After Child and I had our fill, we were soaked. I had packed some clothes for her, but she wanted new ones, so we entered the shops searching for the kind of outfit she wanted.

Finally, she held onto an absurdly tacky T-shirt. It had all the primary colours and all sorts of geometric shapes, with large fronds of bright green. With my eyebrows raised all the way to my hairline, I regarded her. 'Really? This?'

'Love it!' She declared. The fierce look in her eyes appeared once again, daring me to defy her. I chuckled, 'Okay. I'll ask if they have something of your size.'

'For you!' She said.

'Huh? Me?'

In the end, we matched. I wore the T-shirt with the gaudy print, and she wore a dress with the same. I thought we looked ridiculous, but Child said we looked amazing, so I went along with it. After that, bought take-away and ate in the car with Flabby. I generously ordered fish for it, and it looked at me with adoration in its large, round eyes.

I patted its head, and it nuzzled against me, purring.

'Today was fun,' I told them.

'Yes. Was fun.'

I glanced at my T-shirt and admired the print. 'Good choice,' I told her.

Her eyes glimmered. 'Best.'

I laughed. 'Yes, yes, your choice is the best.'

My words pleased her. Her brilliance was etched in my heart. I promised myself I would remember it as long as I lived.

'Thank you for bringing me here.' She worked so hard to search for a picture. Her dedication was commendable, but I was curious. Was it just for herself that she did the work? 'Why this beach?' I inquired.

'Beauty.'

'So you found it beautiful?'

'Yes.'

'That's all?'

'Yes.'

Child was simple-minded, and there was something alluring about that. I wished I could also be like that, but then I'd be taken advantage of. I'd hate that.

Huddled together, we sat on the sand and watched the sunset. By that time, people had arrived on the beach to share the special moment with us. Somewhere in the distance, music was being played on a loudspeaker.

The sky turned pink, and the sun turned orange. Above us, a light purple seeped into the light. Interspersed by cirrus, the darkness stretched behind us.

Red. Pink. Orange. Purple. Yellow.

'Beautiful,' Child whispered from beside me as she leaned on my chest. I hummed in agreement as I stroked her hair.

The red sun cast its final light for the day on the waves. Touched by golden light, the crests shimmered, bidding farewell. It was a bittersweet moment for me. Like an unreasonable child, I wanted the day to stretch forever so that I could hold onto the wholeness forever. Just a bit longer, I pleaded as I gazed as sky. Please. Let me enjoy this a little longer.

I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, the sun had disappeared.

Loud cheers drew our attention.

'That?' Child asked, pointing at something. In the distance, there was a group of people dancing, surrounded by warm fairy lights.

'Do you want to go there?'

'Yes.'

I sighed. 'Alright. Let's go.'

I took her hand in mine, and we went there. Flabby stayed away from the crowd, silently watching us from the sidelines. Child and I danced for quite a while. To see her visage radiate resplendence was an honor. I twirled her around, shook my body in the most awkward way (I've always had two-left feet), and tried to make faces just to see her laugh.

After a while, she pulled me out of the crowd.

'Sleep,' She whispered.

'Alright.' I carried her in my arms. She was still small, but as opposed to before, she had the air of a normal child around her. Guileless. Pure. Joyous.

Before the three of us could reach the car, she was already asleep on my shoulder. Her soft snores cradled my heart. I loved it. She knew she was safe with me, and I loved that she knew it. I held her close for a little too long before I lowered her into the backseat of the car. I let Flabby up. It nestled itself in her arms, and the two of them curled up together. In the end, I was the only one awake. I sat in the driver's seat, but before I could start the engine, a tear rolled down my cheek; then another. Like a dam broken, they ceaselessly flowed.

The truth hit me.

Those two in the back seat would forget about this the following day.

I looked at them through the rear-view mirror. Though my vision was blurry, I could make out that Child's back was toward me, and that Flabby's orange and white striped tail stood out against the dark seat.

They'd forget.

That was perhaps the most difficult moment in my life.

I cried well into the night. My sniffles muted, afraid to wake the two of them up. I was afraid that they'd see me in such a vulnerable state.

Wiping my tears, I tried to steal my tender heart.

It's alright, I told myself. So what if they forgot? Maybe we could do this all over again tomorrow. Maybe it would be even better than today. Maybe...

Who was I kidding!

Rage curled in my gut, directed at my stupid wishes. Where was my rationale? It was totally unacceptable for me to act like Child.

I leaned back on the driver's seat and covered my eyes with my arm.

When I ran out of tears, I started the car. How I reached my place was a blur. I was distracted.

I carried Child once again. This time, Flabby woke up and followed me, making things easier for me.

When I set her down on the bed, I planted a kiss on her forehead. Then I stroked Flabby's head. 'You might not remember any of this tomorrow, but I'll remember it all for us.'

Flabby curled around me and slept on the makeshift bed. It was then that I realized why Child had taken a liking to it in the first place. It was fuzzy and warm. It was lovable.