Summer… it really does begin to bear down on your while you're out doing hard work. As I worked in the farm, I felt that me old denim overalls and shirt wasn't helping much to waver the ongoing sunlight.

So, I had to switch up my wardrobe and thus headed to Emily and Haley's; The blue haired lass was known to be an avid tailor and thus headed over to see her.

"Oh! Mornin' Robi, taking time off?" She asked with this cheerful smile.

"Morning Emily… I s'pose you're a whizz when it comes to sewing?" I asked. At the response, she clapped her hands together with a smile. "Of course, I've been doing it for years… what do you mean by that?"

"Well… since summer's here, these ol' duds aren't helping me with keeping that harsh sun off my back. I reckon you could make me a shirt and shorts." I quizzed. She seems very eager in return. "Oh? Of course! I mean, you haven't packed much clothes, did you? Of course, I will! Swing on by tonight and I'll have them ready for ya."

"Thanks Emily." I went and left the house.

It seems the others have also changed up their outfits to help shed the broiling heat. What was also new was the fact that the town had a ice-cream stall set up and the town jock; Alex was manning it.

"Hey, Robbie. I never seen yer face for a while. How you've been?" He asked.

"Never better, everything's a lot smoother ever since I brought ol' Betty from the airport." I answered.

"I saw ya flying over… though, as much I'd love to ride in with ya; I still gotta keep up the regime; The aerobics, exercise and everything. Have to stay fit. Anyways, what do ya fancy? I got all sorts of Ice-cream on offer. Handy when you're feelin' the heat." He chuckled.

I never had much in the ways of Ice Cream but the ones, he had on offer were simply delightful. I pointed out that I like vanilla, with a drizzling of chocolate sauce and was presented with the end results.

"There you go, enjoy, Robbie!" Alex said as I gripped the treat and began to lick it and ohhh boy did it awaken the young child inside me. The home made ice-cream that Ma used to make from the milk off the farm now revitalised in a new form. I ate it all the way down to the bottom of the cone, the sugar helping me weather the same usual flight in Betty. In fact, being in the air was a little better than being on the ground; Being the gust of the cool air rushing through her propeller and the higher altitude. I sighed in relief as I whizzed over my fields and kept them watered and protected from the elements.

Once back on dry land, with the day fading, I went over to Emily's where she presented the final results.

"Here you are, Robbie! I hope they fit you well… I made them a little loose to help with the heat. Go and try 'em on." She giggled

I went into her room to get changed. Those farmer duds, that I wore last month definitely needed a wash now and I suppose I could do that at home. With a fresh set of clothes, I emerged from the bedroom and modelled in front of the tailor; A pristine blue t-shirt matched with shorts. I still retained my scarf and hat but the gloves and boots were all too warm for me so I had a pair of good hard-wearing sneakers.

"Wow, you're all set for the summer indeed, Robbie." Emily gleefully smiled as I examined myself in the mirror.

"Yeah… I guess this'll do for summer," I admitted. Though I wonder how it'd fare when I'm up in the air. "Thanks Emily, you really saved a farmer from a bad case of heat stroke."

"Anytime, Robbie. Now you take care out there… drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. The sun can get really bad for some." She warned as I made my leave, now well ventilated from the weather outside.

Along the way, I came across Abigail, subtly sitting by the river and wading her feet in the water. I sat next to her and she smiled.

"Hey Robbie, how's the weather faring?" She asked. "Nothing bad, to be honest. As you can see, Emily made me summer clothing." I explained. "Well, it suits you. I'm just trying to stay cool in this hot weather. All the sticky nectar and heat makes me feel a little dizzy… so I often dip my toes in the river. It helps a lot." She answered and gingerly takes my hand.

"The flight… we had together. I never felt closer to you than I was with anybody else. It really made me think just how connected we were when we were up there.

Up above the clouds, far from the ground. My family have been quite… enclosing. Dad insists I stay inside and work in the kitchen with Mum and, even if I sneak out, during the night, he's always following me. To be up there with you gave me the sense of security I need from him.

Let's go up there again, I wanna feel the freedom, I believed I wanted." She said.

Well, since I had no-one else to go up with me, Abigail is probably the only one who is willing to. So, I smiled warmly.

"Sure… I'll be more than happy to." I answered.

"You are a one in a million, Robbie. Thank you." She giggled as she pecked my cheek before getting up to go home, likely to plan her nightly escape.

As dawn fell over the town, while I mined, explored and donated, I headed back to the farm for my pre-flight checks. Then, in due time, the lass joined me beside Betty... though something feels off about her. Has she been running?

"Hey, Abigail, you ready…? You look like you ran a mile." I asked concerningly.

"I-It's fine… ju-just give me my hat." She panted when I heard a voice snapped from the path. It was Pierre. Christ, looks like she didn't sneak out this time.

"Hey! So, is this where you've been running off to, all this time?" He yelped as she stepped in between. "Yes, to get away from you and your relentless nagging!" She hissed. I swear he was trembling in his shoes as he shot glares in my eyes. "So, you were the reason why my daughter comes back late? I knew I had to pretend to be sleeping… you were taking her up in that damn plane of yours. I heard it in the news, how your dad died in that crash."

How he affronted my father's death like that was an insult and I clenched my fist in anger.

"My Pa had nothing to do with us." I hissed in back. "Y-You apologise to me, this instance."

"I have nothing to apologise to you. What if the same thing happened to you?! It wouldn't be just your life that's taken y'know?" He huffed when Abigail spoke up.

"Enough!" She shouted over us and pointed a finger at her dad. "You don't know anything about planes, you know? I know for certain that these things are safe. Do you even know what I learned? I've been in the library, reading aviation magazines and I can safely assume that they're not like the rickety old ones back in the older days! Besides, Robbie is a certified pilot; He knew what took his dad's life and will make sure that that sort of accident will never happen to us. I trust him and I hope for hell, you do too.

Also, I can do what I want, not for you to go bossing me about like I am still your little daughter. I'm 16 now and it's my life, not yours!

C'mon Robbie, let's go."

Wow, she really did speak her heart there.

Handing her helmet, we got into Betty and strapped ourselves in. Pierre was stuttering as he struggled out a sentence.

"A-A-A urgh, you're going to be in big trouble if you take off with him! Y-Y-You get out of that… r-r-right now!"

With a glare, she looks at him with narrowed eyes.

"You're really stuck in the past, Dad…"

As the plane spluttered into life, he watched as we tore down the runway and into the sky. I glanced over, through my goggles, to the man who vanished into the darkness before looking forward to Abigail.

"I'm sorry for Dad to speak to you like that. I understood how it must feel, to lose yours to a horrible event.

He just doesn't seem to understand that I can start to make my own decisions in life.

You agree with me… right?" She asked as she peered through her spectacles at me.

I stayed quiet. I wasn't sure if neither of them were right but, since Pierre insulted my Pa, I nodded.

"I won't forget that… I'll never have someone insult Pa… that crash didn't have to happen." I answered.

"I know… but we'll be safe, as long as you know what to do. Now, let's just enjoy the ride, shall we?" She smiled.

We flew through the darkened skies for a while, enjoying the stillness and quiet of our flight. Then, as night fell, we came back down to the runway, Pierre now having retreated to the store.

"Thanks again Robbie. I hope you and him make amends again. You both need each other when it comes to keep a roof over our heads. Just wished he had a bit more respect.

See you in the morning, Robbie." She hummed, returning the headgear before heading home.

I looked at her hat with quiet contempt. I guess, we both have our ways but the question lies between our relationship.

What if it did happen?

Will it ruin my trust with Pierre?