
"Did I ever tell you about the reason behind my research?" asked Mr. Graff on Lily.
Lily shook her head. "I don't even know why you built that lab."
Mr. Graff chuckled. "Your mother is the reason behind everything."
"I think this is the right time to tell me about Mother's death. What was the real cause of her death?" Lily asked.
Mr. Graff cleans his throat. He then took his glass of wine and drank it.
"I'm waiting, Dad," Lily said.
Mr. Graff looked back at Lily. "She died not long after giving birth to you. I didn't tell you on purpose because I was afraid it would hurt you."
Lily fell silent and looked at Mr. Graff with a look of disbelief. "She died after giving birth to me?"
Mr. Graff nodded his head. "She had quite a rare complication. The bleeding couldn't be stopped, and she eventually passed. I used to blame myself for that incident. I should have known that she had a blood clotting problem."
"I lost my word," said Lily. She was surprised by what her father had just told her. So far, he has never been told the cause of her mother's death. And this was the first time her father had told her about it.
Mr. Graff held Lily's hand and looked at her with a smile. "It's not your fault, Lily. She wanted a child. And she died after her wish came true. Plus, you grew up to be a beautiful and intelligent woman. She must be proud of you right now."
Lily smiled back at Mr. Graff. "I wouldn't be like this without your guidance, Dad. Forever you are my mentor."
"I'm just telling you what to do. But all your success will not be realized if you also do not try with all your ability. Thank you, dear," said Mr. Graff.
Lily raised her glass. "For the best mentor, I have. And Daddy, who is scary but loves me very much."
Mr. Graff also raised his glass and laughed softly at Lily's words. "For my daughter who will soon meet her sweetheart."
The two then tossed their glasses and drank the wine in their gulps.
"Would you like to take a walk for a bit?" asked Mr. Graff after drinking his wine.
"Shall we watch a movie?" Lily immediately nodded her head. She glanced at her watch.
"Not a bad idea. Let's go," said Mr. Graff. He then stood up from his seat and immediately walked over to the cashier counter.
Lily followed behind him with a small smile. She wished she and her father could spend more time together like this after they managed to wake Matthew.
****
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