Page 88 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

“No. I want to make sure you two get clipped onto the equipment securely and can manage climbing over the edge without issue.” I reach for Ellie’s hand. “Sweets, you’re going down first.”

“That sounds really good to me,” she says with the sexy glint in her eyes.

Stuffing the urge to drag her into a dark corner, I clear my throat and secure the rope to her harnesses.

As she eases over the edge of the pit, she braces her boots against the wall and grins up at us. “Here goes nothin’.”

She starts down, moving carefully and confidently. Frank hovers near the edge of the pit. “Careful now.”

“That’s it, sweetheart. Keep your weight even,” I say. “Good job.”

“Not too fast,” Frank says. “Watch it.”

Ellie stops and looks up with an amused expression. “Dad, I’m not made of glass.”

“Just get down there safely, will ya?” Frank snaps.

I stifle a grin, wondering if he realizes the fear he feels right now is probably what Ellie feels every time he does something risky.

“She’s doing great, Frank,” I reassure him.

“We’ll see,” he says tightly, watching her like a hawk as she touches down.

“I did it!” she calls up, and unhooks the rope from her harnesses.

“Awesome job, El,” I call down to her as Frank exhales with relief. I clap him on the shoulder. “You were right, Frank. She was born to do this.”

“That’s my girl,” he says.

“How does it look down there?” I call down to Ellie.

She looks around, then calls up to us, “Like it’s waiting for us to explore! Get down here.”

As Frank and I gear up, I notice his hands are shaking. “Nervous?”

He scoffs. “Not even a little.”

“You’re a stronger man than me. The first time I did this, I was sure I was going to break an ankle.”

I stick close as he climbs over the edge, and we descend side by side. Frank goes extra slow, his jaw tight, brow furrowed.

“You’re doing great, Frank. That’s perfect, slow and steady.”

“Good job, Dad!” Ellie shouts. “You’re almost done!”

When Frank’s boots hit the ground, he exhales like he’s been holding his breath.

“Nice descent, Frank.”

“Way to go, Dad!” Ellie cheers.

Frank stands taller, grinning proudly as he frees himself from the rope. It’s easy to imagine him as a cocky younger man without any physical limitations. As he and Ellie talk about our adventure, I wonder about that younger man, left by his wife of umpteen years, with two teenage girls to raise. When Ellie’s mother left, I don’t think she took pieces of Ellie with her, but she wounded the ones that mattered most, shattering her sense of safety, her trust, and the fragile parts that believed in hopes and dreams and promises of forever. I can only imagine the fault lines Frank has been living with.

We leave the harnesses by the ropes and head out to explore the grittier side of caving. We walk, climb, and GI Joe crawl, discovering various tunnels, cavities, and chambers. Some are too small to do more than stand in; others are much larger, walls streaked with mineral bands.

When we come to the magnificent chamber that marks the midpoint of our adventure, the one I’ve been excited to show them, their faces light up. A shallow stream cuts across the ground, glinting in our headlamps. Stalagmites rise from the ground in irregular clusters, some as thin as candles, others thick and knotted, reaching for stalactites that have formed above, like fangs in the mouth of a beast.

“This is…” Frank trails off. “Hell, I don’t even have the right words to describe it.”