I unscrewed the lid of the urn. Together we held the container as the sea wind carried Elena’s ashes over the breaking waves.
The fine gray ashes scattered across the blue water like silver light. They danced on the surface before disappearing into the ocean.
Two dolphins surfaced beyond the breakers, fins arching as if welcoming an old friend home.
Maya gasped in pure delight, pointing at the dolphins. “Look, Daddy! Mama is already swimming with them! She heard me! She really heard what I said to her!”
I pulled my daughter tightly against my chest, burying my face in her hair as tears flowed freely down my cheeks. For the first time, they were tears of release, not despair.
Elena was free from pain, hospital rooms, and illness. She was part of the sea, wind, and sunlight on our faces.
We stayed by the water, watching the waves as their rhythm eased years of sorrow.
When we rose, Thomas and Sarah waited at the boardwalk stairs. Thomas offered a hand to steady me in the sand.
