by M. Garzon
Those had, in fact, been Dec’s exact, sternly delivered words to me that morning. I sighed and gave Seth a beseeching look. His glare slowly dissolved.
“Aw, crap, Sis,” he muttered. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, and I’d rather not be grounded till I’m thirty, either.”
It wasn’t so bad, really. Dec’s face went through a few color changes when he first saw the donkey, but we were in a public place, so he kept his voice in the low bellow range. However, the strain we’d experienced over the past week was something new to us, and he didn’t seem inclined to exacerbate it. He kept the lecture short, and I ended up grounded for the rest of the month, or until I found the donkey a new home, whichever came first. Worst case scenario, I was looking at three weeks. I could live with that.
* * *
Romeo, as we named him, adjusted quickly to life at the barn, and had a very nice personality, inquisitive and affectionate — even Dec could be caught petting him. My relationship with Dec was essentially back to normal, and even though he was peeved by Romeo’s presence, he didn’t often bring it up.
“Gran, what do I put in the potatoes again?” I called out.
It was Thanksgiving Monday, and we were expecting most of our family for dinner. Gran had stayed over the previous night, and Seth and I were helping her; luckily Monday was the school horses’ day off. I was making mashed potatoes, probably because it was hard to mess up.
“Just some butter and milk, dear. And then you can get some fresh air if you like.”
I was relieved at the prospect of getting outside, but as I headed for the front door, someone came in. Someone I really didn’t want to see.
“Hello, Téa,” Jaden greeted me pleasantly.
I appraised him coldly. “Judas.”
“Téa!” Dec’s exasperated voice came from right behind me. Of course. “Apologize,” he commanded.
“It’s okay,” Jaden said, watching me. “I deserve that much.”
I noticed that his mouth was twitching. My temper flared — he had practically ruined my year, yet he apparently found the whole thing amusing. I felt a momentary but powerful urge to slap that arrogant face and thought I’d better remove myself from temptation before I ended up in more trouble. I pushed past him and stomped out of the house.
The crisp air was calming. I strolled around aimlessly, admiring the fall colors, until Romeo’s incessant braying got annoying and I went to see him.
“Hey buddy,” I said as I gave him a scratch. “Sorry you can’t come out today. We’re expecting too many people who don’t understand about closing gates.”
My extended family wasn’t used to thinking about such things, none of them were used to dealing with animals larger than housepets. Well, except for Jaden, I remembered reluctantly, and I wished I didn’t have to count him as family. His mother, Paloma, was my favorite aunt — she was smart, vivacious, beautiful, and always interested in what Seth and I were up to. I didn’t know how she had managed to produce such an irritating son.
I heard Seth coming down the aisle with our cousin Stacey and her parents.
“It’s time to go in, Sis,” Seth informed me, “but Stacey wanted to see Romeo first.”
And heaven forbid Princess Stacey not get what she wants, I thought. She leaned gingerly into the stall; I doubted she’d actually set a designer-clad foot inside it, but her startling aquamarine eyes moved over Romeo with interest. Her brown hair was looking almost blond from all the highlights. She reached out and gave Romeo a tentative pat, her long, manicured nails contrasting sharply with my short work-roughened ones. She really was very pretty, I mused. She didn’t need that always-perfect makeup and hair. In both style and appearance, she took after her mother, my Aunt Penny, who was Dec’s younger sister. The effect was markedly different, though, since Stacey was only fifteen — a year younger than me.
“What made you get a donkey, Uncle Dec?” Stacey asked as soon as we sat down. “He’s really cute.”
“He may be cute, but he’s not staying. Téa got him, and she has to find him a new home,” Dec said. He briefly recounted the story of my purchase.
“Oh! I forgot to tell you, the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada agreed to take him,” I said. “So... does that mean I’m un-grounded?” I added hopefully.
Dec shook his head. “Not until the last hoof is off the property.”
“Come now, Dec, don’t tell me you grounded her for that?” Uncle Robert, Stacey’s father, chided. “It sounds like it was just an impulse.”
“And a charitable one, at that,” Jaden added.
I didn’t look at him. I hoped he wasn’t trying to suck up because if he was, it was a pathetically weak attempt.
“Well, Téa needs to learn some impulse control,” Dec growled. “Last year she came home from the fair with sheep. Sheep, plural. This isn’t a petting zoo.”
“But Dec, she won’t be grounded on our birthday, will she?” Seth asked. I stole a glance at him. His face was all wide-eyed innocence, but I knew better. He was putting Dec on the spot so I’d be liberated.
Dec knew when he was outmaneuvered; he grinned at me ruefully. “Looks like you’re free on your birthday, kiddo.”
All eight of us were squeezed around the table in the dining room. It was the same number as usual, only Jaden sat in his mother’s place, as Aunt Paloma had gone to visit her daughter. I could feel Blue stepping on my toes periodically as she scavenged, and I waited for the chance to sneak her something.
“It’s too bad your mom and sister couldn’t be here, Jaden,” amiable, balding Uncle Robert said. “It’s nice to spend Thanksgiving in the country. Do you go into the city much, Dec?”
“Once in a while. But I don’t really enjoy going, to be honest.”
“Yeah, Téa’s the only one who likes the city,” Seth offered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jaden glance at me with interest. I ignored him.
“What do you like about the city, Téa?” Uncle Robert asked.
I tried to put my attraction into words. “I don’t know, exactly... it’s so vibrant. I like the energy, and all the things to do, and the diversity. Walking through the city is like going on a mini world tour. After all, Toronto’s the most multicultural city in the world, we’re fortunate to live close enough to experience that, I think.”
Jaden gave me a doubtful look. “I don’t know about that.”
“I suspect there’s a lot you don’t know,” I told him icily.
His eyes narrowed. “What I mean is, I’ve never heard that Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world. Where did you unearth that little factoid?”
I just stared at him in disbelief. His hubris seemed to know no bounds.
“At a loss for words?” he taunted.
It was my turn to narrow my eyes. “No. It’s just that your arrogance is leaving me breathless.”
Seth kicked me under the table and made a face to lighten my mood. I took a deep breath before turning back to Jaden.
“Is the United Nations a credible enough source for you?” I asked him. I tried to filter the scorn out of my voice as much as possible.
He nodded slowly. “If they really said that, then yes.”
Seth snorted. “I wouldn’t question the walking encyclopedia here, dude,” he told Jaden. “I swear our mother should have named her Britannica.”
There was a smattering of laughter, and the hum of conversation resumed. I met Jaden’s speculative look with a contemptuous one, then went back to ignoring him.
After dinner I volunteered to clean up, since I didn’t feel much like socializing. I had just started the dishwasher when I heard the sounds of an argument outside. I went to the door that led outside from the kitchen. The angry voices were nearby, and when I recognized one of them as Seth’s I yanked the door open and stepped quickly onto the small deck.
Seth was standing with his fists clenched at his sides, looking angrier than I’d seen him in a long time. Jaden was facing him, d
istraught. He was running his hand through his hair. He glanced at me for a second, his face pained, before turning and striding away.
“What’s up, bro?” I asked, watching Jaden’s hurried pace carry him quickly around the corner. “Are you okay?”
Seth was already relaxing as he loped over to join me; he never stayed mad for long. We sat on the steps.
“Yeah, I’m cool. I was just giving our dear cousin a piece of my mind for squealing on you.”
“Oh. So what, was he telling you how justified he was?” I couldn’t help the derision that leaked into my voice.
Seth glanced at me. “No. He didn’t believe that Dec took his belt to you.”
“What?” I yelped, “You told him about that?”
He shrugged. “Why not? I thought he should know all the trouble he caused.”
“Because it’s embarrassing, that’s why! And anyway, I don’t care about that nearly as much as missing the Royal.”
“Oh, I told him about that, too. To be fair, he did seem to feel really bad about it. I don’t think he’ll be tattling again anytime soon.” He grinned at me, his eyes sparkling like a kid’s, and I couldn’t help smiling back.
* * *
I taught a lesson after school the next day. I was headed back to the house when the sound of galloping hoofbeats made me spin around, and I laughed as a big black and copper blur dug in his feet and slid to a stop in front of me. I reached out to pat him. He had stopped near enough for me to touch.
“You cut it kind of close there, don’t you think?” I asked Blaze, smiling. It was a trick he liked to play on me — he’d gallop up as though he was going to run me down, then sit on his haunches and skid to a stop just in time. It took him a while to get the timing right; when he was younger he’d actually knocked me down a few times, much to Dec’s consternation. I hadn’t minded, though. I knew it was all in fun.
Blaze didn’t seem to recognize the purpose of the paddock fences. When he got bored in one, he simply jumped out and wandered wherever he wanted to on the property. Dec hated it. He thought it was risky to have a large horse loose among the boarders, students, and cars. But I had taught Blaze not to go down the long driveway toward the road, so I didn’t worry about his little treks. The only time it became an issue was when I was teaching, as he sometimes jumped into the ring to see me, or when I was riding Zac, who he hated. Blaze was very jealous of Zac, so I made sure the two were never out at the same time.
We had barely started dinner when Dec cleared his throat.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about, Téa,” he began.
I looked at him in surprise. There was something odd about his tone, he sounded almost... nervous.
“We have a possible buyer for Zac,” he went on. I felt myself blanch. “She’s coming to see him next Saturday. I thought you could ride him first so she can watch him go before she gets on him.”
I stared at my plate, only distantly aware of a buzzing in my ears. Zac sold. I’d been training him for a year and a half, riding five days a week in every kind of weather, all so I could compete at the Royal. Of course, it was part of my job, we bought and sold horses that I trained in order to make a profit on them. I understood that, but we’d had Zac so long that I’d grown very attached to him. Too attached, apparently.
“Excuse me,” I muttered. No one tried to stop me.
I ran to Zac’s stall. I took deep, steadying breaths while he rested his chin on my shoulder the way he always did. I could only hope the buyer wouldn’t like him, though the chances of Dec keeping him until next year’s Royal were so slim as to be invisible. It was all up to Blaze now.
Saturday dawned sunny and clear, a perfect late October day. I’d met the potential buyer, Anne, briefly before mounting. She was a thin, rather mousy-looking woman in her thirties who wanted a horse to ride in amateur jumper classes. I took an instant dislike to her, naturally.
Zac went well for me, as always. Once Anne was mounted I went and sat on the fence to watch. She seemed to be a decent rider, but she was a bit stiff, especially for someone riding in the jumper divisions. She had just asked us to set up a small fence when a commotion broke out. A bay streak shot over the fence toward Zac.
“Blaze, no!” I yelled, jumping down and running toward them.
Blaze heard me and put on the brakes, but Zac had seen him coming, and Blaze had once bitten Zac on the neck while I’d been riding him. He shied violently out of the way, almost unseating his rider. She yanked on the reins and screamed, about the stupidest reaction I’d ever seen from a seasoned rider. Not that I was biased in any way.
I grabbed Blaze’s halter and led him to the barn, avoiding Dec’s eye. Anne didn’t ride much longer; when she thanked us and left Dec walked her to the car. As he came back I braced myself, but to my surprise, he put his hand on my shoulder and walked Zac and me to the barn.
“What did you think, Téa?” he inquired seriously.
I shrugged. “I didn’t like her,” I told him truthfully. “I think she’s too nervous a rider for Zac, he needs someone calm and confident.”
He nodded. “Well, she didn’t say much, so I suspect she’s not very interested in him. You can relax for a while.”
October ended pretty well, considering. Seth and I went out for a fun, lively dinner with friends on our birthday. Dec announced that he’d match whatever we saved up toward the car we wanted. The Donkey Sanctuary people came and picked up Romeo, so I was officially free. Teri was getting excited about competing at the Royal in three weeks’ time, and I tried hard to share her happiness without tainting it with my despair.
Three
I went to the Royal, in the end, as a groom for Teri. It was evening when we arrived at the stabling area, which was aptly named the Horse Palace. It was an enormous, two-storey stable housing everything from gentle, gigantic draft horses to tiny ponies, with virtually every variety of harness, breeding and jumping horse in between. Once Picasso was happy we wandered the barns and watched our idols, international jumper riders from several different countries and their magnificent equine partners. Later we sat in the Coliseum to watch the glamorous evening event, with its attendant pomp and ceremony.
Early the next morning we were walking Picasso down the cavernous, echoing aisles to the shower stalls when we ran into Alex, a fellow competitor.
“I’ll catch up with you,” I told Teri. Her dad was off getting some coffee.
“I didn’t see your name on the list of entries for our class,” Alex said. “What happened?”
Alex was my age; we competed in the same division, with one big difference — his parents were wealthy and fully supported his riding goals, with the result that he had two well-schooled horses on the circuit, and was doing very well.
“I had a... personal conflict,” I said uneasily.
“There’s going to be no competition without you here,” he joked, smiling. He was good-looking, slim, with dark hair and hazel eyes, and half the girls on the circuit were chasing after him. He was a bit shy, though, and he and I often hung out at the shows.
“I can’t tell you how much I wish I were here to kick your butt, dude. Maybe next year. Good luck.”
I was thoughtful as I joined Teri in washing Picasso. For some reason, running into Alex had driven home for me the fact that I should have been riding here. I went up against him at all the shows. I sank further and further into gloominess as the morning wore on. Karen arrived to coach Teri, and we watched, hearts racing, as Teri and Picasso collected three ribbons. I was happy for Teri, but as we cared for her pony I couldn’t help brooding.
I decided to get a ride back with Teri’s mom rather than wait for Dec and the trailer. I asked Mrs. MacLeod to drop me off in Julien, the tiny town where the MacLeods and Kabir’s family both lived — our place was only ten minutes outside of it. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, exactly, I just knew that I needed some time alone to think. I went into the town’s only diner, ordered hot chocolate and some
fries, and tried to settle my thoughts. I couldn’t, though. The more I thought about Dec’s Royal ban, the angrier I got. It wasn’t right that he could so easily sabotage not only the years of work I’d already invested but also my future career. And that he could do it so cavalierly. Things would have to change, I decided, although I had no idea how I might orchestrate it. I had just noticed that it was dark outside when Kabir walked in. He sat across from me.
“Are you okay, Téa?” he asked, concerned.
“Fine, why?”
“Everyone’s out looking for you. Seth asked me to check for you in town.”
“Oh.” I was probably in trouble, then.
“C’mon, I’ll drive you home.”
Seth greeted me with relief, and we were still on the porch when Jaden’s car pulled in. I went into the house, determined to avoid him. I wanted to go hide in my room but I knew Dec was on his way and would want to see me. I was wrong, though. When Dec got home we were in the living room, Seth joking with Kabir and Jaden while I sat with my arms crossed, saying nothing. I jumped when I heard the door. My heart started racing while I tried frantically to remember the carefully rehearsed arguments I’d come up with that day, and which my brain now seemed to have misplaced.
Dec walked up next to me.
“Téa, go to your room,” he barked.
I looked up at him in surprise. Yup, he was angry — his hands were on his hips and a scowl adorned his face. I got up, confused.
“Now, Téa,” he rumbled. Seth gave me a nudge, and I decamped upstairs.
Dec avoided me the next morning before school, but my feeling of having dodged a bullet didn’t last. I wanted to have this out with him. When I got home that afternoon his truck was gone, though Jaden was apparently still around. I grimaced as I trudged into the barn, but once inside I froze in shock. Anne was there — and she had Zac on the crossties. Seth came up and put his arm around me.
“I didn’t want to tell you yesterday, Sis, but she bought him,” he murmured.
That explained why Dec had been so lenient the day before. I stumbled to Blaze’s stall and leaned against his comforting, solid warmth. At least I still had him. He was my true love, after all.
