Chapter Three
Frasier Crane blinked twice as he became aware of some noise in his room. It was not his alarm clock. It was too early to be that. He finally realized it was the phone, and he quickly answered it with a muffled "Hello". He looked around the room and squinted at the clock. It was one in the morning.
"Frasier." The voice from the other end of the phone was unmistakable. It was the same cold and stern voice he had known for almost fourteen years now. He did not know if he had the energy to deal with that voice, but if she was calling at this hour, it had to be important.
"Lilith, do you know what time it is?" Frasier whined as he flopped back down in his bed.
"Frasier, it's four in the morning over here," Lilith remarked. "Look, I would not be calling you if it was not important."
Frasier knew she was right. He had to talk to her. "What is it?" he asked as he fought the urge to yawn. "Is it something with Frederick?"
"No, our son is fine," Lilith informed her ex-husband. "It's me. I've been trying not to let this get to me, but I haven't been able to sleep since I got the call."
"Wha?" Frasier asked. "Lilith, are you ok?" he asked seriously. "What is it?" he repeated his earlier question.
"I've been offered another job," Lilith said. "I think the pay would be better," she added.
"Then what's the big deal?" Frasier asked.
"It's in California," Lilith responded. "Southern California. I can't help but thinking I'm only considering this because of some form of mid-life crisis or something."
Frasier yawned again to force himself to wake up a bit. Lilith needed help, and he had to give it to her. He owed it to her. He still cared about her deeply, and for her sake he should be at his best for this hour in the morning. "Back up. How did you even get this job offer in California?"
"Do you remember me mentioning my friend Maggie Walsh from grad school?" Lilith asked. At Frasier's silence, she groaned. "Of course you don't. It wasn't Sam, Norm, Cliff, or Carla. It wasn't anybody you saw on a daily basis." She sighed. "Anyway, Maggie and I went to grad school together. We were constantly competing to see who was highest in our class."
"Oh, now I remember you mentioning her," Frasier said. "She's the professor in that weird town, isn't she?"
Lilith chuckled slightly. "Sunnydale, yes. Maggie taught psychology there at the university as her main job. She also published many papers and articles. I'm sure you've read some of them without realizing it."
Frasier shrugged. "I'm published too, you know. And I'm famous," he informed Lilith.
"You treat psychology like a Pez dispenser," Lilith commented. "Back to my problem. Anyway, so last night California time, I receive a phone call from some dean of academics over at UC Sunnydale. Apparently Maggie died earlier yesterday afternoon."
"Oh, Lilith," Frasier said in a sympathetic tone. He did not know what else to tell her. He barely had any recollection of this woman, but she must have been important to Lilith. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Frasier, I'm fine," Lilith assured him. "I mean, I wish I had talked to her once again before she died, but things happen. We spoke once or twice a month, and that was good. I had no way of knowing that this would happen."
"I'm still sorry," Frasier told her.
"Thank you," Lilith said sincerely. "That's where the job offer comes in. Apparently my name was in her phone book, and I'm highly recommended."
"As you should be," Frasier told her. "You're an excellent psychologist."
Lilith groaned. "Frasier, I'm not fishing for compliments," she told him. "I need genuine help. I don't know if I should take the job. They want me to replace her. From what I gather, it would pay better, and that would be excellent for Frederick's college tuition."
"Harvard," Frasier injected.
Again, Lilith groaned. "Frasier, that's not the issue right now. I need help. Do you seriously think I should take this job? Leave all that I have in Boston? All that Frederick and I have?"
Frasier sighed as he seriously pondered the issue. On the first hand, if the pay was better, that would be good. California was also closer to Seattle, so he could see them more often. But this was not about him seeing the two of them or talking with them. It was their lives. Their decision. "Lilith, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for you," Frasier said honestly, "but I cannot make the decision for you. This is something you and Frederick need to discuss."
"But you'd support me?" Lilith asked.
Frasier nodded. "Always," he promised. "I love you, Lilith."
"Love you, too, Frasier," Lilith responded. "And thanks."
"No problem," Frasier told her. "I'll talk to you soon, ok?"
Lilith nodded. "Soon," she promised before she hung up the phone.