Free Falling Read Online Free PDF Page A

touch her husband’s shoulder but felt only the cold place where his body had been in the bed. She saw his silhouette as he stood at the living room window. She watched him staring out into the dark night. She knew there was nothing to see.
Watching him, she could feel the anxiety and tension pinging off him in waves. “David?” she whispered.
    He turned but made no move toward the bed. “Go back to sleep, Sarah,” he said. “I’ll be there in a bit.” His voice sounded hoarse and muffled—as if he’d been crying.
    Sarah lay back down but now she couldn’t sleep either.
     
     
     

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    The first week of the crisis brought relentless worry, boredom, insecurity and joy into their daily lives. Unlike the hurried mornings of life back in the States, the days now began slowly and intimately. Sarah woke to the feel of her husband and son nestled beside her. Her husband was wiry and angular, solid and secure against the uncertainty of the coming day. Her son was soft and tender, dreaming his little-boy dreams. She kissed David on his unshaven cheek.
    The morning light peeked in between the gaps in the curtains. It was cold outside and the floor of the small cottage was like ice to bare toes. Sarah took a long breath and relished the feel of her family safe in her arms. This was about the time each morning when worry about her parents crept into her thoughts. She had gotten more adept at pushing the thoughts aside realizing that they didn’t make her any more capable for the challenges of a coming day.
    “I’ll make tea,” her husband murmured into his pillow. He got out of bed and threw several logs in the woodstove.
    “What’s on the agenda for today?” he asked.
    Sarah snuggled down into the covers. “We were supposed to be taking a bike tour along the beach today,” she said.
    “Really?”
    “I don’t suppose that’s still on.”
    David stretched. “Yeah,” he said, “very funny.”
    He filled the teakettle and put it on the woodstove. Then he went outside to get the last of the milk on the porch where they’d placed it to keep it cold.
    “I wish we knew about what’s going on at home,” she said. 
    “Let’s go back into town and see if there isn’t more news,” David said. 
    “Are we gonna ride the horses today?” John said through a yawn as he sat up in bed.
    “Hey, guy, how long you been awake?”   
    “Don’t worry,” John said, pulling on his jeans. “You guys didn’t say anything important.”
    “We’re going back to Balinagh today,” Sarah said.
    “I’m not walking,” John said flatly.
    “We could all use the exercise.”
    “I want the little brown one,” John said to his Dad. “You know? The one with the white blob between his eyes?”
    “That’s called a star,” his mother said.
    “So I’ll call him Star,” he said happily. “Which one you want, Dad?”
    David poured the tea into three mugs. “Maybe we should take some time getting familiar with our mode of transportation,” he said.
    “Maybe there’s a horse cart of some kind.” John looked from parent to parent with growing excitement. “I’ll look in the barn.”
    “Let’s approach one challenge at a time,” Sarah said, but she couldn’t help but think: Would the bike tour have been as much fun for him ?
    “Right,” David said, settling on the bed with them. “We’ll have our tea and rustle up some kind of breakfast, then go check out how to work the horses.”
     
     
    Sarah looked at David with worry and misgiving. They stood in the middle of the small paddock. The two horses and one pony were tacked up and stood quietly.
     “Now, remember, John,” Sarah said, standing next to John and the chestnut pony. “This is not like a go-cart—”
     “Mom, I know,” her son interrupted impatiently. He held the reins to the pony. “I’ve ridden before.”
    “This is not like how you’ve ridden before, John.” Her voice was stern. “This is not nose-to-tail riding. You