Free The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer Page A

about Harold?” Jon asked. That had been Dad’s name, but everyone
     called him Hal.
    “As much as we’re thinking about Francis Patrick Xavier Mulrooney,” Miranda said.
     “I like Daniel. I think it sounds good with Morales. But Alex doesn’t want me to name
     the baby for an old boyfriend.”
    “You don’t see me suggesting an old girlfriend’s name,” Alex said.
    “You don’t have any old girlfriends,” Miranda said. “Except me.”
    “She’s right,” Alex said to Jon. “I was saving myself for her. I just didn’t know
     it.”
    “Speaking of girlfriends,” Miranda said, “Sarah seems very nice. Are you serious about
     her, Jon?”
    “There’s no point being serious about anyone,” Jon said. “If Lisa doesn’t pass her
     evaluation, I’ll leave Sexton with her.”
    “Mom would hate it if you did,” Miranda said.
    “He won’t have to,” Alex said. “One of his friends would take him in. Gabe, too. They’d
     find a home for him in Sexton.”
    “That would be awful for Lisa,” Miranda said. “Gabe’s her life. If she had to leave
     him behind, it would kill her.”
    “Well, we won’t have that problem,” Alex said. “No one’s kicking us out of White Birch.
     Little Mulrooney is stuck with us.”
    Miranda ignored him. “Is Lisa worried?” she asked. “When will she hear?”
    “Pretty soon,” Jon said. “And yeah, she’s worried. She hasn’t decided what she’ll
     do about Gabe if she has to leave.”
    “There’s no choice,” Alex said. “Take Gabe away from Sexton? If she really loves him,
     she’ll let him be adopted. There’s no life for kids here.”
    “Our kid is going to live here,” Miranda said.
    “Our kid doesn’t have a choice,” Alex said. “Jon, tell Miranda what Gabe’s life is
     like. The food. The toys. The clean clothes.”
    “Gabe’s lonely,” Jon said. “He has Carrie, but that’s it. There are so few kids in
     Sexton, little ones, I mean.”
    “But the women must be having babies now,” Miranda said.
    “I don’t see pregnant women on the claver buses,” Alex said. “Do you, Jon?”
    “I don’t know,” Jon said. “I never really thought about it.”
    “I thought claver women could have as many babies as they wanted,” Miranda said. “They
     eat so much better. And didn’t you say once, their houses have air purification systems?
     I thought I remembered you saying that, Jon.”
    Jon nodded.
    “It’s still a hard world,” Alex said. He gave Miranda a squeeze. “We’re the lucky
     ones.”
    “We’ll all be lucky,” Miranda said. “Lisa will pass her evaluation. And you’ll get
     your truck, Alex. Carlos is coming for a visit, Jon. You’ll have to come and meet
     him.”
    “When’s he coming?” Jon asked.
    “In a few weeks,” Alex replied. “I keep telling Miranda he’ll love her, but she’s
     nervous about meeting him.”
    Julie had loved Carlos, her oldest brother. She’d been his favorite. Spending time
     with Alex was hard enough. Jon wasn’t eager to face Carlos, even though there was
     no way Carlos could know what Jon had done.
    “How much longer before you can get your truck?” Jon asked.
    “Months,” Alex replied. “Years.”
    “First we have to save the money,” Miranda said. “And after I have the baby, I won’t
     be able to go back to work right away.”
    “There’s talk they won’t reopen the high school next fall,” Alex said. “In which case,
     Laura will be out of work, also.”
    “Mom said they’d moved the high school to the elementary school,” Jon said. “Why can’t
     they keep it there?”
    “Maybe they will,” Miranda replied. “It’s all rumors.”
    Jon had resented how deeply Mom cared about her students. But he’d never intended
     the school to be closed permanently, for her to lose her teaching job. Would she have
     to get a grub job? Miranda worked ten hours a day in the greenhouses, with an hour
     commute each way and a three-mile walk to and from the bus