She told Daniel about the summer programme on a Thursday evening, sitting on the floor of his bedroom with the deliberate casualness that parents used when delivering information that required a positive landing.
He was building something with blocks — a structure he'd been working on for four days, adding and revising with the focus of a small architect. He listened while building.
"The sea one?" he asked.
"The one near Cascais, yes. Beach activities, sailing basics, marine — yes, the sea one."
He placed a block. Considered the structure.
"With the real boats?"
"Small boats. Age appropriate."
He turned this over. "Are there sharks there?"
"In the programme? No. In the water, in theory, not in the bay."
"But potentially."
"Potentially, in the wider ocean."
He placed another bloc
