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raft’s edge, dangling their legs and feet into the water. Daddy’s long legs go deeper.
    Tom takes a breath, the one that signals the end of something, and says, “It is kind of strange that hardly anybody is here.” He pats Danny’s head, so everything is okay.
    Danny nods. Commiserating, supporting, happy and grateful to be back in Daddy’s good graces. He’s also in his head, making up a face and body for a stranger named “Hardly Anybody.” He can’t decide if he should make Hardly Anybody magical or not.
    They wave at Mommy and Beth at the shore. Ellen’s wave is tired, like a sleeping bird. Ellen wears the same shirt and shorts over her bathing suit. Danny wonders how long it takes for his wave to make it across the water.
    X
    They leave the beach early. On the short drive back, Tom makes up a silly song that rhymes mountain peaks with butt-cheeks and it’s these Daddy-moments that make Danny love him so hard he’s afraid he’ll break something.
    Back at the cottage. Beth is asleep and Ellen dumps her in the playpen. Danny sits at the kitchen table and eats grapes because he was told to. Tom goes into the living room and turns on the TV. Danny listens to the voices but doesn’t hear what they say. But he hears Tom say a bad word, real quick, like he is surprised.
    â€œEllen?” Tom jogs into the kitchen. “Where’s Mommy?” He doesn’t wait for Danny’s answer. Ellen comes out of the bathroom holding her mostly dry bathing suit and wearing a different set of tee shirt and shorts. Tom grabs her arm, whispers something, then pulls her into the living room, to the TV.
    â€œHey, where did everybody go?” Danny says it like a joke, but there’s no punch line coming. He leaves his grapes, which he didn’t want to eat anyway, and tip-toes into the living room.
    His parents are huddled close to the TV, too close. If Danny was ever that close they’d tell him to move back. They’re both on their knees, Ellen with a hand over her mouth, holding something in, or maybe keeping something out. The TV volume is low and letters and words scroll by on the top and bottom of the screen and in the middle there’s a man in a tie and he is talking. He looks serious. That’s all Danny sees before Tom sees him.
    â€œCome with me, bud.”
    Daddy picks him up and plops him down in a small sunroom at the front of the cottage.
    Tom says, “Mommy and Daddy need to watch a grown-up show for a little while.”
    â€œSo I can’t see it?”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œHow come?”
    Tom is crouched low, face to face with Danny. Danny stares at the scraggly hairs of his mustache and beard. “Because I said it’s only for grown-ups.”
    â€œIs it about feeding the ducks? Is it scary?”
    Daddy doesn’t answer that. “We’ll come get you in a few minutes. Okay, bud?” He stands, walks out, and starts to close sliding glass doors.
    â€œWait! Let me say something to Mommy first.”
    Tom gives that sigh of his, loud enough for Ellen to give him that look of hers. They always share like this. Danny stays in the sunroom, pokes his head between the glass doors. Ellen is to his left, sitting in front of the TV, same position, same hand over her mouth. “Mommy, pretend you didn’t know that I could see through these doors.”
    Mommy works to put her eyes on her son. “So, you won’t be able to see anything in here when we shut the doors?”
    â€œNo, I can see through them.”
    Tuesday
    It’s raining. They don’t go to the beach. Danny is in the sunroom watching Beth. His parents are in the living room watching more grown-up TV. Beth pulls on Danny’s shirt and tries to walk, but she falls next to the couch and cries. Ellen comes in, picks up Beth, and sits down next to Danny.
    He says, “This is boring.”
    â€œI know, sweetie. Maybe