County Lines Rider

by Samantha Bassett

  Some days later, I was to be sent home; the days had dragged for me in the busy ward. “Hello.” I looked up and saw Andrew, someone I had known through my long time in care, he was from social services and generally had treated me with respect. He was kinder than most of those I had on my journey through care. He wore glasses which he took off as he sat beside my bed, looking deeply into my eyes. “May I sit down?”

  “Now Amanda, I hope you are feeling a bit better. It was a nasty accident you had there. Mrs Manderson told me what happened. You need to take more care.” I nodded, reinforcing the lie but, what could I do. “Now, I don’t know if Mrs Manderson has told you, but we’ve been looking for a foster home for Adam.” The obvious look of shock on my face made it abundantly clear the care home manager had kept me in the dark about what was happening to Adam. “Well, we have a lovely family lined up for him. They live on a beautiful farm in mid-Wales, we think that it would be perfect for him. I’m so sorry, but they are not open to taking you as well, however, we need to think of Adam.” He paused. “I’m guessing that this is a bit of a shock for you?”

  “No…” I smiled, looking down briefly. “It would be great for him, he’s young, he deserves a chance. I totally understand.” I avoided eye contact. I knew, if I looked up I would burst into tears. This was what was best for Adam if he found a family he would flourish.

  “If you are sure.” Andrew smiled. “I hoped you would understand. Thank you for being so mature.”

  What else could I do? However, now my mind was made up. Fate had ensured that Adam would fly free, Now, I just needed to resolve my own freedom.

  ***

  The ward was almost silent, there was darkness outside the window, snores from other patients were the only sound. I dressed quickly, having sneaked clothes into the toilet earlier in the day, glancing down the corridor. The nurses’ station was quiet, so I made my move.

  No one would care for an orphan running away. Pushing open the door onto the fire escape, I took one last look back. This was it, now I took charge of my destiny. I made my way quickly down the metal stairs, hoping that the sound of my footsteps would not attract attention. All I had were the clothes I stood up in, and a few pounds in my jeans pocket nestled together with the torn-out page from Horse and Hound, however soon I would also have my freedom.

  ***

  The station was quiet as the first train of the day eventually rumbled into view. I boarded alone and sat down, hoping to be invisible to the ticket collector otherwise this escape could be over as quickly as it had started. However, I needn’t have worried, it seemed he had no plans to walk through the otherwise empty carriages, sitting instead in the rear cab warmed by a fan heater.

  The slow train rumbled out of through the outskirts of Birmingham, first the city and then the industrial heartlands before passing fields and stables like the one I had ridden at. We travelled on towards London. My destination was to be a green and pleasant commuter belt village where London workers could afford to spend their weekends in the country riding on borrowed horses. I had called ahead and been told they would see me; however, it was unclear if this was an interview or rather an attempt to get me off the telephone.

  Stepping off the train at a country station, the day still only starting, commuters were lining up on the platform to board the train towards London. As the train left I was alone and started the long walk towards the Seacrest Equestrian Centre. The name had puzzled me, Seacrest? Here, about as far from the ocean as one could get in landlocked Hertfordshire.

  The day was cool, I wasn’t dressed for the cold as I walked down the grass verge beside the country road. However, this was freedom, an escape and a new life so a bit of a chill was nothing which would concern me. Every step was one further away from my past life.

  Over an hour later I finally approached the stables driveway, bright lettering on the sign announced the presence of the equestrian centre. I started my approach down a perfectly manicured driveway. There were sounds of activity and surprisingly, classical music, along with sweeping and hooves on concrete. Oh goodness, this place was beautiful. I let myself daydream for a moment, thinking that maybe such an establishment could be mine. Oh, just think, my own posh equestrian centre with finely trimmed lawns and bright borders like this place. I sighed, lost in the dream.

  “May I help you?” I snapped back to the present. The woman was slim, dressed in bright white breeches, polished riding boots and a tweed hacking jacket, she wore a riding hat and hair net from which there was not one stray hair. She looked down her nose at me as if I was something which she would rather see consigned to the muck heap if a yard as posh as this had such a thing.

  “Hello…” I held out my hand which she ignored. “I’m here about a job, Amanda Bishop.”

  “I see…”

  ***

  The drive passed mostly in silence. The interview, if it could have been called that, was more of a character assignation. It had been made abundantly clear that ‘someone like you’ would not ‘fit in’ at their establishment. The woman, She hadn’t told me her name, had been brief, verging on downright rude. It was only after I had been ushered out of the office and back blinking and shocked onto the yard that the head girl, Gill had taken pity on me and offered me a lift back to the station in the stables Land Rover. I had looked back as the stables vanished behind us, sat in stunned silence.

  “Here we are…” Gill smiled. “Look, she’s a bit of a tyrant but you do get used to her.”

  “Well, I won’t…” I glumly frowned, not sure what to do next.

  “No… Ah, I’m sorry. Look, I have a friend at a yard in Clapham, South London. She’s always looking for hardworking staff. If you tell her I sent you I am sure she’ll find you a place.”

  “Thank you, Gill. I really do appreciate it.”

  “Look.” Gill coughed. “Do you have…” The long pause as she looked me up and down was telling. I could almost feel the waves of pity from this smartly dressed equestrian, “…Anything?” I shook my head meekly. “I thought not. Here.” She pushed a twenty-pound note into my hand, ignoring my protests. “Take it. You need something. Look good luck. There’ll be a train in about twenty minutes. Clapham is the other side of London, just ask someone will help you.”

  “Thank you…” I closed the car door, watching as it drove away back to a life I would never know.

  ***

  Having never been to London before, I was quickly lost trying to navigate the Underground. Trying to ask for help was so often ignored I ended up walking aimlessly until eventually, many hours later I found myself on a bus driving down Clapham High Street.

  I stepped off the bus. As I stood by the road I was soaked by a van speeding past as it hit a deep puddle. I bit my lip, determined not to cry. I went into a newsagent asking for directions to the stables.

  “Why would you want to go there?” The newsagent smiled and shook his head. “Well, it’s over the road, under the railway arches. Good luck…”

  ***

  Crossing the road and I followed the railway line above which led down a back street to a scruffy garage and through a gate beyond to the Clapham Stables. I gasped, compared to where I had started the day the yard was ramshackle, partly built beneath two railway arches with additional rough stabling around the edge of a muddy paddock.

  “Help you?” I turned around. There was a short, stocky woman standing beside me. Dressed in fraying black jodhpurs and muddy green wellies. Her hair was greying, tied in a rough ponytail which was flecked with wood chips and strands of hay, her polo shirt had a dark stain across the front. I stood open-mouthed, somewhat in shock. “Eh? Cat got your tongue?” She giggled. “Yes, it’s quite a place eh! But, it’s good enough for me.”

  “Oh, I am sorry. Gill from Seacrest sent me. I need a job.”

  “Okay. Well, I understand your reaction totally if you’ve been there today!” She smiled again, showing a gap in her teeth. “Gill told me to expect you. I’ll show you whe
re you can bed down. I presume you’ll need accommodation with the job.”

  “What? Oh yes, please… Hang on, don’t you want to know about me?”

  “Oh, I’m sure we’ll find out about you soon enough. Look around you. We are so far from perfection we’ll take who we can. You’re lucky we have a staff shortage and if my sister recommended you. What’s your name?”

  ***

  We walked towards one of the railway arches, I noticed the woman, who had introduced herself as Anne, walked with a pronounced limp. Inside the arch, there were stables on each side and beyond a wall across the back of the arch with a door in it. She unlocked and opened the door which led onto a hallway and living room with three mismatched sofas and a kitchen which clearly had seen better days. Anne led me back to a room with bunk beds. “You can have the bottom one here. Do you have any…” She paused. “Well, clearly not. Do you even have dry clothes?” I shook my head. “Not up to me to ask, however, we have some clothes which have been left behind, I am sure we can find you something to get you started.” She bustled away and came back with a box, digging through she handed me jodhpurs, rubber riding boots, polo shirts and jumpers. They were all a bit moth-eaten and smelled of damp, but it was better than what I was standing in. ” I’m the head girl, by the way. The girls will be in for dinner soon, make yourself at home.”

  I watched as Anne left. I looked around, the windowless room was tiny, packed with six bunk beds just inches apart. There was an ominous rumble when trains passed overhead, but where else could I go? I sat down on the bunk bed which sagged deeply beneath me.

  Out of the frying pan…

  2

  New Blood

  “Hello, what do we have here? New blood?” I looked up the door had opened, there was a girl standing looking at me. She was tall, naturally pretty and blond with flowing hair, she wore a ragtag collection of clothes including a pair of baggy jodhpurs which looked as if they were antique. “Don’t be shy! We’re all friendly!” She reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into a warm embrace. I felt her sigh as she hugged me. “We’re all equestrian refugees, so welcome to the family. Oh, I’m Sam, by the way.”

  “Hi, I’m Amanda…”

  “Hello Mandy, come on through we’re just finishing off the yard and will soon have whatever has been left cooking for our dinner!” She giggled, walking through into the living area. “Jane, ‘Chell, Sue, Liz. This is Mandy, she’s a newbie. Treat her gently!”

  The girls mobbed around me, making me feel welcome, we ended up laughing at our shared situation.

  “You see, none of us is here by choice. I mean, look at the place, who would be!” Sam giggled again in her infectious way. “I don’t think anyone ever set out to work in a rundown stable under a railway line in the middle of the city. But yet, here we all are. The hours are long, the pay is crap, but we look after our own, ‘cos it’s sure as hell no one else will.”

  “Hi there, I’m Jane.” The wiry, brunette girl grabbed and hugged me. Like the others she was wearing breeches, her riding boots were obviously old, worn on the insides where they had rubbed against countless saddles. The stitching fraying on the soles, they were flecked with scurf and mud. I was unused to this level of personal contact, but was starting to like it. “Christ you’re freezing cold girl!” She shook her head and dragged me over to the dining table. “Have some soup, I saw that there was some on the hob.” She ladled out a bowl of lumpy soup which had an oily scum floating on the surface. I hungrily spooned it up. “Wow… When did you last eat?”

  The staff gathered around the table, chatting and laughing as we ate the soup and stew which had been bubbling in a second pot. I started to feel warmer and full, surprised how well the others had welcomed me into their number. We lounged on the faded and torn sofas watching the flickering television set as Michelle, a shorter girl with cropped brown hair and a boyish frame, picked up the dishes and started to wash them. I had been dragged back down in my seat as I had offered to help. “It’s her turn…” Liz had said and we had turned back to the set. I don’t know how long I had been sat that, however, the long day had taken its toll as I felt myself being gently shaken. I woke with a start.

  “Mandy? It’s an early start so you had better get some sleep, we’re all going to bed now.”

  The bedroom was warm, filled with the creaking of the old beds and snoring from one of the grooms. “Good night all…” Jane reached out and clicked off the light. I lay for a moment in the darkness. When I had first seen the stables I had been tempted to turn on my heel and run away, however, as the girls had made me feel so welcome I started to look beyond the wear and tear. I yawned, rolling over I closed my eyes and was asleep in a moment.

  ***

  I woke unaware where I was, it took me a moment to remember where I was. The bedroom was silent, sitting up I saw all the other girls had left. Dressing quickly, I dashed out onto the yard.

  “Hiya!” Sam smiled. “We left you to sleep, I don’t think you had a great night, you were tossing and turning.” She gently punched my shoulder. “Don’t worry, they won’t find you here!”

  “What do you mean?” I gasped; my face drawn in shock. She dropped her broom taking my hands.

  “Wow!… Just a joke Mandy!” She paused, adding quietly. “Look, we all have a past, you’re safe with us. I promise you. Okay! Mucking out, let me show you where you can find a bent and rusty pitchfork. I am presuming you are skilled in the fine art of shit shovelling?” She giggled and led the way to the dark tool-shed.

  ***

  “How’re you settling in?” Anne leaned over the stable door as I groomed a lanky bay called Jack.

  “Very good thanks.” I paused, stepping towards the door. “The others have made me feel so welcome, and thank you for taking me in.”

  “They’re all good girls. You know, I’d trust them with my life. I know we don’t have the best premises, but this is Central London, no one can afford that. We survive, we pick our way through life and we offer an escape for people who want to ride horses in the city and horse people who need somewhere safe to go. Look, I suppose I had better see if you can ride. Why don’t you tack up Jack here and come to the school, we can have a look at what you can do.”

  Whereas it was true the buildings were ramshackle, the horses and tack were immaculate. The tack room was warm and welcoming with the familiarly pleasant mingling smells of leather and horses. Picking up Jack’s saddle and bridle I quickly tacked him up and led him to the indoor school, an old shed which had clearly once been part of the garage by the look of the dark grease stains and spray paint on the walls. The floor had been lined with a thick layer of sand and letters had been painted roughly on the walls. I mounted up and started to warm up the horse, starting with walk exercises before trotting, turning circles and serpentine’s.

  “Well, I see I needn’t have worried.” Anne smiled as she stepped into the arena. “You’re a great rider.” She laughed as she watched me blush. “Don’t get all bashful now, show me what you can really do!”

  3

  Back Stories

  I was sitting in the tack room with a bridle in my hands, slowly undoing each buckle before soaping and cleaning the leather, setting it aside to dry, it was almost a form of meditation and I was lost in my task. I jumped when I heard a voice.

  “How are you doing?” Sue smiled, sitting down beside me. “Look, I know it’s difficult. A new place in the big city. Living under a railway arch in a hovel, but at least the food is good.” When I looked up, an incredulous look on my face. “Okay, I’m lying, the food is pretty crappy too, but it hasn’t killed any of us yet.”

  “Yet!” I snorted. “What the hell was that for lunch?”

  “Ah, my young apprentice. You will learn, never ask what it is, you just eat it while it is too hot to taste it…”

  “So why are you here?” I looked up from my leather polishing.

  “Why am I here Mandy? What do you mean by your questioning tone? This is my
first choice of equestrian employment, truly my dream job… Okay, Like everyone, I sort of ended up here, and just like everyone, I have a tale to tell.”

  “I’d love to hear it if you’re willing to tell me?”

  “Mandy, I’ll bore anyone I can with my life story…” She sighed before looking up at me. “I was the head groom for a private yard, it was a hunting stable on a private estate, somewhere deep in the Hampshire countryside. It was a really cushy job. Living in a lovely cottage, the horses were great and, to be honest, the work wasn’t hard. Keeping four hunters in top condition meant there was lots of galloping across private parkland and not too much stable management. The downside was my boss, his Lordship. And yes, before you ask, he was a Lord, was a bit handsy. When I bent down to pick out the horses’ hooves, if he was around you would feel him approaching you before he would start to grope my bum.”

  “Wow!” I dropped my sponge. “And you put up with this?”

  “Look…” Sue counted points off on her fingers. “Cottage, good job, use of a car, reasonable wage and plenty of leftovers when they had a big banquet, which was often. I put up with it. Oh, I hated it, don’t get me wrong. This was the downside, but he was just a minor pervert.” She sighed. “However, it all changed. He was drunk, he came stumbling around the stables, I was there checking the horses at the end of the evening. It was dark…” She looked down, her breath catching.

  “Are you okay?”