Rebel Rebel |harry styles| - ongoing

FORTY-TWO

Hurts: Never Give Up it's Such A Wonderful Life

Harry

All was set for my grand plan: I informed Mum that the ring would be shipped to her house, but it wasn't for her, I told Essie I'd probably drop by Holmes Chapel on my way back to London, to buy myself a bit more time. This was probably the first time ever that I wasn't looking forward to a long drive. It was usually my favourite way to travel, the mention of any kind of a road trip was enough to put me in a better mood. Road trips involved fun activities like picking the music and creating the perfect playlist, preparing the snacks, deciding on the game you were going to play. Today was a bit different, since I knew that a nerve-racking moment would be waiting at the end of the round trip.

"Have you got everything?", one moment she was pushing me out the door, and the next she was running through her checklist again, "Yes, Ess... don't worry.".

"The lead? Oh, and those delicious snacks Bono loves? You can't forget the new toy we got for Ziggy, either!", the pitch of her voice was somewhere between an excited pet owner and an overly stimulated mother that was making sure her toddler's first day in school was perfect.

"You packed everything yourself, Essie. I must run now, but I'll call you when I meet him.", the sudden realisation that the shelter may not let me take Ziggy home today set in, which would definitely put a damper on my plans. I crossed my fingers that they'd see I was a responsible and loving dog parent, and they'd feel comfortable trusting me with Ziggy right away.

Over halfway to North East England, Mum called to make sure the plan was still in motion.

"Darling, I cannot wait for you to get here. I haven't opened the box, wasn't sure if you wanted me to.", she gushed. A part of me found her over-the-top, but the other part understood her excitement. I was excited, too.

"We can open it together, how does that sound?", I included her in the whole thing, because I couldn't have it any other way, and neither would she. Knowing my Mum, the ever-present, slightly overbearing but very loving parent – this was a big moment for her as well, and even though she'd respect my wishes to keep it private, she'd much rather be involved.

"It sounds lovely, Harry. I'll see you soon!", she blew a kiss on the other end of the line and the call disconnected.

Bowie kept me company for the remainder of the journey, which felt fitting. My mind kept replaying the lovely memories of my relationship with Essie, all the way from the very beginning and through the hard times. While the memories ran like a tape on an old VCR player, one word kept coming to mind – companionship. It was all I ever wanted, growing up with divorced parents meant that it took ages for me to realise the true meaning of companionship. It wasn't until much later in my life, when I started observing Mum's relationship with Robin, her second husband, that I finally understood the joy of finding that one person that drew colour to your life. Even with all her dark clouds and weird habits, she still managed to make me laugh thirty times per day. In fact, the very moment I'd wake up next to her sleeping face was enough to slap a silly smile on my face.

Essie

Of course, it would be just my luck that on the very day I planned to propose to my boyfriend – and needed to pick up the ring in central London – my client called to schedule a test shoot. Today of all days...

"Hello, it's Estee. Alessandro probably told you I'd be coming later today to pick something up. Anyway, I have a meeting in town, and I'll be in a hurry so if you wouldn't mind bringing the package down when I ring you?", I called the office of the creative director of Gucci UK, like I was calling a random customer service company. Could I be any more awkward?