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 need a wash every now and then, though I suppose I could do that at home. With a fresh set of clothes however, 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 since the gloves and boots would've been really uncomfortable, I finally settled with 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, even though I started to wonder how I'd fare up in the air. "Thanks Emily, you really saved a farmer from a real ache."

"Anytime, Robbie. Now you take care out there, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, as the sun can get really intense later on" She warned as I made my leave, now well-ventilated from the weather outside. The day was bright and the air humid. It was well and truly broiling as I ventured back through town but, along the way, I came across Abigail subtly sitting by the river and wading her feet in the water. She smiled as I sat next to her quietly.

"Hey Robbie, how's the weather faring? Wow… you look different today." She asked. "Yeah. Since summer's here, I might get clammy and sweaty in my overalls, so I asked Emily to make me some something to beat the heat." I answered.

"Well, I'm glad you did, it wouldn't be a nice experience." She smiled as she looked into the river."I am not keen on summer myself… the air gets so sticky and hot so I am sticking my feet in this river to stay cool. I must say…it's totally helping…heh." She hummed a response as we both lingered by the riverside. I also took off my footwear to dip my toes in it but gasp as its icy bite nipped my feet, earning a laugh from her.

"What's wrong, not used to water?" She teased, much to my disdain. "Nope… I haven't felt something so cold before." I responded firmly. "Well, it's not as bad once they're completely in." She giggled.

Slowly but surely, my feet slowly got accustomed to the sudden temperature change and it became more and more comfortable. Sure enough I settled and we sat together, under the shade of an old tree, watching the world go by. Then Abigail moved her hand on top of mine.

"The flight… we had together... I really do enjoy them. It always made me feel more alive but…

It also made me feel closer towards you, than I was with anybody else, and it made me think just how connected we were when we were up there… up above the clouds, far from the ground.

My family had always been quite restricting. Dad insisted that I stay inside and work in the kitchen with Mum but even if I sneaked out, during the night, he's always following me. I didn't feel safe anywhere but when we flew together, I knew he couldn't, I felt like I didn't have to worry about being watched.

Can we do this again and again? It's the only place where I can embrace freedom." She asked me.

Honestly, for me, it has been quite romantic as well. I have never had anyone else go up with me but Abigail is going to be likely 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 and 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, looked 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. "Yeah, 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.

"Running off to be with some bloke, and you were the reason why my daughter comes back late?" He huffed more, gazing his glare towards me.

"Don't you blame on Robbie!" She protested.

"I knew that I had to pretend to be sleeping… I knew you'd take her up in that damn plane of yours. I heard it in the news, how your dad died in that crash and here you are flying her in that thing… don't you realise that you could kill her like that?"

I never felt anger like this before, how dare he spoke to me about my father. I swear I could feel my blood boil from every word he spoke in my direction. "You shouldn't be trusted in this town either, we had enough with Joja already but a pilot like you should stay grounded!"

"I'm sorry Robbie, let me-" Abigail whimpered as I whipped an arm across her. Slowly, I marched over to the shopkeeper, rage building in my fists, ready to knock sense into his skull but… I kept my resolve. I knew raising a hand wouldn't win me any conflict, as my Ma warned me. Instead, I spoke in a grim, cold tone to affront him.

"Don't you ever… ever talk about my Pa like that. You know true well that it was an accident… they do happen but we ALWAYS make sure that never happens to us. He was a proud farmer, like I am and I am bound to continue my family, as he intended. Likewise, your daughter's safety is always my top priority. Always so don't you think all planes are unsafe because it's untrue.

But if you speak down to my Pa like that ever again, consider buying your produce from me no more!"

After giving Pierre a right earful, Abi walked up to him. "You don't know anything about planes, do you?

I know for certain that these things are safe. How I know? I've been in the library; Reading aviation magazines and books about them so I can safely assume that they're not like the rickety old ones, back in the older days! Besides, what took Robbie's dad's life was misfortune and Robbie is a certified pilot cos he passed a flight course so I believe in him and I trust him so I hope for hell that you do too.

One more thing… I can do what I want and 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…" She huffed and pulled her goggles down.

As the plane spluttered into life, he watched as we tore down the runway and into the sky. I glanced over, through the lenses of my eyewear, towards that stubborn ol' man as we swooped into the air. We felt a little tense and shaken from all that but Abigail broke the silence.

"I'm sorry for Dad to speak to you like that, I know he shouldn't disrespect your loss… it's completely out of character. 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 like that but…that crash didn't have to happen. It should've been me who'd have perished, not him." I answered.

"Don't blame yourself, Robbie, it happened ok? Sometimes, life has bumps in the road for us all to overcome. It's never all fun and games y'know. I would've wished the same for my dad but then I began to accept that he was looking out for me. Your dad would've been so proud of what you've achieved so far. You got your license, you've moved to Stardew and now you're flying Betty again. Isn't that enough to make him smile from Yoba's kingdom? Well, I ain't a religious person but I often hear the prayers from the shop's chapel.

He's proud of you, Robbie. Be glad that you're here to succeed him." She explained.

Somehow, it made me feel a little less on edge now,

"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 continued on our flight through the darkened skies for a while, enjoying the stillness and quiet. I glanced over, struggling to retain that smile as we settled in for the night, I was beginning to wonder if Pierre was right… what would something like happen to me at some point? Then I might hang up my hat for good.

Then again, I might not get the approval of the family… it's been such a heavy burden, for the last few days. Maybe if I just believe in myself a little harder. We flew around for roughly an hour, as the moon slowly rose behind us. I brought us back down to earth, that livid shopkeeper finally retreating to his abode. We unclipped ourselves and disembarked where, by the side of my plane, we huddled.

"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 for your loss.

See you in the morning, Robbie." She hummed, returning the headgear to me 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?