Happy Merry Everything (Charlie Barber)

Wild Horses

Rancho Palos Verdes was even more beautiful than you had expected. Charlie took the scenic route through Redondo Beach and you were astounded by how blue the water was. While you and Henry were taking in the view, Charlie was enjoying the Spotify playlist of his favorite tunes you had put together. It hadn't been difficult. You just rifled through his vinyl collection for a little inspiration. It went without saying all that time left to your own devices at home was put to good use. As he drove, his fingers occasionally rapped against the steering wheel to a Cheap Trick song playing at a lowered volume.

"So, what's the big surprise for today?" Charlie asked, quickly glancing in the rear view at your son.

"I don't know." Henry replied, his face planted as closely to the glass as he could get. "Maybe a party."

You smirked, running your fingers through the hair at the nape of Charlie's neck. "That's why they call it a surprise, silly."

Charlie huffed out a laugh. "Well, that may be the case, but I'm still curious where we're going."

"Nicole didn't tell you?"
"She just texted me a time and address."
"Oh.Yikes."
"My thoughts, exactly."

You shifted in your seat. "Were we supposed to bring anything?"

Charlie itched his nose. "Just Henry. Can I have a tissue, please?" You rummaged through the glove box and found the small pack of tissues Charlie always kept on hand. It never failed for him to add them at the beginning of a trip. You pulled back the plastic seal and plucked two from the packaging, handing them to Charlie.

He took them from you. "Thanks. Hold the wheel?"

Your eyes must have grown three sizes. "What?"

Charlie sniffled and itched his nose again with the hand holding the tissues.

"Can you take the wheel for a minute?"
"Why?"
"I need to blow my nose."
"Can't it wait?"
"It can, but if I sneeze, our relationship is about to become a little more intimate."

Henry giggled from the backseat. "Dad has boogers."

You snorted, the comment catching you off guard.

"Everyone gets them, honey."

You stared at Charlie, amused and he glanced in your direction before looking back at the particularly winding road.

"...Even pretty girls."

You followed the road for a few more miles until you finally arrived at your destination: Horse Rentals. It wasn't at all what you expected and going by the way his body had completely tensed up, neither was Charlie.

Charlie pulled into an available space designated for parking and shifted into park to shut off the car. You unbuckled, peeking back at Henry who was enamored by the surroundings, and turned back to Charlie, touching his shoulder.

"Hey. You okay, baby?"

He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting yours. "Now's probably a good time to tell you I'm not really an animal person."

You brow stitched together as he continued. "I'm not much for pets. I've met some that are very sweet, but they make a mess. They shed. Some bite. They're a lot of work. I never grew up with one so maybe that's where my aversion lies, I don't know. I couldn't tell you. All I know is I've never been good around animals. So, if you're hoping for us to get a cat one day or a couple of rescues..."