“MOTHER!” Lucy screamed as she opened the screen door.
Jean came running from the back of the house. “What are you yelling about, Lucy?”
“There’s a mud puddle in the backyard!” Lucy told her as she extended her arms to show her the proof.
Jean busted out laughing. “Oh, how I wish I had a video camera,” she whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Luce, there’s a septic tank in the backyard that had some issues,” she giggled. “I totally forgot. I knew I needed to get it fixed, but I didn’t realize there was a pile of human waste just sitting back there. I swear, I didn’t,” Jean said as she tried to stop laughing.
Lucy felt her mouth drop. “Human waste? As in feces?”
Jean nodded as she laughed. She held her sides as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Horror flooded through Lucy as she gave her mom a withering stare. “This isn’t funny.”
“Why wouldn’t it be funny?” Michael asked as he came up behind Jean.
Lucy glared at him. “I’m covered up in CRAP, Michael, not MUD, but someone’s C-R-A-P!”
“You’re covered in…” Michael said right before he fell over laughing again. Lucy’s mom joined in, laughing even harder.
Lucy flew by them and headed inside to shower. She stomped up the stairs, their laughter following her.
An hour later, Lucy went back downstairs. The house was way too quiet. She walked around the house, but Michael and her mom were nowhere to be found. She strolled outside and found them sitting on the porch steps. Lucy took a cursory glance across the yard.
“I’m glad one of you finished mowing because I don’t think I could have handled getting back on the mower yet,” Lucy said as she sat in one of the wooden rocking chairs. It moaned and groaned as she rocked back and forth.
Jean glanced back at her and smiled. “You can thank Michael for that. All I did was watch.” She pulled herself up from the step. “You’re free to leave. Just try to stay out of crap,” Jean chuckled.
Lucy rolled her eyes at her mom’s stupid joke. “I’ll do my best.”
“So, are you excited for a better second half of the day?” Michael asked as he stood up and held out his hand.
Lucy smiled as she placed her hand into his. “Surely it has to get better than this morning.”
“Oh, just wait and see,” Michael said as he led me to his truck. “You’re gonna love it. I promise”
It took them a good half hour to get to Michael’s family’s farm. There were rows of the same large green plant in the fields. Lucy had never seen anything like it before.
“It looks like romaine lettuce,” Lucy told Michael as they drove by one of the many rows.
Michael looked over at Lucy with a funny look on his face before he started laughing. “Lettuce? I ain’t never heard anyone say that tobacco plants looked like lettuce.”
Lucy glanced back out the window at the crop growing in the field. Who would have thought that the brown junk in a cigarette could look so pretty? It was nothing like the large green plants in the field.
“Once the plant’s cut, we hang it up and let it dry out,” Michael explained. “Once the plants are dried out, they turn to a dull brown color. Then we strip and sort the leaves off each plant and get it ready to sell.”
Lucy looked up at the large Victorian house they had just pulled up to. Four large pillars spiraled down from the roof’s porch. The cherry wooden door had a beautiful glass design on it. The glass had an intricate flower woven into it. The house was magnificent. It was spread out like a rich plantation owner’s house.
Lucy hopped out of the truck, not giving Michael the chance to help her climb down. An enormous vegetable garden caught her eye.
“I thought you’d enjoy seeing how we do things in the country,” Michael said as he pulled Lucy towards the garden.
“I really don’t have a green thumb, Michael,” Lucy warned.
“It’ll be ok, Luce,” Michael said as they reached the garden. “Take off your shoes and socks.”
Lucy watched Michael take his off first before she began tugging at hers. Michael waited for her as she tiptoed in. The warm dirt squished between her toes. She smiled and wiggled them. It felt almost as good as a pedicure. Who would’ve thought?
Lucy surveyed the dirt around her, taking in all the different sized plants. She could tell that they’d planted corn, but she wasn’t sure what else was growing.
“I figured since I helped you mow, you could help me pull out weeds,” Michael said as he bent over, showing Lucy which ones to pull out of the dirt. “This way, all the nutrients go to the plants instead of these pests.”
Lucy nodded her head as she mimicked his actions. She took hold of a small, leafy weed that had flowers growing from it and pulled it out of the ground. She felt a sense of pride as she tossed weed after weed into a pile.
Lucy stood up as her thigh muscles started to cramp up. She felt like an old woman with arthritis. She glanced over at Michael. His eyebrows were scrunched together as he scanned the garden row she stood in.
“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked.
“I coulda swore there was some pepper plants,” he said.
Lucy glanced down and looked around. “Pepper plants?”
Michael walked over to where Lucy was standing and a smile broke out on his face. “Luce,” he said as he pulled her out of the garden, “you definitely don’t have a green thumb.”
Lucy’s eyebrow rose up as she looked over at Michael. “Why do you say that?”
Michael pointed at the weeds I’d pulled out and had tossed into a pile on the grass. “Those were the pepper plants.”
Lucy’s cheeks felt really warm as she shrugged her shoulders. “They looked like weeds to me.”
“It’s ok. We can get some more,” Michael said as he grabbed their shoes. “Let me take you to see something I think you’ll love.”
“Are you ready?” he asked as he slipped his last shoe on.
“I think so,” Lucy said.
Lucy eyes widened as they walked towards a white fence that gleamed in the sunlight. There were three large boards with gaps in-between them that each panel was constructed of and the fence seemed to go on for miles.
“Go ahead and climb on up,” Michael said as they reached the fence.
Lucy gripped the middle board. The gritty wood gently scraped across her skin. She climbed up high enough to see over the fence. She hung her arms over the last board and scanned the gently rolling green hills in front of her. A breath caught in her throat. A beautiful golden horse was standing on the horizon, grazing and another coal black horse was running across the field.
“They’re gorgeous,” Lucy whispered.
“How’d you like to ride one?” Michael asked as he climbed up next to her.
“Are you serious?” Lucy asked.
“Yep,” Michael replied as he smiled at her. “Grace is golden Palomino and Smokey is the black Kentucky Mountain. Smokey’s my favorite.”
Lucy glanced over at Michael. “Why’s Smokey your favorite?”
Michael shrugged as he stared at the horse. “He’s got personality. He runs across the field, his back legs kicking up and twisting as he goes, but he’s the biggest baby. He’ll be the first one to the fence when I whistle.”
Lucy looked back over the fence at the creatures grazing on the green grass as Michael placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. The horses’ heads lifted and their ears perked up as the shrill sound rung through the air. Michael whistled once more and the horses flew down the hill. Their tails rose up and their manes bounced across their neck as they galloped. Smokey whinnied as he slowed down. Lucy’s smile wavered as Smokey blew a puff of air out and walked up to her. She started to crawl off the fence when Michael’s hand stopped her.
“They won’t hurt you,” Michael said as he looked down at her. “Just give ‘em a chance.”
Lucy let out a breath and nodded. The horses were a lot bigger up close than she th
ought they’d be. Her heart pounded in her chest as she closed her eyes and reached her hand out to pet Smokey. Something soft tickled her palm and she slowly opened her eyes.
Big, brown eyes were looking down at her. Smokey nudged her palm with his velvet nose and Lucy’s face broke into a smile. She ran her hand across his head and scratched his ear. Smokey’s eyes closed as he leaned his head into her fingers.
“He likes it!” she giggled in delight.
Michael smiled over at me. “Yeah, he’s just a big ole baby.”
Michael climbed over the fence and into the pasture with the horses. He stroked Grace’s neck before holding his hand out to Lucy. She took a cursory glance at both Smokey and Grace before taking Michael’s proffered hand. She clambered over the fence and scooted close to Michael.
“We need to go get a halter, a lead line, and a brush” Michael explained as he led Lucy across the field. “Then I can grab a saddle blanket, a bridle, and most importantly, a saddle. Then we can turn you into a cowgirl.”
A thrill shot through Lucy as she gazed at the dull grey and white barn not too far in front of them. Lucy quelled the urge to skip her way to the barn. She felt like a kid in a toy store whose parent just told them that they could get any toy that their little heart desired.
“Which one do you wanna ride?” Michael asked as they reached the barn.
Lucy didn’t hesitate. “Smokey.”
“Good choice,” Michael said as he grabbed a black lead line with a purple halter. “Can you grab a brush out of the white bucket over there?”
Lucy walked over to the bucket Michael was pointing at. “This one?”
“Yep,” Michael said as he walked out of the barn. “I’m gonna get Smokey haltered.”
Lucy nodded as she bent over the bucket. A red, round handle was sticking up out of it. She pulled it out and looked at it. The metal on the other end flashed as the sun hit it. It wasn’t what she was expecting. One side of the metal had jagged edges that reminded her of piranha teeth. Lucy gently touched the brush. It wasn’t as sharp as it appeared. It barely poked her skin and not a drop of blood was lost.
“Is this what you use?” Lucy asked as she walked up to Michael.
“Yep. It pulls all the loose hair off,” Michael said as he stopped haltering Smokey. “They love it. Here.” He handed Lucy the red lead line. “Take him over to the round pen.”
“What’s a round pen?” Lucy asked as she looked around.
Michael pointed to the blue metal panels that formed a circle near the house. “That’s a round pen. We use it to train the horses. We lunge them, desensitize them, and teach them how to gait.”
Lucy gingerly took the lead line from his hands. The rope like material gently scraped against the palm of her hand. “I don’t know about this, Michael.”
“All you’ve got to do is hold the lead line, stay a little off to the side, and walk,” Michael soothed. “Smokey’s as gentle as they come and I wouldn’t let you if I thought he’d hurt you. He’ll just follow behind you as you walk.”
Lucy took a deep breath before slowly strolling through the green field. She clutched the red rope in her hands as she glanced over her shoulder. Smokey’s coal black head was lowered and it gently bobbed as he followed her. Lucy stopped as she reached the round pen and turned around and smiled at Smokey. She started to do a victory dance, but stopped as the lead line gently slapped across her thigh. She glanced up into Smokey’s brown eyes and smiled. His head was turned to the side as he gazed down at her.
A soft chuckle escaped Lucy’s lips. “My dancing skills are pretty atrocious, huh, Smoke?” she asked as she patted him on the neck for a job well done as she started to brush him with the metal prongs. She gently moved his long black mane to the other side and brushed underneath it. Smokey leaned into the brush and his large brown eyes closed. Lucy smiled and stepped back as she finished. Smokey’s black coat shimmered in the sun.
Michael walked up next to Lucy and laid everything that was in his arms down. “The most important places to brush when you’re gonna ride a horse are their back, sides, and stomach.” He placed his hand over Lucy’s on the brush. “You wanna make sure there’s nothing there that’s gonna stick into them once you put the saddle on.”
Fifteen minutes later, Smokey was brushed, haltered, and saddled. Michael led him into the round pen and Lucy waited before she followed them in. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally be kicked.
Lucy looked down at the ground. There were several indentations embedded in the dirt of a horse’s shoe. No grass grew in a perfect circle around the inside edge of the round pen.
“Why’s there grass in the middle, but none around the edge?” Lucy asked.
Michael looked around the round pen and back at Lucy.” That’s just from where we train the horses. They keep the grass from growing because that’s where we make them walk, trot, and run.”
“That makes sense,” Lucy said.
“I’m gonna show ya how to lunge a horse first,” Michael said as he led Lucy to the middle of the round pen and attached the black lunge line to the bit.
Lucy’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Lunge?”
“Yep,” Michael said as he handed Lucy the red lunge line and stepped behind her. “You’re gonna keep your body and this,” he said as he handed her a red whip, “behind the horse in order to move him forward. You’re gonna use your body language and the whip to show Smokey where to go.”
Lucy’s heart beat thumped in her chest as Michael grabbed her arm that was holding the lunge line and lifted it up. Smokey’s head and ears perked up. Michael lifted up her other arm that was holding the whip and held it behind Smokey. Michael clucked to Smokey and Smokey started trotting around the round pen.
“We’re just gonna stand right here and turn as Smokey makes his way ‘round,” Michael said. “When we get ready for him to switch directions, we’re going to put the whip in front of him and step out and that will tell him to switch directions. Smokey’s a pro at this.”
“I’m glad he is,” Lucy whispered as Smokey hooves pattered across the dirt.
“Now let’s have him switch directions,” Michael said.
Lucy’s eyes widened. “Ok.”
Michael helped Lucy place the whip several feet in front of Smokey and Michael stepped forward and pointed a finger in the opposite direction. “If you ever get a chance to watch Clinton Anderson on TV,” Michael said as Smokey turned and trotted in the opposite direction. “He is the man when it comes to horse training.”
“Better than you?” Lucy asked.
“I pale in comparison,” Michael said.
Twenty minutes later, Michael stopped Smokey. “That should do it,” he said as he turned to Lucy. “Are you ready to ride?”
Lucy nodded as she followed Michael over to where Smokey was standing. His black coat was slick with sweat.
“I’m going to help you up,” Michael said as Lucy moved next to Smokey.
“Will you please hold onto the reigns?” Lucy pleaded.
“I’ll hold onto ‘em and lead you ‘round the pen for a while,” Michael reassured.
Lucy held her breath as Michael walked up behind her. Michael placed her left foot in the stirrup and gave her a boost up. Lucy kicked her leg over Smokey’s back and placed it in the stirrup. Her knuckles became white as she clutched onto the saddle horn. “It looks like I’m a million miles from the ground,” she said as her legs grasped Smokey’s sides in a vice like grip. It felt like she was going to fall off at any moment.
“You’ll get used to it in a little while,” Michael said as he moved to lead the horse around the pen. “Are you ready?”
Lucy took a few small breaths before nodding her acquiescence. She was jolted forward in the seat as Smokey lurched forward. One of Smokey’s ears stayed turned towards her as Michael led him around the pen. The tension eased out of Lucy’s shoulders as she swayed gently in the saddle. By the second trip around, she was beaming
with delight.
An hour later, Lucy groaned. She could feel the soreness starting in her legs. “I think it’s time for me to get off,” she told Michael, “or I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow.”
“Well, you’ll be sore if you’ve never ridden before,” Michael said as he stopped Smokey. “I’ve one more thing to show you before I take you home.”
Lucy helped Michael unsaddle Smokey and put everything way before she hobbled over to his truck and attempted to step up. She moaned as pain lacerated her. Her inner thighs and butt were on fire. Lucy placed her foot up onto the truck, grabbed onto it with both of her hands, and squeezed her eyes closed as she pulled herself up. She sighed as she made it into the seat. Lucy glanced over at Michael. He had a small smile on his face as he pretended to be looking at the road.
Eternal Changes (Mikah) Page 8