‘Is that really what you want?’
‘Yes. You’re the one who dumped me, remember.’
‘I only said the words. You’d dumped me a long time ago.’
‘The baby. Not you.’
‘It doesn’t work that way, Dec.’
I nod. ‘I know. I’ve felt so crap. Not just Cian; before that. I missed you so much. I love you, Seaneen. And’ – I feel stupid saying this, but I know I have to – ‘I’ll do my best for the baby too.’
She moves in and hugs me again, pulling me really close. We stay like that for a long time, until I think of something I have to say. ‘Seaneen – I couldn’t live with your mum. I know she’ll want to help you and everything, but …’
‘I know. Don’t worry, that’s not an option. And I couldn’t live with Theresa – all that smoke.’
‘We’ll get somewhere of our own.’
‘And now I’ve passed my test,’ Seaneen says with something like a smirk, ‘I don’t need to be that near my mum.’ She laughs at my expression and suddenly looks like the Seaneen I’ve always loved – carefree and cheeky. ‘How do you think I got up here?’
Before I can answer I feel a dig in my back. ‘Ow, what was …’
I turn round. It’s Folly. Up close in the moonlight she shimmers like a silver horse. She backed off when I cried out but now she comes closer again, stretching out her neck and sniffing me.
‘I haven’t got anything for you,’ I whisper.
‘Didn’t you save her life?’ Seaneen says. ‘That should be enough for her.’
‘No, that should have been enough for me,’ I tell her. I reach out my hand and rub it down Folly’s neck. She nuzzles at me.
I look at Seaneen and realise she has no idea what a breakthrough this is. I also realise she is standing beside Folly.
‘Are you OK, with Folly up close like this?’
Seaneen nods. She pets Folly and Folly lets her. ‘Yeah, I was just feeling insecure that day. Hormones or something. I’ve chilled out again.’
‘So’s Folly. We’ve had – well, a bit of a rough time.’ I tell her all about how stupid I’ve been. ‘I tried to make her into something she’s not. I ignored all the signs she was giving me. I thought … I thought I was going to have to have her put down, she seemed so vicious and angry.’ I bite my lip.
‘She doesn’t look vicious and angry now.’
‘I think because I just gave her time tonight.’
‘What does Doris say about it?’
‘Doris? I haven’t asked her.’
‘You can be awful stupid, Declan. And stubborn. Sure she’s the obvious person to help you. Even I know that, and I’m supposed to know nothing about horses.’
I kiss her. Her face is still damp with tears, but her mouth is as warm and soft as it always has been. Folly gets bored and starts to graze. She moves away, but slowly.
‘If this was a film,’ Seaneen says, ‘she’d let us both climb on her now and ride into the sunset.’
‘Except it’s dark.’
‘OK, into the moon, then, if you’re going to be like that.’ She wrinkles her nose.
‘This is enough for now.’ I slip my hand into hers and we walk back up the field, turning round every so often to watch Folly grazing in the moonlight.
THE END
Grounded Page 22
