They were passing the Jadav family farm, with its neat rows of fruit trees, tall hop vines, and the stubble of the barley fields. The Jadav brothers and their wife were out with a work crew, picking apples. As the truck approached, they set down their baskets and ran to the fence, shouting a welcome. Danan slowed the truck, so that Juna could say hello. Mrs. Jadav, her stomach bulging with pregnancy, handed her a basket.
“Fresh apples, for you and your family,” she said, glancing sidelong at the Tendu. Her two sons climbed the fence and stared openly at Ukatonen and Moki.
“Thank you, Sumitra! And congratulations on your pregnancy! You were just starting to show with the first one when I left.”
“Then you haven’t met my sons. This one is Dayal, and the little one is Devi. And this one will be a girl! It’ll be nice to have a little company in the family,” she said, beaming proudly at her two husbands and their sons.
“You’ll have to come by and meet Moki and Ukatonen,” Juna said. “And thanks for the apples!” she called as the truck sped up. She and the Tendu waved at the Jadav family as they faded into the distance. Moki took an apple from the basket and bit into it. He flushed turquoise with delight.
“It’s good!” he declared, handing one to Ukatonen. “Try one, en!”
Juna picked an apple out of the basket, polished it against her thigh, and bit into it. It was sweet and still warm from the sun. Juice ran down her chin. The Jadavs’ fruit sold for premium prices in cislunar space. Back on Broumas Station, this apple would have sold for five credits, almost enough to buy a used comm unit. The Jadavs’ beer cost ten credits, and was only available at certain upscale bars. A bottle of their pear cider was even harder to find, costing almost as much as a mid-priced bottle of wine.
Farming in space was expensive, but there were no losses due to disease or pests, and you could optimize the weather for your crop. Here on Berry Station, they specialized in high-value crops that cost a lot to haul up out of a gravity well. There were a lot of wineries and breweries here, as well as orchards and truck farms. They supplied a lot of smaller stations with premium fruit and produce, some fresh, and some flash frozen. They were required by their charter to grow a certain amount of grain as well. Some, like the Jadavs, turned most of their barley into beer, others fed it to animals, raised out on the high-g outer level, where they put on muscle faster. There was still a healthy surplus that was shipped out to the stations for human consumption. It wasn’t as profitable as the higher value crops, but the price supports made it worthwhile.
Life was good here on Berry. Looking up at the station arching over her head, Juna wondered why she had ever left. But she had felt trapped and bored here, and wanted to travel far, and see alien suns rise on distant worlds. Now all she wanted was to stay home. She was tired of traveling, tired of coping with a strange universe.
The truck hit a pothole, jolting her from her worries, and throwing Ukatonen forward onto their luggage. Moki looked worried for a moment.
“Are you all right, en?” Juna asked.
Ukatonen nodded.
“The harvest traffic is a bit rough on the roads,” she explained, raising her voice so they could hear her over the puttering of the truck’s hydrogen engine. “There’ll be a few more potholes, so you should be prepared for them.”
Ukatonen settled himself more firmly into place.
They were passing the Swensen place. Hanging from the porch was a big hand-painted banner that said WELCOME BACK JUNA. Juna smiled and blinked back sudden tears. Lena Swensen had probably painted that. And gotten it hung, even in the midst of harvest. She could see the Swensens’ crew out in the back orchard, picking apples. She recognized Lars and his two brothers from their shocks of red hair. They waved at the distant truck. Juna waved back.
It was like that at all the places they passed. People working near the road stopped and ran to the fence to say hello and stare at Moki and Ukatonen. They handed Juna bags filled with produce, or preserves, or fresh-baked bread. The Tendu shook hands, waved, and shouted greetings. It felt rather like a one-truck parade.
Finally, they turned spinward at the Uenos’ farm, where tall, spreading paulownia trees arched across the road. They passed the Diversity Plot, a band of forest that stretched all the way around the circumference of the inner level of the station. Moki and Ukatonen sat up, their ears wide and quivering, their skins pink with excitement. Juna smiled. She had been looking forward to their reaction. Moki turned to her, purple with curiosity.
“Yes, you can climb the trees. But you should wait until we get settled. Then I’ll show you the forest.”
The Tendu stared at the forest as it faded into the distance, like thirsty travelers gazing longingly at an oasis.
The truck left behind the paulownias and passed under a stately row of ginkgo trees. Juna’s heart rose as she saw the slender, graceful gingkoes, their dancing fishtailed leaves just turning to gold. Beyond the trees, rows of vines heavy with grapes stretched away into the distance. They had entered her father’s land. She craned her neck for a glimpse of the farmhouse she grew up in.
Then they were passing through the gate, and down the long, cypress-lined driveway. Danan slowed as they pulled up to the house. Juna vaulted out of the truck and bounded up the steps before Danan had stopped the truck.
[["hi! Netta Tdtil"]]
“They’re out back, Juna!” her brother called.
Juna rushed through the house, and out the back door, then stopped in surprise. There, out in the tree-shaded yard, was a big table spread with a huge buffet. Her father was there, and her aunt, and half a dozen old family friends.
“Surprise! Welcome home!” they shouted.
Her father rose from his chair, a little more stiffly than he had before, Juna noted with a trace of sadness. “Hei, tytar,” he said, spreading his arms. “Welcome home!”
Juna ran to his arms, tears flooding her eyes. “Oh, Isi\” she said. “It’s good to be home, but who’s harvesting the grapes?” she asked, looking around.
“We can spare a couple of hours to welcome you back. Toivo’s family sent some people to help out. There’s just the last of the merlot, and that’s going over to Wermuth.”
The truck rounded the side of the house. Ukatonen and Moki lifted Toivo’s wheelchair over the side. Danan unfolded it, and helped his father out of the truck.
“Was she surprised?” Danan asked as they came in the gate. “We were going to pull around back, but Juna jumped out of the truck before we could stop her.”
“It was a wonderful surprise!” Juna said, ruffling Danan’s curly chestnut hair affectionately.
“Welcome home, Juna,” her aunt Anetta said, coming up to her niece and enfolding her in a warm, soft embrace. Juna could smell Netta’s familiar lavender perfume. It reminded her of all the times her aunt had been there to comfort her in the difficult years after her mother died. Fresh tears welled in Juna’s eyes.
“Thank you, Netta. I can’t believe I’m actually here. I’ve missed you all so much,” she said, wiping the tears from her face.
She glanced up from the circle of her family, and saw Moki and Ukatonen looking on, pale purple with uncertainty.
“Isi, Netta, everyone, this is my adopted son, Moki, and my friend Ukatonen.” She beckoned to them, and put her arm around Moki.
There was a long, uncertain silence.
“Hei, Moki, Ukatonen, welcome to our home,” her father said, a little too heartily. Aunt Netta shook hands with Ukatonen, looking a little startled at the cool wetness of his touch.