And this time, the silence didn’t frighten me.
“Mom, You’re Beautiful”
That afternoon, we walked along the beach one last time.
The sky was cloudy, but the sea shimmered beneath the light.
Claire took off her shoes.
“Are you coming?”
I looked at the water.
For a second, I hesitated.
Then I rolled up my trousers and followed her.
The water was freezing.
I let out a little scream, and Claire burst out laughing.
“See? You should have come in last time!”
“Last time, I had other responsibilities,” I replied.
Her smile faded slightly.
“I’m sorry.”
I stopped walking.
“Claire, we’ve already talked about that.”
“I know. But I think I understand it better now.”
She looked directly at me.
“I thought you were happy taking care of everything. You never complained. You always had a solution. I didn’t understand that your silence might mean you were afraid to ask for something different.”
