“A whole lot.”
I didn’t know what would be worth it, but these head scratches and the way he was so soft in my ear were helping. “Can I get a small clue?”
“Yes.”
Nearly spinning my body to him in excitement, I looked him in his eyes with a big smile. “Ok, I’m ready.”
“The clue is, you’re gonna love it.”
The smile vanished. “That’s cruel. I wanted to know something.” I trusted him with the fact that this was going to be something I loved. I tried to dissect the appearance of thebox itself, but it could’ve been anything in there, and that was throwing me off for any potential guesses.
“Come on then, fresh air and a walk to the horses will do you some good as well,” he said, giving my knee a squeeze. “You’ve come a long way since I saw you the first time almost recoil like a slug when you were giving Mary those sugar cubes.”
He was right. I’d come a long way, and I was just full of nerves, but it wasn’t made any better dragging this whole thing out.
“Let’s do it,” I said, standing upright. My stomach much lighter and nearly knocking my center of gravity. Lorenzo took my hand. “It’s like riding a rollercoaster, you know, standing in line, the anxiety is there, but then once you’re on, you’re on, and then you just need to ride it out.”
Lorenzo stood beside me, rubbing my back and chuckled. “That’s a good comparison, although I’m a sucker for a big rollercoaster, haven’t been on one in a long while, but I do love them.”
I told myself to think about the surprise gift which wasn’t a surprise at all. I knew it was going to be something I could use for my little play, or at least, I hoped.
We walked together toward the field the horses were in. There was a lot of talk about which horse I would ride. Mary was old, but she was definitely still capable, and the other three were all a bit too wild.
“It’s your decision,” he said. “Mary has a better temperament, but she might also be a little bit annoyed. Ashwind is a lot better around you, I think. Coal is probably the one most likely to buck, and Bramble is still a little week.”
“Which one would you choose?”
“Well,” he began with a chuckle. “I’ll be getting them all ready. But to play it safe, you should try Mary.”
Once we reached the fence, the horses approached in their huddle, even Mary who had become part of their small pact, although not quite as integrated. I stepped back as they approached, a natural response to having them so close in my face.
Lorenzo encouraged me with his soft words. “We’re not losing all that progress, stroke one of them.”
They never exhibited any hostile behavior to me, each of them would neigh or huff, but according to Lorenzo, they weren’t doing it out of aggression, more of a way to tell me they wanted feeding, or attention, and they sure loved attention. I could relate to them a little because I too sometimes made little noises when I needed attention, and since coming into my life, even if only recently, Lorenzo had been giving it to me.
“I think it’s got to be Mary, at least I think she likes me the most,” I said, hesitantly. All of them were still scary in my eyes with those long faces and big eyes that looked like they’d seen too much.
He nodded. “Sure, I know she hasn’t been ridden in a while, but she doesn’t seem to have anything stopping her from it. Unless we find out together today.”
“Don’t say that,” I grumbled playfully giving Lorenzo’s arm a whack.
“It’s gonna be fine,” he said, pulling me into his arms. His hat knocked against mine, pushing it back as he pressed his head forward, his mouth against mine, so soft as he gave me a peck on the lips. “Let’s get her out then. She needs to saddle up.”
Mary knew we were talking about her, and she didn’t seem to mind. I wasn’t completely convinced that Lorenzo couldn’t actually talk to the horses since they seemed to obey him whenever he gave them visual and verbal instructions. In a way, I was the same with him, obeying.
We got Mary back to the stables and as I went through the trunk of helmets, Lorenzo dressed the horse up in the saddle and bridle. “Good girl,” he said, causing my head to turn, trying not to be jealous that a horse was getting compliments. “You’re a good boy too,” he said, catching my eye and winking.
“Should I be wearing more protective clothes?” I asked, finding a helmet that fit right, and the strap didn’t tug too tight under my chin.
“You’re a cowboy, ain’t cha,” he said with a chuckle. “You don’t need that on.”The worry in my eyes must’ve told him another story because he sighed and nodded. “But if it helps you feel a little bit more comfortable, then sure, you can wear that. But you might also want to break out the knee pads and elbow protectors too.”
“So, you think I’m going to fall.”
“Not at all, and I’ll be right there to catch you.”
It was playful teasing, I knew that much, but I couldn’t help feel a little stressed by the whole idea that perhaps I should have put some protective wear on my elbows or even my knees. “Can I have a kiss for good luck?”
I got my kiss, and it felt a little luckier because of it.
