‘Hold the reins steady,’ said Carlotta, as she called from the side of the ring.
Jessica Berconi was attempting jumps on her overpriced horse with an attitude matching its owner. Every time the pair came to a jump, the horse stopped in its tracks, nearly sending Jessica over a few times. When Carlotta left Violetta’s, she’d left New York and driven a little out of town to New Jersey to ride her horse. Jessica was there along with a few other teens of New York’s finest families having their lessons. Carlotta had felt bad after screaming at John on the phone and she thought the best way to make up for her temper was through Jessica.
Jessica’s riding coach was in deep talks with Chessy, Jessica’s mother. Carlotta knew the coach, an ex-East German riding champion, a lesbian and a hard taskmaster. No doubt telling Chessy what a waste of time her daughter was, Carlotta thought, as she saw them talking expressively in the corner.
Carlotta needed the Berconi money for the horse show. She had already booked the venue and the plans were underway, so acting like she gave a shit about Jessica was the best way to get back in the good books with Berconi.
Jessica didn’t listen to Carlotta though and Carlotta was losing her patience. ‘Jessica?’ she yelled. ‘Do you want my advice or not?’
Jessica trotted over.
‘Honestly?’ she asked in her affected teenage drawl. ‘I don’t. I know you are only here because you are fucking my father, so don’t try to win me over. I don’t give a shit about you or Dad.’
Carlotta was furious but said nothing. That girl was too much, she thought. As she turned to leave she saw Chris standing behind her, with a teenager about Jessica’s age in a wheelchair.
‘Hi,’ she said, surprised.
‘Hello,’ said Chris tersely.
Carlotta looked down at the pretty girl in the wheelchair. ‘I’m Carlotta.’
‘Hi, I’m Alexia,’ said the girl, smiling.
‘I didn’t think you gave lessons,’ said Chris sarcastically.
‘I don’t, just a bit of friendly advice,’ said Carlotta, her face reddening.
‘I would love some advice,’ said Alexia. ‘Dad says you are like a super amazing rider.’
Carlotta paused and looked at Chris. ‘Sure, as soon as you get out of that chair and back into the saddle, then I could watch you and give you some pointers.’
Alexia looked at her father, and then back to Carlotta.
‘Right, sure,’ she said. ‘Anyway, nice to meet you.’
As she wheeled herself away expertly Carlotta realised what she had said. Alexia drove the chair with precision across the ground, like she had been doing it for years.
‘Shit, Chris, I didn’t know. Fuck,’ said Carlotta, staring after the small figure in the wheelchair.
‘She’s a paraplegic. She rides horses though, loves it. She is very good, they are talking about her for the Para Olympic Games,’ he said, not looking at Carlotta.
‘Of course I will help her, anytime,’ she said quickly, feeling terrible.
Chris started to walk away and then turned back. ‘Listen, she is not some fucking charity case. Donotfeel sorry for her, do you hear me?’
Carlotta nodded, his face was inches from her.
‘While you waste your time with that idiot child Jessica for the reasons she probably mentioned, I am trying to save your fucking company, so do me a favour, all right, and stay the fuck away from my daughter. And if I were you, I would stay the fuck away from Berconi too. He is trouble and if you have him in your bed, then he has you in his pocket and you are a silly, silly, little girl,’ he spat, and then walked away.
Carlotta watched as he tenderly lifted Alexia into his Range Rover and packed her chair into the back of the car.
Carlotta walked back to her car and sat in it for a while, thinking.
‘Fuck,’ she said, putting her head against the steering wheel and bursting into tears.
*
Violetta wiped her mother’s face with a soft muslin washcloth. She took out a jar of Italian face cream, her mother’s favourite, and dabbed a little on each cheek and on her mother’s smooth forehead and gently rubbed it into Birdie’s skin.
