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~~~

Charlie

My eyes were closed.

I could hear the sound of a wind chime softly jingling in the subtle breeze that swept the surrounding area I was lying down in. It brushed through the neighboring trees, the delicate noise of colliding leaves in the distance. It brushed through the short, thin needles of grass that surrounded me, blowing past my face and the tufts of fur that covered my body.

I could feel a hand petting my forehead, lightly caressing the fur between my ears with gentle strokes, back and forth, as not to disturb the peace.

I loved the way her touch felt. It was like home. A feeling I could confide in for the rest of my life.

I opened my eyes, blinded by the sun in the blue sky, not a cloud in sight. The sun was only partly blocked by her long locks of hair as she stared into the distance above. She sat in the field of grass with me, not saying a word. She must've thought I was asleep. She just kept rubbing my head, back and forth, as she looked ahead, lost in the quiet tranquility.

She was wearing a white dress, a sunflower stitched into the fabric in the middle of her chest. The wind I had loved so much to describe was making its way through her hair and tenderly ruffling the loose parts of her dress.

She was beautiful. Even at age seven, I knew she was beautiful.

"Mommy?" I spoke up, breaking the silence.

She looked down on me, blocking the sun with her head. A smile spread across her face as she leaned in, noticing that I was awake.

"Hi, cupcake," She grinned with a soft voice.

We were both tired from the long day spent in our backyard, playing pretend and imagining future worlds. The tickle fight she had with me really took it out of us. Our day alone together was spent well. Soon, my father would be back from his business trip and things would be different. I always loved it when it was just us.

"How come daddy can be scary sometimes?" I asked my mother, focusing my attention on picking at the loose string of my t-shirt.

My mother sighed and looked back up into the distance, finding the right words to say.

"Well, Charles, your father can be... challenging sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"I... Well..." My mother shifted, leaning in closer as if we had our own private bubble. "He's a father, Charlie. He has a lot of duties and responsibilities. Just like you, but... more. He's an adult." I looked up at her, noticing the emotion she tried to hide in her face. "He goes through a lot of things sometimes. We just have to give him his space, alright?"

I nodded my head and looked away. It wasn't the answer I expected. Or wanted. Or believed.

And from the look on my mother's face, I don't think she believed it herself either.

"Hey," My mom spoke up, using her two fingers to turn my head back over to hers. "Look, one day... you'll meet someone... and you'll fall in love... and you'll start your own family. And become a father. Then you might understand what he's going through."