Page 3 of June First

I startle and glance over my shoulder. Mom is waving me inside from the doorway, her dark-honey hair whipping her in the face when a gust of wind rolls through. “Coming,” I call to her, stealing a final peek at my friend hopping into the vehicle with his parents. One more excited wave from Theo sends them off as they pull out of the driveway with squeaky tires.

“Come inside, Brant. You can help me butter the garlic bread.”

Pivoting, I let out a sigh and jog through the grass to my front stoop. Mom wraps a tender arm around my shoulders, then kisses the top of my head. I look up at her, twisting the hem of my shirt between my fingers. “Theo’s mom is having a baby tonight.”

She smiles, resting a palm atop her own belly. It’s flat and slender—the opposite of Theo’s mom’s. There are certainly no watermelons hiding inside. “Oh my goodness. I knew it would be any day now.” Mom glances up, watching the van disappear around the corner. “I’ll have to make them some casseroles when they return. Is Theo excited?”

“He’s really excited.” I bob my head. “He said I can visit when they come home. Can I, Mom?”

Two brown eyes gaze down at me like warm melted chocolate, and she gives my shoulder a light squeeze. “Of course. The Baileys are like family,” she murmurs. “And maybe I’ll reconsider that puppy you keep asking me about.”

“Really?” My own eyes ping open, wide as saucers I’m sure. “Can we name it Yoshi?”

“I don’t see why not.”

I hop up and down, anticipation coursing through me. “Thanks, Mom.”

Another breeze sweeps by, causing Mom’s long hair to take flight like a sparrow. She closes her eyes for a moment, tugging me close to her hip. “You’re a good boy, Brant. Your heart is kind and brave. Maybe…” Her words vanish within the breeze, and I’m confused at first…a little worried that something is wrong. Then she finishes with “Maybe we can start over somewhere. Just you and me.”

“What about Dad?”

I wait for her answer. My body sags against my mother, her scent a familiar comfort as her fingers trail through my mess of hair. She smells like something sweet. A dessert of some kind—honey and caramel. Maybe even taffy apples.

“Tomorrow, it will be June.” Her voice is just a hush, and I hardly even hear her. My mother sweeps her palm down the nape of my neck, then my back, giving me a light pat before she pulls away. “June always feels like a new beginning.”

I think about her words well into the evening. I think about them while sitting around the dinner table as Dad talks about how Collins at the office sabotaged his spreadsheets, then yells at Mom for overcooking the salmon fillets. He even throws a fit over the stones around the mailbox, blaming the neighbor dog for getting off its leash and ruining all of his hard work. I keep my mouth shut as I smash my glazed carrots into tiny spheres of mush, not wanting Theo to get into trouble. I knew Dad would notice.

He loves those rocks.

As bedtime rolls around, I still can’t stop thinking about Mom’s words. I don’t know why.

June always feels like a new beginning.

What did it mean? And why did Mom want to go somewhere without Dad?

Mom tucks me into bed that night, singing me a lullaby. She hasn’t sung me a lullaby in a while—not since I was in preschool. Her voice is soft and glowing, almost like how I picture the moon. If the moon had a voice, it would sound like her. She singsongs the words, telling me that over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. I think about bluebirds, and I think about rainbows. The words make me feel happy, but she sings it so sad.

She reads me my favorite book about Dumbo the elephant, while my own stuffed toy, a floppy gray elephant named Bubbles, is tucked in my arms. Mom cries as she reads the story, just like she always does.

Then she places a gentle kiss to my hairline, whispering by the light of the stars from my window, “I’ll always protect you.”

I snuggle under my striped bedcover, a smile hinting on my lips, listening as her footfalls fade from the room.

Dreams try to find me, but my mind is restless.

I’m thinking about Wendy and what a dweeb she is. Wyatt too.

I think about the puppy we’re going to get…Yoshi. I wonder if he’ll make friends with the neighbor dog.

I wonder if Dad will like him more than the neighbor dog.

I think about my mother’s voice made of moonglow, and I wonder why she said those things to me on our front stoop.

And finally, I think about Theo’s baby.

Mudpie or Butterfly?

Is Theo’s mom’s belly still big and full? Did the baby come out of her loo-der-us yet?