Page 82 of Falling Together

When the bus pulls up, I nervously adjust the hat sitting on my head. I wait as the kids get off the bus before spotting Luke. When he sees me, he walks over and waves at me.

“Hey, Georgia.” His voice is more quiet than usual.

“Hey, Luke. How was your first day at school?” I try to inject cheeriness into my voice.

He shrugs a shoulder. “Fine.”

“Just fine?”

Luke kicks a rock, not answering me.

“Yeah, fine.”

“Okay.” Guess I’m not getting much out of him today. “Well, Queenie is all ready to go if you’re ready to head out.”

“Sure.”

Luke follows me into the barn where Queenie is waiting for us. I have a helmet ready to go as he sets his backpack down.

He’s quiet as he puts his foot in the stirrup and swings a leg up and over to get settled in the saddle.

“Is Mrs. Sosa still teaching at the high school?” I ask, trying to make conversation.

“Who’s that?” he asks.

“She was my geography teacher freshman year. I really liked her. Made me excited to come to school.”

“I don’t have her.”

More silence.

“I also had a great psychology teacher, but I always came out here after school to work on the ranch. I loved it.”

I’m yapping. I know I am, but I can’t help it. I know Grant was worried about how his first day of school was going to go, and based on how he’s not talking about it, it makes me worried.

I remember being that age. I don’t know if I would have survived high school without my girls. They made it bearable. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Luke to change schools before high school and not know anyone on the first day.

I only get a few one-word answers from him before he asks to do a few laps on his own.

I blow out a breath. It’s hard getting through to kids when they don’t want to open up, and I don’t want to push too hard.

At least Luke looks like he’s enjoying himself.

“How’s it going?” I call out.

“Good. I like being out here.”

“I’m glad. You’re a natural up there.”

He smiles as he passes and I do my best not to get overly excited and deter him from doing something that he enjoys.

Is this what parenthood is going to be like? Trying to encourage our kid to do something he likes without being too much? This is going to be a fine line to walk.

“Want to do a few more laps, or do you want to brush her out?” I ask.

Luke shifts the reins in his hands. “I think I’m ready to be done for the day.”

“Okay.”