Caballeros

Like a newborn fawn

Joaquin

My heart feels heavy as I watch my beautiful wife walk out of the barn. She is pissed as hell at the both of us hell I am mad at myself for saying yes to Hector. I throw the tools I was using back in the box and look at my father in law. He looks at me and looks down at his shoes he knows he fucked up by asking me to fix the bull.

"It's fixed," I say. I walk past him out the barn.

"Joaquin, Mijo wait," he begins to say.

"Not right now with all respect I am upset and I don't want to say something stupid."

"Fair enough," he says.

"Got to get Trinity to Dr. Shephard's office," I say.

I walk over to the horse coral and Trinity is sitting on top of Bonnie in her harness and Jeremy is pulling them along. She loves to ride on Bonnie but she hasn't been able to for past week when she was sick. Jeremy is clicking his tongue and Bonnie follows his commands; Trinity is trying to click her tongue too. It makes me laugh to myself; Jeremy looks at me with a look of sympathy.

"My word I thought she was going to holler at me too; she is sure a spitfire isn't she?" He says with a chuckle.

"She sure is but I don't blame her at all. Ready to go baby girl?"

"No Dada! I Bonnie!" She screeches and sticks her tongue out. I don't have the time or energy.

"Do you need a time out girl? You are being very naughty. Daddy doesn't want to punish you but I will."

"I no naughheee, you bad boy dada." Damn this little girl's words cut like a knife.

"Go with daddy and Papa will take you on the big horse Chaco. Okay?" Hector says from behind me.

"Otay papa," she says and puts her arms out to me.

"Thanks Don Hector," I say walking to the truck. He just nods.

I get her to her appointment with two minutes to spare. The nurse brings us back to a room with a machine that has a tiny saw on it. She puts Trinity on this table and she tickles her tummy; Trinity giggles.

"See how I tickled your belly?" She asks Trinity.

"Uh huh."

"This machine is going to tickle your cast off and we get to see your leg. Okay are you ready? Okay daddy her cast is going to smell so I am warning you." She laughs.

"That's okay, how bad can it be anyways," I say.

She turns on the saw and it is really loud I almost expect Trinity to cry but she doesn't she laughs. She works on the back of the cast and then the front; she takes this tool that looks like the spacer we use at the ranch. She takes this tool and cracks open the cast all the way; she takes scissors and cuts the soft part open. It when she pulls the cast all the way off that I get a whiff of a god awful smell; that can't be from my baby girl. I look at the nurse and scrunch up my nose at the foul smell.

"I told you," she laughs.

"Fooocheee dada," Trinity says.

"You got that right my love. Oh my goodness that is awful she has physical therapy in half an hour. What do I do about the smell?"

"I will give you some soap and you can wash her up in our bathroom," she giggles. Wow this lady is getting a kick out of this.

"Thank you."

She gives me some soap and I take her into the bathroom to wash her up and change her diaper. I wash her leg up and she begins to scratch at her leg. I grab her hand and shake my head at her and she pouts. I finish washing her leg I use the wash cloth to gently scratch her leg. She closes her eyes to savor the sensation of having her leg scratched. Poor this has been in that cast forever she has been through so much and she has overcome many things at a young age.