Galloping Back in Time

Chapter 1

"Auntie where do you keep the extra cinches?" Said Allen as he put a saddle on his new horse Gator. "In the tack room, right next to the extra bits, they are right above my tack chest." said Joan as she brushed out her horse Ruby.

         Allen was Joans' oldest brothers first son. He was named after there great grandpa. Named perfectly,  because he had the same love for horses that there great grandpa did. Allen was 6 and had brown hair like his dads.

        Allen walked into the tack room and went over to his aunts tack chest. He noticed the lock on it was open. Weird he thought, his aunt never leaves it un locked. She must have forgotten. He bent down to shut the lock, but he then remembered he had never seen what was inside. Joan never let anyone see what was in it, and refused to talk about it.

       He decided to take a quick peak inside. As he opened the chest, his mouth fell open and his eyes widened. What he saw amazed him. He had never seen so many buckles before. He picked up the first one he saw. On it was carved "2017 pro collage rodeo barrel racing champion."

        He put It down and picked up a picture frame. He took his sleeve and wiped of the dust. What he revealed was a old picture of his aunt. She must have only been 18 or 19. She was standing next to a sorrel horse holding a buckle, a huge smile from ear to ear. He looked closer to see the buckle she was holding was the one he was just holding.

         Right at that moment Joan walked in. "Allen what are you doing!? You know you aren't allowed in there! Put that down! Go un tack that horse, you are done for the day!" Yelled Joan, as she took the picture from Allen, put it in the chest and locked it.

       Allen ran out of the room and into Gator's stall. He knew he had messed up. He respected his aunt and never intended to brake her rules. But he had lived his whole life wishing he could see inside that chest. Allen wrapped his arms around Gators neck and let a tear fall into his mane. He felt bad for breaking his aunts rule. And new he had to figure out how to make it up to her. He wiped his eyes and took the saddle off Gator and put it away.

         Joan walked into her office and shut the door. She leaned against the back of the door and crumbled to the ground. How could she be so careless to forget not to lock the chest. She had took that chapter of her life and locked it up. But not anymore. She knew know that she was gonna have to explain to Allen everything. She wished her husband could be here with her to help her decide what to do.

        Allen was only her nephew, but she treated him like a son.

        Joan had made her whole family promise to never talk about that chapter of her life. She made them promise to never speak of her husband's past.And to never try to get her to barrel race again.

        She knew if Allen found out, he would make her barrel again. He would also ask about her husband's past. Which her nieces and nephews new boring about.  Joan had basically cut that part out of her past. She had almost gotten to the point of forgetting.

        Joan got back on her feet, wiped the tears from her eyes and went to see Allen. He was sitting on the hay bale out side Gators stall. Staring at Bolts stall. Which was across from Gators stall.

       "I know you want to ask me something. So just ask." She said as she sat down next to him. Allen responded, "That was Bolt's mom wasn't it?" "Yes, that it was. I want to tell you the whole story. But just not today. It will take quite a while. So let's make a deal. When ever you are here for lessons. I will tell you a little bit of the story each time. But you must promise not to tell anyone. Not even your dad." She said. Allen nodded his head and said "okay."

       Joan padded his head and told him it was time to bring him back to his dads. They both got in her truck and left for Leo's house. Her brother lived on the other side of town, and Allen came to her house every day after school for a hour long lesson.