A moving story. You are in complete control of your craft here. You begin and end in the same place--her father's back. And yet, between beginning and end you offer us a history of the narrator's birth and the mother's sorrow. Every word in the piece does 'heavy lifting'. Some parts of the story, though soar. Here for example:

the sun was a bright yellow ball in our faces, and the sea was an ironed blue sheet.

We are on the beach. We are experiencing the intense emotions of the child. At the end we understand the day has been both beautiful and tragic.

Thank you for sharing this remarkable story with us, @nancybriti1