This diary entry is part 12 of 28 in Lily's diary dated 21 - March 2023

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

Well, you’d think after yesterday, there’d be no way to top that… and, well, you’d be right.  I can’t imagine anything that would top that experience for just plain weirdness.  Sabby gave me a really hard time about it, joking, of course, apparently Beth’s really jealous (why does everything good happen to LILY!!!), Liz just shook her head and said “only Lily,” Jack said I was hot in that dress, and apparently Diana just spewed a really long and fast bunch of Spanish ending with “ay yay YAY”.  Crystal just laughed.

I guess it’s to be expected.  The only one I’m even a little upset at is Beth.  I keep telling her.  You want my life, you can frigging HAVE it, just be prepared to lose every memory before you’re fourteen.  She and I are going to have to have a major talk.  Why can’t she just be happy for me for once?

But anyway, that’s over.  They’re actually being really nice and shipping the dress back home, so I get to keep it.  That’s really nice of them.  I can’t wait to model it for Jack.  It’s probably the most expensive piece of clothing I own by an order of magnitude.

So anyway, enough about last night.  Today we went boating.  They have a boat they keep over at a marina – it’s not a huge, fancy boat, but it’s a nice boat nonetheless.  It’s got a little room underneath, a toilet, you know all of the essentials, but it’s only a dozen feet long and nothing amazing.  Well… having a boat at all is amazing, but you know what I mean.  Not like an Elon Musk superyacht or anything like that.

Anyway, I put on my swimsuit and they put on theirs – HOLY…  Rebecca put on her swimsuit, and I swear, there was nothing there!!!  It basically just covered exactly what it needed to cover and not a square inch more!!!  She told me it was a designer that was very expensive – I just said “wow… I need to start making swimsuits, the amount of markup on those is insane.”

She just looked at me like I was nuts.  Robert laughed and patted my shoulder, and told me I have a really good head for business.  I blushed a bit – I like those kinds of compliments.  I still think Robert wants a piece of mine and Sabby’s company, but…  if he brings it up, I’ll let him propose, I guess.

Her mother wore a similar swimsuit – I think she works out!!!  I hope I have a body like hers when I’m her age!!!

But I’m half asian, I probably will until I’m sixty.  Hahah!!!

Anyway, we went out boating – they had some nice snacks and the bay was really pretty.  We boated out to Catalina Island and had lunch there.  Southern California really is pretty – they told me that it’s not pretty everywhere, but everywhere they’ve taken me is absolutely gorgeous!

Well, except for Hollywood.  I know it’s famous, but if I’m being honest, it’s kind of a dump.

Now I know why they wanted me to bring the sunscreen!!!  Rebecca and I put it on each other.  Okay, you silly-billies, I’ve told you.  It’s just what us girls do.  Now Jack, that would have been a different story!!!

Anyway, after we got home…  it’s funny how exhausting a relaxing trip can be, y’know?  We had a quick dinner and basically just went to do our own things.

Rebecca wanted to talk, though.  She said she’d never met anyone like me before.

“How so?”, I said.

“Well… all the girls at school… they’re all into fashion and gossip and being popular and all that kind of stuff.  They’d be so jealous that I met” – I still forget who that is, even though they keep telling me – “and that he invited us to the Oscars and everything.  But you didn’t care!  You seemed uncomfortable! Why?”

I sighed.  “Rebecca, I’m from Texas.  It’s… a different world.  We just don’t care about those things.”

She thought for a moment.  “Hmmm… what do you care about?”

I…  let’s be honest, I wasn’t expecting quite that insightful of a question.

“I… I guess God, country, family, brisket…”

“What’s brisket?”

“Only the best BBQ ever and we make it so good in Texas.”

She seemed to think for a while.  “What’s it like being you?  I mean, daddy told me about your memories being lost, and all the stuff that’s happened… and he told me that he didn’t know you existed until mom found you, and…  what’s it like?”

I thought for a moment.  “Do you remember being a little girl?”

“Yes,” she said softly.  “I remember being very little and going to Disneyland, and having my picture taken with Mickey and Minnie and all the other characters… that was so much fun!”

“I don’t,” I said just as softly.  “The only thing I know about life before I was 14 is what other people have told me.  I was adopted by Dave and Sabby, and… and they’re the best parents I could ever want.  But the price I paid…  it was very high.”

She nodded.  “But the best things are expensive, right?  I know when I want something expensive, daddy will usually buy it for me, but he always tells me that things are expensive because they are valuable, and they’re valuable because people really want them, and people really want them because they have something about them that demands that price.  You’re telling me your parents were expensive.  It sounds like they are worth the price you paid.  Aren’t they?”

OMG.  No one has ever put it that way to me before.  Tears sprung to my eyes unbidden.

“Yes…” I sniffled.  “They’re worth everything I paid, and more besides.  My parents, and my boyfriend… everything… worth everything.”  And I wiped my eyes.

She smiled sadly.  “My daddy’s not a bad daddy.  He dotes on me and always makes sure I have everything I need and many of the things I want, and I know he loves me.  But… I didn’t have to pay a high price for him.  I got him for free.  You paid for yours.”

I just nodded.  She was right.  She was so right.

“Tell me about Texas,” she said.  “you have any pictures?”

I think we’re going to get along fine.

Love you all!!! ❤

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