16- A Long Week
Jess Michaels rode into the stable yard at Cotey’s on a March morning. She was going to watch the twins while Cotey and Sam went to her cousin’s wedding.
“Hey Jessie, the kids are still asleep. They should be up any time now though,” Sam told her with a smile. She nodded and untacked Fantasy, taking the bridle and saddle to the tack room.
“OK. I’m going to head up to the house and talk with Cotey about the schedule for the next few days, then I’ll come back down to help feed.” Sam smiled and watched her jog up to the house. Cotey was in the kitchen, and gave Jess a quick hug before she went upstairs and grabbed her suitcase. Jess followed.
“We should be back Monday or Tuesday. I don’t think it should be late. The twins will be fine I’m sure, and you can have Beth over if you want.”
“What about lessons?” They walked back downstairs and to the kitchen again.
“I think there are a couple scheduled every day, but it’s nothing too busy. Everything starts getting a little more busy Tuesday evening, but we’ll be back by then.”
“Good,” Jess kidded. Cotey laughed.
“I’ll be ready to be home by Tuesday. Come on, let’s go wake up my two lazy kids.” They jogged up the stairs again, each going to one of the twins’ rooms.
After Cotey and Sam had gone, jess and the twins went down to the barn.
“How about we take a trail ride?” she suggested. The twins nodded excitedly, both going for the tack room.
“Yeah! Where would we go though?” Rachel asked. Jess smiled and thought for a minute, helping them carry their saddles.
“How about we ride over to Uncle Jason’s? Maybe Beth can play… maybe we can even have a sleepover tonight at our house with her.” Rachel and Dominick jumped up and down in their excitement.
“Really? That’d be awesome!” Dominick said. Rachel nodded.
“OK. Let’s get our horses saddled and we can get going.” The twins nodded and disappeared into their ponies stalls and Jess followed with their tack.
Jason was watching Beth ride around an exercise ring at a sitting trot. She was sitting deep in the saddle, moving toward a set of orange road cones. In the middle of them she began to post. Jason smiled, not noticing his guests.
“Good job Bethy! Remember, this time pick up your canter!” Beth nodded and went toward the cones again. Right in the center Magic picked up the canter. Beth smiled and urged him around the ring, but suddenly noticed Dominick, Rachel, and Jess.
“Hi guys!” she called, pulling up. Dominick and Rachel waved, and Jess glanced at Jason.
“Sorry to interrupt. I’ll take these two up to the barn so they can take care of their horses, and you can finish with Beth.” He smiled and walked over to the fence.
“Sure. We’ll be up in a minute.” Jess smiled and led Dominick and Rachel to the barn. Beth frowned, but focused on her father as he finished her lesson. When it was done, Jason led Magic to the barn. Beth ran ahead of him. She went to one of the guest stalls and stood on her tip toes. Dominick was inside busily grooming Island, his eight year old pinto pony. He glanced up and grinned at Beth.
“Hey Bethy, how was your lesson?” he asked. Beth shrugged and let herself into the stall.
“It was ok, but I didn’t get to jump today. Daddy said that he wants to enter me in a flat class in a few weeks, so we don’t have to work on jumping as much,” she muttered, a frown on her face.
“Riding in a show is a lot of fun! Just wait until you go to school and you can tell all your friends about it,” he said.
“I’m only four. You’re a big boy so you can go to kindergarten. I don’t get to go there,” she said. He shrugged.
“So? You can go to preschool. That’s where Rachel and me went. It was fun.”
“I’m going to go talk to Rachel. See you later Dom.” He watched as she went, tears filing his eyes. Jess arrived a moment later and found him crying.
“Dominick what’s the matter?” she asked. He sniffed, wiping his hands across his eyes.
“Beth’s mad at me I think!” he wailed. Jess smiled and put her arm around him.
“I don’t think she’s mad kiddo. I think she wants to go to school with you and Rachy… she probably feels left out. She’s just upset that she cant’ go to school with you guys.” Dominick nodded.
“OK. I’m going to go find Rachel and Beth.” Jess waved and watched him race down the aisle. Jason walked up moments later, smiling.
“What’s wrong with Dom?”
“He thought Beth was angry with him. She’s just upset that she can’t go to school with Dominick and Rachel.” He grinned.
“I’m glad that’s all it was. She doesn’t know it yet, but I decided to put her in kindergarten. She tested really high, and the teachers think that it would be the best thing for her.” Jess wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
“She’s going to be so excited,” she said, still hanging on to him. She was still in his arms.
“We should stay this way for awhile,” he murmured.
“I have to take care of the twins Jas,” she said quickly. He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, making her look up at him.
“I’ve told you this a lot of times, but I’ll keep telling you. I won’t ever hurt you. I wish I could make you trust me. I wish I could make you believe me.” Jess pulled away from him and looked into a stall.
“I wish I could make it so the past never happened, but I can’t. I already know all the things you told me.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning her toward him gently. She looked up at him, biting back the tears that threatened to fall.
“I know that you won’t hurt me… I just can’t make myself believe it. Whenever I tell myself, it’s like I’m lying to myself. I know it sound weird.” He shook his head, letting his finger trail down her arm.
“It isn’t weird Jess, it’s normal.” She caught the slight hesitation in his voice.
“You mean it’s normal for me don’t you? Why don’t we drop this now? I don’t want an argument today. Let’s go find the kids.” She walked away and after a moment he followed.
