Joint Venture

by Tey Holden

  “Yes, but it’s got to be done.”

  They had expectations that when Alex was older, she would swallow a pill rather than drink the ‘yuckiness’ as she called the medications. The first time they tried to teach her to swallow a pill, she choked and threw up claiming that it had gotten stuck in her throat. Then it was worse, because they had to either cut it in halves or crush it for her, with both options producing a worse tasting medication than any liquid one. In short, when Alex was sick it was hard to tell what was worse, the ailment or the cure.

  The recurrent ear infections became a serious matter when she had one after another. Her pediatrician decided that it was time for her to see a specialist. After having the same recurrent effects under different treatments, the specialist recommended inserting tubes in her ear canals to allow drainage. When Karen heard the recommendation, the color drained from her face, and she nearly fainted in the doctor’s office. She had to be taken out so that Alex wouldn’t see her. One of the nurses took her to another examining room.

  Addy went to check on her. “Ker, what is wrong? Are you okay?”

  “Tubes in her ears, Addy? They are going to drill holes and put tubes in her ears? I don’t know if I can live through this! What if she becomes deaf? How are we going to deal with a deaf child? I can hardly handle things as they are!”

  Addy chuckled and kissed her hand. Karen was lying on a stretcher. “Ker, is not like we are going to go ahead and do it without getting a second and even a third opinion from other specialists! Let’s go back inside and listen to what the doctor says.” Addy’s words had a temporary calming effect on Karen.

  “Come on. She’s going to be frightened if you don’t come back in. She needs you.”

  Upon the realization that Alex might be frightened for having been left alone, Karen got up immediately and marched back to her daughter, Addy followed with a satisfied face. With all her fears and apprehensions, Karen had never turned her back on her daughter, she had always been there for her.

  When they got home and put Alex to bed, Karen stretched out on the sofa in her helpless ‘I’m going to die’ attitude, usually reserved for when she was sick, but now also displayed when Alex was sick. Addy instead called Gerry and explained what was happening.

  “Addy, do you have a humidifier?”

  “Yes, we do Gerry.”

  “Run it in her room. Sometimes humidity helps to expand the inner tubes.”

  “I’ll try it. I’ll try anything. We really don’t want to do the tubes unless we absolutely have to.”

  That was all it took. Since the moment the humidifier went on in Alex’s room, she got better and from there on she only had an occasional ear infection, but nothing like she had experienced in the past.

  ***

  In karate, Alex was very methodical. Her movements were always very controlled and her katas were always perfect. The sensei was always delighted to see the feisty, blonde perform so well. When sparring, Alex never showed any apprehension regarding the age, weight or height of her opponents. However,

  Addy was always concerned with Alex getting hurt if she considered that her opponent was taller or heavier or older. “Why can’t he match her with someone just her size and age? I really don’t understand that instructor. I think he has a death wish of someone getting hurt in his dojo.”

  “M’Addy, those things don’t matter. The important thing is to be focused and know what you have to do.” Alex always explained to no avail because Addy always had the same complaints.

  Karen smiled proudly when she heard her daughter’s response. Thinking that Alex’s reply was exactly what she would have said. In that regard Alex, like Karen, was very pragmatic. “Addy, Alex gets matched with people at her own skill level. If she weren’t, it would not be fair to her or the others because then the competition would not be a fair challenge. Alex apparently has the required skills and she needs the challenge of the competition,” Karen further elaborated.

  When they had competitions, Addy loved to watch her blonde fireball. Alex would get all ruffled, sweaty, and pinkish but still she looked adorable. Before and after the match, the moms would fuss all around her, making sure her uniform and belt looked perfect and after the match was over they’d check her looking to see if she was hurt. In the idle time between matches, Karen would run to her and bring her a water bottle, rub her calves, wipe her sweat, or give her some encouraging word or tactical advice, while Addy smiled and blew kisses from her sitting position. Alex learned to smile, after overcoming many embarrassing moments.

  “M’Addy, you can’t be blowing kisses!”

  “Why not? I didn’t read any instruction prohibiting it. And you win, don’t you? Maybe it’s my kisses that help you win.”

  As she got older, Alex would never start a match without looking to Addy for the winning kisses. Invariably, Addy would throw her the biggest kisses ever and smiled when the beautiful, kick ass, karate girl smiled back at her. That smile was worth more than any victory to Addy.

  There were times when she didn’t do too well, but the little one was never discouraged. While someone else might have blamed the opponent or the judge or any other possible thing, Alex concentrated on what she needed to improve upon. The car was always very quiet on the way home when things had not gone well.

  Karen would always try to soften it up. “Well, there’s always the next one.” Addy dared not say anything because once she suggested that maybe she had not blown enough kisses and Alex was furious. So, she always remained quiet in those situations. With the years, whenever Alex didn’t perform well, to get Addy to talk, she’d say something like, “it wasn’t you, M’Addy, I did get enough kisses.”

  Addy would immediately start to talk and to find some fault on something other than Alex. Addy even went as far as blaming the sun reflecting on a distant mirror, or the mat not being supportive enough, and of course there were the environmental issues such as the temperature being too cold and the muscles being too stiff, or too hot to even think right. To which Alex would reply something like, “M’Addy, I love you too.” That would always end the conversation on a happy note. Karen just drove and smiled.

  Because of the lessons learned practicing karate, Alex developed strong motor skills, which helped her succeed in other sports. Soccer and basketball were her main sports. Since the day she started to play both, she excelled.

  Later in high school, she dropped basketball. She said she didn’t like to be pushed around, and instead concentrated on soccer and karate. She obtained her black belt and afterwards she continued practicing, however, she stopped competing and sparring claiming that she didn’t like the ‘closeness’ of the people. Karen and Addy respected her decisions and left it at that, after all these were things she did for enjoyment and if she had reached a level or a point in her life when she was no longer enjoying them that was the end of that. All and all, excelling in sports had been good for her as it raised her level of confidence and self-esteem.

  Also, in part because of sports, she was very popular at school. Alex was loved by the jocks as well as the nerds because she was both. She could score all the goals in a game, get an A on the physics test, and solve tough equations and win at chess with a nerd. There was a time when the chess club tried to recruit her for a competition, but she declined.

  Karen inquired for her reasons. “Why? Playing chess doesn’t make you a nerd?”

  “No, Mom, I didn’t decline for that. I know I’m not a nerd, I also know I can win. I just think there are some things I should let others do. Cassandra and William are very good. I don’t want to compete with them.”

  Karen looked at her daughter quizzically. “Because you can beat the hell out of them?”

  Alex just grinned and said nothing. Karen smiled and drove. They smiled all the way home.

  Music however was never her forte. Through the years Alex attempted to play several musical instruments, but consistently gave up because she was terrible with all of them. Karen wa
s of the opinion that all the ear infections of early childhood had deteriorated her hearing and that was why she was musically impaired. While in fifth grade, Alex concluded that music was not her thing and, to Addy’s dismay, she quit the band. Karen was overjoyed with the decision.

  One instrument that Alex never tried was piano. There was a beautiful piano in the manor house, which had been there even before the house was transformed into the Inn of Scotland. While the Inn was operating, Addy had it rehabilitated and on Friday and Saturday they’d hire a pianist to come and play in the evenings. The Inn’s guests and many people from the surrounding towns came often just to sit and listen to the “Melodies of the Night” as the event was called. While the music played, tea, coffee, and after-dinner cordials were served along with fancy desserts. Since the sound of the piano was so astonishing and the acoustics so wonderful in the room where the piano was situated, the music could be heard from anywhere in the surrounding area, and often people sat outside by the pool, or under the trees to listen to the wonderful melody.

  The piano was a beautiful Steinway grand piano. Addy knew it was a very valuable piece and never got rid of it, even after the Inn closed. “Maybe one day you will decide to take lessons and play it.” She’d say to Alex more than once.

  “I don’t think so M’Addy, I’m sorry. I’m done with music. I don’t have the patience.”

  Still, even though it was never played, Addy had it tuned every two years.

  Every two years, Karen would always ask the same question. “Why don’t we get rid of it? We can donate it to a school. At least someone would benefit from it.”

  “No, this piano is here for a reason. Someday, there will be music back in this house because of this piano. I think that someday someone will walk through that door, and we will know why this piano was here. It will be a sign of something. I don’t know exactly of what, but this piano stays where it is!”

  Karen and Alex kidded Addy for years and every time they met someone new they’d ask them, out of the blue, if he or she played the piano. The joke went on for years. They stopped asking because no one, in all those years, ever said yes.

  “Someday, you will all be astonished.”

  “Are you going to start piano lessons, M’Addy?”

  Karen chuckled while Addy made funny faces in Alex’s direction.

  ***

  It was customary for Alex to go to the stables as much as she could and her school and sports schedule allowed. At the stables, she continued to help Marshall with whatever needed to be done. Either Karen or Addy took her and stayed there with her. It was not until the ordeal with the family was over that they began to leave Alex alone, for brief periods of time, with Marshall and Carol, or James and JP.

  When Alex was at the stables she was under Marshall’s constant supervision. Marshall and Carol had no children, so they came to love Alex as their own, most especially because Alex was the type of child that made herself lovable. She took intense interest in all of Marshall’s instructions regarding the keeping and the training of horses, and as the years went by, Alex became quite an expert and could carry on an adult conversation regarding horses and racing with much authority.

  At eight years old, and barely in third grade, Alex saw her beloved Alejandro finally head for the racetrack. While Alejandro had been training, Alex had been a constant spectator and participant. She knew all about the horse. Alex had come to the stables every day before school to watch Gyro ride Alejandro. She had to wake up at the crack of dawn, but she didn’t care. Going to see Alejandro run was something she looked forward to every single morning. “Like the wind, Mommy, he runs like the wind! You have to come and see him.” She would zoom by them as if she was Alejandro wanting to show off the horse’s speed. Every weekend the women would show up early at the track to watch.

  “So, what do you think, Mommy?”

  “Wow! He’s good, Alex. He’s amazing!” Karen exclaimed. Alex and Addy were the ones always keeping an eye on Alejandro’s training and development. Karen was kept abreast of any happening, but she was not very much into the whole horse thing. Karen kept busy working with Phillip at the law firm. She would bring Alex by the stables in the mornings, but usually stayed in the car reading the news on her tablet and drinking her coffee while Alex spent a few minutes watching Alejandro run. She had been to the stables occasionally, but she had never seen Gyro race him.

  “Mommy, he is a winner. I just know it.”

  Marshall was concerned with Alex’s high expectations. “Well, Alex, there are many other good horses also.”

  “Yes, Ms. Marshall, but he is the best. I’ve recorded his time every day and have it on a spreadsheet which I’ve compared to all the current horses his age, and I’m telling you he is the very best.”

  The women all looked at each other. “You have a spreadsheet of his times, and you’ve what?” Karen asked surprised.

  “Yes, Mommy. Just because I talk to him and keep it personal doesn’t mean that I’m not keeping track of his statistics. Racing is hard and difficult. I wouldn’t allow him to run, if I wasn’t sure he was ready. He is as good as the best!”

  Again, the women looked at each other and grinned. It was obvious that Alex had taken her role as owner very seriously. The problem was that no one could say anything to bring Alex’s expectations down because she had all the numbers and the facts spoke for themselves. When Alex pulled out all her data, the women were amazed.

  Even Marshall was surprised. “Good grief! This is amazing, Alex. You have done a remarkable job keeping track of Alejandro’s performance,” Marshall acknowledged her work.

  Alex looked very proud. “And look, Ms. Marshall, when you compare his performance, historically, with other famous horses at his age, he is way ahead by a lot. I say we have ourselves a winner!” She proclaimed triumphantly.

  Marshal and Karen were stunned as they sat down to look at the charts. It was evident that Alejandro’s numbers exceeded all of the other racehorses, current and past.

  “If he continues to perform like this, he will win.” Alex once again proclaimed as her very astonished mothers and Marshall looked at the charts in front of them

  Karen spoke astonished, “Marshall, can you verify these numbers?”

  “Yes, Karen. I will get started right away. “

  “What do you think? Is our boy good enough for the majors?” Addy’s question was directed to Marshall.

  “Well, Gyro and I agree that he is fantastic, but now that I see Alex’s numbers and comparisons, I’m flabbergasted,” Marshall responded. She was very good at training horses, but she was a workingwoman, and numbers and calculations were not her thing. She never thought to do what Alex had done. However, she recognized the value of the statistics the minute she saw them.

  “You guys are all serious, aren’t you?” Karen was the only one who didn’t seem quite convinced.

  “What do you mean, Mommy?”

  “I mean that you guys are serious about racing Alejandro professionally.”

  “Well, of course,” Addy commented, “that was always the point, Ker.”

  “I always thought you guys were in love with the horse and that’s why you were doing everything for him. I never thought that you were serious about racing him professionally, I mean, maybe recreationally, but professionally?”

  “You don’t want him to race?” Alex asked.

  “Baby, is not a matter of me wanting. You just don’t walk up your horse to the Derby, and say I want to race him.”

  Everyone listened attentively. “She’s right,” Marshall stated.

  Karen continued. “There are requirements to meet, paperwork to fill out, and a lot of money is required to enter the races.” The smiles vanished from Addy and Alex’s faces, after listening to Karen. Even Marshall pursed her lips.

  When Karen saw the disappointed faces, she gave in, as she usually did whenever she saw sadness in the faces of her loved ones. “Let me look into it. You guys better make sure
that horse runs like the wind and wins.” There was an immediate group hug around Karen.

  “Okay! Okay!” A very happy Karen exclaimed.

  As they left, Addy and Alex could hear Karen mumbling, as she walked ahead of them, “I have to be crazy! I don’t know how I let myself get dragged into all this crazy stuff! Here I go again!”

  Addy and Alex looked at each other and smiled. “Alex, on three….one, two, three…we love you, Mommy!” This was not an unusual happening. They had done this chanting many times before, whenever Karen gave in to their wishes. Karen continued to walk ahead of them shaking her head and grinning from ear to ear.

  “I’m going to have to give her a lot of kisses tonight, Alex.”

  Alex got in the back seat of the car smiling, as Karen held the door open for Addy. Addy’s smile grew larger when Karen whispered in her ear. “I think you are going to have to do more than that tonight, Ms. Addy.”

  ***

  As Alejandro entered the racing arena, he consistently began to win by ample margins, and his rise to fame began. Alex was overjoyed with her very accurate estimations and expectations. The women then wondered about what to do next. Surely, they expected him to do well, but not as well as he was doing.

  Although Alejandro had become famous at the track, there were other horses whose lineage and fame preceded him. Alejandro was not of any particularly great pedigree, and none of the big horse racing promoters took an interest in a horse without a great ancestry. It was evident that Alejandro’s future was solely for them to decide. It would take a lot of money to enter him in any big race, and if he lost they would be losing a lot of money. On the other hand, if he won, it would be like hitting the jackpot. All the money would be theirs alone, not only from the wins, but also from breeding rights.

  After winning one of the lesser races, it was Alex who noticed what was happening. “Marshall, look there’s blood in Alejandro’s nose.”

  Marshall and Gyro immediately reacted. They both examined the horse and looked at each other with panicked faces. “I’ll go call Dr. Ferst. Peter Ferst was the local veterinarian. He treated all their horses and other horses on nearby farms. Dr. Ferst came immediately. He was well aware of Alejandro’s worth and potential. Dr. Ferst asked everyone to step outside while he examined Alejandro.