Do you remember our walk on the beach?

• No, I don’t…

Of course, you remember… You had begged for me to take you there, although I had promised to already. You’ve been such a child about it. “Take me there, why won’t you? If you don’t take me there, I won’t let anybody else take me, and I’ll blame you for it!”

Oh, come on, think harder… You have to remember. We had driven for a little more than an hour, chatting the whole way through, about all and everything. You giggled like the little girl you were back then. I told you silly tales as you stared at the scenery with a distant look.

• No, I am sorry, but I don’t…

I have trouble beleiving you… You don’t remember the buried church? You didn’t want to beleive it was just the constant wind from the shore that had brought sand that covered it a little more every year… You wanted me to tell you the “real” story of the sacred building, the truth was not sufficient for your childish mind. I had to twist and bend facts to please your fantasy needs, and be able to get back on the road…

• It doesn’t ring a bell…

You are just being stubborn! Some people’s kids!

So I guess you don’t remember getting to the sand dunes? You insisted in playing The Little Prince as if we stood in the desert. You had kept the good role and I had to play the fox, all afternoon, coming slowly closer to you as you tamed me. When I finally was allowed to sit next to you, it was already time to unpack our lunch, but you threw a tantrum, wanting to eat on the beach, watching the waves.

• You’re just making this up… You’re good at that.

No, I swear we’ve been there! Why do you insist on living in denial? We’ve been there, alright! I would just have to go through our old photo albums, I must still have the pictures we took back then, even if they must be a little yellowish by now… I have a whole lot of them, pictures of our shadows, of blurry waves, of secret messages written in the sand. You don’t remember the picture of my left foot next to your right one? Just because it had cracked you up to think about someone having such different feet?

• That’s just in your silly mind… I have a good memory, but I have no recollection of being on such a trip with you!

That’s just planin impossible. Ok, what about when we walked to the tip of the beach? I had to constantly hold your tiny hand in mine to keep you from running toward the sea… It was a nice warm day, warm enough to walk bare feet, but you didn’t understand that the water was still too chilly to go toe dipping. You fought the whole walk, like a puppy on a leash… And when we got to the end of the beach, you suddenly stood still. I had let go of your fragile little hand, ready to catch it again if you started running to the water. But you just walked, amazed at the sight of the two seas meeting before your eyes…

I had to stop you at one point, because you were almost hypnotized, and I didn’t want you to get too close… I put my hands down on your shoulders, and you didn’t fight my holding back. You just opened your little arms as wide as you could, and screamed you were the king of the world. Your giggles filled the salted air. How can you not remember that… The sun setting as you were watching the two seas becoming one?

• You are right, that would be memorable, if only it was true.

Hmmm I’m starting to think you are playing with me… How could I remember this day so vividly, after all the years passed, if we hadn’t gone there together? I sure remember when we set the blanket on the sand and we watched the stars slowly lighting up, one by one… You layed your head on my lap to watch them comfortably, and you made up stories about the shapes they made as they appeared in the darkening sky. You even made me promise you we’d come back someday…Before you forgot… I let my fingers run in your little girl’s hair, pulled into a ponytail, because you liked that. And then you fell asleep, smilling under the stars filled sky. How can you not remember?

• I will, you know… I will, forever! I promise…