“Ash, are you up?”
Asher opened his eyes and felt a warm body curled up next to him. He stroked Halle’s soft fur, and remembering what day it was, leaned over and whispered, “Rabbit, rabbit.” Halle opened her eyes and yawned, her thumping tail caught under the sheet, making it flop up and down.
“How’d she do?” Laney asked, peering in his room.
Asher put on his glasses, inspected the floor, and felt his sheets. “Good . . . I told you she could do it.”
Laney looked skeptical. “Well, take her outside before she has the chance to prove you wrong.”
“C’mon, Halle,” Asher said, scooping the puppy into his arms—he wasn’t taking any chances. He went downstairs, saw Mennie dozing in a sunny spot, and gave him plenty of room. Then he put Halle down by the door, clicked on her leash, and followed her outside in his pajamas. The warm, damp grass tickled his bare feet as he wandered around the yard. He breathed in the fresh morning air. It looked and smelled like summer, and he couldn’t wait until it really was summer.
When he came back in, Laney was putting his lunch in his backpack. Ben and Seth had already left for school. And Gabe and E were still in bed since they didn’t have to be at work until ten, so it was just the two of them. Laney glanced at the clock. “You need to get a wiggle on, hon. The bus will be here in twenty minutes.”
“Did you say ‘rabbit’?” he asked.
Laney looked puzzled. “Rabbit?”
“You know—for good luck.”
“Oh!” She suddenly realized he was talking about the age-old superstition to say “rabbit, rabbit” as soon as you woke up on the first day of the month and then you were assured to have good luck all month long. “Oh, hon, June first was yesterday.”
Asher looked utterly distressed. “It was?”
Laney saw his dismay and frowned. “Ash, it’s just a silly superstition. I don’t know why your brothers fill your head with such nonsense. I’m sure June will be a fine month. Now, hurry up and get dressed.”
As he disappeared up the stairs, she murmured, “If anyone should’ve said ‘rabbit, rabbit’ yesterday, it was me.”
Ten minutes later, they were sitting at the bottom of the driveway, waiting. “Where is your bus?”
“Maybe we missed it,” Asher suggested hopefully, his mouth full of strawberry Pop-Tart. “Maybe you should drive me,” he added with crumbs spewing everywhere.
“If you missed it, that won’t be very lucky, because I’ll be late for school.”
“It’ll be lucky for me,” Asher said with a grin, “cuz then I won’t see you-know-who.”
“Who? Voldemort?” she teased.
“Very funny, Mom.”
“Maybe I can get E or Gabe to drive you.”
“Waking them would take even longer.”
Laney sighed, knowing he was right. Waking her two older sons was like waking a pair of bears from winter hibernation. “Okay,” she conceded, still hoping the bus would magically appear. “Hop in back.”
“Yes!” Asher cheered, climbing over the seat. “Maybe it’ll be a lucky month after all.”