Flying the Nest Character Reveal #3: Lila

Please meet Lila; I only wish I could sit down and enjoy a tea with her in real life. I’m not alone. Our main character, Chad, has quite the crush on this single parent / college student / Eldernest Housekeeper and Cafeteria Assistant and readers will see him spending quite a bit of time trying to cross paths with her in Flying the Nest.

When I wrote Flying the Nest, I had no idea what people in Lila’s position would be dealing with amidst the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Their work was not easy before the pandemic; it’s even more difficult now.
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Here is a sneak peak to a more innocent time. I hope you enjoy Lila as much as I do!
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“You don’t blink a lot,” said Lila.

“Er,” I’d never been told that before and my mind scrambled for an answer. “I do that. You know. Forget to blink. When I hear something interesting.”

“Creepy.”

I was officially shit at small talk. I nodded, making sure to blink. “Right. Nice to meet you.”

I had at least tried talking to her. I reached into my pocket and pulled my own phone out. Now seemed a great time to check my emails. My Facebook. My non-existent follower list on Twitter.

“The body’s like that,” she continued, “works in very creepy, random ways.”

Was that a lifeline? I was not about to turn down dumb luck. “Totally.” My voice rose as though I were asking a question rather than making a statement.

Lila shrugged. “That’s what I love about embalming.”

I put my phone back in my pocket. “Pardon?”

“Embalming. It’s fascinating.” Lila leaned in. “I’m studying for my license. Well, my Funeral Director license too; it’s kind of a two-part deal these days.”

My eyelids didn’t want to, but I forced them to blink. Twice. “And you work in a senior’s lodge. Are these two interests…related?” Maybe she served people coffee one week and was preparing their cold, dead bodies the next?
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“Heck, no. The ‘Nest is a paycheck. The other’s a passion. Do your eyes get dry a lot?”