Frowning slightly, seemingly dismissing that answer, Leah asked, “Can some girls love other girls, too?” 

Nodding, Helena answered, “Yes,” though Leah seemed unsure by her answer. “Some men love women, and some men, like your uncle Andrew, love other men, then there are women who also love other women. It’s all okay, darling,” She told her, and Leah seemed content enough with her answer to turn away from her mother and continue filling her bucket up with sand. Reclining back on her towel, Helena ran her fingers through her hair and settled with her arms behind her head, casually watching her little boy jump around in the water. 

* * * *

“Have you put your sandals on?” Helena called from behind her as she packed up the beach bag. 

“Yeah,” Nicky replied, writing his name in the sand while Leah helped her mum by hazardously shaking the sand out of a beach towel. She handed it to her mother once she was done, though Helena made sure to give it a good shake herself before rolling it up and fitting it back inside the bag. “Do we have to leave?” Nicky asked, standing up and brushing his hands on his shirt.

“We need to be back for Dylan, remember?” Helena asked. She had explained to her children that their uncle’s friend would be coming around at three ‘o’ clock to pick up a package, and she had promised to be home before then. Nicky sighed but accepted that they couldn’t stay. It was with one last look around the beach that he waved to the other boy he had been playing in the sea with and followed his mother and sister back to the road, reluctantly grabbing his little sister’s hand while they crossed. 

Arriving back, Helena was quick to tell the children to jump in the shower to get rid of the sand. Nicky went first, and as he washed Helena placed the beach bag by the back door, out of the way. Once Nicky was out, Leah was straight in, though took longer than normal as the bathroom had recently acquired a few new decorations, and the numerous Barbie dolls she had taken into the room were simply begging to be played with under the shower’s rays. When Helena finally managed to pull her wrinkled little girl from the shower it was quarter to three. Leah dressed quickly, pulling on the underwear and little dress her mother had picked out for her, and Helena came back downstairs so that she would hear either the doorbell or the knocking when Dylan arrived.