Farmboy

Chapter 7

The first I noticed was, naturally, the horses. They were all so beautiful, but I zoned in on one exceptionally pretty one. It had a base color of tan, but was dappled all over in chestnut. I looked closely, and realized lots of the chestnut areas were shaped like acorns.

“Is this Acorn?” I asked, softly. The horse gazed at me with soulful eyes.

“Yep.” Andrew said.

“Can I ride her?” I squealed.

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?” I whined.

“I haven’t gotten Father’s permission to allow other people to ride the horses. But you can meet her, and if she does like you, you can pet her.” Andrew explained.

“You need your dad’s permission?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. I could get in serious trouble for disobeying him.” Andrew’s face darkened. “An example punishment would be not allowing me to go to the fence anymore.”

“But…you would go anyway, right?” I asked, nervous. Andrew’s dad seemed really strict. Andrew didn’t reply, but his face wasn’t reassuring.  

“So, can I meet Acorn?” I asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“Sure.” He said, his face clearing. Andrew unlocked the door to Acorn’s stable. I slipped inside, and gazed up at the majestic horse.

“Hi, Acorn.” I whispered. Andrew chuckled behind me. I spun to look at him.

“What?”  He asked. “You don’t have to be quiet. She’s actually kinda deaf.”

“That’s sad…” I murmured. “May I pet her? How should I pet her? I don’t want to hurt her.” Andrew smiled at me.

“I don’t think you could hurt her. But make eye contact, and and then gently pat her right here.” Andrew said, demonstrating. He made eye contact, then patted Acorn right above her nose. I smiled, then copied him. Acorn’s fur was smooth and warm. She gently poked her head towards me, startling me. Andrew gave a laugh, and showed me where else I could stroke Acorn. We continued like this for another half hour, laughing, and petting the horse. Andrew introduced me to some of the other horses as well. At 4:00, Andrew walked me back to the fence, despite my protests that I wanted to see more.

“You’ll see more next time.” He promised, and helped me back over the gate.

“Next time, I’ll show you something in my woods.”

“Your woods?” He said, smiling.

“Yes. My woods.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“See you, Farmboy.” I turned before he could reply, and tromped back through the forest, back to home. I felt funny, warm all over. The last time I felt like this, my father had been living.  

⚘⚘⚘

I walked inside, shedding my coat and hat.  

“Well, you were gone awhile.” My mom stated, leaning on the doorway. I looked up at her, my face flushed from the chill.

“I was…relaxing.” I said, quickly. My mom clearly didn’t believe me, put I slipped past her into the kitchen, where I began cooking up some mac and cheese. Food always made me feel better - even when I wasn’t upset, like now.

“Anything you want to tell me?” My mom asked, watching me pour way too much cheese on. I shook my head, watching the timer as it ticked down the last few seconds. My mom studied me for a second, then shrugged and left. Good thing I’d always done well in drama. My mac and cheese was done, so I sat down and enjoyed the cheesy goodness. When describing good food, people have often told me I sound like a commercial for the product. I thought that was good, so one day maybe I’ll be on television. When I’ve replied with that, they’ve shook their heads and walked away.