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The next morning, I wait for the boys to rise naturally. From my experience so far, the jet lag this way around isn’t so bad. When I moved to Sydney in the first place, I had several days of finding myself wide awake at three in the morning no matter what I did. But we all seem to naturally surface between eight and nine o’clock, moving through the bathrooms and getting dressed.
“What do you want to do today?” I ask them as the kettle boils for tea and coffee. I bought a couple of different types of cereal but also have bread to make toast as well as a bunch of bananas and some apples. We might have eaten a great deal last night, but a lot of it was coated in some kind of carb or dipped in cheese. I’ll feel better knowing my boys have some nutrients in them to start the day. Especially as it’s Christmas Eve, and I’m sure the next few days will consist of nothing but indulgence.
“Can we walk along the beach?” Colby asks hopefully.
I’m about to say yes when I have another idea. “Of course. But would you guys like to go down to the pier? That way we can be by the sea, but also there are different kinds of rides and food places.”
“What?” Jalen asks. “A pier? Yes! What? Oh my god!”
“That sounds so fun,” Colby says breathlessly. “I didn’t realize there was a pier.”
I nod. “Once upon a time, there were three piers, actually. The old one was more like a suspension bridge and that’s almost all gone now. The West Pier used to be really popular last century, but it closed down in the seventies, I think. Then it burned down about twenty years ago. We can go look at the wreckage if you like.”
Jalen wrinkles his nose. “Maybe. But the third pier is the fun one, right?”
I laugh and ruffle his curls, making him grin. “Yes, that’s the one people generally mean when they talk about Brighton Pier. Do you boys like roller coasters? They have a few different kinds of rides and attractions.”
“I’ve never been on one,” Colby admits, looking worried.
I reach out and squeeze his hand. “No pressure,” I assure him. “We can go take a look, and if you don’t fancy it, we don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
“Of course,” Jalen agrees wholeheartedly. But then he looks back at me. “I can still go on them, though, right? You guys can go get cotton candy and watch me be awesome.”
That makes us all laugh, and I promise them that we’ll all have a fun day doing whatever we want. I told my parents that we’d come over for dinner again before spending the whole of Christmas Day with them, so we’ve got several hours to ourselves to explore Palace Pier.
I’ve been here several times, but there’s something incredible about showing my guests around. Knowing my dad is making us a proper dinner tonight with several kinds of vegetables, I indulge the boys and let them have fish and chips for lunch. It would be rude not to while on the British seaside, after all.
In order to make sure our food is settled before going on any rides, we spend a little time walking up and down the extremely windy pebble beach. I’m glad I made both the boys bundle up, as the elements are strong along here. It’s almost impossible to hold a proper conversation, but that doesn’t really matter as Jalen and Colby run up and down like puppies. They throw stones into the water and take lots of selfies as they squeal in delight. Before we turn back to return to the pier, we simply stand with Colby and look at the water for a while, enjoying the crashing waves.
I decide to tackle the biggest ride to start with and see if Colby is feeling up to it. We wait in front of the Turbo roller coaster for a bit, sizing it up. “Okay,” he says all of a sudden. “Let’s do it.”
“Are you sure?” I check.
He nods, his cheeks pink from the wind. “Yes. I don’t want to regret not at least giving it a go.”
I squeeze his shoulder, bursting with pride. “Good boy.”
He beams at the praise, and Jalen throws his arms around him. “Yay! You can do it, boo-boo! It’ll be fun!”
The line isn’t too bad, thanks to the time of year and the weather. The carriages fit four people with two in the front and two in the back. As it’s not busy, they don’t bother trying to find a single rider to go with us.
“Who do you want next to you, Colby?” I ask. “I don’t mind where I sit,” I emphasize.
He nibbles his lip, and I’m conscious we only have seconds to make a decision. But he surprises me again by answering quickly. “Can I sit with Jalen? And then you can watch over us from behind.”
“Perfect,” I say with a grin.
My boys hold hands as the ride begins. It’s incredibly tame compared to some of the roller coasters I’ve done in my time, but I think that makes it perfect for Colby’s first one. The crank up isn’t that long, and rather than dropping right away, it goes around for a semi-circle allowing us to look out over the water. When we finally drop, the boys lift up their hands and scream into the wind as the train thunders through the one and only loop, then the next several increasingly smaller drops. It’s probably over in under a minute and a half, but when we disembark, both of them are grinning from ear to ear.
“Can we do it again?” Colby asks breathlessly.
How can I say no?
We ride the Turbo a couple more times, then the Crazy Mouse which is a smaller coaster with individual four-person pods that spin as they hurtle along the twisty track. We all feel a little queasy after that one, so we stop to get hot drinks and then venture into the shelter of the arcade for a while. We play some silly games, and the boys each win a stuffed animal to take home. I make sure to put the fluffy turtle and shark into my backpack for them.
To end the afternoon, I agree to go on the log flume. The idea of getting wet in December doesn’t appeal to me much, but the boys are so excited about it I figure it won’t be so bad if we head home right after. There’s an option to buy ponchos that I insist on for the sake of the Uber’s interior as well as an attempt to keep us reasonably dry.
It’s totally worth it, though, as not only is it a fun little ride, but they snap a photo of you on the way down. My heart creeps into my throat as I look at the image they captured of us looking exhilarated. It’s so authentic with no kinds of barriers up, especially from Colby. Just three people having a blast together. I don’t hesitate to buy it as well as get a digital copy sent to me so we can all have versions of it when we get back home.
