(The dogs rush up the path to greet the daughter but she pushes them off and keeps walking with her arms still crossed on her chest. Her mouth turns down and she twists her hips at the dogs as they keep dancing around her.)

She’s always grumpy in the morning.

Very tall and grumpy.

Hi honey!

(The daughter makes a little sound of greeting and walks straight up on the dock to her father and sits on his lap. He kisses her on the neck. She puts her arm around his shoulder. The woman speaks.)

What’s your brother doing?

He’s crying.

What’s he crying about?

I don’t know. He’s always crying.

He’s not always crying.

Almost always. Who broke that bowl up there anyway?

Your brother.

Oh.

That’s probably what he’s crying about.

(The woman tosses the last of her cold coffee into the lake and shakes her cup dry. She stands and tightens the sash of her bathrobe. She stares up the hill at the cabin.)

I better go up and see. Looks like he’s having a tough morning.

He’s all right.

I’ll be back. You want more coffee?

I’m fine.

(The woman leaves. The dogs join up with her now and swirl all around her legs as she heads back up the hill. The daughter rests her head on her father’s chest. She stares at the flat dark water; the spot where her mother’s coffee is still slowly sinking in a light brown cloud. She speaks to her father with dreamy eyes.)

Why’s he always crying, Dad?

I don’t know. He doesn’t cry that much, does he?

Seems like he’s always crying. He cries about everything.

He’s all right.

(Another long pause. A frog jumps in the reeds. The daughter closes her eyes as though she wants to return to sleep.)

Dad, do we really have to go to France?

France? Who told you we were going to France?

Mom. Mom said we were going to France.

(The screen door opens and slams as the woman enters the cabin. The loon pops up with a small silver fish twitching in its beak. Nobody sees this. The man gently strokes his daughter’s hair. Suddenly he needs to stand up but the weight of his daughter is holding him down.)

Just a second, honey. I’ll be right back, all right?

What’s wrong?

Nothing’s wrong. I just need to talk to your mother a second. I’ll be right back. You just wait here.

Where are you going?

I’ll be right back.