38- To the Future
Beth Giran stood in the bathroom of the farmhouse, her hands shaking. She was twenty-seven and had been married for almost a year. Dominick Giran, her husband, knocked on the door.
“Are you almost done? I need to take a shower before I go down to the barn,” he said. Beth managed to laugh normally as she put the pregnancy test under the sink.
“I never understood that. What’s the point of taking a shower before you go to the barn? You’re just going to get dirty again,” she replied, opening the door. Dominick smiled down at her, putting both hands on her slender waist and pulling her close.
“Your Dad wants me to bring Serendipity over to the track for him. He can’t do it because he’s out with your mom.”
“Oh. I’m going over to your Mom’s. She wants me to look at Juliet. Apparently she’s pulled up lame.” He leaned down and kissed her, running his fingers through her curly blonde hair.
“Well have fun and tell everyone I say hello,” he said, walking into the bathroom. She nodded and went toward their bedroom, her mind spinning.
Cotey was sitting in the office when Beth arrived, her long hair pulled into a graying ponytail. She was fifty-five years old, but she still rode like she was twenty. Beth cleared her throat, adjusting the black bag in her hands.
“Oh Bethy, I’m glad you’re here. Cory was taking her over some fences the other day and she landed wrong. I didn’t think it was too serious, but she just isn’t her same old self. She won’t eat much, and she acts as if she’s pretty uncomfortable,” Cotey explained. Beth nodded, following the woman down the aisle. They reached a roomy box stall and Cotey let herself in. Juliet, an eighteen year old bay mare, was standing in the corner. She looked up at them with disinterest, then looked away. Beth walked past Cotey and slipped a halter on her.
“We’ll bring her out and cross-tie her in the aisle. That’ll give me some more room to work,” she said. Cotey nodded and moved aside as Beth led her out. After a few moments of checking the mare, Beth smiled.
“What’s the grin for?” Cotey asked. Beth looked up and put the mare’s hoof down gently.
“Did Cory pick her hooves the last time she rode?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I know she got here late and groomed quickly. Why?”
“She just picked up a stone. Hand me a hoof pick will you?” Cotey handed her the pick and Beth quickly removed the stone. As soon is it popped out Juliet seemed to relax.
“Thanks Beth. I can’t believe I didn’t think to check for that after all these years. How much do I owe you?”
“Twenty bucks. I’ll give her the flu shot… it’s been going around lately. Oh, and her hoof might be a little tender. Give her a couple days off.”
“Does your father know about the flu going around?” Beth nodded, letting the needle slide into Juliet’s neck.
“Yup. All of our horses have been vaccinated. I’ll come back to do all of yours. I have a lesson in fifteen minutes. David’s daughter Megan is still riding, and now that her brother has finally left she can actually do so as much as she likes.”
“OK. Thanks for everything today, I appreciate it. Oh! Tell Dom that Rachel and Jim will be visiting this weekend.”
“That’s great. I’ll tell him. See you around Cotey.” She turned and walked out the door, going into the woods.
Meghan, David’s daughter, was already grooming her usual mount. The tall gelding stood quietly as the fourteen year old girl pulled a mane pick through his mane.
“Hey Meg, how’re you?” Beth asked, standing at the stall door. Meghan smiled.
“Hi. What’re we going to work on today? Is it too hot out to do lots of canter?”
“I don’t think so. We’ll work some more on two-point, and I think we’ll start jumping today,” Beth explained. Meghan smiled broadly, patting Jet Stream’s neck. The gelding nickered softly.
“Will you get me his bridle and saddle?” she asked. Beth nodded and walked to the tack room. Fifteen minutes later they were in the arena, and Beth watched as Meghan asked Jet for a trot. She posted low in the saddle, keeping her heels down and hands low.
“When you get to about where I’m standing, squeeze, go into your two-point, and give him more rein. He’ll do the rest!” Beth called. Meghan nodded, doing exactly as she’d been told. Jet popped over the cross-rail easily, braking into a canter on landing. Beth nodded, watching as they went over the jump several more times. Suddenly Jet refused, but Meghan stayed with him. She grinned at Beth.
“Was it ok until he refused?” she asked. Beth nodded, walking over and patting the gelding’s neck.
“Yup, it looked great. How about we cut your lesson short and ride out to the pond. It’s a nice trail ride, and I’m sure there are some natural obstacles you can go over on the way.” Meghan nodded and smiled happily.
“Are you going to ride Lion?” she asked. Beth nodded, opening the gate.
“Yup. Ride out to the front and I’ll meet you there.” Meghan nodded, riding Jet down the aisle and out into the sunshine.
That night Dominick and Beth were sitting on the couch. Dominick was resting his head in her lap.
“It was a long day,” he said quietly. Beth ran her fingers through his thick black hair.
“I know what you mean. Do you want to go up to bed? I’m pretty exhausted,” she replied. He nodded, standing up and helping her to her feet.
“Yeah, let’s go.” She followed him up the stairs and into their room, plopping down on the side of their bed. She watched as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Is everything alright?” she asked suddenly. He looked at her and then sat down beside her.
“Yeah, fine. I was just about to ask you the same question. You’ve been acting strange all night,” he observed. She shrugged and put her arms around him.
“I’m sorry. I’m fine too. Are you going to take a shower before bed?” she asked. He pulled away slightly, a grin on his handsome face.
“Are you trying to tell me I need one?” he kidded.
“No! I was just wondering,” she said. He kissed her gently.
“I know. I’m too tired to shower tonight. Let’s just get some sleep,” he murmured, climbing over her to get to his side of the bed. She smiled and pulled the covers up to her chin. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her close.
“Night Dom,” she said, closing her eyes and trying not to think about all the things she should be telling him.
On the day of their anniversary, Beth and Dominick barely saw one another. Beth got called on an emergency run to Gansevoort, and Dominick was training two year olds with Beth’s father. When she got home that night she went upstairs and took a long shower. It was past nine, and she was exhausted. The horse she had looked in on had gone into labor, and the foal was breach. She got out of the shower reluctantly and put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
“Beth is that you?” Dominick called up the stairs. She went to the top step and smiled down at him.
“Hey hon, sorry I’m so late. That mare had one hard birth. How was your day?” she called, going to the bedroom. Dominick appeared behind her, looking at her in the mirror.
“It was good. Come downstairs, I have a surprise for you,” he said. She let him lead her down the stairs and into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw the candlelit table.
“Oh Dom, it’s beautiful,” she said, putting her arm around his waist. He smiled and pulled her chair out for her.
“Sit down. I’ll get the spaghetti,” he said. She smiled, sitting down and watching as he put a large bowl of pasta in between them. They ate in silence for a minute, then Beth took a deep breath.
“I have something to tell you Dominick,” she began. He looked at her seriously.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. She smiled briefly and shook her head. Dominick watched as she stood and went to the counter, boosting herself up so she could sit on it.
“Not wrong exactly. Dominick… I’m going to have a baby,” she said. His jaw dropped, and then he was standing up and was at her side with his arms around her.
“Are you serious?” he demanded. She nodded, smiling down at him. He kissed her gently, pulling her off the counter. “This is great honey. Why didn’t you tell me before?” he demanded. She shrugged, putting her arms around him.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d react. We hadn’t talked about getting pregnant… I thought maybe you wouldn’t be excited,” she said quietly.
“I’m so happy about this… I can’t even begin to tell you,” he said, smiling broadly. She smiled, letting her head rest against his chest.
“I’m so glad,” she whispered.
Five months later, Beth was in the spare bedroom. Dominick had just finished panting it white, and there were stenciled Whinnie the Pooh characters on the wall. Pooh stuffed animals sat in various places in the room. They had gotten a crib, bassinet, changing table, dresser, and a rocking chair all in white, and the bedding and changing table matched the walls. Dominick put his arm around her.
“You’re going to have a boy right?” he asked. She smiled up at him.
“I don’t know right now, and I won’t know for another four months. This is going to be a surprise,” she said. He kissed her forehead. “Mom is taking me out shopping today. She wants to start buying clothes now.” He smiled.
“Where are you going to go?” She shrugged.
“I think just to Wilton Mall, but knowing Mom she’ll take me other places too. I’m going to shower and get dressed. Mom’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
“OK. I’ll be downstairs doing the dishes from this morning and last night. Call me if you need me,” he said. She smiled up at him and gave him a kiss.
“You’re the best.” He nodded, kissing her twice more.
“You’re right. You have the best husband ever,” he agreed. She laughed, then disappeared into their bathroom.
Beth folded all the new baby clothes and put them into the dresser. Dominick had gone on an emergency call at the track, and had left a note saying he wasn’t sure when he would be back. She ran her fingers over the blanket in the crib, smiling softly.
“Getting excited?” a voice asked. Beth turned, smiling when she saw Rachel standing in the doorway.
“A little. I still have a couple months to go,” she said. Rachel smiled, walking into the room.
“This room is beautiful. Did you and Dom do it yourselves?” she asked. Beth nodded, fixing the afghan that was in the bassinet.
“Yeah. He did the painting, but I picked everything out. My dad helped him move all the furniture in. Do you want to see the clothes we bought?” Rachel nodded.
“Your mom was telling my mom about everything you bought, so my interest is piqued.” Beth laughed, starting to take out all the neatly folded clothes.
Beth knocked on Cotey’s front door three months later, smiling when Rachel answered it. “So we’re ordering pizza tonight?” she asked. Rachel shrugged, leading her into the dark living room. Suddenly the lights flicked on and a group of her friends jumped out.
“Surprise!” they called. Beth grinned, giving Rachel a hug and looking around the room.
“This is great. You guys shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” she said. Rachel helped her sit on the couch, knowing that sitting and standing had become difficult tasks with her large stomach.
“You’re eight months pregnant Beth. We had to do it some time before you exploded,” Rachel said. Everyone laughed.
“Well I really appreciate it. Let’s open presents,” she said with a grin. They all laughed again, but began to hand her gifts.
Dominick paced along the hallway in the hospital a month later, waiting for someone to tell him how Beth was.
“Sit down Dominick, you’re making me dizzy,” Cotey said. He sighed, plopping down between his mother and Beth’s father. Jess, Jason, Cotey, Sam, Rachel, and Jim had all raced to the hospital when they heard Beth was in labor.
“Sorry Ma. I’m just worried. She’s been in there for six hours already,” he said. Cotey laughed and patted his muscular arm.
“It takes awhile sometime kiddo. She’ll be fine,” she assured him. Jason sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Let’s hope so,” he muttered. Jess put her hand on his arm, knowing that he was thinking of the day Beth was born and all that had gone wrong.
“She’s going to be perfectly fine, they both are,” she said quietly. He nodded, but looked up when a doctor walked in.
“Dominick Giran?” he asked. Dominick stood quickly and moved to stand in front of the doctor.
“Yes, that’s me. How’s my wife? Is she ok? What about the baby?” he rambled. The doctor grinned.
“Your wife is fine, and so is your baby. You have a little girl Mr. Giran, a healthy little girl,” he said. Dominick smiled, turning to the rest of the family.
“Did you guys hear that?” he demanded, smiling happily and turning back to the doctor. Can we see them?”
“Of course. They’re resting right down the hall.” They all stood, going down the hall.
Beth was holding a tiny, blanketed bundle, a smile on her face. Her hair was still damp with sweat. The door opened and her gaze flew up. Dominick and the rest of the family came in.
“Oh Dom, wait until you see her,” she whispered. He went to the side of the bed and Beth handed him the baby. He pulled back the blanket and smiled down at his daughter.
“She’s so tiny,” he said. She nodded, laughing and resting her hadn on his arm.
“I know, but she has one great set of lungs on her. What should we name her?” He leaned down and kissed her.
“I don’t know. We really should have thought of this before she was born,” he murmured. Beth nodded, and suddenly smiled.
“How about Colleen?” she suggested. Dominick smiled, glancing around the room.
“That sounds great to me. Colleen Giran,” he said, leaning down and kissing her again. She smiled as everyone else moved closer to get a look.
Three days later Beth and Colleen came home. Dominick had the nursery clean and ready for the baby’s arrival. Beth walked up the stairs slowly, going into the room. She smiled at Dominick and put the baby in the crib. Colleen stayed asleep, sucking on her fist.
“It’s strange to have someone so completely helpless depending on you,” Beth said, letting her finger slide over Colleen’s smooth pink cheek.
“I know. She’s so beautiful… so small. It looks like you could break her just by touching her.” She put her arm around his waist, leaning against him.
“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? This is the biggest job we’ll ever have.”
“Any regrets?” he asked. She smiled up at him.
“Absolutely not. I just want her to have the best… I want her to have everything possible in life.” He nodded and kissed her forehead.
“So do I. Let’s let her sleep. You should get a nap in there too,” he said. She smiled.
“I am kind of tired. If she wakes up, there’s a bottle in the refrigerator,” she said. He nodded, watching as she went into their room.
Almost a month later Beth carried Colleen outside. It was a warm May day, and the baby was wearing a yellow jumper. She cooed at the horses, reaching out and trying to touch them.
“You like those horses honey?” she said, kissing her cheek. Colleen gave a toothless grin and Beth laughed. “Let’s go find Daddy so we can go see Grandma.” Colleen began to squirm and Beth smiled. Dominick came up and took the baby.
“Hey kiddo,” he said, lifting her high above his head. Colleen smiled, stretching her hands out. Beth laughed.
“I don’t know about you two. Are we going to drive to your Mom’s?” she asked.
“Nah, it’s nice enough that we can walk.” She nodded and they walked through the woods. They reached his family’s house and knocked on the front door. Sam answered it and smiled when he saw them.
“Hey guys, come on in,” he said. Dominick handed Beth the baby and shook his father’s hand.
“We thought we drop by and say hello. Where’s Rachel?”
“I think she and Jim went out shopping. They needed a new set of dishes for their new place. Give me my granddaughter,” he said, smiling gat Beth. She handed him Colleen and smiled as he played with her.
“Would you mind watching her for a little while? We’d like to get out by ourselves for an hour or so,” Dominick said.
“No problem at all. Go have a great time, she’ll be fine,” Sam said.
“Thanks Sam. Come on Dom, let’s go,” she said, stopping to give Colleen a kiss. Dominick followed her lead, then followed her out the door.
Beth finished putting Colleen to bed that night, sighing heavily. She went into her bedroom, plopping down on the bed. Dominick was going over some figures at his desk, but watched her out of the corner of his eye. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, sighing again. He put his paperwork aside and went to her side, putting his arms around her. She went willingly into his embrace.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. She shook her head, wrapping her arms around him.
“Nothing. I just missed having you hold me. It’s been awhile since we’ve had time alone like this,” she said. He squeezed her tightly, holding her closer.
“I know. I missed this too. It’s been too long,” he agreed. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Would you mind if I went down to the barn tomorrow morning. I want to ride for awhile. Since Colleen was born I haven’t had much of a chance.”
“What about her morning feeding?” he asked. She grinned.
“I’ll fix a bottle before I go.”
“Alright. You go and have fun and I’ll hold down the fort. You deserve some time in the saddle. You’re mom of the year.”
“It hasn’t been a year yet… it’s barely been two months. Do you think I’m doing everything right with her? I don’t want to mess up,” she said. Dominick grasped her chin firmly, tilting her face up so he could look at her.
“I’m new at this too hon. I do know that you’re the best wife a guy could ask for… and that you’re the best Mom Colleen could have. I’m lucky, and so is our little girl.” She smiled, touching his face.
“I love you so much,” she said. He leaned down, catching her lips in a probing kiss. She kissed back, twining her arms around his neck. He slid backwards and then rolled on top of her.
“I love you too,” he whispered. Beth smiled, pulling him back toward her and sighing contentedly.
