Starting Over

Accidents and Apollo

I felt Apollo's powerful muscles shifting under my touch. The horse galloped on, his energy not waning a bit. This creature and I were like one being, a centaur of sorts that had rode together so many times, we could communicate through a single movement. We advanced through the thick summer foliage, only half aware of the dwindling sunlight. They had been riding for hours with only short breaks in the woods about 5 miles away from the house. They came upon a large creek/small river that they had to cross to continue on the trail. Apollo had never been good with water, and today was no exception. He slowed to a canter as they approached the rushing stream. He reared and whinnied slightly as I urged him on. Then, the unspeakable happened. A bobcat appeared out of the shrubbery, and ran in front of the tense horse. Already spooked, Apollo reared fully; the unbalanced animal started falling, and I had just enough time to get most of my body out of the way, leaving my right leg to take the impact.
You're lucky, the doctors told me, you could have died. As if I didn't know. I had spent my entire life riding horses on the family ranch, I had seen this stuff... but it had never happened to me.
After that I lost my nerve, and my ability to put weight on my leg for more than six weeks. I haven't been on a horse since.
The sounds of hungry horses knock me out of my revery. I give them their hay and grain, but stop when I reach Apollo.
It wasn't his fault! I chastise myself, and it's true, it wasn't, but that doesn't make the fear go away. I go to open the gate and notice how hungry I am. A minuscule apple doesn't go too far.
If the sun is telling me correctly, it is about 6:30 whenever I arrive back at the house. Around the time I would have climbed up the tree to watch the sunset. I walk into our kitchen/dining room and see my family sitting at our table eating already.
Oh yes, my family. My father, who owns and runs the farm. My mother, who works at a nursing home and is usually tired or asleep when home, and my siblings: Shawn, who's nine and obsessed with sports, has brown hair like mine with brown eyes, and Cara and Terra, twin girls who were pretty much polar opposites of me(beauty girls-blonde hair, blue eyes- aka Mom's favorites).
I sat at my regular spot between Terra and Shawn, and gave myself double helpings of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. I sat eating and waited for the inevitable family argument.