Read Luna for Free Online Page A

lunch kits on the floor by the kitchen door, then sat down in her place.
    “More coffee?” Kent said, holding up his cup. She got up quickly, apologizing, and got the coffee pot.
    “So, you write history today,” Kent said to Mark. Mark nodded.
    “Grade ten history’s easy,” Phoebe said.
    “Phoebe,” Selena warned her. “It wasn’t so easy when you were in grade ten.”
    “Did you study?” Kent turned abruptly to look at Mark, his voice suddenly harsh. Mark nodded again without looking at his father. He reached for Selena’s homemade raspberry jam.
    “I said I quizzed him last night,” Selena said, keeping her voice neutral. “He’ll do all right.” Kent grunted, then sipped his coffee.
    “We shortened my dress last night,” Phoebe announced.
    “Nobody cares,” Jason said, and Mark laughed. Phoebe flushed.
    “Boys!” Selena said. “Wait till your grad and we have to go looking for new suits for you. You’ll care then.”
    “Leave them alone, Selena,” Kent said, without emotion, so that Selena felt herself flushing, too. Phoebe sprang up, pushing back her chair, then stopped by the door for her lunch kit.
    “No more stupid lunch kit after this week,” she said, and went into the hall where they heard her opening the outside door.
    “Hurry up, you two,” Selena said, unaware that she had been saying this to the two of them every morning since they’d started school. Jason jumped up and Mark unwound his long legs and rose as they heard the school bus rolling in on the gravel to the front door. The horn honked, once, Phoebe had probably told Basil to do it, and in a rush of activity the two boys were gone, the door slamming behind them.
    Then it opened again and Mark called down the hall, “I got a ball game after school and Jason wants to stay to watch. I’ll phone if we can’t get a ride back with Jerry.” The door slammed again before either of them could answer.
    “Damn!” Kent said. “Well, that means you’ll have to ride with me.” Selena nodded. Now that the boys were old enough to help they did most of the riding, but Selena found that if she didn’t get out every week or ten days, she began to miss it.
    Kent rose then and went out into the hall with Selena following him. It was cramped there, and dark, since the front of the house faced north and never got the direct sun. They could hear the whine of the bus as it turned onto the grid and began to pick up speed. Sparrows were chirping in the trees beside the house and red-winged blackbirds whistled, then trilled cheerfully. Kent set his cap onto his head, felt his back pocket for his wallet, then opened the door.
    “Hey,” Selena said softly. He turned, looked down at her.
    “Don’t forget to check where the cows are. It’ll save us some riding later. I’ll get back as early as I can.” He bent and brushed her forehead with his lips and then was gone. She stood in the doorway and watched the half-ton pull out of the yard.
    He was not the same man during the day that he was at night. At night he seemed vulnerable, she could reach him. During the day she was justanother person who worked around the place, who ran to him when he called, like the kids did. Watching the billowing dust swallow his truck she thought she could feel his kiss, too, vanishing from her forehead, and she felt a lassitude creeping through her so that she had to lean on the doorframe. Oh well, she thought, finally, that’s the way it is for everybody, I guess, and pushed herself away.
    She went to the back door, kicked off her shoes, and began to pull on the old, muddy pair she wore for gardening, then, remembering, kicked them off again and went to the phone. She dialled and waited.
    “Diane? Are you coming over? We really need to talk.” She could hear Cathy crying.
    “I don’t know,” Diane said, sounding exasperated.
    “Where’s Tony?”
    “Gone to see the Pool man in Mallard.”
    “Put the kids in the truck and come over then.” Diane