Lovesick Little

by Leslie Phelan

  She laughed. Arielle’s ears perked up from outside the window as she listened in. “Do you want to know the real reason I didn’t come to live with you guys?” she asked while Arielle strained to hear her. Gabriel shot her a confused look, nodding. “Because I didn’t want to become a sister to you . . . I was too in love with you for that.”

  They held a gaze for a moment while he searched her face for any signs she was pulling his leg. She wasn’t.

  “Seriously?” he asked, seriously. “You didn’t come because of me?”

  “You were the only boy I’d ever liked,” she said. “And to this day, you’re still the sweetest boy I’ve ever met. There was no way to be sure we’d ever get the chance to be together, or if you’d even ever want to . . . but I knew any semblance of a chance would be dashed if I moved in with your family and became one of your sisters. So I didn’t.”

  Gabriel was speechless. He had no idea she had felt that way, but he was very moved by her honesty, and impressed by her foresight as a nine-year-old.

  “It’s so nice to be back here with your family again, though. It’s the last place that feels like home to me. You’ve all done so much for yourselves and yet, you all seem exactly the same as I remember you . . . except for the little ‘Meaty’ prodigy that didn’t exist yet the last time I came around!”

  “I guess Lucia and Cliff like to pump out all winners” he said with a wink. “So, how long do we have you for? And what sorts of things do you want to get up to while you’re here?”

  “Thank you very much for asking,” she replied. “Because I am just dying to go visit Savannah! I keep having dreams about her, I miss her so much! Feel like coming for a ride?”

  Gabriel respectfully declined, explaining in the most polite way possible how he didn’t like how riding felt on his balls and that he would prefer to sit it out. But offered his car to her as he planned to spend most of the next day in the water since the forecast was so peachy. She thanked him sweetly; he really was as darling as she remembered.

  “Anyway I’ll get out of your way so you can unpack,” he said as he stood up to hug her good-night, which was Arielle’s cue to make herself scarce because he would be emerging soon. “See you at breakfast,” said Erica, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders while he wrapped his arms around her back and waist. “It’s really nice to have you back.”

  “Nice to be back,” she replied, and he left her to it.

  Arielle ran upstairs and stood at the bathroom vanity fumbling with the toothpaste. When Gabriel came in, she heard the screen door open and shut. With her foamy toothbrush dangling from her mouth, she tiptoed to the top of the stairs and looked down to see him with a huge, goofy grin on his face as he stood in silence reflecting on the exchange that had just taken place. Arielle saw him smiling, and his smile was definitely not for her.

  Crouching at the top of the stairs and staring down, she brushed her teeth passively and absently, going almost cross-eyed with lust for him as he stood staring off into space. She watched him intently, praying he wasn’t thinking thoughts of love for that Erica.

  When he flicked off the lights, she snapped out of it and dashed back into the bathroom. She threw her toothbrush in the sink, swallowed all the minty paste in her mouth and wiped her chin on a hand towel before running into her room and diving onto the bed to sprawl out in her most siren-like seductress pose, waiting for him to pass by her doorway.

  He came whistling down the hallway and stopped in front of her open door. “That was fun today, right?” he asked her cheerily. Arielle smiled and nodded. It had been a nice day . . . up until they picked up Erica. “What a day,” he said to her but mostly to himself while he stared off through her window. His gentle joy made her uneasy, because she was aware of where it was coming from.

  “Well, good-night!” he said with a wink before pulling her bedroom door shut. She melted down into her bed and turned out the lamp, lying still in the darkness and feeling the beginning of the end creep over her. She thought about Erica’s wild, dark hair and golden skin, and how much they contrasted with her own fair white coloring. Enviously she imagined Erica’s round cheeks and big, white smile, and the way her hips curved so womanly and nubile. Mostly, though, she thought about the sound of Erica’s voice: sweet, dynamic and somewhat raspy, and the way her words made Gabriel light up. She missed her own voice desperately, for she knew she could touch him more deeply with her song than any other girl’s pretty words ever could.

  Hours later, unable to get comfortable in her bed or think of anything except her desire to be close to him, Arielle sat up in the dark. Quietly, she wrapped the fluffy duvet from her bed around her shoulders, opened her door carefully, and tiptoed down the hall to Gabriel’s doorway. It was closed, but when she pressed her ear to it, she could hear him inside shuffling about and whistling softly. Sleepily, she dropped her blanket on the floor and sat down in his doorway. There was something strangely satisfying about being there, even without his knowledge, to guard him from the other side of his door. Imagining the immense and unbelievable joy she would feel if only she could be inside curled up next to him, she lay her body down upon the soft blanket and drifted off to sleep

  The next morning, Arielle awoke to magnified sunlight in her face, heated up through the dome of the hall skylight. Clammy and hot under the heavy blanket, she wriggled free from it, stood up and stretched, then moseyed back to her room, dragging it behind her. The more she thought about the events of the previous day, the sadder she became and she stopped at her window to stare out at the boathouse. Painfully curious about Erica and upon detecting some movement from behind the blinds, Arielle stepped into her big rain boots and ran out in her nightie to spy.

  She crept up the stairs stealthily, and hid under the window of the door, pressing her ear to it. She listened for a moment but couldn’t hear anything inside, and just as she was about to go and spy from another angle, the door flew wide open and smacked her hard in the face, cracking her nose.

  “Arielle! What are you doing?” said Erica as she jumped back, startled. The mermaid, crouching at the door, gripped her nose with both hands and sneezed blood all over the welcome mat. “Oh no, did I break your nose?” gasped Erica nervously, feeling awful and panicking that she might have really injured her. But then just a second later, Arielle stood up, let go of her still-perfect, unmarred nose and walked into her room without invitation. The bleeding had stopped and it was as if it never happened, except for the blood still splattered all over the doorway and the bit that still stained the rims of her nostrils. “Come on in,” said Erica, following her in. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  Arielle just ignored her, and began gently rifling through the products, accessories and random belongings that Erica had strewn across her dresser. She wasn’t sure what she was looking to find, but she’d have been damned if she didn’t at least take a peek at her rival’s arsenal. Erica had tubes and bottles of things that either smelled nice or were a nice colour. She had kits and cases of tools and brushes, and clothing by the pile. She had everything with her that a girl might ever need in just about any situation or occasion, because she liked to be prepared for anything. Arielle suddenly realized how ill-equipped she herself had been when she arrived.

  “Actually, I’m glad you’re up,” said Erica, watching Arielle curiously as she inspected all her things. “Gabriel said I could borrow the Jeep today to go visit my pony, Savannah. Feel like coming with me? We could go for a ride! Do you like horses?”

  Arielle gave her a puzzled look, but then noticed a picture of Erica with her big white horse on the night table and knew what she was talking about. How exciting it was! Since the morning the mermaid saw her riding on the beach, she had badly wanted to meet such a beast. “Would you like to come with me, then?” When her question was met with a very enthusiastic nod, Erica tossed her a pair of stretchy beige riding pants that definitely did not sag in the butt. “Okay! Go put these on with a tee-shirt a
nd meet me at the Jeep in five!” Five minutes later, Arielle came skipping out to the driveway and off they went.

  They pulled up and parked behind a small farmhouse with a huge flower garden, and walked up to a big red barn that smelled of dust and hay. The door was open, and there were two young girls inside brushing a white mare.

  “Kara and Jane and Savannah! How are my girls?” asked Erica happily, giving hugs to her friends and a kiss on the nose of her horsie.

  “Mary said you were coming by for a ride today so we were getting her all pretty for you,” said Kara, the older one wearing overalls and outback boots. Jane, the little one, just smiled shyly as she picked a burr out of the mare’s white tail with her pink fingernails.

  “Thanks so much ladies; she looks great! We’ll also need to get another pony ready for my friend Arielle here.”

  Arielle looked around the barn as if she had wandered into the cave of wonders. The smell of the place was so strange, and the little bits that floated around in the air tickled her nostrils ‘til she sneezed again, this time with no blood spray. Almost all of the stalls held a pretty horse inside, but a loud whinnying from the other end of the barn caught her ear and so she started walking towards it, anxious to meet whomever seemed to be calling to her so anxiously.

  “Arielle, the horses you’ll want to choose from are out in the paddock; come out here!” called Erica, but Arielle kept straight, following the noise. In the very last stable, she found the fiery roan stallion that had been kicking up such a racket. He was tall and muscular and his hooves were the color of beluga caviar. He was most definitely the one she would be riding that day.

  Erica walked up beside her as she stood in awe of the valiant beast. “That’s Jericho,” she said. “He’s beautiful . . . but you’d be crazy to ride him until he’s been well-broken.” Jericho threw back his head and whinnied even louder, stamping his big, heavy hooves, demonstrating his power and zeal. Arielle stepped in closer so that she could smell the hair of his cheek, smooth and skin-thin across muscle and vein, smelling of summer’s hot dust and grass. She was enamored.

  “Seriously, come take your pick of the geldings. I’ve seen Jericho throw grown men off his back and if I let you get hurt, the O’Faolains will never forgive me!” But Arielle locked eyes with the mighty beast and he nuzzled her face with his big, soft nose. “Please be careful around him,” implored Erica, but Arielle and the horse were in their own little world, making each other’s acquaintance through scent and touch but communicating on an entirely different level. Arielle breathed up his big nostrils and held her hair to his nose so he could sniff her. She scratched under his chin and down his neck and kissed gently the end of his soft snout. Erica was impressed and taken aback by her apparent animal magnetism, for no one had ever been able to get that close to him. “Old Frances bought him at auction about a year ago, very cheap because he was impossible,” said Erica with a sigh. “Like most devastatingly gorgeous creatures, he’s extremely difficult, hard to get close to, and kind of insane!”

  When Arielle put her hands on his big, chiseled cheeks and stared him in the eyes, she could feel his intense energy beckoning her, drawing her in, begging her to set him free. Understanding completely what he was asking of her, she stepped away from his stall and looked up at Erica.

  “Alright, let’s go get Liberty or maybe Lightning tacked up for you, okay?” said Erica, turning to lead Arielle towards the tack room. “I think I have an extra pair of riding boots here somewhere, if not there are spare Blunnys by the door.” Thinking Arielle was following right behind her, she was already halfway back down the long hall when she heard a latch open and stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and saw that Arielle had disappeared. “Arielle?” she called, squinting her eyes into the dusty dark of the corridor.

  Suddenly, Jericho’s stable door burst open and out he flew like a racehorse through his starting gate. He galloped past a stunned Erica with Arielle riding on his back and clutching a shock of auburn mane in her bare fists. They were gaining speed, making a break for the daylight and heading for the forest quicker than Erica could react.

  “OH MY GOD, HEEEELLLLLLLPPP!!” she screamed as she ran towards her own horse and, in leap-frog fashion, vaulted herself into the saddle from behind. It was a move she had once seen in a Western film and had been practicing for years, awaiting an emergency just like this one. In spite of the crisis on her hands, she took a second to congratulate herself on her form. Then she tapped Savannah’s bum with her crop and kicked the chase into high gear. Jericho bounded full-tilt through the forest with Arielle up on his strong back. She felt like she was flying while the tall boughs brushed her shoulders and the birds in the trees orbited around her head. Erica braced herself for the worst as she rode around a corner, expecting to find Arielle’s little body in a mangled heap. Certain she would discover the girl bucked off of the rambunctious horse, she was shocked to find Arielle holding on tightly and absorbing the canter in her legs like derby-winning jockey.

  “Come back and tack him up!” yelled Erica, but they were now deep in the forest, galloping down the dirt path and rounding past trees like a barrel racer heading for the beach. She and Savannah chased them as quickly as they could, and almost lost their footing in such hot pursuit. She began to worry about what she would say to the O’Faolains when it came time to explain why she let Arielle jump on the back of an unbroken stallion without a saddle, reins or even a helmet on. At the edge of the shaded wood, Arielle and Jericho disappeared into the sunny brightness and by the time Erica and Savannah reached the clearing, the renegades were already way down the beach, but had slowed down and were now trotting easily along the water’s edge.

  “You can’t just jump on an untrained horse like that, you could fall off and break your neck!” said Erica between breaths once she’d finally caught up. “It would be a quick thud-crunch-tumble to your untimely death and I really can’t be responsible for that!,” she piqued. But even as she gave her sort-of-angry-but-mostlyconcerned safety speech, she knew could already eat her words for it was plain to see she needn’t worry about Arielle, who handled the stallion with grace and control.

  “I take it you’ve spent some time around horses then?” she asked. Arielle just smiled at her shyly. She made bareback look so natural and so easy, that when Erica looked down to observe her own gloved hands as they held her shiny leather reins, all of her riding essentials suddenly felt superfluous and extravagant.

  Just then, as if she was already bored with the convention and ease of staying seated on a horse’s back, Arielle kicked the blue sandals off her feet and stood up on Jericho’s back. Erica nervously asked her to please sit down, but Arielle just pretended not to hear her and instead stood up all the way, holding her balance as skillfully as a tightrope-walker. Once steady, she stood on one foot and held her arms out at her sides, flying along the shore just like the seagulls she used to envy. Jericho’s mighty hooves thundered through the foamy, shallow surf, and together they traced the very line dividing blue ocean from sandy shore and her new life from her old one. In that moment of sheer joy, she realized that she had never felt so free.

  That night after dinner, the little mermaid retired early. Actually, she fell asleep at the dinner table before dessert was even served, so Gabriel carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed.

  “She had a big day,” said Erica, standing in the hallway with two mugs of B-52 coffees while he closed Arielle’s doors behind him. The two of them went out to Gabriel’s balcony for their nightcap.

  “Was she any good at riding?” he asked. “I’ll say!” she answered. “I turned my back to her for one second and the next thing I knew, she was taking off bareback on a wild, untrained and massively powerful stallion!”

  A look of concern washed over his smiling face. “Oh my God! Did she get thrown off?”

  “I was so sure she would, Gabe. I was already thinking about what I was going to tell you and your parents . . . I was definitely cra
pping my pants. But, as it turns out, that girl can ride like an act from some crazy rodeo circus! She was standing up, balancing on one foot, spinning around and riding backwards . . . all that was missing was an apple on my head, and a bow and arrow in her hands. Or feet, for that matter, ‘cause I’m sure she could have done that too.”

  Gabriel lit up. “Did you get any pictures?” he asked excitedly.

  “There was no time to grab a camera! Luckily the girls had Savannah all tacked up or else I would never have caught up to them!”

  “That’s hilarious,” he observed. “She just took off on a savage horse?”

  “It was the wildest thing I’ve ever seen. You know, she may not breathe a word to any of us, but when she was with that horse, it became clear to me that she speaks languages that neither you nor I could ever touch.” Erica’s tone was one of admiration, but also of incertitude and incredulity.

  “Like a little horse whisperer or something?” he asked.

  “Yes, but even deeper than that. From the second their eyes met, they had a connection. He immediately trusted her, and she had not a drop of fear for the huge, strong animal. She’s kind of my hero.” They both stared thoughtfully out to sea. “It was just like in Avatar when Jake Sully makes ‘the bond’ with his dinosaur-looking equestrianoid. Except, without actually plugging a braided ponytail into his ear antenna.”

  “Their connection was wireless,” said Gabriel cheesily as he gazed up into the foggy sky. Only a few very bright stars could be seen through the damp haze, but where he noticed a twinkling up there, he could imagine it was a parallel world like Pandora where people ride dragons and are pretty much always naked. When he came back down to earth, he noticed Erica was chewing on something that smelled fruity and sweet. “Is that a Sour Patch Kid?” he asked, squinting into her sugary hand. She answered that yes, there were Sour Patch Kids in her purse, along with jujubes and gummy worms from a bulk candy purchase that had spilled out into the main compartment a few weeks prior. “They’re all over the place in here,” she said as she scraped her hand along the bottom of her bag, fishing out candy, cookie crumbs, random beads, gum wrappers and even a petrified French fry.