Page 46 of Watching Henry

“It'll be worth it in the end,” she promised them.

A customer at the coffee shop had told her about this place and it had seemed perfect. Quiet, secluded, and off-the-beaten-track enough that the children could scream and play and not bother anyone.

She was on the verge of picking Emily up and carrying her when they turned a corner in the rough trail and suddenly there it was.

Blue-green water showered down the rock face, pouring into an aqua pool. Small rock pools littered the beach, perfect for jumping and exploring. A line of trees provided shade and the clear blue sky was overhead and Florence was lost for a second in the beauty of it.

She turned to show Hadley a bird arching over the falls before she remembered that she wasn't there at all.

“Bo-ring,” Henry's voice came from behind her. He pulled up the hood of his hoodie and skulked over to the trees.

But the twins were already running closer to the water. They jumped over rocks and Florence was just about to call to them to be careful when Charlie slipped.

For a moment there was no movement. Then Charlie wailed and Florence ran to him.

The damage wasn't bad. It was a small scrape that bled through a tissue and then was secured by a band-aid. Still though, Charlie sniffed.

“I want Hadley,” he hiccuped.

Emily sat down beside him and crossed her arms. “This would be more fun with Hadley,” she agreed.

“Yeah,” Henry said. He'd ambled over to see his brother's wound, the lure of the gross-factor stronger than his desire to sulk.

Florence felt a fire burning up inside her. A fire that for once she couldn't quell, wouldn't tamp down. “Really?” she said, voice sharp.

All three children nodded and it was painful to watch. Painful until she remembered what Hadley had told her, remembered what she was supposed to do.

The craziest thing she could think of.

Not that she gave herself much time to think.

She stood up, kicked off her shoes, and was sprinting toward the ledge before she even really knew what she was doing. As her feet left the ground and the air hit her face she felt a rush of adrenaline, a heat and euphoria that carried her all the way down to the water.

Then the world was silent, bubbles rushing past her face as her clothes weighed her down until she powered her way back to the surface, spluttering as she came up into the air.

All three children were peering over the edge of the ledge, looking the few feet down into the water, worried looks turning into delight as they saw her swimming fully-clothed.

One by one, they joined her in the water, shrieking and howling as they got all their clothes wet and Florence started to laugh. Even Henry, the last to jump, was grinning as he surfaced.

Florence spluttered with glee and Henry flicked water at her, so she dove and pulled him under by his legs and then they were swimming next to each other and she didn't think she'd ever seen him so happy.

THE AFTERNOON WAS long and lazy and the twins settled down to a nap after the picnic was gone. Henry stretched out on the beach, his sneakers drying on the sand beside him. Florence hesitated before going to sit with him.

“Don't you want to sleep?” she asked.

“Napping's for babies,” he said grumpily.

And tired adults, she thought, but said nothing.

“Why are you and Hadley fighting?”

The question shocked her. “We're not,” she said automatically.

“Yes, you are,” Henry said. “Because you talk to us the same way mom and dad do when they've been fighting. Like you're too happy to make up for being angry with someone else. We all know that.”

They probably did, Florence thought. Not that this was a conversation she should be having with a ten-year-old. “We're not your parents,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but maybe it'd be better if you were,” Henry said. He was looking at the sky, eyes squinting at the brightness and Florence wanted to hug him.