Dominica chats easily to Ash and Maddy joins in too.

‘Oh, I’ve remembered. I’ve got a joke. Do you like jokes, Ash? This was always a favourite one of my son’s.’

He nods eagerly and Maddy’s face cracks into a wide smile. ‘OK, then. What’s a pirate’s favourite letter?’

Claire stops with Ash too, trying to think of the answer. Ash loves this kind of thing.

‘I don’t know,’ he says, giving up.

‘You’d think it’d be arr, but it be the sea,’ Maddy says and Claire and Ash laugh.

‘I’ve got to get Felix with that one,’ he tells Claire, and she nods. She’s glad he’s having fun.

‘Oh. Wait up, you missed something,’ Dominica tells Ash, as they pick through the debris in the line of tangled seaweed. She points.

‘That’s just rope, isn’t it?’

‘No, that, I’m afraid, that is a tampon,’ Dominica explains.

Ash’s cheeks pulse red at the word. ‘Err … That’s gross.’

Claire picks up the tangle of seaweed and the bundle of white cotton.

‘Mum!’

‘It’s clean. It’s been in the sea. But look how much it’s unravelled.’

‘Ugh, stop it,’ Ash begs. ‘Put it down.’ He hurries away to a plastic lid a few metres away.

‘Sorry,’ Dominica says to Claire. ‘I didn’t mean to embarrass him.’

‘Don’t worry.’

‘He’s a sweet kid,’ she tells her and Claire smiles.

‘Yes, he really is,’ Maddy agrees.

Claire catches up with Ash and leaves Dominica and Maddy to chat.

‘Hey, wait up,’ she says. ‘Dominica said sorry. She didn’t mean to embarrass you about the tampon.’

He flinches at the word and Claire realises how little they’ve talked about anything female. She’s been annoyed that her sons have belittled her, but what has she really taught them about being a woman? She’s assumed that he’s picked up all this stuff at school, but what if he hasn’t? Pim said he would do the talking about the birds and the bees to the boys, but now she wonders how good a job he’s done.

‘I was shocked, not embarrassed. I hadn’t thought stuff like that ends up in the sea. It’s revolting.’

‘It is, but that’s why it’s important to take part in beach cleans so that you’re aware of what’s going on. Because then you can change it.’

They walk along for a little bit and Claire points out the black-headed gulls flitting across the stones. ‘How do you know what they’re called?’

‘My friend Helga has taught me,’ Claire says. ‘But whilst we’re on the subject of tampons—’

‘We’re not.’

‘But whilst we are’ – Claire is amused by his resilience – ‘let’s chat about periods. I want to know what you know.’

‘Mum.’

‘This is important. Come on. Give me some facts. What do you know about periods?’

‘You’re so embarrassing.’

Claire stands her ground. She can’t let this slip.

‘It’s just bodies, Ash. Fifty per cent of the population. It’s not embarrassing. It’s life. And it’s important, as your mother, that I know you have the facts straight. So … come on?’