10
Sydney, Australia
OUTSIDE HER PARENTS’ window, the morning sun streamed in. Elena could hear the ocean’s incessant, rhythmic roar, as if marking the endless, interminable hours she’d spent by her father’s bed. Since he’d been released from the hospital, she’d insisted on helping him eat, dress, and walk.
She didn’t mind. This was her penance for having been so far away when her beloved father’s heart failed him. What if Dad hadn’t made it? She would have never forgiven herself. She sat by her father’s bed now, reading as he slept.
A seagull squawked outside and Elena looked out. She had grown up here in the beach cottage. Before returning to her book, she glanced around, appreciating the familiarity of her surroundings. Wood floors were worn smooth by sand tracked inside, and white
