No Time for Horses (8 page)

“It isn’t your fault that my life sucks
sometimes,” I told Aladdin and gave him a carrot. I passed another
one to Summertime, who stood with his head hanging over the wall
between them. Talking to the horses felt even more therapeutic than
visiting Ingrid at her office. I wondered if the counselor would
understand I’d rather have a four-legged shrink than a two-legged
one.

I really liked the open barn concept at
Shamrock. Rocky told us that horses were social creatures and they
seemed to enjoy the opportunity to schmooze with one another. Of
course, there were exceptions. When Aladdin started fighting with
the colt on the other side of him last year, a solid wall was the
only answer. It still didn’t have bars at the top, so the two of
them could visit occasionally, but only when they wanted to be
nice.

I kept brushing Aladdin until his bay coat
gleamed. I combed out his black mane and tail until I could run my
fingers through the hair. When I finished grooming him, I cleaned
his hooves again. I wanted him to be good when people handled his
feet. Besides, it’d make it easier when the farrier trimmed or shod
him.

After that, I saddled him up, English style.
He was still focused, so I gave him another carrot. I switched out
the training halter for his snaffle bridle and topped it with a
flat halter. I snapped the long cotton rope to the left side ring
of the halter. Then, I led him out to the empty indoor arena. We’d
start with single line longeing and end with long line driving.

“Need some help?” Sierra called from her
horse’s stall. “Or are you all right on your own?”

“We’re having an awesome day,” I said. “Let
us try some independent work.”

“If he stays on-task, you could try sitting
in the saddle at the end.”

“Good idea,” I said. The proposition wasn’t
as farfetched as it sounded. I had leaned on him and belly-flopped
on his withers. Swinging up on him came next. I hoped to actually
be riding him before Christmas. With any luck at all, he could
participate in the traditional Shamrock Stable Holiday Party on
horseback. Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I figured it
was always smart to have goals. I had actually signed the two of us
up for the event. Rocky had given me a long look then added
Summertime to my list in case Aladdin blew off the festivities.

I took a few minutes to attach the reins to
the billets on the saddle. I wanted Aladdin to have contact with
the bit, but not have to flex his head too much. He was considered
a green or inexperienced horse and the slower that I did things,
the more likely he was to go along with the training program. By
the time I finished with him, I wanted him to be a loving,
trustworthy mount for any rider. Since Shamrock Stable catered to
beginning level riders, that meant any horse here had to be
suitable for kids, tweens, and teens.

To check the tension and make sure Aladdin
felt comfortable, I fed him a couple more carrots before I backed
away, shaking out the rope. I used longeing for discipline so he’d
start to get the idea that I was the boss. He wasn’t. I began by
asking him to walk around me, circling to the left at a walk. Once
he had the idea, we changed directions. I kept sending him forward,
first walking, then trotting and cantering. He was pretty good
about moving, so we did a lot of switching between the left and
right tracks.

The basic theory was that if Aladdin did
everything on the ground first, he wouldn’t be so excited when I
rode him. He’d know how to listen to me, responding to voice
commands and my body language. He’d be accustomed to the bridle and
saddle, and the pressure of the bit on his tongue, gums, face, and
head wouldn’t distress him. In about twenty minutes, I called him
to me, pulling gently on the line.

When he came, I rewarded him with treats.
After he finished snacking, I led him over to the corner where we
kept the thin, long lines we used for driving. I snapped one on
each side of his halter, ran them back through the stirrup irons,
and stepped behind him. “Okay, buddy. We’ve been doing this a
while. Walk on.”

He flicked his ears, chewed on the bit, and
picked up a nice medium walk. I drove him around the ring. Left
track. Right track. Halting, backing, trotting forward and then
breaking to a walk again. I didn’t ask him for a canter because he
might opt for a fast run, and I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Like
Rocky had told me several times, I was only supposed to teach him
what I wanted him to do, not what I didn’t want.

Sierra came over and leaned on the gate while
we wound through a series of serpentines, imaginary half-circles on
an invisible straight line. “Wow, he’s really got the concept
today.”

“I think it’s also me,” I said. “I’m not so
impatient with him.”

“What made the difference?”

“I went to my mom’s counselor yesterday and
had a major meltdown. Ingrid actually stepped up on my side, and it
made me feel better.”

“Ingrid?” Sierra asked. “That’s an unusual
name. Do your folks see Ingrid O’Hara? She’s great.”

“How do you know her?” I stopped Aladdin and
then asked him to back up with the driving lines. He did. Since he
was still doing amazing things, I decided it was a good place to
end the lesson. I walked up to his head and fed him three baby
carrots. “Where did you meet her?”

“I’m in her teen group.” Sierra squeezed
through the wooden gate and came toward me. “A bunch of us get
together and whine and whinge about our stupid parents, life, and
everything that sucks once a week. Ingrid teaches us coping
strategies, then turns us loose on the world again.”

“She wants me to come to her Tuesday group.
Is that the one you attend?”

“Yeah.” Sierra rubbed Aladdin’s brown
forehead. “And it’s a win-win situation. Not only do I get a chance
to spew all my frustration and anger, I also have a night off from
the barns.”

I laughed. “Wow and to think I’d love to move
in and live here instead of picking up all the slack for my
mom.”

“Yeah, but if she didn’t have you to help,
what would she do?” Sierra began to unfasten the reins from the
saddle. “Does she have any sisters or brothers? Is her mom
around?”

I shook my head. “No, she grew up in foster
care. She told me once she was on her own as soon as she finished
high school. It was why she fell in love so quick and married my
real dad when she was barely twenty. That didn’t last.”

“And I don’t think your stepdad is doing his
share now.” Sierra buckled the end of the reins together and put
them up over Aladdin’s neck so they landed in his mane. “It’s why
she’s depending on you so much. She needs a partner, and she
doesn’t have one. It’s not like she can call her mother-in-law and
ask her for help with the kids.”

“I didn’t think of that.” I moved to the left
side and checked the girth, tightening it so the saddle wouldn’t
slip when I rode. “I was just so pissed when she told me that she
couldn’t pay for Lincoln High and Rick wouldn’t. I mean she works
all the time and he pays child support, so where does the money
go?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Sierra said, starting to
sound impatient. “She doesn’t have forty horses to feed, water, buy
shavings for, pay vet bills on, shoe every six weeks. She only has
six kids that need clothes and shoes, a mortgage, utility bills,
groceries to buy, gas for her car, insurance. Have you thought
about asking her?”

“No, I was too busy getting mad at her.” I
slid the stirrups down the leathers. “Now, I feel like an absolute
fool. We’re the same age. Why do you know this stuff when I
don’t?”

“It’s one of Ingrid’s life lessons,” Sierra
said. “She always wants us to ‘walk in the other person’s shoes
before we accuse,’ and it’s helped me. I’ve been majorly mad at my
mom for months because she won’t pay tuition for me to go to
Lincoln High. It’s a great school, and I’d be totally set for
college if I got to go there. Ingrid pointed out that my mom and I
should talk about how to make it happen. Once I learned that we’d
have to sell three or four horses a year, I decided the cost was
just too high.”

“Your horses are born and raised here,” I
said.

“Yeah and they know their mommas, sisters,
and brothers,” Sierra agreed. “I’d feel awful if we sold Prince
Charming away from Lady and something bad happened to either of
them. It’s all about choices, Vicky. I made mine, and I’m learning
to be okay with them.”

“All right.” I nodded and rubbed Aladdin’s
neck. “I guess I’ll look forward to getting some strategies on
Tuesday, and I’ll try talking to my mom for a change.”

“Wonderful. Ready to ride?” Sierra stepped
around to the left side of the horse where I waited. “You’ll
belly-flop into the saddle and then I’ll guide your foot into the
stirrup. Sit up slowly so he doesn’t spook. Okay?”

“Yes.” I knuckled Aladdin’s withers. “Let’s
do it.”

Chapter Eight

Saturday,
November 16th, 9:00 a.m.

We arrived early at Kincaid High, the school
hosting the cheer competition, but we weren’t the first squad to
get there. That honor went to Mount Pilchuck. They were still
carting in their stuff when we got off our bus. Evie, our captain,
looked at them and then turned toward us with a smile. “Don’t worry
about them. We’re in a different division because they have more
cheerleaders than we do. This is different than when we face them
in football or basketball.”

Fiona, a freshman from Junior Varsity eyed
her warily. “What if I mess up? This is the first time I’ve ever
gone up in front of so many people.”

Evie managed a shrug, blonde hair bouncing.
“What if you do? We’ll survive.”

“Really?” Fiona took a deep breath. “Okay,
then. I think I’m ready.”

“I know you are,” I told her. “Otherwise, you
wouldn’t be here.”

With a big smile, she hurried off to join the
rest of the squad. I walked over to Evie. “Well, that was nice of
you.”

“If I told her that I’d kill her if she
fumbled during the toss today, she’d be freaking now, and we have
hours to go.” Evie hooked her arm through mine. “The practices are
going to get harder and longer for the rest of the season. We need
you. What’s it going to take to get your family off your back?”

“The counselor says my parents are supposed
to step up.”

“Hey, we’ve been cheering together for the
last six years, girl. Don’t fool with me. I haven’t forgotten how
many times your mom has been pregnant and how tough she had it when
she was always working forty hours a week at the same time. Your
stepdad went totally berserk when she had to be on bed rest the
last time and quit her job. Somebody should have told him that a
man doesn’t just make babies. He’s there to help raise them
too.”

I winced. “What is it with you and Sierra
McElroy? Why do you have to make me think about my mom as a human
being?”

“Because we’re rotten to the core?”

I laughed and hugged her arm. “Okay, I’ll
talk to Robin, Gwen, and Porter. Maybe they wouldn’t mind helping
me out with the little kids if practice gets in the way. You’re
right. I need a back-up plan.”

While I sat in the gym and watched the other
squads do their various routines two hours later, I thought about
yesterday. Aladdin surprised me when I rode him. He walked and
trotted beside Sierra as if he’d been doing it all his life. When
she hooked on the longe line, he stepped out to the wall and worked
independently. We didn’t ask him for a canter. It didn’t make sense
because he might have launched into a young horse bucking
spree.

My phone vibrated and I pulled it out. “Hi,
Mom. What’s up?”

“Are you between riding classes? I thought
I’d have to leave a message.”

“No, it’s our first rec cheer competition. Is
everything okay?”

“Fine,” Mom said. “Darby is settling in and
then we’re due at the casino for the late swing shift. I’m going to
pull a graveyard one too. That’s when I make the most tips.”

“You have three clean uniforms in your
closet,” I said. “I picked them up at the cleaners on Friday before
we headed out to the barn.”

“Thanks, honey. I don’t know what I’d do
without you.” Mom hesitated and then added, “You’ll have time to go
to the grocery store tonight, right? You have my bank card and a
$300.00 budget.”

I nearly asked what the counselor would think
about that. Wasn’t buying food an adult responsibility? I decided
to cut her a break and not be snarky. Mom was headed off to work.
She didn’t need to deal with a snotty teenager. “Yeah, Mom, I got
it covered. It’s a lot easier without the kids than with them.”

“Definitely.” Another pause and she added,
“Good luck today.”

“You too,” I said, tears stinging and a lump
rising in my throat. “Make lots of tips. You got six kids to
support.”

“Don’t worry.” A short laugh erupted. “I
never forget that.”

I hit ‘end’ and put away my phone. That was
the most civil conversation we’d had in a week. Maybe Mom and I
didn’t have as many issues as I thought. Before I could really
think about it or decide how I felt, the Mount Pilchuck squad
strutted out on the floor with giant flashcards that showed the
words they wanted the audience to shout back. They were so hot and
wow, did they know it.

* * * *

Saturday, November 16th, 7:15 p.m.

It was our usual middle of the month Saturday
night date. After we had dinner at the Chinese buffet, we stopped
by my house. I grabbed the cloth shopping bags, did a quick last
minute scan of cupboards and the fridge, and then Jack and I were
off to Wal-Mart. We’d load up on groceries and household supplies,
loading down his mom’s car. After that, we’d stop for dessert
somewhere, and we’d head wherever I was spending the night. This
time, I’d be up at Shamrock Stable. Sierra invited me to stay over
since I had internship hours tomorrow. Robin had pointed out a few
weeks ago that if I didn’t go home, my stepdad couldn’t drop the
kids off early, and I’d have time to breathe.