Girl's Day Out

Charlie

"Finally!" Nicole exclaimed, locking the door behind her. I took a few steps back to give her some space. "I thought you'd ditch me!"

I shrugged. "Tried to but someone made sure I couldn't."

She grinned from ear to ear before taking my arm and dragging me to her car which was parked on the other side of the road. I wondered for a brief second if she got out in the middle of the night and parked her car there.

The atmosphere was pleasant today - sunny, to be exact. The weatherman predicted there wouldn't be any chances of rain today. But my instincts told me otherwise. Somehow, I always had a feeling before something unexpected happened. Hence, I had a backup plan.

I brought umbrellas.

"What's that bag for??" She asked after we had hopped in her car.

"Stealing."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds, not believing what I had just said. I shrugged, trying to fight a smile on my face. She looked horrified would be an understatement.

"Charlie, sweetie, we aren't criminals, you know. We're just going to have a pleasant girl's day out somewhere far far away from where you could steal. I don't wanna bail you out of jail cause I don't have any cash right now."

She actually thought I was planning to steal something.

God, this girl!

Ï placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, I was kidding."

She glared at me, smacking my hand away from her shoulder. "God, Charlie!"

I clutched my stomach and laughed. "Oh my god, woman! You really thought I was gonna steal something and end up in jail and you had to bail me out?!"

She started driving, her eyes completely focused on the road. She let out a heavy sigh.

"You know, with everything going on in your life, I wouldn't be much surprised if you really planned to steal or well, rob a bank and get a million bucks and live a life happily ever after."

"You do realize that would mean, I'd have to quit, right?" I uttered, focusing on the road ahead. "That means, no more seeing each other for the rest of our lives."

She laughed, "You did not just say that!"

I laughed along. "I meant it in a more literal way, you know. Not in a romantic-dating 'seeing each other' way."

"I know. It was just funny how you put it." She paused for a split-second, applying the brakes. "And no, we'd still see each other. We are inseparable. I'm in it as much as you are."

The lights turned green.

"I know." I smiled. "I'll keep it in mind the next time I plan to steal."

She sighed. "That means you are planning to steal."

"Hey, just because I'm not doing it now, doesn't mean I can't think of committing this crime in the near future."

"Don't worry about the bail money though, I'll flirt my way into bailing you if necessary."

We both shared a laugh.

The only sound heard in the car for the rest of the journey.

"I know."

___

"Whoa..."

She grinned from ear to ear as she parked the car nearby.

"Did you like it?"

I grinned. "You know, when you said 'girl's day out', the Millan Park was the last place I'd think of."

She got out of the car and so did I. The Millan Park was where I used to come as a kid. I remembered telling Nicole that I was fond of this place. This park held a lot of memories.

Memories of my mother.

If any other person was here in my shoes, the flashes of different memories coming back would sound like a nightmare. But to me, I was okay with it. It'd been ten years since she died and since then, I never came back here. The wound was still fresh back then, but now?

It had healed. I accepted the fact that she was in a better place, a place where she could rest. There might be a scar left although it didn't hurt as much as it did when I was still in my childhood years.

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we all had to grow up.

She turned towards me when she saw I was lost in my thoughts and stared at the distance. She might've thought this place brought up a lot of nightmares and some bad memories, so she quickly apologized.

"I'm so so so sorry, Charlie!" She placed a hand on my shoulder. "I-"

"It's okay." I looked down at her and smiled.

"No, it's not. I mean, I brought you to this place without thinking how you might feel. A lot of memories come back and I don't-" She started hyperventilating, her eyes turning wide and watery.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I grabbed her shoulders, removing her hand at the same time. "It's okay, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

She stared at me like I was speaking another language. Yeah, it sounded kinda strange because even if one told himself that he was fine and that those wounds didn't open up again when brought to familiar places- had to be some sort of an alien. Or, that person moved on pretty quickly.

I will admit- it was hard for me. One reason I never came back here was that it brought a lot of memories of my mother that I didn't wanna relive. Both the good and the bad.

Now, that I was a twenty-year-old, it was time to face my fears. It was time to revisit those places I had sworn to never revisit in my entire life when I was still a kid. Nicole did the right thing by bringing me here - even if she didn't realize it.

At least, I'd have someone by my side when I revisit. The company would give me the strength I needed.

"You sure?" She spoke up, after a couple of minutes. "We can go back, you k-know."

There you go, the sniffling started.

Ladies and gentlemen, the emotional fool - the crybaby- the sentimental.

"I'm sure."

She smiled, still sniffling and wiping her nose with her sleeves. I grabbed on her arm, a genuine smile playing on my lips.

"Now who's ready to have some fun?"