“Yeah,” I said. My voice did not work right. “Yeah. Tell Danny I’d like that.”
PART 4
We scattered Cora at sunset, at the beach where I’d met her, where a younger version of me with two legs and no idea what was coming had watched a girl laugh at the way I couldn’t bodysurf, and had decided on the spot to marry her if she’d have me.
Lily and I waded out to our knees.
I had practiced what I was going to say and forgotten all of it, so I just said the true thing, which was, “We came back, Cor. I kept the promise. She’s so big now. You’d be so proud of her. I don’t know how to do this without you but I’m doing it, I’m doing it every day.”
And Lily, seven years old, took a handful of the ocean and let it run through her fingers and said, “Bye, Mama. I spent all my pennies to come say hi.”
