The wind ripped through us.\u00a0
Sweet coffee warmed my throat. Elsie\u2019s horn shivered on top of her unicorn cap. Sam surfed the wind on his skateboard. My fingers clawed around my stainless-steel travel cup while my nose dripped. The sun teased us as it sang over the clapping waves and lit the promenade as though it were summer, except the only warmth I felt was a slight flick of a hello on my legs. Other than that, it was absolutely freezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I told you it would be cold,\u2019 Sam groaned.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018It\u2019s because we\u2019re by the sea,\u2019 I stammered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Then why did we come to the sea?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I didn\u2019t expect it to be this strong,\u2019 I muttered, my words lost in the biting wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Mummy, Daddy is like a whole a hundred miles back there.\u2019 Elsie\u2019s small, pale face was flushed, with two snot icicles forming under her nostrils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Nick!\u2019 I yelled, trying not to shiver because this was all my idea, and I wouldn\u2019t admit it was the worst one ever. What was that he just shoved in his pocket?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He trudged over in his black skinny jeans and grey beanie, looking more like our teenage son than the father. \u2018What?\u2019 he growled defensively, noticing my gaze on his pocket. \u2018It was important.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018What part of a digital detox don\u2019t you understand?\u2019 I retorted, forcefully sniffing all my snot back up my nose. The wind nudged me into Elsie, who watched us with wide eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I don\u2019t understand why we\u2019re doing it,\u2019 Nick replied, exasperated.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018What do you mean you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>understand? You\u2019re glued to that phone. Sam\u2019s glued to his music\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018I have a band, Mum.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Elsie is six years old and she\u2019s scrolling on the iPad like she\u2019s Tim Cook.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018It\u2019s 2024, Luce, it\u2019s normal!\u2019 Nick shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018It shouldn\u2019t be normal in our home on a Saturday when we\u2019re all together and no one is talking to one another. That shouldn\u2019t be\u00a0normal<\/em>,\u2019 I insisted. \u2018We\u2019re all doing our own thing in the week, so the weekend comes\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018And I want to do my own thing!\u2019 Sam blurted out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sea roared, and the wind howled, whipping foam and froth into a frenzy. An old woman struggled with her dog, swept up by the gale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018My teacher says I need to get better at touch typing,\u2019 Elsie piped up, teeth chattering. \u2018Can we finish the detox now?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018This was never going to work.\u2019 Sam rolled his eyes, leaning against his skateboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Why can\u2019t we all be without our devices for one day?\u2019 I begged. \u2018Just one day where we can be together as a family.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018But we\u2019re not together as a family, are we?\u2019 Nick snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam dropped his skateboard, and Elsie clutched the end of my coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018No,\u2019 I blinked back the tears that had been threatening to leak all morning, \u2018but we will be soon. Ava is going to be fine. She\u2019ll get through this. We all will. And when we do, I want us to be together.\u2019 I breathed evenly. \u2018Without technology plugged into each one of us.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Great. Now it\u2019s raining.\u2019 Sam huffed. \u2018Like ice pellets.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Lucy,\u2019 Nick started, but it was too late. This was never going to work. Not if I didn\u2019t have him backing me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018What if she doesn\u2019t wake up, Mummy?\u2019 Elsie asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Just because she was on her phone, doesn\u2019t mean all technology is evil,\u2019 Sam glowered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I met Nick\u2019s eyes.\u00a0Thanks for the support.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Let\u2019s go home,\u2019 he said and carried on walking.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Come on.\u2019 I held Elsie\u2019s icy hand and drank the rest of my coffee with the other. Sam skulked behind us, tugging his hood up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we arrived back in the village, the wind had finally relented, and the sun took its chance in the spotlight, sweeping over the fields opposite our house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick paused at the front door, then turned to us. \u2018Mum is right.\u2019 He gave me an apologetic glance and put his hand on Sam\u2019s shoulder, who hadn\u2019t said a word on the way home. \u2018We should be pulling together while your sister is in the hospital, not ignoring each other and drowning in our own worlds. We need each other.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018I need my music,\u2019 Sam muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018I understand that,\u2019 I said, watching Elsie pick up petals that had blown off the magnolia tree. \u2018And I know you enjoy time on the iPad, Els. But I need you more than you might know. I only wanted a break from it all.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018And we should,\u2019 Nick agreed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018This isn\u2019t all because Ava was on the phone while she was driving, is it?\u2019 Sam asked, and as much as I wanted to say it wasn\u2019t, I wondered whether, for me, it partly was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018It\u2019s because we\u2019re a family, and we should spend quality time together,\u2019 Nick said, holding his hand out for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took it, held it tightly, and prayed that Ava would be okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam took the keys from Nick, opened the house, stormed in, and before we could shout after him, he was back with one of his leads. \u2018This is me giving mine up for a day.\u2019 He draped it over our home\u2019s stone sign, which read, \u201cHollywell House\u201d. \u2018For Ava, for you, Mum, for our family.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those impending tears fell like magnolia petals because as callous as Sam could be, sometimes he could be the sweetest. I squeezed him in the tightest hug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Get off!\u2019 He squirmed and rolled his eyes with a smirk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018We could brave the wind and the waves again,\u2019 Nick suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Nooooo,\u2019 Elsie shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Why don\u2019t we go and see Ava?\u2019 I countered. \u2018Today might be the day she wakes up.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Absolutely,\u2019 Nick said. The wind ripped through us.\u00a0 Sweet coffee warmed my throat. Elsie\u2019s horn shivered on top of her unicorn cap. Sam surfed the wind on his skateboard. My fingers clawed around my stainless-steel travel cup while my nose dripped. The sun teased us as it sang over the clapping waves and lit the promenade as though […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":1798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[396,46,106,235,398,397],"yoast_head":"\n
We packed back in the car, and as Nick turned the ignition on, Sam asked, \u2018But we\u2019re going to stop the digital detox tomorrow morning, yeah?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"