Plain Again Read Online Free PDF Page A

had no one to speak to. Not even Alejandro.
    It had been two days since they had spoken on the telephone. With his concerts ending so late at night and then having to travel to other locations, he certainly slept until early afternoon. Amanda knew too well how taxing the concerts and the constant travel were on him, both physically and emotionally. When she was going to bed at night, he was just starting his work. Their schedules were too diverse, and she doubted that she would hear from him yet again today.
    That realization saddened her.
    Each morning, she’d glance at the calendar and try to figure out what Alejandro was doing that day. She knew he had finished recording in Los Angeles and thought he was now in Boston for two nights before heading to Providence for a Sunday night concert. After that, he would be in New York for almost a week. That had been the plan. But she never knew for certain since his itinerary could change at a moment’s notice.
    Soon it would be Thanksgiving, and he was scheduled to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, whatever that was. And then, two more concerts in New York City: one on Friday and another Saturday. There would be more concerts after that: Houston, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and then back to Los Angeles for the Jingle Ball concert. There were a couple of weeks for a break before he was scheduled to return to New York City to ring in the new year at Times Square.
    It was a grueling schedule, but when she had looked at the travel dates for the next year, she found herself in shock over where he would perform: countries in almost every continent. Some countries would include performances in multiple cities, Brazil in particular. When she had looked over the list, she had commented on the European leg of his tour.
    “How is this possible?” she had asked, trying to understand the logistics behind all those dates and places listed on the schedule.
    “¿Qué?” He had been flipping through some papers, numbers from recent concerts, when she had asked the question. “What are you looking at, Princesa?”
    She had pointed to the paper. “This schedule. It’s . . . it’s . . .”
    He had glanced at it and laughed. “ Grueling, no? ”
    “Ja!” With a shake of her head, she had started reading it out loud. “Russia, Norway, Germany, and Sweden. All in one week?” He had continued laughing. “The next week, Finland, Poland, Croatia, and England.” She had tossed the paper onto the table. “ My word! I ’ve never even heard of some of these places! Croatia?”
    Now, just thinking about his schedule exhausted her. When she had traveled with him, she hadn’t noticed how hectic the travel was. She just went along, not really paying attention to where they were going next. It was easier being on the inside looking out than on the outside looking in. Indeed, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she would barely be able to keep up with his innumerable flights, cities, and commitments. It was too hard to remember where he was staying and when he was leaving. She only wished that she could be with him.
    In silence, Amanda began to move down the line of cows, trying to focus on the task at hand rather than the pain in her heart. She leaned her cheek against the warmth of the cow as she started milking her, breathing in the musky scent of the cow’s hide as the machine worked the udder.
    “Think she’ s done, ” a voice said from behind her.
    Amanda looked up, her thoughts interrupted. “Hmm?” She was surprised that Harvey had spoken to her. He was usually so quiet that she often forgot he was even there.
    He gestured toward the cow. “No more milk there,” he said.
    Quickly, Amanda looked down and, realizing that she had been daydreaming, laughed at her own mistake. The machine was drawing air at this point, and the cow was stomping her back hoof impatiently. “I reckon you’re right,” she said lightly, and quickly moved on to the next