Lisa
The sweltering mid-afternoon sun beats down on me as I unload hay from the back of the truck and stacked it in the barn, with my tan skin slick with sweat and starting to burn a bit.
When I'm finished with the last stack, I take a seat on it, taking a break while finding sweet relief in the shade of the barn. Grabbing my nearby water bottle, I guzzle half the contents inside. I remove my cap from my head, shaking out my dark sweaty hair, and pouring the rest of the water over my head, letting it run down my back and chest. My mum always yells at me for just wearing a tank top on days like this, scared that I'll blister from the sun, but I absolutely can't stand being in a shirt under this scorching heat.
After five minutes, I force myself up, walking past Love who's happily snoozing inside the barn, despite the ungodly temperatures. I go back to the truck, putting up the tailgate before contemplating on what chore to do next.
Just as I'm walking back to the barn, I hear the crunching of gravel, indicating that someone is coming down the driveway. I look over my shoulder at the black Range Rover rolling up, knowing no one from around here has a car that nice. I squint my eyes to try to get a glimpse of the driver through the tinted windshield, but it's no use.
Once the car is parked and the engine shut off, the driver's side door opens and a heel clad foot peeks out from the bottom. Nini appears from behind the door in a dress as yellow as sunshine, surprising me.
As soon as the car door shuts, barking erupts from inside the barn and Love comes barrelling out like a flash, wagging his tail excitedly. Some guard dog, I think.
He immediately runs up to Nini, panting and circling her as his back end wiggles uncontrollably. Before I can catch him, he jumps up, trying to kiss her face.
"Love!" I scold. "Sit!"
He sits immediately but reluctantly, looking up at Nini with those big brown eyes and goofy smile, practically begging her to pet him. A few eager whines escape him, and I know that he's dying for attention from the new person at our home.
"Sorry about that." I apologise breathlessly, while running up to them.
"That's okay." Nini giggles, smiling down at Love and scratching his head. "Hi, Love." she coos.
I watch the pair for a moment, the both of them smiling at each other as if they were long lost friends, taking no time to get acquainted with one another. Nini has always adored animals, and Love is an absolute sucker for some head scratches.
"Uhh, how can I help you, Nini?" I ask, breaking the moment, confused and a bit dizzy from her unexpected appearance.
Nini straightens, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. "Barbara asked me to come pick up the photos. I know she was supposed to pick them up from you, but she had something come up so she asked me to come instead. I know I'm a bit early." she trails off sheepishly.
"That's alright." I say, surprised.
It was over a week ago that I took the pictures, and I've had them developed since. I scheduled for Barbara to come pick them up this evening, but I guess she got tied up. I'm surprised that Nini came to pick them up instead of Barbara rescheduling, but maybe she's going to visit her father anyway, saving Barbara the trip.
"Yeah, let me just..." I thumb behind me at the house. "Give me a minute to grab them." I inform her, turning on my heel and jogging into the house.
I quickly run upstairs and into the bathroom, washing my sweat streaked face and body with a wet hand towel. I dry off, running the towel over my sweaty hair before changing my sweat-soaked tank top with a t-shirt and grabbing the photos I have printed on my desk in a manila envelope.
I walk back outside to find Nini and Love nowhere in sight. Puzzled, I go into the barn, doing a quick sweep of the area, not finding them anywhere. Finally, I peek out the back and see a flash of yellow by the pasture.
Nini stands on the bottom slot of the old wooden fence on bare feet, with her heels kicked off and abandoned on the ground below, with Love sitting next to them. She stares out into the field, the light breeze blowing her brunette hair and yellow dress. Extending a hand, she wiggles her fingers and makes clicking noises with her tongue, trying to beckon old Aurora over to her.
Aurora is the older horse my mum bought a number of years ago from a couple that was not giving the white quarter horse the attention it needed. Like Nini, my mama is a big softie when it comes to animals, and it hurt her heart to see an animal not getting the attention and love they deserved. So we bought Aurora home, and Nini is actually the one that named her.
"She's getting hard of hearing." I tell Nini, setting the envelope down on a stack of hay inside the barn before walking over to her. I lean up against the fence next to her, bringing my fingers up to my mouth and blowing out a loud whistle.
Aurora's ears perk up and her head turns in our direction. She lazily starts to saunter over, taking her time, and eventually she meets us along the fence, standing in front of Nini.
Nini gently takes Aurora's face in her hands, stroking the long line of her face from eyes to nose. "Hi, old girl." Nini coos softly, brushing some strands out of the horses eyes tenderly. For a moment, Aurora's eyes light up in recognition and she lets out a soft whinny, nudging her face further into Nini's touch. Nini smiles triumphantly, pleased that the old horse remembers her.
When my mother got Aurora, Nini immediately fell in love with her. The two bonded in an unexplainable way, and I think they both found real comfort in each other. When Mrs. Kim passed, Nini was over at my house all the time. I don't think she could stand being in the house where her mother died, so she found my house as a place to escape, especially the barn.
All the time, Nini would want to go riding and she would always take Aurora. I think she found freedom in riding, a sense of calm and silence out on the trails, a comfort in talking to Aurora who couldn't talk back or judge her for her feelings.
