Lucky Charm (8 page)

Meanwhile, Katani paused as she reached Penelope’s rump. “You want me to brush back here?”

Claudia chuckled at Katani’s expression. “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of warning. But be careful to never stand directly behind a horse. They can’t see back there and if they get scared, they might kick.”

“Whoa.” Katani made sure that she stayed to the side of Penelope as she brushed her rump with long, strong strokes.

As they brushed, Claudia told them that the girls would eventually learn to clean the hooves and saddle the horses. And of course, they would have to clean out the stalls, too.

Clean out the stalls? But there’s HORSE GUCK in there and
stuff
, Katani grimaced. Brushing a horse was one thing, but shoveling horse poop was quite another.

But before she could think too much about this, Claudia called for two of her assistants to come and help the girls get started.

“We’ve got to get these horses saddled and get you girls mounted up.”

“Mount…Mountain grown—the richest kind,” Kelley mimicked one of her favorite commercials.

Claudia chuckled as two women in jeans joined her. “Girls, I’d like to introduce you to our volunteers today—Samantha and Catherine.”

“Hey! I’m Sam,” the older of the two said, raising her hand.

“Hi. Nice to meet you,” Catherine said in a quiet voice. She held her hands behind her back.
She seems a little timid,
Katani thought.

“Catherine is new,” Claudia explained. “But Sam’s been with us a long time, right?”

“Right!” Sam said with a big smile.

“You first, Katani,” Claudia said, dragging a wooden box over to the side of the horse. “This is an English saddle, so you don’t have a horn to grab onto, but with your long legs, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. Step up on the box. Put your foot here in the stirrup and swing your other leg up and over.”

Katani stood still as if she were rooted to that one spot.

“Sam and Catherine will make sure that Penelope holds still for you, not that she’s one to be fidgety. Penelope is a good ol’ girl.”

Penelope acted like she knew exactly what Claudia had said. She snorted and pawed the ground. Kelley jumped back and grabbed onto Katani. “I don’t want to ride a real horse. I want to ride on the carousel. I want my pink-and-lavender horse. I don’t like Penelope one bit! No, sir, not one bit!”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Kelley. Katani’s going to show you just how easy this is. Before you know it, you will be riding like a real champ,” Claudia said. “Come on, Katani. Step right up here on the box.”

Katani was trying to act brave for Kelley, but the truth was, she was scared to death. Brushing Penelope was one thing—but sitting on top of her was a whole ’nother thing. Suddenly, Penelope looked huge…super huge. She looked over at her grandmother, hoping for a reprieve. But Mrs. Fields only mouthed the word “courage.”

Katani tried not to think about how nervous she felt and instead concentrated on Claudia’s directions. Katani put her left foot in the stirrup and swung her right leg over the horse, found the other stirrup, and settled into the saddle. She leaned forward, straightened her shoulders, and pressed her heels down in the stirrups.

“Hey, would you look at that?” Claudia said, letting loose with a long, low whistle.

“What?” Katani asked.

“You sure you’ve never been on a horse before?”

“No. Why?”

“You look good up there, Katani. Look at that, Sam,” Claudia said, motioning to Katani.

“Yup, I see,” Samantha said, smiling up at Katani.

“See what?” Katani wanted to know.

“Come here, Catherine, I want to show you what’s going on here,” Claudia said, pulling Catherine closer to her.

Katani looked around, wondering what they were talking about.

“Now Katani here has what we call a ‘good seat.’ See how she’s sitting with her spine straight? And notice her legs. They’re bent at just the right angle. I think we might have a natural horsewoman here, girls. Katani, it usually takes me weeks—sometimes months—to teach students to sit the way you’re sitting right now.”

Katani was stunned. No teacher or coach had ever called her a natural at any sport. She reached down and patted Penelope’s neck. She almost felt like crying. She saw Grandma Ruby’s beaming face out of the corner of her eye. Kelley clapped her hands.

“Time to mount. Time to mount,” Kelley said again.

“Yes, it’s your turn, Kelley,” Claudia said.

Kelley backed away.

“Come on, Kelley. It’s okay. It’s fun,” urged Katani. Suddenly, she really did feel like a natural. Even Penelope’s raising her hoof and twitching didn’t bother her.

Kelley didn’t have a box to stand on. She had a whole staircase with a railing on either side to help her up.

Katani also noticed that Kelley’s horse didn’t have an English saddle. It had a padded, bucket-shaped saddle that would keep her from falling out. With both assistants gently steadying and guiding Kelley, they eased her up onto Wilbur. Wilbur snuffled softly as if to say “Welcome aboard.”

“Now Kelley, I’m going to lead your horse. Catherine
and Sam are going to run alongside Wilbur so you don’t have to be afraid. Okay?”

Kelley’s eyes widened and she nodded. She looked frozen with fear, but as the horse began to move, a hint of a smile was creeping onto her face.

But what about me?
Katani thought.
Who’s going to lead my horse? Who’s going to run alongside me?

“Now Katani, you need to make a giddyup sound,” Claudia demonstrated, making a clicking noise with her tongue. “Then gently kick Penelope’s sides with your heels.”

“But won’t that hurt? Will it make her mad?” she asked.

“Mad? Oh my goodness, no. Your legs and heels are one way you communicate with your horse; sounds and reins are the others. Now hold the reins loosely in your hands. Pull them this way to go right and this way to go left. Gently pull up on the reins to ask Penelope to slow down or stop.”

“But…I’m not sure…I mean, I don’t know….” Katani stammered. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like a natural anymore.

“Go ahead,” Claudia prodded. “Just make a cluck-cluck sound with your tongue and nudge her with your heels.” The whole idea that an animal that was so big would listen to Katani and do what she wanted her to do sounded absurd. But Katani did what Claudia suggested.

She clucked her tongue and nudged Penelope’s sides with her heels. As she did, she pulled the reins to the right. Immediately, Penelope lifted her head as if saying “I understand” and started moving toward the ring, happy to follow Wilbur and Kelley. Catherine and Sam walked alongside Kelley, encouraging her every step of the way.

Kelley shouted out to Katani, “I’m riding! I’m riding! Good Wilbur,” she repeated proudly.

Katani had to smile. Maybe this would be really good for Kelley after all.

Once in the ring, Claudia called out to Katani to tell Penelope to stop.

Katani pulled gently back on the reins and Penelope slowed to a stop. It worked. The horse was actually doing what Katani wanted. Claudia jogged over to Katani with a big grin. “You are doing fabulously, Katani. I don’t often get the autistic kids on the horse their first day,” Claudia said. “But Kelley is lucky to have such a great peer role model.”

Katani was pleased, even though she hated being referred to as Kelley’s peer role model. It sounded so goofy. But, she listened intently as Claudia explained about how to use her thighs to grip the horse beneath her. Then she told Katani to go around the ring a few times and try out her skills.

The first time around felt awkward, but as she and Penelope started the second trip around the ring, Katani was filled with an exhilaration she had never felt before. This was fun! She reached down and patted Penelope on the neck. Claudia asked if she wanted to trot. Katani nodded yes. Claudia told her to press her heels into Penelope’s side and say “trot.” Penelope obeyed immediately. At first, Katani was bouncing up and down, but Claudia ran beside her and told her to lean forward and move up and down, using her legs to help. Within a minute, she was moving in rhythm with Penelope’s gait. Katani focused her full concentration on what she was doing. This was the most excited she had been in her entire life. Katani heard herself laugh out loud when Kelley yelled, “You go, girlfriend!”

M
om. Mom! I rode a horse. All by myself,” Kelley said, bursting through the back door.

“I know you did, honey, and I want to hear all about it. But first, girls, go wash up. Dinner is on the table,” Mrs. Summers said. She winked at Katani. They both knew that Kelley needed to settle down before telling her story or she would be dancing all over the house all night long.

It was almost seven by the time they arrived home, and Katani was starving. She smelled something delicious. Her heart gave a thump. Her mother had made her favorite dinner—pork tenderloin with apricot sauce, wild rice, and apple-and-walnut salad. Katani knew that was her mother’s way of saying thank you for going with Kelley.

Katani was so hungry she just wanted to eat right away. She forgot all about the half-hour shower she had promised to take the moment she stepped in the door—washing her hands at the kitchen sink was good enough. Plus, it felt kind
of sweet to still have Penelope and the smell of the barn on her clothes.

“My horse’s name is Wilbur,” Kelley said as she sat down. “Wilbur, Wilbur.”

Then she recited the entire lesson, word by word, while the rest of the family ate.

Katani was impressed. Kelley managed to repeat every word Claudia had said, exactly the way she said it. Katani tried to add in her two cents, but Kelley corrected her. No one could get a word in edgewise. Finally, Mr. Summers took Kelley into the other room and settled her down with her favorite movie of the week,
Pocahontas
.

“It sounds like you girls had a wonderful time,” Mrs. Summers said after father and daughter left the room.

“Yes,” Grandma Ruby agreed. “It seems we have a budding equestrian in the family.”

“Kelley?” Patrice cocked her head in surprise.

“Actually, I was talking about Katani,” she said proudly.

“What exactly is an equestrian?” Patrice asked.

“An accomplished horseback rider,” answered Grandma Ruby. “Ms. McClelland said that Katani is a natural. She wants Katani to take lessons with a group at the stables.”

“She said that?” Katani asked.

Grandma Ruby nodded.

Katani looked over at Patrice, who to Katani’s surprise, gave her a thumbs-up.

Katani remembered hearing Claudia say that she was a natural, but she thought maybe the instructor was just exaggerating to make her feel good.
Hippotherapy is great
, a jubilant
Katani thought as she stood up and began clearing the table, but her mother said, “No, honey, you’ve done enough for today. Come give me a hug and go start on your homework. Patrice, you take over for your sister tonight.” Mrs. Summers smiled proudly at her youngest daughter. Katani straightened her shoulders and headed out of the kitchen.
Mmm, Penelope. You and I are going to rock
, she hummed to herself.

Patrice huffed, but one look from her mother and she was at the sink shoving the dishes into the dishwasher.

On her way out Katani overheard her grandmother say, “Nadine, you should have seen your daughter, she looked magnificent on that horse, and so in control. I was very proud of her.”

Katani danced her way to her room, then suddenly remembered that she needed to ask her mom if she could buy some riding pants. Claudia told her she would be much more comfortable in them. Plus, she’d look really stylish. Even a used pair would be okay. Katani headed back, but she paused at the kitchen door because she could hear Grandma Ruby talking to her mother in hushed tones.

“Yes, Claudia McClelland told me that High Hopes’ existence depends on state funding and that it may be cut. She is urging everyone who cares about the stable to write their representative and state senator. Here’s a sample letter. But there is also a more urgent matter.”

The worried tone in her grandmother’s voice made Katani hesitate. She ducked back into the shadows near the living room.

From what Katani could hear, some government agency department was insisting that High Hopes upgrade their
stable or else close down and move the horses to another facility. The nearest Claudia had found was two hours away.

“That’s out of our driving range, I’m afraid,” Mrs. Summers noted.

“I’m afraid you are right,” Mrs. Fields sadly admitted.

“Her petition to the Variance Committee was denied. Bottom line—if she doesn’t come up with the ten thousand dollars to pay for the stable improvements, High Hopes will have no hope of staying open at its present location. She’s sent an urgent plea to all the families to look for funding.”

Katani couldn’t believe her ears. Finally, something that she was interested in and would love to do…and it might be taken away from her.

She burst into the room. “That’s not fair, Mom. The stable is really clean and the teachers take really good care of the horses. I want to take riding there and so does Kelley. She was so happy today. You should have seen her. She kept hugging Wilbur.”

“Honey,” Mrs. Fields interrupted. “It’s the barn. The horses are well-cared for. Claudia makes sure of that, but the barn needs to be replaced. It’s old and rickety.”

“Great, I finally find some sport I could be good at and now there is no place for me to go to do it.” She stormed out of the room.

Accept No Substitutes

Mr. Ramsey pulled up in front of the Beacon Street Movie House.

“Thanks, Maeve. You were a great help!” he said. They
had put fliers up in all the animal hospitals and shelters they could find.

“Yeah, thanks for coming with us, Maeve,” Charlotte added, giving her friend’s hand a squeeze before she got out of the car.

“See you tomorrow, Charlotte. And don’t worry. We’ll find the little guy…. We’ll visit every house and park in Brookline if we have to,” Maeve pronounced. She waved good-bye to Charlotte and Mr. Ramsey as she got out of the car. She went in the side door of the theater and pounded up the stairs.

“Maeve? Is that you?” her mother called.

Maeve cringed. She could tell by her mother’s tone that she wasn’t happy.

“Okay, young lady, you have some explaining to do,” Ms. Kaplan said.

On
I Love Lucy
, that usually meant something funny was about to happen. But Maeve had a feeling that there was nothing funny about this at all.

Maeve summoned up the most confused look she could possibly muster. What had her drama coach said about looking confused? Eyes wide, mouth slightly open. Bring hand up to your chest? Say
“Moi?”

“What?” Maeve asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“It’s Monday.” Her mother crossed her arms.

“And…” Maeve shook her head.

“Tutoring, young lady.”

Maeve slapped her right hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I entirely forgot about tutoring today.” She hated to think about how many times she forgot about
her sessions with Matt. Maeve sat down at the kitchen table. “Mom, here’s the deal. Charlotte looked so sad all day. She asked if anyone could help her look for Marty after school. I was the only one who could help her and her dad look. We went to all the shelters. I just completely forgot.”

“Maeve, forgetting is one thing, but not calling and telling me where you are going is another. You know the rules. It’s just too nerve-wracking for me if I don’t know where you are. If you aren’t where you’re supposed to be, there’s every reason that I might think you’ve been hurt—and that’s my worst fear.”

“I know, Mom. I’m so, so sorry, but I just couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Charlotte coming home to the house and being all alone—no mother, no cat, and now, no Marty. The words ‘I’ll go with you, Charlotte’ just popped out of my mouth.”

It had seemed like the right thing to do then. However, now under her mother’s disapproving glare, she knew she had made a huge mistake.

“You ARE telling me the truth, right? You weren’t off with Dillon, were you?” Ms. Kaplan demanded.

“No, Mom. You can call Mr. Ramsey yourself. Marty is lost and we have to find him. Charlotte has like lost her mind over this. She’s barely speaking to Avery because she thinks it’s Avery’s fault. I just had to help.”

“No word on Marty?” Her mother’s voice softened. She knew how crazy all the BSG were over that little mutt.

“We put signs all over the neighborhood, and Mr. Ramsey even helped us put up a website. But nobody has called.” Maeve leaned in to her mother and in a knowing tone said,
“Personally, I’m very worried. Of course, I wouldn’t tell Charlotte and Avery that, but it’s not looking good.”

Maeve’s mom bit her lip. Her daughter’s dramatic delivery sounded like a forty-year-old soap opera actress delivering bad news.

Maeve sensed her mother softening.

“Besides, Mom. I do know that every Monday I have tutoring. I just got distracted, is all. When one of the BSG is in trouble, I can’t focus. I have to stay loyal. It’s our motto.”

“Maeve,” her mother said in a stern schoolteacher voice. “I respect your loyalty to your friends, but going somewhere without calling me or your father is completely and totally unacceptable. And besides worrying about your safety, tutoring is expensive. I have to pay for it whether you show up or not. I am going to have to talk to your father about this.”

Maeve nodded. She knew her mom was right. She wouldn’t like it if her mom went somewhere and didn’t tell her. “Mom, I promise you I will do everything I can to remember to call you.” Suddenly Maeve’s eyes widened. “Maybe I should wear a pink bracelet or something to help me remember to call the next time.”

Maeve’s mother looked at her daughter. She knew that her daughter’s learning issues made it difficult for her to remember all the details of her schedule. She knew that she had to encourage any attempt of her daughter’s to stay organized. “Maeve, I think the bracelet is a really good idea. Maybe we can go over to Razzberry Pink’s store later on in the week and find something.”

Maeve jumped up and gave her mother a big hug. She would try to do better. She really, really, totally would!

Suddenly, the phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” Maeve said, lunging for the phone. “Hello!”

“Hello, Maeve?”

“Charlotte?” She’d just dropped her off minutes ago. There must have been an important development.

“What is it?” Maeve asked.

“A shelter called and they found a dog matching Marty’s description.”

Maeve’s heart began beating faster. “Is it one of the shelters we went to today?”

“No. It’s on Freemont Street. I left a message on their answering machine on Sunday because it was too far to walk to. I don’t have any way to get there, and I was wondering if your mom could possibly drive us. They’re closing in about twenty minutes.”

“Where’s your dad?”

“He dropped me off at the house and went back to school to finish his last hour of office hours. I tried to call him, but he’s not picking up his cell phone. He must be with a student.”

“Hold on a second,” Maeve said. This wasn’t going to be easy. How was she going to convince her mom, who two seconds ago was grounding her, to drive her to this animal shelter? She covered the receiver of the phone. There was nothing to do but press on.

“Mom, it’s Charlotte.”

Her mother crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow.

Maeve took a deep breath and continued on. “Her father went back to work and she’s there all alone. A shelter called. They think they found Marty. They close in twenty minutes.
Mom, please. It’s for Charlotte. Her father is with a student or something. She has no other family. Please, Mom. For Charlotte…and for Marty.”

“I’ll drive you girls there. But don’t be confused…I’m doing this for Charlotte, not for you, young lady. Let me get my purse. Tell her we’ll be right there.”

Rescue Mission

Maeve could see Charlotte standing in front of her house waiting for them as they turned onto Corey Hill.

“Thanks, Mom. This means so much to Charlotte, you have no idea.”

Charlotte waved to them as soon as she saw Ms. Kaplan’s station wagon.

“Thank you so much, Ms. Kaplan—I really appreciate it. I printed the directions off the Internet so we wouldn’t get lost.” Charlotte handed the map and directions to Ms. Kaplan.

Ms. Kaplan looked at the directions. “Oh, I know just where this is,” she said.

“I really appreciate this,” Charlotte said again.

“It’s quite all right, dear,” Maeve’s mother answered as she pulled away from the curb.

Charlotte buckled herself in. “Can you believe this! It’s a good thing I got home when I did. I heard the phone ringing and ran upstairs. If your mom couldn’t have taken us, we’d have had to wait a whole day. Oh, I miss that little guy so much. I can’t wait to get my hands on his chubby little self for worrying me like this.”

“Did you bring his collar?”

“Yup,” Charlotte said, pulling it out of her bag with his
leash and a Baggie full of his favorite treats.

“I think we should plan a welcome home party for him tomorrow after school,” Maeve said.

Ms. Kaplan cleared her throat. “Girls, I don’t think you should get your hopes up. We don’t know for sure that this dog is Marty.” Maeve and Charlotte looked at each other and crossed their fingers. They hoped—no, they believed—that in a few minutes Marty would be their arms.