"Dreams" - Her Story: Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

         She stretched and smiled, she had this Saturday afternoon free and she wanted to do something with her daughters. She didn’t want to spend the day arguing. She had a few ideas while she dressed and went downstairs to make breakfast. She pulled out the things to make breakfast and set to work. She pulled out the phone book and started to dial to check out prices and her ideas. She wanted the day to be a start of something special. She wanted a new beginning with her daughters and prayed this would be the day.

         Hanging up the phone, she hummed while she set the table and covered the platters of food. She heard a shuffle behind her and turned around to find her youngest daughter leaning against the doorway.

         “Good morning.” She smiled and pointed to the table. “Have a seat and I will have breakfast on the table in a minute.”

         “You had time to make breakfast?” Her youngest asked her.

         “I told you things were going to change.” She set the platter down in front of her daughter. “Now, it’s time to eat and then we need to get ready. I have planned a day filled with fun. I am so excited I want to get started.”

         “What did you make?” Her youngest watched her mother and smiled at her mother’s enthusiasm and attempt to make things better.

         “I have before you French toast, warmed syrup, bacon, sausage, and apple slices.” She uncovered the platters one by one and felt her tension melt just a little with her daughters smile. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

         “I’ll go and get my sister.” Her youngest went upstairs leaving her mother hopeful.

         She could hear their footsteps in the hallway and knew she had managed to get her sister to come down and join them. “I hear you made breakfast.” Her oldest walked over to the counter and looked at the table.

         “That I did.” She sat down at the table and looked up at her oldest. “Come on, it’s getting cold and you know apples are great on French toast when they are still hot.”

         She let out a sigh when her daughter sat down at the table across from her. They ate in silence until her youngest daughter told her oldest about the surprise plans their mother had for them. She said nothing at the enthusiasm in her youngest daughter’s voice.

         The phone rang interrupting the conversation at the table. She got up to answer. “I knew this wasn’t going to happen. She’s going to have to work again.” She could hear her eldest tell her sister.

         She answered the phone to hear her bosses voice on the phone. She listened as he rattled on about reports and important meetings and deadlines. She took a deep breath and told him to email her the things she needed done and told him that she had plans to spend the day with her daughters and he would have to wait until they got back and hung up.

“Well?” Her eldest gave her an accusing glare when she walked into the kitchen.

         “That was my boss. He has some work that needs to be done. I told him that he can email it over and I would do it when we were finished with our outing. He couldn’t accept that then he could find someone else to do the work.” She sat down and started to eat while her daughters gaped at her. “Well, eat up. We have to be there in an hour.”

         They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders and started eating. Neither knew what their mother was up to, but secretly hoped that it would be something that would last. They finished their breakfast and helped their mother clean up the kitchen and went upstairs to dress. She had told them to wear something old.

         She finished putting the dishes away when her daughters joined her in the kitchen. “Well, where are we going?” Her oldest daughter leaned against the counter.

         “That, my dear, you will find out when we get there.” She smiled and grabbed her purse and her keys. She turned and walked out the door, leaving her daughters standing in the kitchen looking at each other in confusion.

         “Can it hurt to go and find out what she’s got planned?” Her youngest questioned her sister. “Hell, it might even be fun.”

         “Yeah, right.” Her oldest daughter grumbled and followed her sister out the door.

         They drove in silence to their destination. She pulled into a parking place and parked the car. She looked at her daughters and smiled. The confusion was still there and she loved it.

         “I have always promised to take the two of you horse back riding and never have.” She pointed to the waiting rancher. “Now, I am keeping that promise.”

         Her daughters didn’t say anything as the got out of the car. They didn’t know what to say. They followed their mother and the rancher into the barn and looked at all the horses in their stalls. Her oldest stopped and leaned against one of the stall walls and crossed her arms over her chest. She watched as her sister paid a little attention to each horse as she walked by each stall and couldn’t help smiling at her sister’s amazement and excitement. She knew her mother was finally doing at least one thing right.

         The eldest daughter pushed away from the wall to find she couldn’t move. Her jacket was caught in the mouth of the horse that occupied the stall behind her. “Hey!” She pulled her jacket out of its mouth. “That’s my jacket.”

         “Honey, I would be careful of him. He can be the very devil.” The rancher nearly ran to her to make sure she was safe. “He’s frightened most of our stable hands and the workers here. I have a hard time with him but we do have an understanding. If he wants fresh food and fresh hay, then he behaves himself.”

         The horse nudged the eldest daughter’s shoulder, making her smile. “Oh, you’re not so bad, are you boy?” She talked softly to him and scratched behind his ear. She turned to the rancher, “What’s his name?”

         “Satan.” The rancher stood near as he watched her with the meanest horse in the stable. He watched her whisper and talk to the horse as she scratched the white star between his eyes. He was amazed that monster of a horse was gentle as a kitten with this girl. “I don’t believe it.”

         “I want to ride this one.” She smiled up at the rancher. “I know there won’t be a problem with him.” She turned to the horse. “You’ll be good for me, won’t you boy?”

         “All right, we’ll try saddling him. If he throws a fit, you will have to pick out another horse. Okay?” The rancher warned her.

         “Agreed.” She smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a long time. “He will be as gentle as a kitten.”

         She did as the rancher instructed to saddle Satan herself and walked him out to the yard behind the stables. She pulled herself up into the saddle and waited for the others to join her. She allowed Satan to walk a little around the yard with directions from a stable hand who sat atop his own horse beside her.

         “Miss, I wouldn’t believe it, if I didn’t see it for myself. We never thought Satan could be this gentle or this tame.” He watched in awe at the girl sitting upon the devil of the stables. “Miss, I am going to stay with you, just in case. We don’t want to take any chances with Satan.”

         She looked over to find her mother sitting in the saddle of her own horse smiling at her with pride. She mouthed ‘thank you’ to her mother and turned the horse down the path the stable hand indicated.

         She watched her daughter tame the beast with a single touch and realized she had made her daughter happy for the first time in a long time. She turned to her youngest and smiled. They rode behind her eldest and the stable hand along the path and learned how to make the horses trot and then into a gallop. They laughed and enjoyed the next two hours together.

         When they arrived back at the stables, the stable hand pulled the guide to the side and told him about the ride and how well Satan had behaved under the guidance of the young lady. The rancher walked over to the oldest daughter and motioned for her mother to join them.

         “You know, Satan needs care and exercise and it seems we have such a hard time with him. He seems to like you and I was wondering if you would like a job taking care of Satan on a daily basis.” He asked her.

         “I would love it.” She kept her voice low, but it was impossible to mistake the excitement and joy that shown in her eyes. “Can I ride him daily?”

         “That would be part of the job. You would have to learn how to ride and then you would be able to ride alone. I would be grateful for the assistance with this devil. If not, we are going to have to put him down. He’s too mean to do anything else with.” He said sadly.

         “Oh mom, can I?” She sent a pleading look to her mother.

         She couldn’t help but see the plea in her daughter’s eyes or the question in her voice. How could she say no? How could she deny her daughter’s heart’s desire? She looked at the rancher and saw his smile. “You promise to make sure she is kept safe and she learns how to ride properly before she’s left alone with this beast?”

         “You have my promise, ma’am.” He smiled slightly at her protection.

         “All right.” She smiled at her daughter. “Only if you promise me to follow the rules and do as he says at all times even if you think you are ready for more.”

         “I promise.” Her oldest threw her arms around her mother’s neck and gave her a hug. “Thank you, mom.” She whispered into her mother’s hair.

         She wrapped her arms around her daughters back and closed her eyes against the tears that threatened. She hadn’t heard her daughter call her mom in so long. She knew she had done the right thing with her daughter’s that day.

         “I also have a position for your youngest if you don’t mind, ma’am.” The rancher smiled at the younger daughter ignoring her mother and sister. “I have a few colts that need extra attention and a couple of more mares who are going to have their colts soon. We sure could use the extra help at this time in the season.”

         “I think that’s a fine idea.” She smiled at the rancher, knowing he saw more than a mother and her two daughters.

         They drove home with excitement about their new jobs and how much fun they had that day. She pulled into the driveway and parked the car. She listened to her daughters talk about all the friends they would have to call. She felt the joy of being a mother and proud of her two daughters. She never realized what difference what one-day could make.

         “Now ladies, I have work to do. But I want one of you to order pizza and we will watch a couple of movies.” She kissed her daughters cheeks and went into her office with a lighter heart.

         The rest of the evening went without argument. She said good night to her daughters and went to bed smiling for the first time in a long time. She felt things were changing for the better. She prayed nothing would ruin the new start she had begun with her daughters. She didn’t know if she could take it, if something happened. Closing her eyes, she held on to the promise of someday and the hope of forever.


""Dreams" - Her Story: Chapter 8"  [18+]