All This and Family, Too by Sarah E Glenn

Author:Sarah E Glenn [Glenn, Sarah E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781617060687
Publisher: Pill Hill Press
Published: 2011-09-13T05:00:00+00:00

“’Cos they’re old fashioned?”

“No, because it doesn’t send out signals the enemy could detect and it can’t be jammed.”

“What if it rains?”

Cynthia smiled. “Okay, that could jam it. It’s still useful to know.”

Josie gave her a curious look. “Do you know how to steer by the stars?”

“Of course I do. I have a sextant and almanac in my office.”

“Is this the sort of thing you teach your students?”

“No, I’m afraid not. Most of what we teach in astronomy is physics and data collection these days. There’s very little stargazing involved, which is a pity.”

“Where’d you learn all that navigation stuff, then?”

“I learned most of it on my own. My dad is in the Navy, and for a long time I thought seriously about going into it myself.”

“Why didn’t you? Were you already a vampire?”

Cynthia glanced around instinctively when Josie used the word ‘vampire’. The beach was deserted except for them. Grandma and Christophe were still happily chatting with Dylan. “No, but I was a lesbian. They were regularly discharging lesbians from the service at the time I was the right age for Annapolis.” She had never told her father the real reason she’d decided not to apply. He was disappointed with her decision. By that time, he’d realized that Christophe would never be military material on several fronts and hoped she would carry on the Leach family tradition.

It occurred to her that this was the first time she’d told Josie that she was a lesbian. The teen had probably guessed at her sexual orientation, but there was a difference between guessing and being told directly. Cynthia waited for her reaction.

Josie shook her head and snorted. “That’s not right. I mean, they should have been happy to get someone who already knew that stuff. So you don’t get to use it at all?”

“When we were stationed at Wilmington, we had a boat. I used to sail with Dad and use my sextant.” She didn’t add that her childhood practice had mostly involved calculating by the noontime sun. Something else she’d never get to do again. “I put the materials in my office because we don’t have a boat here.”

“Dylan has a boat.”

Interest punctured her bubble of self-pity. “Really? What type of boat?”

“A sailboat. He said he’d take us out some time to show us the city lights.” Josie looked down at her sash, fiddled with the knot. “Maybe you could bring your navigation thingies along and show me how it works.”

Cynthia flushed with pleasure. She’d actually penetrated the girl’s thick skull. Maybe practical applications were the way to teach Josie academics. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

Eventually, Grandma took Josie home. Cynthia asked Dylan about his boat, and they talked about sailing conditions until they were interrupted by soft snoring.

She looked over and saw that Christophe had fallen asleep in his chair. His skin glowed faintly in the spots where it was freshly sunburned. “We were too boring. We put him to sleep.”

“We can forgive him,” Dylan said. “It’s awfully late.”

“How do you stand the hours?”

“Which hours?”

She sighed.

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