appropriate.
“Well . . .” Millie hedged. “That didn’t quite go according to plan.”
HENRY CLIMBED INTO my truck and buckled his seatbelt with the grimmest expression I had ever seen. His hair stood out in every direction, and his hands shook.
“You okay, buddy?” I asked, trying to be gentle.
“Do you want to go see Robin instead? She’d be glad to cut it, Henry.” Millie had followed him out, tapping her way down the sidewalk with a concerned frown between her dark brows. She now stood holding onto the passenger side door. I could tell she wanted to ride along, but Henry didn’t seem to want her to.
“It’s a man date, right Henry? Men go to the barber. Not the salon.”
Henry tapped his fingertips together nervously and wouldn’t look right or left.
“Kite flying is an official sport in Thailand!” Henry blurted.
Amelie bit her lip but stepped back from the passenger door.
“Bye, Millie. I’ll bring him back. Don’t worry,” I called.
She nodded and tried to smile, and I pulled away from the curb. Henry’s tapping became a cadence. Clack clack. Click click. It sounded like the rhythm Millie made with her stick when she walked.
“Henry?”
No response. Just clicking, all the way to the barbershop.
I pulled up to Leroy’s shop and put my truck in park. I jumped out and came around to Henry’s door. Henry made no move to disembark.
“Henry? Do you want to do this?”
Henry looked pointedly at my shaggy locks and clicked his fingers.
“I need a haircut, Henry. So do you. We’re men. We can do this.”
“Ben Askren, Roger Federer, Shaun White, Troy Polamalu, David Beckham, Triple H.”
“Triple H?” I started to laugh. Henry was listing athletes with long hair. “You’re getting desperate, Henry.”
“Larry Fitzgerald? Tim Lincecum?”
“Tim Lincecum, huh? He plays for the Giants, doesn’t he? Your favorite team, right?”
Henry didn’t respond.
“Ah, shit. What the hell. I didn’t want to cut my hair anyway. I kind of think your sister likes it.”
The clicking slowed.
“You wanna go buy a kite? I hear it’s an official sport in Thailand,” I said.
Henry smiled the smallest ghost of a smile and nodded once.
WE WENT TO Toys R Us for the kites. They have the best selection of fun stuff, and we weren’t messing around. Henry took his time considering and settled on a kite with LeBron James on it. I bought the only red one I could find, which was an Elmo kite, the happy red monster staring out at me, his furry face in the shape of a diamond. Henry thought it was hilarious, which made it even better.
“I like red!” I told him, laughing because he was laughing. “We should get Millie one too. What do you think she would pick?” I felt stupid immediately. I was constantly forgetting that she couldn’t see and wouldn’t care what it looked like.
But Henry didn’t seem to think it was a stupid question and considered the kites all over again. He pulled a shimmery, bright pink one from a shelf and handed it to me.
“Referees in the National Rugby League wear pink jerseys,” he said seriously.
“Okay, I don’t know what the National Rugby League has to do with Millie. But good choice.”
When we arrived back at the house, an hour after we left, Henry scooped up all of the kites and was out of my truck before I put it into park. He ran up the walk like he was five instead of fifteen, barreling through the door, while I followed him at a slower pace.
By the time I made it into the kitchen, Millie was running her hands over Henry’s head with a furrowed brow. I lifted one of her hands and placed it against the back of my neck where my hair fell over my collar.
“You were right,” I said simply. “We’re too attached to our hair.”
The furrow lifted but she didn’t drop her hand. She curled her fingers against my scalp and tugged a little, testing its length, and I did my best not to start purring. Henry didn’t. He
“Well . . .” Millie hedged. “That didn’t quite go according to plan.”
HENRY CLIMBED INTO my truck and buckled his seatbelt with the grimmest expression I had ever seen. His hair stood out in every direction, and his hands shook.
“You okay, buddy?” I asked, trying to be gentle.
“Do you want to go see Robin instead? She’d be glad to cut it, Henry.” Millie had followed him out, tapping her way down the sidewalk with a concerned frown between her dark brows. She now stood holding onto the passenger side door. I could tell she wanted to ride along, but Henry didn’t seem to want her to.
“It’s a man date, right Henry? Men go to the barber. Not the salon.”
Henry tapped his fingertips together nervously and wouldn’t look right or left.
“Kite flying is an official sport in Thailand!” Henry blurted.
Amelie bit her lip but stepped back from the passenger door.
“Bye, Millie. I’ll bring him back. Don’t worry,” I called.
She nodded and tried to smile, and I pulled away from the curb. Henry’s tapping became a cadence. Clack clack. Click click. It sounded like the rhythm Millie made with her stick when she walked.
“Henry?”
No response. Just clicking, all the way to the barbershop.
I pulled up to Leroy’s shop and put my truck in park. I jumped out and came around to Henry’s door. Henry made no move to disembark.
“Henry? Do you want to do this?”
Henry looked pointedly at my shaggy locks and clicked his fingers.
“I need a haircut, Henry. So do you. We’re men. We can do this.”
“Ben Askren, Roger Federer, Shaun White, Troy Polamalu, David Beckham, Triple H.”
“Triple H?” I started to laugh. Henry was listing athletes with long hair. “You’re getting desperate, Henry.”
“Larry Fitzgerald? Tim Lincecum?”
“Tim Lincecum, huh? He plays for the Giants, doesn’t he? Your favorite team, right?”
Henry didn’t respond.
“Ah, shit. What the hell. I didn’t want to cut my hair anyway. I kind of think your sister likes it.”
The clicking slowed.
“You wanna go buy a kite? I hear it’s an official sport in Thailand,” I said.
Henry smiled the smallest ghost of a smile and nodded once.
WE WENT TO Toys R Us for the kites. They have the best selection of fun stuff, and we weren’t messing around. Henry took his time considering and settled on a kite with LeBron James on it. I bought the only red one I could find, which was an Elmo kite, the happy red monster staring out at me, his furry face in the shape of a diamond. Henry thought it was hilarious, which made it even better.
“I like red!” I told him, laughing because he was laughing. “We should get Millie one too. What do you think she would pick?” I felt stupid immediately. I was constantly forgetting that she couldn’t see and wouldn’t care what it looked like.
But Henry didn’t seem to think it was a stupid question and considered the kites all over again. He pulled a shimmery, bright pink one from a shelf and handed it to me.
“Referees in the National Rugby League wear pink jerseys,” he said seriously.
“Okay, I don’t know what the National Rugby League has to do with Millie. But good choice.”
When we arrived back at the house, an hour after we left, Henry scooped up all of the kites and was out of my truck before I put it into park. He ran up the walk like he was five instead of fifteen, barreling through the door, while I followed him at a slower pace.
By the time I made it into the kitchen, Millie was running her hands over Henry’s head with a furrowed brow. I lifted one of her hands and placed it against the back of my neck where my hair fell over my collar.
“You were right,” I said simply. “We’re too attached to our hair.”
The furrow lifted but she didn’t drop her hand. She curled her fingers against my scalp and tugged a little, testing its length, and I did my best not to start purring. Henry didn’t. He
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