Page 116 of Then Came the Fall
“Mommy! Watch us,” the girl calls out from the shoreline. “Daddy’s showing me how to skip rocks!”
“I’m watching,” Brett calls back.
Matt plops down beside me. “You’re really scared, sweetie?” he asks her, earnestly.
“It’s a different world, now, you know? Sleepaway camp feels so risky,” Brett admits.
Matt pats her on the knee. “This isn’t just a camp, though. This is home,” he reassures her.
We watch as Amelia and Finn—our lovely son-in-law—crouch down low and twist their bodies to get the right torque to enable the flat rocks to sail across the surface of the water. Their laughter catches on the breeze. Amelia squeals with delight as Finn sends each rock flying, even as her own attempts end with a heavyker-plunk.
Brett leans into me. “She’s growing up so fast,” she whispers.
I kiss her on the head lightly. “I know, kiddo.”
Just then, Amelia tears up the beach, kicking sand and rocks into the air behind her. Her eyes are wide and an expression of sheer joy blankets her face.
"Mommy, look,” she says, pushing a curled fist into Brett’s ribcage. Her tiny hand opens like a blooming flower.
I smile at the universe, grateful that it’s offering exactly what Brett needs. Matt gives my hand a little squeeze.
The tiny piece of glass is unmistakably blue.
