Strawberry Wine ✓

Chapter 4

It was the following weekend, the night of my grand party. I hadn't been allowed out to the barn all day for fear I might mess myself up to the point of no return. My hair was curled and pinned to perfection, my makeup done just the way Mother liked, my dress and pointy, heeled shoes already pinching my feet. I'm informed I must wait to make my grand entrance but all I want is to make my grand escape and spend the night in the barn with my beloved horses.

"You can come out now Dallas." One of the maids tells me.

"Please, join me in wishing my beloved daughter, Dallas, a happy birthday!" Daddy says before the whole gathering yells out happy birthday. I smile politely and start making my way downstairs. When I reach the bottom my parents are there, kissing me on both cheeks.

"Thank you." I say politely.

"Of course darling." Daddy says. "And you're really going to like your gift this year. The next foal that is born is yours. Do with it as you see fit. If you want to raise it as a show horse, that is your choice."

"Oh thank you Daddy. Thank you!" I say before jumping into his arms, hugging him.

"You're welcome sweet girl." He says before letting me go and I make my rounds. At the very back, almost huddled by the door is Jimmy, all cleaned up in a nice suit.

"Well don't you look like you'd stop traffic." I say with a smile.

He jumps a little, before turning and letting out a sigh. "Happy Birthday Dallas." He says, placing a kiss on my hand.

"Gross. The formalities. I thought we were beyond that, seeing as we spent the night together." I say and he pulls me into an abandoned alcove. "What are you doing?"

"You can't say that stuff out here. People will get the wrong idea."

"Let them. I don't care what people think of me. I know who I really am and that's all that matters."

"If they think I ruined you..." he doesn't finish his sentence.

"Ruined me? I'm not some brood mare that can be bought and saved for the high enough bidder. Let them think whatever they should like." Our conversation is interrupted by my mother and daddy finding us, her nostrils flaring.

"You're hiding in here with the help when you should be attending to your guests."

"It's fine Mother I'll be out in a minute." I say before turning back to Jimmy. My mother isn't finished it seems and turns to Jimmy.

"Dallas is a very special young lady with a bright future." She informs him.

"I know ma'am." He says, slightly taken aback.

"Jimmy is special too Mother."

"Dallas." Jimmy says, trying to get out of the conversation.

"You don't even know him. You've never taken the chance to know him."

"I know enough."

"No you don't. Jimmy is incredible and he's special to me and I invite him here, to my party and you attack him." I say, tears burning behind my eyes.

"I will not be spoken to like that by you, young lady." She says. "This family has standards. You live up to them and you should expect everyone you spend time with live up to them also. You are a gifted woman with immense promise. And you should learn very quickly that certain people can hold you back."

"Mother stop it! You cannot treat Jimmy this way." I say, as I watch Jimmy calmly walk out. "It took a lot to get him to come tonight because of this exact reason. If being a part of this family means I have to treat people like dirt then fine. But I want no part in it." I say before I apologize to my father and run upstairs.

I yank the pins out of my hair and angrily use a washcloth to rub the makeup off my face, causing it to turn red from irritation. I ripped off my party dress and take a deep breath in, finally feeling free. I throw on a pair of ratty jeans and one of my dad's old flannels and climbed out the window, crawling over to the big tree that stands by my bedroom window. I carefully climb down it, making sure no one is around, before I run, away from the party lights.

I run until I get to the hands' quarters and knock on the door. "Hey." I whisper when it opens. "Can I come in?"