It was a sunny day in May.
The bees were humming, the sun began to shine early in the morning and not even a little breeze caressed his cheeks.
There was nothing, that could've distracted Phineas Tailor Barnum this morning, as he opened the balcony door, a cup of tea in his hands and felt the sunbeam tickling his face.
The Circus King lifted his head and looked up to the completely blue sky, breathing in the fresh spring air.
The sky was clear and seemed to be turquoise. No sign of any clouds today.
He sighed, nipped on his tea and kept his face in the sun.
It was warm and made him feel tired again.
Suddenly there was a noise, coming from the inside of the house.
The balcony door opened and Charity put her head through the gap, "What're you doing here, Darling?"
He smiled, without turning around and stretched out one hand, "Enjoying the sun. It's beautiful isn't it?"
He heard her steps, coming closer and she took his hand.
"Lovely.", she said and her voice sounded tired, "But D'you know what time it is? Six o'clock. You woke me."
Phineas turned around and cupped her cheeks with his hands, "I'm sorry. But the Sun woke me too. So...what are we doing now?"
Charity smiled lightly and embraced him from behind, "Come back in bed, dear. I know, the weather is beautiful but it's so early. We can also admire the sun from our bedroom, Phin. It has windows."
He smiled back, "Of course it does. But there's no fresh air."
She laid her chin down on his shoulder and brushed Phins back with her hands.
"Please, Phin.", she whispered, "Come back in bed. I'm tired. Unbelievable tired. And i just wanna lay down with you again and...keep sleeping. With you on my side."
Her husband took another sip and put the teacup on the table, "Well, then...come on. Let's go back."
He took her hand and leaded her back to the bedroom, where he laid her down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'm sorry for waking you up.", he whispered and felt back on his side, "Go back to sleep."
But she couldn't hear him. She'd fallen asleep again.
And so, Phineas let out a small sigh and closed his eyes.
Two hours later, both adults woke up from the laughings of their daughters.
"Please not.", Charity murmured, but stood up and opened the bedroom door.
The girls plaid right in front of their parents bedroom.
She let out a sigh, "Girls. Caroline. Helen. Please...a little bit quieter, yes? It's been a long night for me and your father."
Helen jumped up, "It was? What did you both do?"
Charity closed her eyes in tiredness and stroke her forehead, "We talked a lot. We'd many things to tell each other."
Helen ran at her mother and embraced her leg, "Can we have cocoa? Please?"
Caroline smiled, "Oh that would be great. Mommy? Please?"
Charity sighed...but nodded.
Helen began to shout, "We're gonna have a cocoa. We're gonna have a cocoa!"
Charity leaned back into hers and her husband's room, "I'm right back, dear. Just make the girls a cacao. They're asking for it."
Phin nodded, "Of course."
And so, Charity took her daughters by the hands and went to the kitchen.
Caroline smiled up at her mother, "You and Dad...did you get along again? I mean...you fought a lot last week. We recognized it."
Her mother smiled, "Yes, we did. So...since when you've been awake?"
Helen shrugged, climbed on the working surface and handed her mother the glass of cocoa, "A while. Caroline? What was the time, exactly?"
Caroline looked at her new watch, "Maybe seven o'clock."
Charity smiled, "You are very good on reading the time, my little girl."
She poured some milk into the glasses and mixed it with a little bit cocoa.
Then she handed the glasses to her daughters, "Slowly to our bedroom, girls. Be careful. And don't run! I don't want coca patches on the carpets. You can't get it out anymore."
She saw her girls running upstairs and roled her eyes, "I said slowly!"
Then she followed them.
As she entered the bedroom, Caroline and Helen sat -each on one side- next to their father.
Charity lifted an eyebrow, "Don't you've to be in the ring today?"
Phin stretched out his hands and Charity took them with an huge smile on her lips, "Well...I thought on this wonderful day i don't wanna waste my time in a hot tent, knowing that I could've make a little trip with my family to the coast. So...I called Phillip and took two days off. And now we're going to make a little trip to the beach."
He pulled Charity into his lap, "How does that sound?"
She smiled, "Sounds great."
The carriage stopped a few meters away from the dune. Phineas opened the door, "Come on, girls. Who's in the water first?"
Helen and Caroline jumped out of the carriage and began to run.
"Me.", Helen shouted.
Caroline laughed out loud, "No! Never! I'm the first."
And so they chased each other across the dune and towards the water.
Phin took Charitys hand, "Madam? Can I offer you this dance?"
Charity began to laugh, "Of course you do. But first...catch me!"
She slipped out of her shoes and began to run. She stumbled up the dune, pulled some tufts of grass out of the sand and reached the end of the dune.
The view was amazing!
She hesitated for a moment, saw the waves break and the glint of the water. She felt a shallow breeze, brushing her arms.
Then...
Phineas crashed her and they fell.
They rolled down the dune. Her hair caught in her mouth, sand ripped into her neckline, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Then she heart him laughing.
She opened her eyes and found their legs entwined. Phin stroke her hair out of her face and kissed her.
"You know something?", he asked, "I always wanted to do that."
Another kiss pressed on her lips.
She smiled, "But ... d'you know that I'm full of sand now? Presumably, my dress is ruined."
He left another kiss on her cheek, "Well...doesn't minds. We were about to swim, weren't we?", he teased.
Charity stood up, "Yes, we were."
She turned around, "Can you open those buttons please? My arms are too short."
Phin laughed lightly, stood up behind her and opened her dress, "Finished."
She pulled her dress off and cleared the view of a bluish bikini.
She smiled, "Don't ask. I bought it last summer...nothing so expensive."
Phin shrugged, "Looks beautiful."
He grabbed her wrist, "What about my dance?"
She grinned diabolic, "You had your chance. But you wasted it."
Phin sighed, "You're really rude, 'know that?"
Charity laughed out loud, "Maybe. So...who's in the water first?"
And she ran towards the water.
She heard his steps right behind her and ran faster. The water splashed against her ankels. It was cold. Well...not cold, but...not warm either.
Charity turned around and looked in Phineas' bright eyes, "I was first."
He grinned, "Might be. But...you owe me a dance yet."
So he took her hands and put one on his back.
And they started dancing, as if there was a hiding melody, that only they could hear. But they danced to the rhythm of the waves breaking.
Charitys hairs touched the water surface, as Phin pulled her up and just let her upper body get down.
Then he let her go.
She wasn't prepared, so she just fell down and saw the sun shining through the water surface.
She began to laugh out loud and pulled Phineas down.
Just emerged for catching some fresh air and then she dived away.
Her hair floated around her head so she couldn't see much, but enough to see Phineas approaching her slowly.
He took her hand pulled her near. Their lips met for a kiss.
Kissing, they slowly emerged.
Charity brushed her wet hair behind her ear, felt Phins lips moving on hers.
His hands on her hips, hers crossed in his neck.
Charity laughed lightly, "I love you."
"I love you too."
And there they were.
Standing, their fingers entwined, their girls playing behind them...and she knew, that everything would be like this forever.
Everything would be okay.
Forever.
