Riding Lesson

by Bonnie Bryant

  “Stevie,” Lisa said.

  “Or how about this,” Stevie went on excitedly. “She could find out she’s going to be moving away from Willow Creek as soon as her mother gets back. We could tell Carole that the real reason Mrs. Dana is in Europe is to look for their new home in Siberia. What do you think?”

  “Stevie!” Lisa repeated. “Siberia is in Asia!”

  “Whatever. But it still won’t work,” Stevie answered herself. “Carole would probably be overjoyed to think that Marie was moving far away. It has to be something scarier, like maybe finding out Marie is actually the daughter of a crazed ax murderer—no, a vampire! And he’s on his way to claim her as his next victim, and only Carole can stop him.…”

  By this time Lisa was completely exasperated. “Stevie!” she shouted. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

  “What?” Stevie asked, startled out of her plotting. She looked at Lisa. “What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong is that your plan is crazy,” Lisa said in a quieter voice. “It just won’t work. Carole will never fall for any of those silly stories about vampires or beriberi. And we can’t put Marie in any real danger.”

  Something Lisa had just said gave Stevie an idea. “That’s it!” she said. “That’s a great idea, Lisa. A fall!”

  “What?” Lisa had no idea what Stevie was talking about.

  “You just said the word ‘fall,’ ” Stevie explained patiently. “That made me think of falling down, which made me think of falling out of the hayloft, which made me think of our sleepover. We can push Marie out of the hayloft during the sleepover.”

  “What?” Lisa cried, horrified.

  “Oh, we’ll have a net there to catch her, of course,” Stevie added quickly. “We can use that roll of netting that’s taking up space in the tack room. I’m sure Max won’t mind, especially if we don’t tell him until afterward.”

  Lisa was shaking her head again. “Keep thinking, Stevie,” she said with a sigh.

  “Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a backup plan,” Stevie said, but her mind was working full speed ahead on the hayloft idea. She was pretty sure they would be able to hook the netting securely enough so that Marie would be in no danger of hurting herself. And a dramatic fall out of the loft would be sure to scare some sense into Carole. It would work. Stevie was sure of it.

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE my English teacher,” Carole grumbled the following evening. She and Marie were getting ready to start their homework. Carole’s mood hadn’t improved much since the day before. If anything, it had gotten worse and worse as she watched Marie and Colonel Hanson talk and joke with each other all through dinner. They both seemed to have forgotten that Carole was still living in the same house with them. At breakfast that morning she’d had to ask for the milk three times before they heard her, because they were laughing so hard at some stupid joke Marie had just told about a dog and a canary. Carole herself hadn’t been able to follow it—Marie’s rock music had kept her up late again, and she was so exhausted she couldn’t think straight. Of course that did nothing to improve Carole’s state of mind, not to mention her feelings toward Marie. When she did manage to get a word in edgewise, it was usually snide or sarcastic. She knew she was being grouchy and unpleasant, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself, and that made her feel even worse. Now, on top of all that, she had to answer a bunch of discussion questions on Of Mice and Men.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” Colonel Hanson asked, a little distractedly. He and Marie were discussing World War II, the subject of Marie’s history assignment and one of Colonel Hanson’s favorite topics.

  Carole glared at him. He didn’t notice, which made her feel even worse. “Never mind,” she said. She stomped out of the room and upstairs to her bedroom. When she arrived there, she realized that if she wanted to use the computer to do her homework she’d have to go back down to the living room. “Forget it,” she muttered. There was no way she wanted to be in the same room with her father and his newly adopted daughter.

  She sat down at her desk, opened her notebook to a fresh page, and picked up a pencil. Chewing on the end, she tried to figure out what to write about. She had been distracted with her plans for Marie’s visit when she’d read Of Mice and Men, so it hadn’t made much of an impression on her—especially since nobody rides a horse anywhere in the book. The questions her teacher had given them didn’t even seem to make sense.

  She took her copy of the book out of her backpack. Flipping through it aimlessly, she found her thoughts returning to the living room below. Normally she would have asked her father for help with her homework, but that was out of the question now. She was sure he wouldn’t be interested even if she did ask. He would much rather discuss World War II with Marie than help his own daughter with her English assignment.

  Carole sighed and decided she couldn’t possibly concentrate anymore on an empty stomach. She had been in such a bad mood when she arrived home from school that she hadn’t even had an afternoon snack. Remembering that there had still been a few of Colonel Hanson’s delicious chocolate-chip cookies left over from the day before, she tossed aside her book and pencil and went down to the kitchen.

  She poured herself a glass of milk, making a face as she heard the murmur of the lively conversation that was still going on in the other room. She glanced around the kitchen, but the tin of cookies was nowhere to be seen. She checked the oven, the cabinets, and everywhere else she could think of, but they were gone. All she could find was an old bag of store-bought butter cookies. Suddenly she realized where the missing cookies must be: Marie must have eaten them! Carole popped one of the butter cookies into her mouth and chewed angrily. “Ugh. Stale,” she muttered.

  Gritting her teeth, she stomped out into the living room. Sure enough, the tin that had contained the cookies was sitting on the little table between Marie and Colonel Hanson. But the tin was now empty, except for a few crumbs. As Carole entered, Marie was just popping the last of the cookies into her mouth and washing it down with milk.

  Meanwhile, Colonel Hanson was busy telling Marie about the role of the resistance movement within the Third Reich. She was nodding as he spoke, seemingly hanging on every word.

  Carole’s hands clenched into fists as she watched Marie set down her glass of milk and jot down a note on the paper in front of her. It wasn’t fair, Carole thought. Her father was supposed to help her with her homework, not some visitor’s. And couldn’t they at least have saved her one measly cookie?

  She cleared her throat loudly. Colonel Hanson and Marie looked up. “Oh, hello, sweetheart,” Colonel Hanson said. “Is your homework all done?”

  “No,” Carole said through clenched teeth. “I haven’t even started it yet. I came down to get some cookies, but I see that somebody has already eaten them all. I guess that somebody never stopped to think that I might like a snack, too. But then, that somebody never stops to think at all from what I can tell. She just cracks some stupid joke and does whatever she feels like doing.”

  Marie’s face had been turning redder and redder throughout Carole’s speech. Suddenly she burst into tears and ran out of the room. Carole heard the other girl’s footsteps thumping up the stairs, and then the sound of a door slamming.

  Colonel Hanson stood up, his normally jovial face dark with anger. “Just what was that all about, young lady?” he demanded, his hands on his hips. Before Carole could answer, he held up one hand. “No, I don’t want to hear. Whatever your problem is, there’s no excuse for taking it out on Marie the way you just did.”

  “But, Dad, she—” Carole began.

  “She nothing,” Colonel Hanson interrupted her. “She has done nothing but be a charming, accommodating guest since she arrived on Tuesday. You, on the other hand, have been grouchier and ruder than I’ve ever seen you. I’m surprised Marie has been able to put up with you this long.”

  Carole folded her arms across her chest, willing herself not to cry. “Fine. Take her side. As usual.”


  Colonel Hanson had opened his mouth to say something else, but he closed it again at her words. Then he said, “Her side? Carole, I’m not taking anybody’s side here. I’m just pointing out—”

  “You’re just pointing out everything that’s wrong with me and everything that’s wonderful about her,” Carole said, the words coming in a rush. “I bet you wish Marie were your daughter and that I was the one going home after a couple of weeks.”

  Colonel Hanson stared at her for a moment. Carole didn’t meet his gaze, but instead kept her eyes trained on the ground.

  “Is that really what you think?” Colonel Hanson said at last.

  Carole shrugged. “Well, what else would I think, after the way you’ve been swooning over Marie ever since she got here, and ignoring me.”

  “Carole, are you telling me that you’re jealous of the way I’ve been treating Marie?” Colonel Hanson asked.

  Carole just shrugged again.

  “You know as well as I do,” he went on, “that Marie has been through some tough times lately. And if anyone could understand what she’s going through, I thought it would be you. Now, it’s obvious that you’re upset, and you know I don’t like to see that. But this time I think you’re just going to have to think things through on your own—calmly and rationally. When you do, I think you’ll see how ridiculous you’re being, and how poorly you’ve been treating Marie.”

  Carole frowned even harder. Part of her mind knew that what her father was saying made sense. But a much louder and angrier part couldn’t help thinking that he didn’t understand what she was feeling at all. If he did, he would be comforting her, not scolding her.

  But she couldn’t tell him that, not right now. Not when he was still taking Marie’s side. “Fine,” she said at last in a tight, cold voice.

  Colonel Hanson sighed and nodded. “All right, then,” he said. “I’d suggest you go up to your room and stay there. And, Carole, please think about what I’ve said.” With that he turned away from her.

  Carole backed out of the room, then turned and ran upstairs to her room. She slammed the door and threw herself facedown onto her bed. The tears of hurt, outrage, and loneliness she had been holding back welled up at last, and she sobbed into her pillow for a long time.

  CAROLE MANAGED TO stay out of Marie’s way—and her father’s—all day Friday. She left early for school in the morning and went up to her room as soon as she got home in the afternoon. At dinner that night Marie and Colonel Hanson hardly seemed to notice Carole’s presence as they chatted about Marie’s history report, which had gone extremely well, thanks to Colonel Hanson’s input. Carole just moved her peas around on her plate as they talked. She had finally finished her English assignment at midnight the night before, but she knew her work wasn’t as good as it would have been if she hadn’t been so tired and upset while she was writing it.

  After dinner, while Colonel Hanson and Marie watched TV in the living room, Carole went up to her room and tried to read a book. She was exhausted from staying up so late the night before, and before long she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  She woke up early the next morning, refreshed in body but not in spirit. In fact, she felt more miserable than ever. She wasn’t sure she could survive another entire week as Marie’s unwilling sister. She was even less certain that she could make it through the hayloft sleepover that night—especially since Stevie and Lisa were sure to make a big fuss over Marie for her birthday. That reminded Carole that she and her father still hadn’t gone shopping for Marie’s birthday gift. They hadn’t even settled on what to get her. Carole found herself hoping spitefully that Colonel Hanson had forgotten all about it—it would serve Marie right. Still, it wasn’t likely that the Colonel would forget his favorite new daughter, Carole reminded herself.

  Sighing, she sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. It was early, but not too early to head over to Pine Hollow. She really needed someone to talk to, and Starlight was the best listener she knew. He was probably the only one who wouldn’t lecture her on how she should be nicer to poor Marie, she thought morosely.

  She got up and pulled on her oldest jeans and a flannel shirt. Then she tiptoed out into the hall, pausing a moment to listen. Hearing the sound of gentle snoring coming from her father’s bedroom at the end of the hall, and silence from Marie’s room, Carole decided with relief that they both must still be asleep.

  Moving as quietly as possible, she went downstairs and into the kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of milk. After gulping it down she found some carrots in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator. She stuck them into her pocket for Starlight. Remembering the bag of stale butter cookies, she grabbed that, too.

  Last, but not least, she went to the notepad by the phone and scribbled a quick note to her father so he’d know where she was. Then she left the house, grabbed her bike from the garage, and started the long ride to Pine Hollow. The cool morning air felt good against her face. There were no people or cars anywhere in sight, and Carole was glad. She wanted to be alone.

  WHEN SHE ARRIVED at Pine Hollow, the stable yard was completely deserted. Inside, the horses had been given their morning feed, but nobody was around. Once again Carole was relieved. She was still in no mood for human companionship. But just being in the presence of all those horses made her feel a little better. On the way to Starlight’s stall she stopped to visit some of the others, beginning with Spice, the mare who was supposed to foal soon. Spice greeted her calmly, seeming relaxed and happy in her unfamiliar surroundings. As Carole moved down the aisle, she paused to give a scratch or a pat to each horse she passed.

  Starlight’s nicker of greeting made Carole feel better than she had in days. “Hi, boy,” she said softly, letting herself into the stall. She gave the big gelding a hug, then dug out the treats she’d brought. He crunched happily on the carrots, but after biting down on one of the cookies, he quickly spit it out.

  “I don’t blame you,” Carole told him. “Those cookies aren’t good enough for either of us to eat.”

  Then she set to work grooming him. As she worked, she talked, telling him all about her rotten week with Marie.

  “Everyone acts as though I’m the one with the problem,” she told the horse. “When, in fact, they’re the ones who are acting strange, fussing over Marie like she’s the queen of the world.”

  She finished picking out his hooves and tossed the pick into his grooming bucket. Then she found the body brush and set to work on his gleaming bay hide, paying careful attention to all his special itchy spots. “I mean, just listen to this, Starlight,” she continued. “First of all my dad acts like her arrival is the best thing to happen in his whole entire life. He carries her suitcases, fixes her a great snack, and generally acts like she’s the funniest person that ever lived.

  “Then there’s the whole matter of his driving her around everywhere she pleases. Never mind that I usually have to take the bus whenever I want to come here. The bus just isn’t good enough for Marie, I guess.” Carole paused for breath. Starlight nuzzled her neck, looking for more carrots, and she gave him one.

  “And I don’t think he would even care if I flunked out of school, as long as Marie’s stupid history report gets finished.” She paused again for a moment. “Well, actually, come to think of it, he would care. He’d love it if I flunked out, because that would give him another excuse to yell at me.”

  Starlight moved his head up and down, and Carole would have sworn he was nodding sympathetically. “You see what I have to put up with, boy?” she asked. “It’s not just Dad, either. Stevie and Lisa can’t stop talking about how wonderful Marie is. They just can’t wait to throw her this big party tonight. And they’re always laughing at her stupid jokes and saying how funny she is. When she’s here, they can’t wait to help her tack up and give her private riding lessons—but let me give her one little bit of constructive advice, and they look at me like I’m the big bad wolf.”

  She traded the body brush for a soft rag. �
�Do you know how irritating it is when you’re the only one who can see how annoying someone else is being? Well, that’s just how I feel,” she declared. “Even Max is getting in on the act. It’s funny how we have to practically beg him to do anything at all around here, and yet when Marie is involved, he just says yes right away, no questions asked.”

  Carole threw the rag back into the bucket and set to work combing out Starlight’s mane and tail, working out the few tangles expertly but gently. When she was finished, she stepped back and looked at him with satisfaction.

  “You’re just about the prettiest horse that ever set foot in a barn,” she declared. Now that she had vented her frustration about Marie, she felt a little better—although she didn’t want to think about what would happen when Marie and Colonel Hanson arrived for the Horse Wise meeting later that morning. She was sure her father would be angry that she had come to the stable without bringing Marie along. Starlight snorted and pawed at the straw with one foreleg. “What’s that, boy? You seem a little restless. All right, then, wait here a second. I’ll be right back.”

  She hurried away and returned a moment later with Starlight’s bridle and a lunge line. “You obviously could use some exercise, and I’ve been thinking you need a little lunging practice. We might as well go out and use the ring while no one else is around to bother us.” She led him out of the stall and down the wide stable aisle toward the door.

  “WOW,” SAID STEVIE softly as Starlight’s footsteps faded away in the distance. She and Lisa were crouched in the hayloft right above Starlight’s stall. They had come over to Pine Hollow early to make sure the loft was clean and ready for the sleepover. By the time they had noticed that Carole was in the stall below them, she had started her one-sided discussion with Starlight. Not wanting to eavesdrop, but not knowing what else to do, the two girls had kept quiet, and so had heard every word.