Ines was eleven, and she had never seen the sea. Her grandfather Matteo, who was seventy-three, had promised, "When you are eleven, I will show you." They lived in the hills, three hundred kilometers away, so they set off on his old bicycle with two seats.
On day two it rained, and a tire went flat. On day three Matteo's knee hurt, and he wanted to go back, but Ines said no and pedaled for both of them.
On day six Ines ran ahead and heard a sound like a great, soft breath. "Grandpa, listen!" At the top they saw the sea. "I have never seen it either," Matteo said quietly. "I only knew it from a book." Ines laughed. "Then we see it together!"
