I know for a fact that Adela wasn’t happy about the idea of me being here to calm down her horse. I can only guess at the expletives she used in her mind when she found out I was coming over. It was no secret to me how she felt—just like everyone else around this too-small-to-be-called-a-town and at school. I knew they all thought of me as a freak.
I’d heard it said that five years from now, everything that happens in high school would be forgotten. Hmmm … somehow, I didn’t think that would to be the case for me, thanks to Max.
My life would be so much simpler if Max Wendell bit the dust. If there was one person I wish I’d never met, it was him. I’m certain my life would be much different if he disappeared. Sometimes I wondered if there was such a thing as the “butterfly effect” and if so, maybe I could go back in time the way Ashton Kutcher did and change things for the better. But like him, I’d probably end up making things worse or even lose an arm or two. I shook my head, shuddering at the thought and dreamed of Adela instead.
Sweet, sexy Adela. The way she stood at the door frowning, looking frazzled but beautiful. took my breath away. I cannot fathom what it is that she sees in Max. He has got to be the most obnoxious, arrogant degrading human being God ever planted on this earth. I could only hope and wish that someday Adela would look at me the way she looked at Max. I sighed at the thought and tried to concentrate on Big Blue instead.
I had to admit, I was ecstatic this morning when my dad told me Adela’s dad called to ask if I would come over and help calm his horses. For once, my dad was actually coherent. He wasn’t his usual morning-after-binge self. But then, maybe the earthquake sobered him up. I was a little surprised to see him drinking coffee this morning when I walked into the kitchen and at first, I thought that he was coming down from a drunk, using coffee to sober up. But after I called Mr. Castielle back, I realized my old man was actually lucid on for once.
I’d been in love with Adela since the very first time I ever saw her sweet face sprinkled with freckles back in the fourth grade. But I was invisible to her, or maybe like everyone else, she simply regarded me as a freak to be avoided.
I never asked for this weird freakish talent I have to calm animals. It really wasn’t any type of paranormal ability. At least I didn’t think it was. All it took was a little patience and understanding, except sometimes I could actually sense what they felt. It was spooky, even to me.
After Blue finished his apple and calmed down, I walked over to Misty. She had similar reactions as Blue, so I talked softly to her and coaxed her forward with an apple, the same way I did with Blue.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t seem to get my mind off Adela and her ruffled appearance when she answered the door a few minutes ago—not to mention the fact that I was actually standing in her barn, tending to her horse. Surreal. She was a goddess even when she was flustered.
Mr. Castielle turned up the radio. The announcer’s loud voice spooked Misty a bit and she started to fidget, swaying her rear back and forth. I searched my mind for a tune I knew and the only one that came to mind was Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing.” My mom used to sing it to me when I was a kid and had trouble going to sleep. I leaned in close to her ear and sang the few verses that I could remember, wondering if Adela would come into the barn.
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Susan lives in Northern California with her very romantic husband, her small yippy dog, and humungous black cat. Her family consists of his and her children: four wonderful sons and one beautiful daughter, six grandchildren and another on the way. Her greatest love in life is her family and those large and ever growing holiday dinners.
Born in a small town in Pennsylvania, she enjoys writing about characters living in small quaint towns. She tends to lean toward the unusual and spooky.
When not writing, Susan enjoys traveling. Hates running, but does it once in a while. Reading and writing are her favorite pastimes.
To learn more about Susan Griscom visit
http:www.susangriscom
http://swblog.susangriscom.com
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 1
Reflections Page 28