AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do the kids like the beach?” I ask quietly.
He pauses and frowns. “I think so.”
He doesn’t know?“Do you mind if I take them?”
He shrugs. “Sure. If they feel like it. Towels are in the hall closet. Gotta go.” Cormac dashes out the door.
Aiden is too into his book to notice me, but Franny’s head pops up from her drawing on the coffee table. “Hi, Lily.”
“Hey there.” I stroll into the gray-on-gray living room, enjoying the splash of color on her drawing of what might be a butterfly, a fairy, or a very colorful airplane. “What do you two say to going to the beach today?”
That got Aiden’s attention. “Really?” Franny grins.
“Yes. If you feel like—
“I need my swimsuit,” she blurts as she runs to her bedroom.
Aiden chases right after. “Me too!”
I’m glad to see them so into the idea. While they change, so do I, and my new black bikini’s matching board shorts are more comfortable than I had thought they’d be, which makes the wholebeing exposedthing more tolerable. I’d never been much of a swimwear person at the beach. Tee shirts and shorts were my usual idea of scantily clad, but the bikini had called to me, thanks to the board shorts.
When I come out of the guest bathroom, they are dressed, towels over their arms, goggles on their eyes (mostly), and half-rubbed in sunblock smears on their arms. Franny’s sandals don’t match, and I don’t think she cares. I laugh. “You two were ready for this, huh?”
Aiden grins. “I thought we were gonna get to swim in the pool today. I didn’t know you like the beach.”
“It’s been a while, but I love it there. I just don’t get to go that often. Ready?”
Franny asks, “Do you have snacks?”
“I was a chef, Franny. There will always be snacks.”
Suspicious of me, she asks, “Are they vegetables?”
“Some.”
“Okay,” she huffs. “But they better be good.”
“If you don’t like them, I’ll buy you a hot dog.”
She cheers, “Yay!”
Aiden cautions, “Mom says hot dogs make you sick and die.”
“I won’t tell her if you don’t.”
“Okay!”
We load up and head to the beach. I’m happy to see it’s too early for most people, and we have the place almost entirely to ourselves. The sun is shining, the seagulls are swooping, and the warm breeze has us running to the water. In short, it is a perfect day. As the days away from my kitchen turn into weeks, my list of things that bring me joy has expanded, and I am surprised to learn that includes a day by the shore with kids.
I had never really minded kids, nor had I ever enjoyed them in any real capacity until now.
They were fine, in theory. But in reality, kids were an abstract concept of messy clothes and random noise. They were a terror when brought into my restaurant—little walking lawsuits, as far as me and my staff were concerned. After all, they were great at tripping staff and patrons alike, or dumping their juice onto the floor, or any other number of child-related issues. In fine dining, they were a liability simply by being themselves. It was hard to see them and not think, “Problem.”
But getting to know Franny and Aiden, I realize just how bleak that outlook is. As they splash and laugh and play, I join them, and it’s impossible not to get caught up in their carefree attitudes. There is no guile, no self-consciousness, no fear. They are simply in the moment, and I find myself in that same place, enjoying it all.
Maybe kids are liabilities in fine dining because it’s not designed for kids. And maybe that should change.
When I whip out the snacks, I set out some dips to go with the vegetables. Mostly for Franny, although I can’t stop myself when it comes to broccoli and that strange excuse for a sauce, ranch dip. She chows down as much as I do, and Aiden nibbles on the crispy snap peas, but his eyes remain on the volleyball net someone had left up.
