Read Online One Unhappy Horse by C. S. Adler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: C. S. Adler
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let him lie there for too long. "Come on. Stand up, or I'm not giving this to you."
Finally, he heaved himself upright and took the bread. But
he rested all his weight on his three good legs while she groomed him.
"Things are bad enough without you developing any more ailments," she told him.
He bumped her shoulder playfully when she'd finished. "You know, we still haven't figured out how we're going to afford to get your leg fixed," she said. "But we will. Don't you worry, we will."
Maybe his leg would start healing by itself, she thought. After all, minor miracles did happen. Why not to Dove and her?
A pink sunrise lingered in the east and the air was still a chilly fifty degrees when she'd finished watering and feeding Dove. Jan just had time to use the bathroom before leaving for school. While she was sitting on the toilet, she saw evidence that her mother had taken to wishful thinking, too. In the wastebasket under the sink was a ripped-up lottery ticket. Mom never bet, but now she'd put good money down on a long shot, and Jan had no doubt for whom she'd done it. Mom, who had always been the realist in their family! Jan got tears in her eyes at this new sign of her mother's affection for her.
In gym that day, the teacher made the whole class run the mile for the quarterly fitness tests, and Jan ran the fastest.
Lisa appeared at her side in the hall on the way to lunch. "Did you get so strong from riding your horse?" Lisa asked.
"More likely from ranch work," Jan said, thinking that
even if riding could strengthen her, it wouldn't have, because she hadn't done any for weeks.
"Aren't you too young to be 'working'?" Lisa asked.
"Why? My mother needs help on the ranch. And I like doing it."
"I guess that makes sense," Lisa said. Then, with a sympathy that hadn't been in her voice before, she asked, "Is your horse any better?"
"No."
"Well, I'm sorry. I guess I don't know a lot about horses. Maybe you could introduce me to yours sometime? I mean, I'd be interested. Back East, we didn't have real ranches. Not where I lived in Connecticut, anyway."
"Okay, sure," Jan said quickly. She was delighted that Lisa was still offering her friendship even after all Jan's inept rebuffs, but only after Lisa had turned off into the girls' bathroom did Jan think about setting a date. "What's the matter with me?" she asked herself out loud. "Can't I even ask someone to come over?" Lisa had made it clear enough she wanted to come. Tomorrow, Jan told herself. Tomorrow she'd practice the fine art of making friends.
That afternoon after school, Jan found her mother in the big arena exercising a spirited paint on a lunge line. The paint was a young, partly schooled animal that belonged to a ten-year-old girl whose doctor mother couldn't always drive her to the ranch to work with him. Jan let herself in
the gate and greeted Mom quietly so as not to upset the high-stepping black-and-white horse.
"You have a good day?" Mom asked.
"Okay. How's Dove doing?"
"I called Dr. Foster and asked if we could have the operation and pay her off in installments. She said
she'd
be willing, but she'd need to use the surgery facilities. That's where the major cost is. And she has no control over those charges. She sounded like she felt bad about not being able to help us out." Mom threw Jan a worried glance.
Jan pressed her thumb to her lip, thinking. Desperation made her say, "Mattie made an offer the other day. Did I tell you she has this ring her husband gave her that's worth a lot of money?"
Mom shrugged. She was concentrating on keeping pace with the frisky horse, who was kicking up his heels and tossing his head as he moved. Besides, she had no interest in jewelry. The only thing Mom ever wore was her thin gold wedding band.
"Well, Mattie said she could hock her ring and lend me the money for Dove," Jan continued.
"Do you think she meant it?"
"I don't know. Probably." Jan was recalling the feisty way Mattie had insisted on her right to
Finally, he heaved himself upright and took the bread. But
he rested all his weight on his three good legs while she groomed him.
"Things are bad enough without you developing any more ailments," she told him.
He bumped her shoulder playfully when she'd finished. "You know, we still haven't figured out how we're going to afford to get your leg fixed," she said. "But we will. Don't you worry, we will."
Maybe his leg would start healing by itself, she thought. After all, minor miracles did happen. Why not to Dove and her?
A pink sunrise lingered in the east and the air was still a chilly fifty degrees when she'd finished watering and feeding Dove. Jan just had time to use the bathroom before leaving for school. While she was sitting on the toilet, she saw evidence that her mother had taken to wishful thinking, too. In the wastebasket under the sink was a ripped-up lottery ticket. Mom never bet, but now she'd put good money down on a long shot, and Jan had no doubt for whom she'd done it. Mom, who had always been the realist in their family! Jan got tears in her eyes at this new sign of her mother's affection for her.
In gym that day, the teacher made the whole class run the mile for the quarterly fitness tests, and Jan ran the fastest.
Lisa appeared at her side in the hall on the way to lunch. "Did you get so strong from riding your horse?" Lisa asked.
"More likely from ranch work," Jan said, thinking that
even if riding could strengthen her, it wouldn't have, because she hadn't done any for weeks.
"Aren't you too young to be 'working'?" Lisa asked.
"Why? My mother needs help on the ranch. And I like doing it."
"I guess that makes sense," Lisa said. Then, with a sympathy that hadn't been in her voice before, she asked, "Is your horse any better?"
"No."
"Well, I'm sorry. I guess I don't know a lot about horses. Maybe you could introduce me to yours sometime? I mean, I'd be interested. Back East, we didn't have real ranches. Not where I lived in Connecticut, anyway."
"Okay, sure," Jan said quickly. She was delighted that Lisa was still offering her friendship even after all Jan's inept rebuffs, but only after Lisa had turned off into the girls' bathroom did Jan think about setting a date. "What's the matter with me?" she asked herself out loud. "Can't I even ask someone to come over?" Lisa had made it clear enough she wanted to come. Tomorrow, Jan told herself. Tomorrow she'd practice the fine art of making friends.
That afternoon after school, Jan found her mother in the big arena exercising a spirited paint on a lunge line. The paint was a young, partly schooled animal that belonged to a ten-year-old girl whose doctor mother couldn't always drive her to the ranch to work with him. Jan let herself in
the gate and greeted Mom quietly so as not to upset the high-stepping black-and-white horse.
"You have a good day?" Mom asked.
"Okay. How's Dove doing?"
"I called Dr. Foster and asked if we could have the operation and pay her off in installments. She said
she'd
be willing, but she'd need to use the surgery facilities. That's where the major cost is. And she has no control over those charges. She sounded like she felt bad about not being able to help us out." Mom threw Jan a worried glance.
Jan pressed her thumb to her lip, thinking. Desperation made her say, "Mattie made an offer the other day. Did I tell you she has this ring her husband gave her that's worth a lot of money?"
Mom shrugged. She was concentrating on keeping pace with the frisky horse, who was kicking up his heels and tossing his head as he moved. Besides, she had no interest in jewelry. The only thing Mom ever wore was her thin gold wedding band.
"Well, Mattie said she could hock her ring and lend me the money for Dove," Jan continued.
"Do you think she meant it?"
"I don't know. Probably." Jan was recalling the feisty way Mattie had insisted on her right to
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