Chapter 2
Lillian was wide awake already as we stopped somewhere after Kansas and searched for a nice hotel to book for the night. I always enjoyed breaking this journey into two equal parts. Stacy and I used to play games while I drove and the winner gets to pick the hotel. This time, however, I know that I had to do it alone. Finally, we found a very good one and I booked one large suit for the three of us. It was the least that I could do for my daughter who preferred a more exciting time than spending Christmas in the country.
“At least it didn’t break down a thousand times before we got here” Lillian remarked as we settle in, referring to my old pick up van. I laughed hysterically and Snowflake also seems to be in on the fun as he began to bark mildly.
“So honey, what do you want to do once we get to Colorado? What do you have in mind?” I asked my daughter.
“What else is there to do? I would like to watch people do some hiking and maybe try it out myself this time. Can we go to a dog race? “Lillian asked, pointing those beautiful angelic little eyes at me.
“Do you want to see a dog race, buddy?” I asked Snowflake. He wagged his tail like he actually was very much involved in the conversation.
“He wants to see a dog race. We could see one after we are done with all the other boring stuff that you probably have lined up” Lillian said with a disgruntled voice.
“Cheer up honey. I promise you, Christmas this year is going to be fun” I said with a wide smile.
I walked up to the table in the room and picked one of the magazines. Lillian also picked one and jumps on the bed. She started to go through the pages of the fashion magazine in her hands and a smile finally rested on her face.
“I sure would love to be a model” I heard her say almost in a whisper.
“When you are done with school honey, you can think about that” I replied without looking up.
She didn’t say anything. She just continued flipping through the pages. I knew of her fascination with modeling, models and fashion photographers. She even knew a few of their names. I called mother to let her know that we had already passed Kansas and would be arriving at Colorado the next day.
**
It was a bright morning and quite a cold one too. Everything pointed to the fact that we were going to have a white Christmas. Although the snow didn’t really come as high as it did in the early months, Christmas this year sure looked like it would partake in a heavy chunk of the snow.
I cast a sideward glance at Lillian. She was wide awake and had her focus on the sides of the road. It seemed like everything was going pretty good until I start to hear a light sound coming from the engine of the truck. I ignored it at first, but then the van began to push forward and I was forced to find a good place to park and step out to go see what the problem was. I could feel the eyes of my daughter following my every step. She probably was thinking “Here we go”
I took up the hood of the van and immediately jumped back as thick steam filled everywhere, almost like smoke. I walk to the side of the vehicle and took a look at Lillian. She had a slight smirk on her face. Snowflake stuck his head out and tried to come out of the van. I helped him with the door and he jumped out. I knew that he could control himself. He was a good dog and wouldn’t cause any troubles on the road.
Once things had cooled down, I walked to the front of the car and poured some water into the water compartment and topped some other lubricating fluids. The van roared back to life when I stepped back in and we commenced our journey once more. It drove some more problems along the way, but I was able to handle most of it. Finally, we drive into Denver and I realized that in just about two hours, we would arrive at our destination. I stopped at a small pastry shop to get some hot doughnuts for us. I turned off the ignition and took slow and calculated strides into the shop and made my order. As I was about to step back out, I noticed another young beautiful woman walking into the shop.
I took a quick look at her and I could sense that something was wrong. However, since I didn’t know her, and I couldn’t wait to get home, I took my concentration back to where my truck was parked with my daughter and dog inside. But something was wrong. Lillian was standing outside the truck with Snowflake sitting near her legs. She seemed to have her gaze transfixed on me. I stopped and look at her before I noticed that she wasn’t really looking at me. She was looking at the closed door of the pastries shop.
“Are you okay?” I asked immediately I reached where she was.
“That was NatashaHarwood… NatashaHarwood” she said in an excited voice.
“Who?” I asked, looking back.
“She is NatashaHarwood” she said again.
“Who are you talking about, hone?” I asked my little daughter.
“That woman that just passed you… I recognize her from my fashion magazines. She is NatashaHarwood, a fashion photographer.” She said, sounding quite certain.
“Are you sure”
“Of course, dad” She said, still looking in the direction of the door. And just then, the woman stepped out again, carrying a small bag of doughnuts like the one I was holding.
“Oh my God, she really is NatashaHarwood” Lillian’s voice rang through the air.
I couldn’t stand it anymore and I knew that I just had to go talk to this woman that my daughter seemed to be so fascinated about. Maybe Lillian would be glad that we decided to take the back roads after all because she got a chanc3 to meet someone that she liked. I noticed that she was standing with her phone on her ear, making a phone call. She seemed upset about something. I still walked up to her anyway.
Getting nearer, I realized how truly beautiful she was. I had not looked at any other woman in this way since Stacy died. I noticed her pure and natural features. Her hair was dark and straight with a bit of curl in between. Her asymmetric face with all the right curves around the edges perfectly accentuated by her trim lips and pointed nose, made her look Brazilian but I could tell that she was not.
She finally dropped her call and turned to look at me. She forced a smile as her eyes met mine. I could easily tell that it was a fake one.
“NatashaHarwood?” I said immediately to prevent the awkwardness that threatened to ruin the moment.
“Yes, I’m sorry, do I know you?” She asked, still with that smile on her face. Even if it was forced, it was still very much beautiful. She sounded polite, yet rudely sophisticated and professional.
“No, actually, my daughter is the one who recognized you. She is fascinated with fashion and everything that has to do with it. She totally adores you and the moment she saw you, she was star struck.” I said and looked away but when I looked back at her, I discovered that she was already waving at Lillian who was also already waving back with a wide grin. And then she began to run towards us and Snowflake followed her. I noticed that NatashaHarwood stepped back a bit. She probably was scared of dogs.
“Oh don’t worry, he’s a good boy” I said immediately to calm her down.
“Hi little girl, what’s your name?” Natasha’s voice sounded absolutely angelic and her smile looked quite genuine now. She hardly had any wrinkles on her face or any sign of blemish. She is a perfect description of what an over pampered city girl is supposed to look like.
“Lillian… Star Riley” my daughter said with a wide grin on her face. I was definitely drawn to this pretty lady now. I could not believe how happy she made my little girl. They looked like they had absolutely known each other since Lillian was a little girl. If I didn’t know better, I would say Natasha was Lillian’s favorite aunt that she hadn’t seen in a while.
I continued to watch as the ladies talked and Natasha ended up signing an autograph for Lillian. Although I knew that Natasha wasn’t that much of a celebrity yet, my daughter saw her as someone she looked up to and that was enough for me. I hold Lillian’s hand as we walked back to the truck with Snowflake leading the way.
As I got into the driver’s side and turn on the ignition, I noticed that Natasha was still on the phone and that look of gloom and frustration had returned to her pretty face. I could sense that there was something wrong and so after I reversed the truck and turned toward the road, I turned off the engine once more and walked up to NatashaHarwood. This time, she caught my frame in her sight before I got to her.
“Do you need a lift or something?” I asked.
“Yes, I definitely do right now. But that depends on where you are going” she says. I can see the look of anticipation in her eyes; almost like she is silently prying that the next words that would escape my lips would definitely be the direction she is going.
“Colorado… we are going to Breckinridge” I announced.
“Oh my God, that’s so great” she almost screams. “I am going to Aspen. I took a flight to Aspen but the weather forced a diversion to Denver and now I am stuck with no means of transport to get to Aspen on time” she ended with a wide smile.
“That’s so sad… but maybe it isn’t such a bad thing. Pardon me for being selfish, but seeing you here today has made my daughter very happy. It would be my pleasure to take you as close as we can to Aspen” I let out a chortle.
“I guess so… That would be wonderful. Thank you so much” she says as I lead her to the truck where she makes herself comfortable in the back seat.
Lillian was unapologetically crazed about the fact that she is travelling with NatashaHarwood. She talked so much more than I had seen her talk in a while. I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her while I drove. My eyes continually latched at the mirror above my head just to catch her smile.
Things soon settled as Lillian became so tired of talking and all the happiness that she started to fall asleep again. I continued to cast intermittent glances at the woman seated at the back. Whenever she caught my eyes, I was quick to take them off and I started to feel like a High school student all over again. I couldn’t explain what was going on with me. It was unclear if I was fascinated by this woman because of her amazing looks or because she made my daughter so happy. But then, maybe it was because she reminded me so much of my wife. Those sapphire blue eyes that turned brighter when she smiled and her beautiful dimples that properly accentuated her face and gave her the look of a South American beauty queen.
I looked sideways at Lillian and caught her eyes on me. She probably had been watching me steal glances at NatashaHarwood. I couldn’t begin to understand what was going on in her mind