From the Wreckage We All Rise.

Billy stood next to me, holding the door open. I couldn’t see anything, he was blocking the view.

“Come on Lyn!” he said, holding out his hand for me to take.

I took it and finally got out of the car. He closed the door, locked the car and finally stepped aside.

We were standing in the middle of a parking lot, no house nearby. I gasped, looked up at Billy and slapped his chest.

“Liar!”

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, bringing me closer to him.

“I mean what I said” he whispered in my ear before he kissed my temple and took my hand in his, linking our fingers. I took a deep breath and my face broke in a huge smile.

I was worrying for nothing.

We weren’t anywhere near Matt’s house or anything and they weren’t here. We were going to spend the day at the beach.

Celia ran to us, hugging my legs.

“We so have to go swimming!” she said.

I laughed, “Sure!”

Billy left me to go help my parents getting everything out of the trunk.

“Mum!”

I looked up.

“Is it true that this beach was your favourite place in the world and that you used to come here everyday?” Asked Angelina, pointing at the beach.

I nodded, “Yeap, and it still is my favourite place in the world. I used to come here almost everyday.”

“That’s so cool!” said Aiden, looking dreamingly at the few surfers.

I smiled, grabbed the cooler and followed my parents. We walked a bit before Celia sat on the sand, deciding for us.

Charles, my dad, planted the sunshade in the sand while my mother was laying down towels for us to sit. I put the cooler under the parasol as Billy put down the huge basket he was carrying.

Angelina was kicking off her shoes and taking off her socks as Aiden was already in his trunks and was removing his T-shirt. Celia was quietly sitting on a towel.

“Why aren’t you getting ready to go swimming?” Billy asked her, sitting down next to his daughter.

“I can’t go swimming on my own and without sunscreen on.” She explained.

“Do you really want to go swimming right now or do you want to eat first?” asked my mother.

“I vote for eating!” I said, raising my hand as my stomach grumble. Billy chuckled as my father rummaged in the basket, before he handed me a sandwich.

“Mum’s right! I’m starving!” said Aiden, putting his T-shirt back on and sitting on a towel, taking the sandwich his grandfather was handing him.

“Mummy? Will you go swimming with me after?”

“Yes sweetie, but we’ll have to wait a little bit before going okay? We’ll take nap or something…”

“Okay!” she said nodding, “and you will help me to put sunscreen on?” she asked as Billy handed her a sandwich.

“Yes Celia, I will.” I replied, before I took a bit of the sandwich. Once, Billy came back home with a sunburn and I explained to Celia that it only happened when you forgot to put sunscreen on and that it was really painful, that’s where her obsession with sunscreen was coming from.

“Do you want a beer son?”

My head snapped up, and I saw my father handing a bottle to Billy. For a second, I thought he was speaking to Matt… But for a second only…

“Adeline?”

“No thanks Dad.” I replied, shaking my head and kept eating my sandwich.