We rode

We Rode
1195 words

Living on 3,200 hundred acres to some would be a curse; to me it was a blessing. It was a place where I could get away from everything, everyday was different, and everyday was an adventure. We had 1000 head of cattle and about twenty horses and in our town the numbers in your herd were signs of wealth. The cattle to me were peaceful creatures and the horses beautiful and majestic.
Feeding cattle and fixing fence to the other girls my age were foolish and things for their dads and brothers to do, in our family we all pulled our weight. Seventeen year old girls aren’t ranchers they would say. I would always just stand tall, I was proud to be a rancher’s daughter. I never fit in with the girls and the boys were way into football and the prissy girls for me to fit in there. I had my small group of friends all with lives like mine.
My best friend was Kyle Mitchell; he had lived three miles down the county road from us our whole lives, our land joined. Everyday we saddled our horses after our chores and just rode. We rode in the rain, we rode in the sun, the cold, the snow, and to us it didn’t matter. After he would go home every evening I would unsaddle my horse Jax, brush him, and put in his stall. Singing to him and just telling him about my day. I’m sure he didn’t care but he was always there to listen to me.
That winter it got colder than I could ever remember. Several days of zero degree weather in central Arkansas is rare. It sleeted and snowed for what felt like weeks. It was too cold to ride so the only time I got to spend with Jax was in his stall with him. His big brown eyes always seemed to light up when I spoke. I saw Kyle even less. The only time I saw him was if we both happened to be in our adjoining fields at the same time feeding our cattle. We both prayed spring would hit soon and we could get back into our routine.
The first signs of an Arkansas spring are amazing the trees are budding, the grass is the most amazing color of green, and the sky is the bluest blue you could ask for. Baby calves are playing chase in the pasture and the horses love to run and be free. Seeing this is amazing it’s as if God reaches out and just makes everything perfect. Perfection, that is the only way to describe an Arkansas spring. Unfortunately, the perfect spring rolls into the hot summer. Summertime is not an easy time there is hay to be cut, cattle to be worked, and usually very little rain.
Kyle’s family started cutting their hay the day before we started ours. I was caring for the horses the first day my dad started mowing when a truck came flying through our narrow road winding around and between some of our fields. Looking up I realized it was my mom. She slammed on the breaks and jumped out of the truck. She was frantic and crying.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Honey, its Kyle get in.” she said.
“Huh, what do you mean? What did he do? Why are you crying?”
“Th- the tractor it blew up, get in the truck.”
I stood there in shock. I didn’t know what to do mom was still talking but I couldn’t hear anything she was saying. I just walked over and got into the truck and she took me over to where Kyle was working. There were still flames coming from the tractor. I jumped out of the truck and took off running toward it. A county fireman stopped my and my dad grabbed me before I could try to go any further.
“Daddy,” I cried. “Please tell me Kyle is all right. Daddy, where is he?” I was screaming.
Daddy just looked at me with tears welling up in his eyes. “Honey, “he finally managed to say. “Kyle didn’t make it. He’s…He’s gone.”
I exploded in a mixture of emotions. I’m not sure if it was rage, anger, sadness, or really what it was. All I know is when I heard those words I felt my heart break. For days I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, I was lucky if I ever made it off the porch, let alone out to Jax. Kyle’s funeral was the worst day of my life he had been my best friend since we were two. We done everything together and now he was gone.
After the funeral we went home. Although my heart ached and I would never be able to see or spend time with Kyle again all I wanted to do was ride. That was our thing our ride every evening. I went and caught and saddled up Jax. I got on and we ran. We ran and we ran. We stopped at the top of the biggest hill. From the top of it you can see the river below and it looks like heaven opens up and touches earth.
We turned around and went further. I rode and I rode it was invigorating. I felt like I still had Kyle with me. Only he was in my heart, not by my side. Everyday there after I rode. Everyday was a new adventure, just Jax and me. Riding was the only thing that was still the same.
When school started back in the fall it was even worse than the years before. I wished for the day of graduation and prayed the school year would fly by. By the time Christmas break approached I was miserable. Everyone always asked how I was or asked if I was lost with out Kyle. Of course I was lost! My best friend was gone.
I kept riding. Jax and I were inseparable. I rode him to do my chores and I rode to heal my heart. Jax was my rock. When graduation finally rolled around I was more than ready to get out of high school. They gave Kyle’s parents an honorary diploma for him, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. In the days after graduation I spent every moment I could with Jax before I had to leave for college. We had a new adventure every day we were free, we just rode. Some days I would talk about wishing Kyle could be with us other days I was silent. We were at peace.
Years down the road I look back on this time of my life and realize Jax was my rock. He helped me through more than he will ever know. He’s twenty-two now and who’s to say how many more years he has left in him. He no longer gets rode but everyday I still spend time with him. After all of these years Jax will always have my heart. He will always be my rock but I will always look back and think of the times when we rode.