The Time Giver

August 2nd: Demonstration

August bloomed hot and humid, everything drenched in sweat before noon. Piper spent most of her days next to the air vents of the house, panting beneath her shaggy coat. Mooney, on the other hand, spent his days on the window sill, basking in the warmth of the summer heat.

Zach tromped downstairs to find Kelly on the phone. "Yes, sir, she'll be ready," She said as she motioned Zach to eat. His mouth watered as he glanced down at his plate; homemade french toast!

He dug in as Kelly hung up the phone. "That was Mr. Barr," she explained. "He wanted to know how Vodka was doing."

Zach finished chewing before answering. "What did you tell him?"

Kelly put a hand on her hip. "Well, you've been here for two months now. What do you think I told him?"

Instead of sassing back about having no clue what Kelly would tell Mr. Barr, Zach thought for a moment, twirling his fork. "Well," he said, "I think she's been okay. She hasn't been acting up when we lunge her, and the only problem we've had has been a little attitude here and there." He looked up at her. "So I guess that you told him that?"

She nodded. "That's right."

He took another bite of toast, taking the time to eat it before he started again. "So what? What did he say?"

"He wants to come out and see her progress. If he's satisfied, he'll pay and take her home." A shadow passed over her face, but she quickly smiled. "In fact, he's on his way right now."

"So what do you want me to do while you're taking care of Vodka?"

Kelly leveled her gaze on him. "What do you mean? You think I'm going to show her off?"

Zach was confused. "I thought-"

"I've got to be the one talking to Mr. Barr; I can't be lunging Vodka at the same time." She broke into a wide grin. "So I need you to do the working."

Zach felt like his eyes were going to bug out of their sockets. He stood up so fast that his chair almost fell backwards. "Me? In front of Mr. Barr? But Kelly, I've only worked Vodka a few times, and you were always telling me what to do!"

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Vodka and Turner are one and the same," she said. "When you lunge Vodka, treat her like the yearling. Just because her owner is there, doesn't mean there are any differences you need to make in how we treat the horses." She smiled as she pulled her hand away. "Now, come and help me feed so we don't keep him waiting any longer than necessary."

*

Mr. Barr pulled in just as Zach finished watering the horses. Kelly tossed in the final batch of hay before turning to him. "Good morning, sir. How are things?"

He took her outstretched hand and shook it warmly. "Oh, you know; stock is down, and sales are low. I'd rather it be the other way around, but..." He let the sentence drop off as he pulled a handkerchief from his chest pocket, wiping the hand he'd used to shake Kelly's, then stuffing it back into his suit jacket. "So! Where's my Vodka?"

"Mr. Barr, you know I don't allow drinks around the horses," Kelly replied with a laugh. He joined her heartily, and he seemed to look more like a common man than a stockholder. When Kelly finally stopped, she turned to Zack. "You wanna bring her out?"

He nodded, but before he could take a step, Mr. Barr threw out his arm, blocking him. "Now Ms. Chaparral," He started. "What did we discuss when I brought her back?"

Kelly feigned a small smile, and Zach saw the slightest twinkle of a white lie forming. "But Mr. Barr, I've been letting Zach work with her for the past few weeks. I wanted her to learn that just because it's not me working with her, doesn't mean that she shouldn't listen."