I laughed so loudly that the vacationers nearby turned around.
“Are you crazy? I’m sixty-two years old!”
“And I’m so light the wind could carry me away. Come on, let’s prove that age is just a number.”
Eventually, I agreed.
He climbed onto my back, we both burst into laughter, and a tourist took our picture.
In that photograph, I looked genuinely happy for the first time in years.
I sent it to Sarah with the message:
“Look, sweetheart, your mother still knows how to have fun!”
Five minutes later, my phone rang.
It was Sarah.
“MOM! WHO IS THAT MAN?”
“Just a new friend, darling.”
“What’s his name?”
“Daniel.”
I heard my daughter shout something to her brother.
Then her voice began trembling.
“Mom, please listen to me. Don’t go anywhere with that man. Lock yourself in your room right now!”
“Sarah, what’s going on?”
