Free Ride the Rainbow Home by Susan Aylworth Page A

she wondered. Why don't I remember this? "Jim still has a picture I took of the three of you," Joan was saying. "It was at the spring assembly during your junior year, I think, and you were in a silly skit about a doctor's office."
    "I remember," Meg said. "Jimmy was the doctor and Sally was pretending to be pregnant—"
    "That's right. Jim still has that picture. It's framed on an end table in his living room."
    "His living room?" Meg asked. "I thought Jim lived here."
    "Oh, no. Not since he graduated college. But does that mean he hasn't taken you to his home?" Then Joan looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'm pressing too hard. Of course he hasn't or you wouldn't have asked, but don't worry. Jim never takes anyone to his place. He must feel awfully close to you even to bring you here."
    "Jim and I have been friends a long time," Meg answered, feeling a little less confident than she had a moment ago.
    "Trust me, Meg," Joan said knowingly. "Jim doesn't look at his friends the way he looks at you."
    Meg smiled gratefully.
    That was when they heard the commotion in the yard. Kate stepped in from the kitchen. "Do you know what that's all about?" Joan shook her head.
    "Mom! Joan!" Kurt shouted. "Come out! Bring Meg with you!"
    Kate went to the screen door. "What's the problem?"
    Kurt yelled back, "One of the sows just dropped a litter. We thought you'd want to see."
    Kate sighed in relief. "Looks like one of the girls beat us to it," she said. "Everything's all right or they'd be more concerned." She turned to Joan and Meg. "Would you ladies like to see some piglets?"
    "Sure," Joan said, and looked up just in time to spy Alice and Tyler sneaking down the stairs. "How about you two? Want to see some piggies?"
    "Oh, Mama, can we?" Alice said, and Tyler said, "Piggies, Mama." The women gathered up the young ones as they headed for the barn. Meg felt lost as she dragged behind Kate and Joan, each of them carrying a child.
    They found the men in the farrowing barn where they'd just settled the new mother into a pair of standing racks so she couldn't roll on her babies, and put her litter of ten into some clean straw.
    Jim saw Meg enter and gestured for her to come to him. He wrapped one arm around her as she did. "Cute little devils, aren't they?" he murmured near her ear.
    She looked—and saw the miracle of new life, closer and more real than she'd ever seen it before. "Amazing," she whispered.
    Jim gave her a tender look. "It always is," he said softly. "I've seen hundreds of animals born, mostly pigs, but sheep and calves and foals, puppies and kittens too. It's always amazing."
    "Yes," she said, nodding. "Yes."
    They stood at the rail, watching as the newborns snorted about their mother, each finding a teat on her underbelly.
    "They'll each stake out one that's theirs alone," Jim explained as they watched the pigs jockeying. "In the future, when they come to their mother, each will go back to that same place. If one tries to usurp the teat that belongs to another, there'll be a small skirmish and the intruder will retreat. That's why a litter has a runt. The smaller, weaker newborns get shoved forward toward the smaller teats that produce less milk, then they just stay small."
    Meg thought of Little Jimmy McAllister and realized that the process worked much the same among humans. She was grateful to see how thoroughly Jim had grown a place for himself.
    For a time the family stood around the fence, content to watch. Then Kate announced there were leftovers and peach cobbler for anyone who was hungry, and one by one the group broke up, straggling toward the house. The last to go were Joan and Bob and their children, with Jim and Meg following. As they walked back, Jim walked ahead to join Bob. In the process, Tyler got behind. A moment later, when he stumbled and fell, bumping his knee with a whack, Meg was the only adult close enough to offer comfort. Her reaction was all instinct. "Come here, sweetheart," she said and Tyler came,