“The arthritis . . . I guess you could say it sort of crept up on me,” Emmie said, referring to Sunny’s first question. “I suppose I was in denial, and I sure didn’t do myself any good. What you’re seeing is the result of that denial. They have me on a regimen of this and that but even I know I need rehab. I hate this chair. I’m used to going full tilt but I can’t even stand up now. It just came on that quick. It grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. As to the porch, I used to spend a lot of time out here when I was younger. It’s Mom’s favorite spot on the whole farm. All the flowers and the plants are new and so is the fresh paint. In honor of all of you. I let everything die so it all had to be replaced. Everything just got away from me. Do you understand what I’m saying? My God, how do you two do it?” The tears in her eyes did not go unnoticed by Sunny and Harry. She couldn’t have stopped them even if she wanted to.
Sunny giggled, and Harry smiled. “Very carefully,” Sunny said. “Like you, I was in denial. When I found out I had MS, I went berserk. I was always a tomboy. I could beat both my brothers at everything. Then it all stopped, and I was lucky I could hobble around. I made everyone’s life pretty miserable for a long time. I was married at the time, and my husband couldn’t handle it so he left me. He didn’t want the kids either, so my brother took over and later adopted them when I moved into the center permanently. It was the best thing for everyone.”
Emmie wiped at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. “I think it would kill me if I had to leave my daughter with someone else to raise. That bothers me more than my actual condition. It bothers me that I might not be able to raise her myself. I’m not used to sitting around either. It’s just all so new, and I have to adjust. I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
Sunny looked at her husband. “This is one of those rare times in life that you’re going to have to think of yourself first. If there is even the slightest chance that rehab can make you reasonably whole, you have to go for it. Your child will survive. I didn’t think my kids would, but they did, and so will your daughter. Your first step is believing that.”
“I hate this chair!” Emmie blurted for the second time.
“I hate it more than you,” Sunny said vehemently.
“I hate it worse than both of you,” Harry said.
An easy familiarity developed for the threesome as the morning wore on. Sunny and Harry regaled Emmie with tales of their adventures in snowy Vermont and then with their participation in a survival course for handicapped people.
“Oh, look, here comes my son Jake. Before, Emmie, when we were talking about what was best for the kids, Jake was always okay with me in this chair. He would wipe my mouth if I was drooling, he’d clean up if I spilled something, and he would always wear a smile. Unfortunately for both him and me, we seem to have some bad genes. He has that disease where he didn’t grow properly. He couldn’t wait to get here. He’s thinking he might want to become a jockey.”
“Mom! You have to come down to the paddock to see the horses! They’re awesome.” Jake turned to Emmie, stretched out his hand, then noticed her swollen and puffy fingers. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on top of hers. “I’m Jake Thornton. Sunny’s my mom. Guess you know that. I’m so glad to meet you. Grandma Fanny talks about all of you a lot.” He smiled.
Emmie looked into the boy’s eyes and smiled back. He was the right height, the right weight, and his touch was as gentle as a feather. “Training to be a jockey is a lot of hard work. It’s also dangerous and scary at times. Did you meet Hifly?” she asked wistfully.
“Yes, and he came right up to me. I think he liked me. I don’t know anything about horses, but I sure would like to learn.” He turned to look at his mother. She nodded. “I want to apply for the job. The training. Whatever you call it.”
“Sit here,” Emmie said, motioning to a small stool next to her wheelchair. “I wasn’t kidding when I said the training is a lot of hard work. You have to love the animals first. Hifly is easy to love. The funny thing is, no one wanted him but me. I think he can be trained to race. Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to do that training. I don’t know if Mom has the stamina anymore. We have other trainers, but Mom is the best. With the right jockey and the right trainer, I think Hifly could make a run for the Derby. If you think you’d like to be part of that, then I’d say we have an even better chance of making it happen. The most important thing of all is the fear factor. If you even think you’re going to be afraid, then it isn’t the right profession for you. It’s a lot to think about, Jake. You’ve never been on a horse, have you?” His negative shake of his head made Emmie smile. “We have a couple of horses that can carry you up and down the track so you can get the feel of being on a horse’s back. You’re pretty high off the ground, believe it or not. Once you feel comfortable, then it’s on to bigger and better things. I’ll talk to Mom later today to see what we can arrange.”
Sunny’s eyes filled with tears and thanks as she stared across the porch at Emmie.
“Mom, did you hear that? Harry, do you think I can do it?”
“Jake, you can do whatever you set your mind to doing. Emmie is right, it won’t be easy, and you have to give a hundred percent. What did your aunt Nealy say?”
“Nothing. I didn’t ask her, Harry. I wanted to run it by Mom before I said anything. You know I never make a decision on anything unless Mom approves. Grandma Fanny thinks it’s a wonderful idea. I think she’s going to talk to Aunt Nealy. Uncle Sage thinks I can do it, too. What about you, Emmie?”
He is a handsome youngster, Emmie thought as she reached for his hand. He has unruly blond curls just like his mother and the same bright blue eyes. It’s obvious he loves his mother, and her handicap doesn’t bother him at all. “I think your grandmother and Sage could be right. I think you would make a great jockey.”
The boy let his breath out in a long explosive sigh. “I’m going back down to the barn. Mom, can I get you anything before I go?”
“No, honey, go ahead. Maybe later we’ll take a spin down there to see what’s going on.”
Sunny waited until Jake was out of earshot. “See, Emmie, that’s what I mean. I am his mother. He’s never forgotten that even though Iris and Sage raised him. He’s my son. I’m his mother. It will always be like that for us. Thanks for what you did just now. I’m sure your mother told you Jake’s story, about how he wanted to be a navy pilot from the time he was five years old. It was the most crushing blow when he finally had to accept that it could never be. But,” Sunny said philosophically, “when one door closes, another one opens.”
Emmie stared off into the distance. Would she ever be able to accept a less than normal life the way Sunny appeared to accept it? She didn’t know.
Nealy looked around at her entourage and smiled. “That’s pretty much it as far as the barns and horses go. As you can see, everyone has his or her job, and I’m proud to say we have quite a few women working here. Emmie has developed a smooth-running operation. I’m going to have to hire a few more people because she isn’t going to be able to . . . to . . . work for a while. I’ll be moving back here shortly myself.” She looked around at the interested faces of her family. “If any of you would like to go riding, I can have some riding horses saddled for you. If not, we can go up to the house and settle down on the front porch until the barbecue gets under way.”
Maggie Coleman Tanaka spoke first. “Would you mind, Nealy, if Cole, Riley, and I just walk around? We won’t touch anything and won’t go near the horses. I’d like to walk barefoot through the bluegrass so I can tell Henry how it felt when I get back to Hawaii.”
“By all means. Take as long as you like. Sawyer, what about you?”
“I think I’m going to take you up on your offer of the front porch. I want to talk to Emmie and Sunny. Harry, too.”
“Nealy, if you don’t mind, Rhy and myself are going to take Sage and Birch over to the stallion cemetery,” Pyne said.
Nealy nodded as she linked her ar
m through Fanny’s. “That leaves just the two of us. Let’s sit down over there in the shade. You look tired, Fanny.”
“That’s because I am tired. Approaching seventy-five might just be a number, but try telling that to this old body. Oh, look, here comes Jake. I love that boy. If Ash were alive, he would be devastated at his grandson’s condition.” A look of sadness settled itself on Fanny’s deeply wrinkled face.
“I want to apply for jockey training,” Jake blurted.
Nealy looked him over from head to toe. She smiled. “You do, do you?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do. I’ve read everything I could get my hands on in regard to Thoroughbreds. I’m sure there is tons more to read, but hands-on should work just as well. I know how to work, Aunt Nealy. I’ll do whatever you say. I’d like to be part of this business. I’d like to work with Emmie’s horse.”
“First, you have to get over your fear. I watched you when the horses came up to the fence. You backed away. If you’re afraid, it will never work. We can work on the fear. Did you talk to your family about staying on here and training to be a jockey?”
“I did, and they all think I can do it. Mom thinks it’s a great idea, and so does Harry. Emmie pretty much said the same thing you just did.”
“I’ll be working you like a mule. Can you handle that? We get up at four and are usually in bed by eight if we can keep our eyes open that long. Is your health going to present any problems along the way? I’m not real big on surprises.”
“My health is good. I just didn’t grow properly. I’m used to working hard on the mountain. I can do it, Aunt Nealy. If I don’t cut it, you send me back home. I think that’s fair.”
“That’s more than fair, Jake. You might as well get your feet wet right now. Walk along the fence line, whistle for the horses. They’ll come right up to you.” Nealy fished in her pocket for a handful of mints, her secret treasure for the horses. “Let them feel your touch. Talk to them. Don’t get up close and personal with Gadfly, he’s mean as hell. Monday morning we’ll start to work with a vengeance.”
Jake pocketed the mints. His hand shot out, and Nealy grasped it. She was surprised at his firm, hard handshake.
“You know the boy better than I do, Fanny. Can he do it? I’d hate to see him fail with everything that’s running against him. It would be devastating to him. I can do just so much, and the rest is up to him. You need to know that going in, Fanny.”
“I do know it, Nealy. Jake knows it, too. He gives a hundred percent to anything he does. Last year he made a birdhouse for me for my birthday. It was so perfect, so detailed and intricate, that it was worthy of a whole page in Architectural Digest. It was like a miniature hotel. The truth is, it was a birdhouse made to look like Babylon, one of our casinos. The day I hung it up on my fig tree I knew I was going to have to order birdseed by the ton. Jake’s big on details. He’s so good with his hands. Taking the boy on like this means the world to all of us, Nealy.”
“If he can get past his fear, it just might work. No one can help him with that, Fanny. He’s got to work through it, but I think he’s already working on it. Now, how is Marcus?”
“Marcus is doing nicely. He was sorry he couldn’t come. He said he will be ready to do some visiting by September, so if you invite us back, we’ll be here. I’m really looking forward to seeing Ruby and Metaxas. They are two of the most wonderful people walking this earth. I’m glad they ended up here and love what they’re doing. Oh, Nealy, you should see my mountain. It is the most beautiful spot on this whole earth, thanks to Metaxas. When it burned, I wanted to die. And just like that, when the conditions were right, and the ground cooled down, Metaxas replanted the entire mountain. When are you going to ask me, Nealy?”
Nealy looked bewildered. “Ask you what, Fanny?”
“If there’s room at the center for Emmie?”
“No, Fanny, I’m not going to ask you. I won’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind. We’ll manage. I think Emmie needs to be close to home. It’s all so devastating. It doesn’t look rosy. Everything happens in threes. First it was me, now Emmie. I wonder what will be next.”
“You can’t think like that, Nealy. I remember what we all went through with Sunny. I swear to you, I thought my heart broke in two. You never get used to it, but you learn to live with it. She was so young. Just like Emmie. There’s room, Nealy. We can take her back with us. I’d like you to come along. We’re family, and as such, we have to help one another. All I’ve done is think about Emmie since the moment you told me of her condition. Mind-set is all-important, Nealy. Iris, Sage’s wife, suggested Gabby stay with them on the mountain so they can take her to see her mother on the weekends. Iris and Sage love children. The more the merrier. It worked so well with Jake. There’s no reason it won’t work with Gabby. You take care of my grandson, and my family will take care of your granddaughter. Will you at least think about it?”
Tears welled in Nealy’s eyes. “Of course I’ll think about it. In the end, it has to be Emmie’s decision. I don’t see her leaving here. She can be very stubborn. Then again, I could be wrong.”
Fanny smiled. “Like the young people say today, I think it’s in the bag. Sunny and Harry are revving her up as we speak. Sometimes, seeing the results of the center is worth more than a million words.”
“Oh, Fanny, how did you handle it? I’m so torn up over this.”
Fanny shrugged. “I had to take it one day at a time. I fell apart, too, but in the end, you have to be strong. Sunny’s husband left her when he found out she had MS. Then he was going to sue her to get custody of the children. That’s when I called in the big guns, and he went away peacefully. Jake hasn’t seen or heard from him since he was four years old. He’s married now, with children of his own. He’s a doctor. You’d think he would have had a little more compassion where his wife was concerned. You learn to accept what you can’t change. You have family now, Nealy. We’re all here for you, Emmie, and Gabby.”
Nealy knuckled her eyes. She squeezed Fanny’s hand. “Yes, we’re family. That pretty much says it all. I think it’s time for us to meander up to the house. Before you know it, the barbecue will be ready. The band will be starting up, and the festivities will begin.”
“I didn’t know you were having a band, Nealy.”
Nealy laughed. “They call themselves a band. It’s a group of my employees. Ooops, Emmie’s employees. They consist of three harmonica players, a drummer, and someone who whistles. Emmie said they’re great!”
“Well, if you ever want a band, talk to Sunny. She’s on a first-name basis with Dallas Lord and the Canyon River Band. According to her, they’re right up there with someone named Matchbox and the Spiderlegs.”
“God, I feel old,” Nealy groaned. “I never heard of them. I’m a Sinatra and Elvis fan.”
Fanny linked her arm with Nealy’s. “I met both of them when they performed at Babylon. They were absolutely wonderful. Frank was such a gentleman, and Elvis was so shy and polite. Magnificent performers. Sell-out crowds. Those were the days, but you know what, Nealy, I don’t want them back. There was simply too much heartache back in those good old days. By the way, I love that husband of yours.”
“Me, too.” Nealy laughed. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Oh, look, there’s Nick!”
“Ma!” He was running toward her, his arms outstretched. Nealy ran straight for him. Her feet left the ground as he swung her around and around until she was dizzy.
“Oh, Nick, it’s so good to see you. Is everything okay? Are you setting the legal world on fire? How long can you stay? My goodness, where are my manners. Say hello to Fanny, Nick.”
“Nice to see you, Aunt Fanny. You’re looking prettier each time I see you.”
“Now, this is a man with a keen eye,” Fanny said, and laughed as the three of them walked up the path to the house.
Before they reached the back door, Nick looked down at his mother. “Ma, tell me what to expect when I see Emmie. I don’t wa
nt to blow it here. Tell me the worst so I know what I’m dealing with.”
Nealy told him and watched his face go ashen. “She’s had it for a while, Mom. I remember once she couldn’t hold the watering can when she was sprinkling her patch of grass. She never complained, though, and sluffed it off. She kept the aspirin bottle on the kitchen shelf, and I remember thinking she took a lot of them. God, how did this happen? What can I do?”
Nealy shook her head. “We’ll talk later. Go on the porch and talk to her. I want to see about refreshments for our guests.”
Fanny lowered herself to the top step on the back porch. She looked around. “It’s so pretty, Nealy, with all the colorful flowers and hanging baskets. Most people don’t do much with their back porches, but I like this. I think it’s as nice as your front porch.
“There’s something I don’t understand. If Emmie had this condition, why didn’t she do something about it earlier?”
“It’s my fault, Fanny. From the time Nick and Emmie were old enough to understand, I drilled into their heads they had to work through the pain. I meant things like sore muscles, charley horses, and the like. Not real pain. This is all my fault. Emmie was doing what I taught her to do. How could I have been so damn stupid? How, Fanny?”
“You were doing what someone told you to do. I’m sure your . . . Josh Coleman told you to work through the pain. He didn’t sound like a man who wanted to know anyone wasn’t feeling well or was sore from working all day. Maud and Jess were old-timers and believed a shot of whiskey was the cure-all for everything. You can’t blame yourself entirely, Nealy. Emmie is a grown woman, and as such she has to take responsibility for her own well-being. We’re talking about denial here. I went through it, Sunny went through it, and so did the Texas branch of the family. I don’t want you thinking you have a monopoly on stupidity here. Nor do I want to see you packing your bags for a guilt trip. I’ve been around the block more times than I care to remember, and I know what I’m talking about.”
Kentucky Sunrise Page 8
