Of Freedom and Glory

Twin Spires

"Mae... Mae... Mae, wakeup." Mae wakes up to the quiet voice of her mother. With sleepy eyes, she looks at her mum in a daze. "It's Derby day, darling."

In that moment, Mae shoots out of the hard hotel bed messing up the white covers even more. Her father is adjusting his tie in the bathroom while her mom returns to the mirror to finish putting on her makeup.

 "Pa, move. I have to get ready." Mae says anxiously pushing on her father's side.

"Mae, I understand you are excited, but that doesn't mean you lose your manners." Her father says not moving but continuing to adjust his tie.

Mae rolls her eyes, "Just hurry up please."

With a sigh her father finishes adjusting his tie and gives the sassy princess the bathroom she needed. When she goes into the bathroom, she half heartedly slams the door.

"She is such a brat sometimes." Her father says shaking his head.

"She is a spoiled rotten girl, Derek. What do you expect?" Her mother answers while busying herself with the case full of makeup she brought with her on the long flight from Australia. 

A few minutes later, Mae returns from the bathroom wearing an expensive floral, summer dress with a big brimmed summer hat to protect her fare face from the harsh sun. 

"How do I look?" Mae asks doing a twirl.

"Like a Princess, my dear." Her mother says kneeling down and tucking her soft brunette hair behind her ear to give her a light kiss on her cheek. 

"Yes, a beautiful Princess." Her father agrees with a beaming smile.

As a family, they leave the hotel room and head toward the elevators where they wait patiently for the elevator to arrive on their floor. With a ding the elevator doors open, and the three load into it. Mae presses the "1", and the elevator rockets down. When they step out of the elevator they walk toward the taxi Mae's father had called for earlier that morning. Her father takes his place next to the taxi cab driver in the passenger seat while the two girls slide into the back seat. Mae's father tells the taxi cab driver to take them to Churchill Downs. When they arrive, Mae's father opens the cab door for Mae and his wife. 

When Mae steps out of the car she sets her eyes on the Twin Spires causing her smile to become even bigger and her eyes to become even brighter. She holds in a squeal of excitement.

"Pa! We are here!" Mae says trying to contain herself.

"Yes, we are, Mae." Her father says with a chuckle. Seeing his daughter happy was the only thing he ever wanted. He would do anything to make sure her beaming smile would never go dim. 

He takes Mae's hand and his wife's hand and together they walk toward the Twin Spires and destiny.

"Pa, this is weird." Mae says as they walk through the gates.

"Why?" Her father says with a confused tone.

"This is the first time in a while we have been at a track without our horses." Mae says carrying a light sadness.

Derek squeezes her hand, and Mae looks up to him, "One day, we will bring a big colt over here to race in the Derby. Chestnut maybe? His sire could be the best colt I ever train, and his dam is your choice. How about that?" 

Mae's beaming smile returns, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

They walk to their suite and settle in as they wait for the undercard races. As race one nears, Mae and her father walk down to place bets on their picks. Mae helps her father place the bets and after the bets are placed, they walk together to the paddock to watch the big fierce horses. 

Watching them, Mae begins to miss her horses. She wanted to be in the paddock saddling up her own horse instead of watching others saddle up their horses from the other side of the fence. 

Her father catches her dimming smile and thinks for a moment, "Mae, lets go back to the suite." He takes her hand and guides her through the suffocating crowd back to comfort. 

This became their ritual through the day. 

"Derby time!" Mae exclaims.

Her father smiles, "Well, let's go!"

They go down to place their bets, and this time her mother joins them.

On their way down, Mae wonders away from her father and mother, but it was nothing new. She knew where to go if she couldn't find them, but she always seemed to know exactly where they were at any given time.

While adventuring she bumps into a small body due to not paying attention. She looks down to see a small girl maybe her age on the ground. She reaches her hand out to the girl, and when the girl looks up she takes Mae's hand, and Mae helps her up, "I'm sorry for making you fall, I hope you're not hurt." Mae says smiling, hoping her smile would cheer the scared looking girl up.

"It's okay, I'm fine. I just lost my dad and can't find him." The girl says with fear in her voice.

Mae knew just what to do, and that was take this lost girl to her father and mother. Mae grabs her arm and pulls her through the crowd until she sees her father standing their, waiting for her to show up. She rushes toward him with this little girl's arm in her grip.

"Mum, Pa, this little girl lost her daddy." Mae says grasping her parents' attention.

Mae's father looks at the girl with rivers flowing down her cheeks, "What's your name, sweetie?" His voice his soft, trying to calm her down.

The girl wipes the tears from her cheeks, "Nina Andrade."

Her father's face lights up, "Andrade? You must be Lucas' daughter, I'm Mr. Costello and this little girl is my daughter Mae. If you stay here I can go get your father." 

Mae's father smiles at Nina, and Nina nods. Mae's father disappears in the crowd searching for Mr. Andrade.

Mae looks at Nina. She had heard a lot about Nina and her family, but she knew Nina didn't know that, "So you're Nina? Wow! How cool must it be to own a horse in the Derby!" 

Mae's want to be Nina right then was beyond reason. Nina possessed what Mae didn't. Her own horse contending for the roses. Mae quickly shakes the thoughts of jealousy out of her head knowing it was wrong of her to have them.

"It's cool Valiente is a nice horse. He's my best friend right now." Nina says.

Mae could tell that Nina's mind was no longer on her father, "Woah! I hope you win, he sounds awesome." 

The two made a few more exchanges about the horses, Valiente and their father's before the conversation came to halt due to rude interruption. 

"Nina!" Mr. Andrade takes Nina off her feet in an embrace, "God you scared me carino," He turns to Mae's father and shakes his hand, "Thank you for bringing me to my little Nina, I greatly appreciate it. If we win would you like to join us in the Winner's Circle, it's the least I could offer."

Mae lights up with excitement, and she tugs on her father's coat.

"We'd be glad, sir, but I'd rather work my own way there with a horse of my own. But you're welcome, you're daughter was so nice to Mae." Mae's father says respectively.

"Oh, I understand, but thank you again." Mr. Andrade says to Mae's father. "We better get going, Nina," He says one last thing to Mae's father, "have a happy Derby Day."

Mae and Nina wave their goodbyes, but Mae knew she wasn't saying goodbye to the little girl from Argentina. She was only saying hello.