Ben arrived shortly thereafter, Tom, and then Dusty, hobbling less and less. Mark dropped Cindy off and went to get Susie. Wendy came home, then Linda. Matthew and Hillary arrived. Mark and Susie returned. Vicky and the old-timers arrived in the trolley with Lucy and Julie in the front seat. Junior drove over alone in his truck. Richard and Heather arrived. George, Glenda, Liz, and Señor were busy placing covered food dishes all up and down the middle of the tables. Miguel and Cracker Jack filled water glasses.
Next to arrive on the scene was Linda’s new boyfriend Harvey, the “count-tent.” She introduced him to Ben first, and then one by one, to all the rest, and last, little Maria. It wasn’t by design on Linda’s part to save her daughter for last. That’s just how it worked out since Carol had already seated the children at the far end of the table.
“And this is Maria. Maria, this is Harvey. He’s the man I told you about.”
Maria blushed all over when Harvey smiled at her. “Mommy says you are very nice.”
“Well, I think she’s nice too. And so are you.”
During this brief getting-acquainted moment, Ben went against one of his steadfast rules about interfering in other people’s personal lives and struck up a conversation with Lucy about Junior’s decision to ride Annie Griffin on Max. “It was a good move,” he said. “She wasn’t his first choice or even his second, but I think she’ll fit the horse nicely.”
Lucy just looked at him.
“I couldn’t be prouder of you two, you know that? I really am.”
Lucy bit at her trembling bottom lip and glanced away, nodding. “Thank you.”
Pastor Mitchell and his wife were last to arrive.
“All right everybody,” Liz said. “It’s showtime.”
Randy stood and waited while everyone took their seats. “First off, I want to thank you all for gathering here today, today, today, today….”
They all laughed.
“I want to thank you all for being a part of this momentous occasion. This is a dream come true. Cindy’s home and she brought Marvin along with her - kicking and screaming.”
Marvin laughed.
“Mark and Susie are here. I will continue to work Mark to the bone and Susie’s going to make sure our books balance for a change.”
Susie chuckled. “I’m going to give it a try.”
“Dad and George are going to continue supervising the construction of the hospital.”
Señor shrugged. “Someone’s gotta do it. Right?”
George nodded. “Works for me.”
“We anticipate opening the doors on October first of this year. Meanwhile, Mark and Cindy and I would like to thank you all in advance for the many, many, MANY tireless hours you will be putting in to help make the Benjamin and Margaret Miller Equine Veterinary Hospital a reality and success.”
Ben looked at him in surprise.
“Sorry, Ben. No sense objecting. The decision was unanimous.”
Ben shook his head.
“Thus said, if you would all lift your glasses, I would like to make a toast. D.R…?” D.R. was already slurping his. “Hold up your glass,” Randy said and waited. “To all of you, family and friends. To the future.”
“To the future!” they all echoed.
“Ben?”
When Randy sat down, Ben stood hesitantly. “Well, I guess I don’t know what to say. I can hear Meg saying, ‘Just say thank you.’ So…thank you. I never cease to be amazed at the blessings I have had in my life. Just when I think I’ve run out my time, something new begins.”
“I hear you,” Cracker Jack said.
Ben nodded and paused. “I want to thank you all for being here for me. When I think of all the dinners that we’ve had together and all the shared memories, I know I am blessed. Now this new honor.” He looked around the table at each and every one of them. “Thank you! It’s not but for once or twice a year that I allow myself to get melancholy, but this past week wore me out emotionally for the year. I didn’t think I had that much emotion left in me,” he said to Dawn. “Do you think you can stay home now?”
Dawn nodded, smiling and wiping her eyes. “Yes.”
“Pastor Mitchell, would you say grace?”
“Yes. Let us all hold hands and bow our heads. Heavenly Father, we ask that you bless all of us sharing in this celebration today. Watch over us and keep us safe. Bless this food which we are about to eat. Bless this farm. Bless the new veterinary hospital. Also, dear Lord, we ask that you bless the women and children in Uganda - those living and all of those who have passed. May they rest in peace.”
Dawn looked at Pastor Mitchell and smiled. “Thank you,” she said softly.
“We ask this is Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Amen.”
The meal was a down-home feast of fried chicken, rigatoni and meatballs, coleslaw, potato salad, homemade applesauce, corn fritters, and rice pudding. Platters criss-crossed back and forth, servings were dished out, then more platters passed, butter, salt and pepper, honey for the fritters. Conversation flowed much the same way. If someone was too far away to hear or hard of hearing, the person or persons sitting next to them or across from them filled them in and then they shared.
When Gloria asked Pastor Mitchell about the wording of his “lovely blessing” of the Ugandan women, Liz - sitting directly across from her, intervened and explained.
Fortunately, Pastor Mitchell had his mouth full; since it was possible he didn’t know that Dawn didn’t want to discuss her reason for going to Uganda in front of the children.
“Dawn was on a writing assignment there. That’s where she was flying back from today.”
“Oh really?” Gloria said. “I wondered where you’d been, but then we got to talking about something else….” Charlie passed her the potato salad. “Thank you, I’ll just have a little. You know I don’t eat much.”
Everyone fell silent for a second, even the children, and newcomer Harvey figured she must say that a lot.
Gloria passed him the bowl and then decided on another spoonful. “Dawn, what was your assignment about?”
“Well actually….” Dawn paused. “Many of the women in the village make beaded jewelry out of recycled magazines and newspaper and sell them locally and in the states. They support themselves and their families that way. They make bracelets, necklaces, and anklets. This is one of the necklaces.”
“Really? Why, it’s beautiful!”
Heather agreed. “Out of newspaper? Wow! That’s amazing.”
“I know. That’s what I thought.”
“Are you allowed to get it wet?”
“Yes.”
“How do they sell them in this country?”
“There are several organizations that are helping them to market the jewelry. The woman I met on the plane is a volunteer for BeadforLife. I have their website. I’ll give it to you.”
“Would I have to go to Uganda to help them?” An instant image of bugs, jungle, and no air conditioning flashed in Heather’s mind.
“No. Actually, they need volunteers to help distribute and sell the jewelry in this country.”
Heather gave that some thought. “I wonder if we could sell it at the club. I could try and get Jaclyn and Rebecca involved too. It would be something we could actually do physically and feel good about. We could even do some fundraisers for them.”
Richard looked at her. She sounded genuinely interested.
“I think that would be a great idea,” Dawn said.
“I’ll bet I could sell a lot in our retirement community down in Florida.” Gloria reached for another fritter. “A woman can never have enough bracelets and necklaces. Do they come in all different colors?”
“Yes.”
Gloria nodded. “Lucy, dear, when do you start nursing school?”
“In the Fall.”
“I’ll bet you’re excited.”
“Yes, I am.”
“She’s already one of the best nurses in the land,” Jeanne said. “Next t
o Vicky that is.”
“That’s because Vicky’s taught me everything I know.”
Vicky smiled. “You were born to be a nurse.”
Junior glanced at Lucy and for that brief moment she looked right at him. Then she looked away “Thank you,” she said to Vicky.
“So, did you ever call that Karen back?” Linda asked Richard.
“Karen?”
Heather turned.
“That woman that keeps calling you and leaving messages.”
“You mean Janet?”
Heather stared.
“No, I haven’t,” he said.
“Great, ‘cause she’s bugging me now.”
Richard thought about letting it go at that, but curiosity got the best of him. “About what?”
Linda waved her fork. “Some Ponzi scheme I think. She wouldn’t say, just that they only had a few seats left and for me not to be late. They’re meeting up in one of the Casino conference rooms.”
Heather lowered her eyes to her plate.
“Wait a minute. I do seem to remember something about that. I don’t think I ever talked to anyone though. I just received an invitation.”
Wendy changed the subject. “What’s new with you, Hillary?”
“Nothing much. Just school. Shifting Gears Rescue. Matthew.”
Matthew grinned. “Not necessarily in that order, for the most part.”
Lucy looked from one to the other, as did Heather.
Tom laughed at D.R. “Little man, you’re supposed to eat that chicken, not wear it.”
When D.R. promptly wiped his mouth on his sleeve, Randy shook his head. “Make sure when he starts school next year, the contact phone is his Uncle Tom’s. It’ll be ringing off the hook and it’ll be entirely his fault.”
Tom laughed. “No problemo,” he said, in a Leon-like voice. “That’s a wrap.”
“Speaking of which,” Wendy said. “He says he’s finishing up tomorrow.”
“Why? What’s tomorrow?” Ben asked.
“Overdue Max’s race. You’re down as his trainer. He said he wants to document one final horse race.”
All eyes turned to Junior when he started choking on a drink of water. “What the…? Are you kidding me?”
“Are you all right?” Lucy pounded on his back. “Junior?”
“I’m fine!” He coughed again. “Stop beating me.”
Lucy laughed. “I’m not beating you. You’re such a baby.”
“A baby? I’m not a baby. I have a baby. We have a baby.”
That got everyone laughing, even little Julie. “Baby?” she said. “I baby!”
“See! She knows her daddy’s no baby! Ben, why?”
Ben laughed harder. “Come on, Junior. It’ll be fine. I thought you liked being in front of the camera.”
“Not anymore!” Junior had to catch his breath. “I’m hyperventilating here. Oh, God. No. No beating on me again.” He ducked away from Lucy. “Just let me catch my breath. Don’t worry about me. Just step over me and go on with what you’re doing. Go ahead! Eat! I’m fine!”
Junior was known to be a little dramatic but this was over the top and just too funny. Harvey laughed as well. When Junior sighed and reached for another drumstick, they all went back to finishing their dinner. When it came time for dessert, plates were stacked and passed down and the serving dishes and dirty silverware were removed and placed in the washtub to make room for the cake. Everyone tidied up the table in front of them, lively conversation all around.
“Two plus two equals four,” Maria said, seemingly out of the blue.
“That’s correct,” Harvey replied.
“Oh boy,” Hillary leaned back to see into the stallion barn.
“What?” Tom asked.
“Someone’s horsin’. Beau just picked up the scent.”
No sooner said than Beau let out one of his stallion screams! The sound reverberated throughout the main barn.
“Probably Wee Born,” George said.
Steven smiled. “I love that whinny sound. I hear him in the night sometimes.”
“Hillary senses horses’ thoughts,” Linda explained to Harvey.
“Just horses I hope,” Harvey said.
Tom laughed. “Aw, you’re going to fit in just fine. Where do you work anyway?”
“In the office at the casino. That’s how Linda and I met.”
“Were you gambling again?” George teased.
Linda smiled. “No. I met him at the hotdog stand.”
Of the belief that no celebration is complete without cake, Liz and Glenda had come up with another design original. Having decorated numerous large cakes in configurations indicative of the occasion for the various full-farm celebrations, they enjoyed coming up with unique and fun decorations. It didn’t make much sense to them to try to get everyone over to the building site. There wasn’t much to see over there anyway not to mention the rough terrain, so they came up with a different idea.
Today’s cake had six 9” by 11” two story layers lined up in a row, two chocolate, one yellow, one devil’s food, one white, and one marble. They knew everyone’s favorites and always made plenty so everyone could take some home. Frosted in white and decorated with a toy brick building, green-sprinkle grass all around, a brown-sugar driveway, it had a large red ribbon streamed from one end to the other for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“All right, everyone. Quiet. Quiet.” Randy reached for the cutting knife. “Ben, will you do us the honor?’
Ben nodded. “It would be my pleasure.” A lump formed in his throat as he read the inscription. He thought about his wife Meg and how he wished she was standing at his side. He thought about the day he would be with her again and the legacy they would leave behind for future generations. “For me, this is all about family. How we’ve all come together and support one another, through thick and thin. Come help me,” he said to the children. “Help Grandpa cut the ribbon. I don’t think I can do this alone.”
Everyone cheered through their tears as all four children rushed to his side and placed their hands on his to help cut the ribbon. “It’s all right, Grandpa,” D.R. said. “Everything will be all right. We’re all right here.”
Ben smiled as he looked into their little faces and the faces of everyone gathered. Everything will be all right. How could it not be? “Thank you. All of you. Thank you.”
Chapter Thirty
Jason nodded to Junior as he walked past the guard shack. Junior nodded back. So far so good, he said to himself. This is just like any other day. Don’t get yourself worked up. Don’t freak. Just then a horse kicked the wall in one of the barns and he literally jumped. Yeah, right. If I make it through today it’s going to be a miracle. As he rounded the shedrow in the Miller barn, all the horses stuck their heads out of their stalls and nickered, Max included.
“Okay. All right. See?” he said out loud. “Nothing to worry about.” He fed the horses their morning oats, pulled Max’s haynet, felt his legs – ice cold, and made a pot of coffee. Tom arrived, then Ben, then Dusty; hobbling along so much better. Dawn arrived a few minutes later. Her presence had a calming effect on Junior as well as the horses. Everyone was happy to see her there.
It was a busy training morning in the Miller barn. All of the horses tracked but Max and Junior got on an additional seven horses for several other trainers and ponied two. He didn’t have time to be nervous and was grateful for that whenever the thought did cross his mind.
When Lucy showed up at the barn just before noon, Junior was rather surprised to see her. He smiled. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought you lunch.”
“What about you?”
“I already ate. I wasn’t too hungry. I guess I’m kinda nervous.”
“Tell me about it,” Junior said. “I’m a nervous wreck.”
Lucy sat down next to him on the bench outside the barn. “Oh. Here.” She took a bottle of water out of her purse and handed it to him.
“Thank you. You
take such good care of me.”
Lucy shrugged. “It’s tap water.”
Junior nodded. “Where’s Julie? With your Mom?”
“No. They have a horse in also. Vicky’s got her.”
As Junior ate the sandwich and chips, Lucy looked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“You take good care of me too,” she said. “Both me and Julie.”
“You’re my family. I’ll always take care of you two, no matter what. Even if you kick me out the door.”
Lucy nodded and then glanced away again. “I looked at the form.”
Junior studied her expression.
“It looks like he has a shot.”
“I think so too. He’s been bucking and kicking in his stall all morning. He feels good.”
“Are you going to have Annie try and rate him?”
Junior hesitated answering, then decided he might as well. “Yes. She’s good at bringing a horse off the pace.”
Tom walked back from the track kitchen and handed Junior his cellphone. “Here, the racing secretary wants to talk to you.”
Junior looked at the phone as if it was a hand grenade about to detonate. “About what?”
“I don’t know. Something about the race today.”
Junior took the phone reluctantly. “Hello.”
“Hey, Junior,” Linda said. “Just touching base with you. You all right?”
Junior chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. Is that it?”
“Yep. Go get ‘em,” Linda said.
“Thank you.” Junior handed Tom’s cellphone back and sighed. “I’ll be so glad when this day is over.”
When Lucy smiled, he laughed. Then he looked down the road and shook his head. Leon and his crew were headed this way. “Oh, Jesus!”
“There you are,” Leon said. “I didn’t realize you were a first-time owner. What a bonus!” He corralled his crew in close. “And who is this lovely lady?”
“This is my wife, Lucy, the other half of the entry,” Junior said, his mouth suddenly as dry as a desert. He downed the rest of his water and handed Lucy the bottle. “She and I own Overdue Max together.”
“Cut! Make-up!”
Book Four of the Winning Odds Series: Soon to be a Movie Page 18