There was an undertow of cool air ribboning through the warm August night as they stood on the front porch surveying the darkened yard before them. Amy handed Ty a headlamp, before adjusting one on her forehead. Together the descended the steps into the yard, down the path lit only by the focused beams of their headlamps. Though the sun had long since set, the night smelled of grass, tomatoes and basil warmed by the day's sun. Spartan and Harley greeted them with low nickers and snorts.
"Hey boys." Ty said simply.
"Hey Harley, hey Spartan. Nice night, huh?" As she stood facing the horses, she explained. "Boys. It's too late to go home. So we're staying the night at Mrs. Bell's. Hope that's okay. But you'll stay outside tonight."
Spartan seemed to nod.
"Looks like a clear night Amy. They should do just fine." He said as he removed Harley's saddle.
"Yeah." She responded as she untacked Spartan.
Both horses murmured, low and hushed, as they were freed of their load. Spartan burrowed his nose into her neck, tickling her, making her giggle.
"Oh. Spartan. My handsome boy."
Harley nickered.
"Harley. You are a handsome boy too." Then she paused, started a one sided conversation. "What Harley? You don't say? Really? You heard that about Ty? No kidding."
Harley bobbed his headed up and down.
"You think I should ask him about class today? Why? Did he skip?" She looked at Ty with a quizzical expression.
"No. I did not skip class." He said seriously. "You are crazy...you know that right?" He laughed awkwardly.
"Am not. Speak for yourself. Harley told me to ask you. Something happened. You might as well fess up." She responded, then laughed at her own silliness.
He just shook his head as he filled the trough with fresh water. She watched as the horses drank greedily then munched on fresh sweet grass and feed.
"Hey Ty."
"Yeah?"
"Let's walk them through garden. It's magical here at night."
"It's kinda late."
"Yeah. I know. But. They could probably use a bit of exercise before they sleep."
"If you insist." Ty sighed.
"I do."
"Ready then?"
She nodded. Side by side they walked, Amy on the right, Ty to her left, their horses just a yard or two behind them. A comfortable calm enveloped them. Ahead, moths, lighting bugs and flying things danced in and out of focused light of their headlamps. All around them, katydids, crickets and cicadas serenaded them with a series of unending calls, clicks, chirps and sighs. In the distance the lonely barred owl called out to an unresponsive mate.
"Nice night." He said.
"Hmmm." She purred happily.
He turned to smile at her, his headlight illuminated her beautiful face, but then accidentally blinding her. She stumbled ever so slightly. He caught her elbow to steady her.
"Wow! Ty. That beam was bright." She giggled.
"Sorry. Sorry." He turned away from her as she stopped in her tracks to recover her bearings.
"It's okay. I can see again." She took a few steps forward. "Remember when Zeus..." she trailed off.
"Who could forget? That accident was horrible. One of the worst times of my life. I mean our life. Seeing you lying there, in the hospital, all those machines, all those tubes and wires. Your eyesight. Just gone."
"But you stayed right by my side. You nursed me back to health."
"Amy. There was nowhere else I wanted to be."
"I remember that morning like it was this morning. The first thing I saw was you. And. Your beautiful green eyes."
He sighed deeply. "I was so happy. So relieved."
She nodded. "Yeah. Me too."
They fell into silence, each to their own thoughts, the light beams bouncing ever so slightly with each step. Then, just at the edge of the light, a mount of an animal appeared a few yards away, frozen in place, blinded by their light. They spied it simultaneously, stopped, and stared back at the creature.
"Ty. What is that?" She whispered.
"Wow! A porcupine!" He answered. "You don't see those very often."
"I've never seen one...hey. Remember when Peter's dog got a bunch of quills in his nose?"
"Speaking of which. Look at those quills standing straight up!"
"Should we run? I don't want quills thrown at me."
"Nah. Just stay still. That's a myth. A porcupine can't throw their quills. You'd have to come in direct contact to get stuck." He said authoritatively. "He'll mosey along soon enough."
"She. Look! There's a little one right behind her."
"How about that!" He chuckled. "There is something so incredible about wildlife."
"Yeah." The mother porcupine raised her black nose to the air, then sauntered across the path into the darkness, her baby following close by. They paused a few more moments, giving the mom and baby plenty of lead way, then continued their journey.
"Do you smell that?" He asked her.
"What? The lavender?"
"Yeah."
"I love that smell."
"Me too. It reminds me of you." He said, then wistfully added. "Some day I will have a garden filled with it. The blue flowers will remind me of your eyes."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"You're getting kinda sappy in your old age Ty!"
"Oh yeah? Sappy huh?" He tried to think of some funny comeback, but instead he slid his hand into hers. "Is this okay?"
"Yes." She whispered. "Your hand feels nice."
They walked on, down the winding path, under the starry sky. Neither said a word. It wasn't necessary. The night creatures had enough to say.
When they reached the large oak, he spied the worn board suspended by two thick ropes dangling from its sturdy branches. "Every kid should have a swing like this in their yard." He decided.
"Did you?"
"Nah. But I wanted one." He said wistfully. "And. A treehouse. I wanted a treehouse like the neighbor kids."
"You know. Growing up, we did not have either one."
"Huh. I am surprised."
"Maybe it's a dad's job to make those."
"That would explain it."
"Yeah." Then she asked. "Do you think Mr. Bell made that one for Mrs. Bell? You know. They didn't have children."
"I wouldn't doubt it."
"I can imagine him pushing her. Mrs. Bell laughing."
"Wanna have a ride?"
She giggled. "Really?"
"Yeah. Come on."
They looped the horse's reins around a nearby sapling, then headed back to the swing laughing.
"Get on!" He urged her.
As she sat on the plank of wood, her fingers wrapped tightly around the thick rope, he stood behind her, his hands pulling the swing toward him as he walked backward. He released the swing, gravity propelling her forward, her hair fluttering behind her. A long laugh escaped her lips, happy music to his ears. Her pendulum swung back to him, he pushed her away delighting her. She leaned back, feet pointed to the sky. Back and forth her laughter mixed with his into the night sounds.
"That was fun!" She said. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time...thanks." He couldn't see her wide grin, but he could feel it.
Gathering the horses, they headed back to the house, though neither was ready to end their walk. But, it was well past midnight.
She quietly closed the door behind her, hoping not to disturb their hosts just down the hall.
"Hey." He said softly. Ty was sitting on the guest bed, on top of the crazy quilt, his back against the headboard propped up with frilly pillows, his legs stretched out before him. He was wearing Mr. Bell's stripped cotton pajama bottoms, his chest and feet were bare.
"Hey." She turned toward him. She looked like angel to him, standing there in front of him, her smile shy, her blue eyes unsure. Her hair combed, gently waved around her face, cascading down her shoulders and back. She was wearing a long, white night gown, edged in delicate lace. The outline of her body was barely visible through the soft cotton.
He could not speak. He could only smile shyly back.
"It's Mrs. Bell's. Her grandmother made it for her. For her sixteenth birthday. She made this lace by hand." Her fingertIps touching it gently. "She crocheted it. Mrs. Bell is teaching me to crochet. Did I tell you that?" She prattled on, not really sure what to say, what to do. Her cheeks felt warm, flushed, pink.
"Amy. You are beautiful." He said, his voice hushed.
She gazed at him, first his handsome face, his green eyes, his crooked smile, then his broad chest, toned arms. She smiled when she noticed the old fashioned pajama bottoms.
"Mr. Bell's. Hope you don't mind if I go shirtless. I was kinda hot."
"Of course not." She crawled into bed beside him, her back to the headboard, her knees bent. They didn't touch, that would be too much, for friends, even best friends.
"You ready to get started? Reading your journal?" He asked, as he raised the leather bound book so she could see.
"Um. Not yet."
"Oh? Delay tactics?"
"Maybe." Then she asked. "Ty. Did something happen today? In class?"
He audibly sucked air into his lungs then released it. Then he began. "Not so much in class. But after class. I talked with my professor. Rather he talked to me. I just listened and said Yes sir." Then he added, "He seems to be a big fan of yours."
"Oh. Okay...?" Confused, but she asked. "Ty. What happened?"
"Well. I have to find another position with another licensed vet."
"Makes sense."
"In ten days...or I have to leave school."
"Oh. Wow. Well. Okay." She added, trying to be reassuring, calm. "What's your plan? What are your options?"
"I have only one."
"You only need one. What is it?"
"The India Vet Clinic in Ahmedabad...India." He grimaced.
"India? Like the country?"
"Yeah."
"Wow!" She caught her breath. "Oh Ty! Well, um, that's great. How in the world did you find that? It seems pretty obscure. And.. so far away."
"Amit has been trying to get me to go with him for some time."
"Who is Amit?"
"Amit Agarwal. He's in my study group at school." He said.
"You never mentioned him." Then she conceded. "But, I guess you never really talk about any of your school friends or professors."
He shrugged his shoulders. "You would like Amit. He's very smart, but very humble. He's kinda funny in a polite, proper way. His dad is the head of the India Vet Clinic. So I can get in pretty easily."
"I see. Well... that is very exciting!" She didn't know what to say but wanted to encourage him. Just as he always encouraged her. "Ty. That sounds really great. Tell me all about it."
"Well. It's a charitable foundation that works with the local vet school there to care for animals, domesticated and wild, free of charge. Volunteer vets and vet students from all over the world work with the staff vets. The volunteers are housed in basic barracks at the clinic. Amit says the program is really intense, lots of unique cases, different animals, lots of surgical experience." He became more excited as he talked, his eyes flashing, his hands gesturing.
"Wow. Oh Ty. What a wonderful opportunity for you. How long is the internship?"
"Depends. Anywhere from two weeks to two months."
"What does it depend on?"
"It's unpaid internship Amy. So I have to pay for my own transportation and housing. So it's about a thousand every two weeks. So at this point, I only have enough for two weeks. That's it." His voice lost its excitement, his shoulders slumped slightly.
"Could you get a loan?" She suggested.
"What bank would give me a loan? Come on Amy."
"I heard there's a new bank in Hudson. Maybe they'd be willing. You know. Just to get started in the community, to attract new customers."
"Really a new bank? I hadn't heard." He sounded cautiously optimistic but doubtful at the same time.
"Yeah. Think it's called something like BFFB." She smiled. "I hear that they only service special clients though." Her voice cracked on the special client bit.
"Of course. Only the special rich clients. Wonder what BFFB stands for Bank for Future Business?"
"No. Best Friends Forever Bank!" She let out a snort as she laughed.
"What?" Then he understood. "No. Amy. I will not take a loan from you. Thank you. But no." He was adamant and a little miffed.
"Oh come. Don't be such a macho man." Teasing him. "Of course you can and should take a loan. Remember our oath...No matter where we go. No matter what we do. You will always be there for me. And I will always be there for you." She paused, letting that sink in.
"No."
"It's me being there for you. And, it's just a loan. You'll pay me back."
"Amy."
"Ty. Please let me do this for you. Please promise me that you'll think about it. It would make me so happy." She was almost giddy. "Please. "
He groaned, then leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Thank you. I promise. I will think about it."
"It's really an amazing opportunity. Wow! India! I would come visit!"
"You would?"
"Only if you wanted me to.." then she added. "Think about. Okay?"
"Okay. Okay." He changed subjects, though his mind was stuck in India. "Tell me about your day. How did it go with Summer? And your riding lesson."
"The riding lesson was good. Except there was no riding?"
"Huh?"
"We started with the basics."
"A join-up?" He guessed.
"You know me so well."
"I do. What did Cassidy think of that?"
"She's a teenager, she wanted to jump, of course. But, somehow I convinced her that they needed to bond, to trust each other first. So she came around. Sally Ride adores Cassidy. They are going to make a great team."
"Good to hear."
"Yeah. I was happy."
"What about the other trainer job at the Polo Club?"
"Well. It's mine for the taking. 2500 a week. Minimum."
"Not bad."
"Yeah. And. I am allowed to train any club member's horse so I can continue my work with Nick as long as I am willing to consider training requests from other members. The club takes 10% of the top of my fees collected."
"Well. What do you think of that?"
"It's much better that Lou's cut."
"I'll say."
"Hey. I saw the studio apartment where I would live. It's private, small but serviceable. There's a tiny kitchen and bath. A double bed, a small table and a couple of chairs. Not much. Spartan's stall wasn't far away."
"That sounds pretty good. A kitchen and a bath. That's more than the loft offers."
"True."
"Any other options?"
"Summer said that I could live with her in her guesthouse. But, she doesn't have a horse stall."
"That doesn't seem ideal."
"I already told her thanks, but no." She paused. "And. Walter. You know Cassidy's dad? Anyhow, he offered a room at his ranch and a stall for Spartan. But, I didn't take that seriously."
"Why not?"
"It just seemed more like being a guest as opposed to a job."
"I get that."
"There was one more. Apparently, UCVM is looking for a ranch hand of sorts at their vet clinic. It's not really up my alley...but maybe you should explore it. I understand that there is an apartment that goes with the job. And..get this, a horse stall. You could have Harley with you." She picked up her phone from the night stand and typed a few key strokes. "Here."
"What is it?"
"A contact at the school for the job. Maybe you could work out a deal to get some tech hours with the clinic vet?"
"Wait. This is Dr. Lance Johnson?"
"Know him?"
"Yeah. He's the professor who told me that I was about to be kicked out. He's the time police too. He would be a nightmare to work with."
"Well. It's still an option. And. He's probably not in cahoots with poachers. That's a plus." She grinned. "You should check into it."
"I will. Thanks." He said grudgingly as he shook his head. "Unbelievable."
"Small world, I guess." She said.
"Yeah...So tell me how was your meeting with Summer?"
She wiggled a bit, repositioning herself so she could face him. "I won't lie Ty. It was really hard. I would not be good on a witness stand."
"That bad, huh? Tell me."
Her eyes began to sting, tears were on the verge. "It was just hard." She fought back raw emotions. "I hated telling all those people, people I didn't know, things, private things. Things that I haven't told anyone. Not even you."
"I'm so sorry Amy." His voice was soft, understanding, empathic as he tried to imagine what she had told them.
"I tried to pretend that I was telling a story about someone else. It was the only thing I could do to stay calm and not cry. But I had to tell them everything." She sighed, stared out toward nothing, lost in her own thoughts.
When she didn't continue, he prodded her. "Um. How many?" She looked at him, not understanding his question. "I mean how many people were in the meeting?"
"Five. Three lawyers, a paralegal and Summer."
"Wow. Pretty serious stuff."
"Yeah. They think I have a strong case. But I need more evidence and witnesses. Or else it's a he said, she said situation."
"Oh. What is your case exactly?"
"Workplace harassment." She said quietly. "We plan to sue Ahmed for breaking Canadian Employment Laws."
"Sue Ahmed? A prince? Really?" He was taken aback. Then blurted out, "What for? What did he do?"
She shook her head. "No. Ty. I don't want to tell you like this. I want you to read it in my journal. I want you to see it from my eyes as it happened."
"Why can't you tell me?"
"I don't want you to get the wrong impression. That I knew. Or that I could have stopped it. Or something worse. Oh I don't know."
"Amy, I don't understand."
"Oh Ty. I was so sure I could handle anything and everything. That Lou was wrong. But I was so stupid, so naive." She shook her head. "When things started to happen, I was certain that I was imagining it. So I pushed away those nagging feelings, and kept going. I really loved the work, the horses, the competitions, the travel, the adventure. And. Ahmed was so kind, so polite. He was a very good boss. But..." her voice trailed off, became nonexistent.
"Amy. What did he do to you?"
"It wasn't what you think. And it wasn't just him. They all played a part. They were all involved."
"Who Amy? Who was involved?" He pushed.
"Syed, Adela, security. Ahmed. I don't know."
"What did they do?"
"Ty. They. They watched me. They photographed me. Videoed me. Listened to my conversations, read my texts, read my email. They just did things."
"What things?" His mind was going wild, imagining what things.
"Please Ty." Her voice trembled as she begged.
"Amy. Please tell me. I want to help you!" He urged her, almost desperate.
"No. Ty. Please. Stop. Please. Understand." She was crying, her face pale, her nose running. She didn't seem to notice.
He stopped. He turned toward her, stroking her arm, her hair. "Okay. Okay. I'm sorry Amy. Hush. It's okay." His voice calmed her, quieted her.
"Amy. I have to ask. Um. Did he hurt you?" He sucked in his breath, afraid of what she might say.
"He kissed me. That night. You saw the video."
"I did but you seemed to.." He stopped, sighed. "Amy. Was there more? More than that kiss?" He had to know.
"No. Not in that way. Not in the way you think." She was suddenly spent, exhausted.
"Thank you for telling me, Amy." He was somewhat relieved, but his insides were a mess of emotions imagining what else happened, what else she couldn't tell him.
She nodded. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. He could feel her heartbeat, her chest expanding, her hot breath on his skin.
"Hey. Let's read your journal. We can plow through it tonight and give to the RCMP tomorrow." He was concerned, frustrated, tired and his voice showed that.
"No Ty. Not tonight. We're both tired."
She turned away from him, closed her eyes and fell into a deep, unreachable sleep.
He sighed as he checked the time. 12:47 am. From the corner of the room he heard a tiny cry, that grew louder with each breath. "Ruthie. You must be hungry."
He got out of bed, lifted the small pup from the box, padded into the kitchen with Amy's journal under his arm.
Hello Everyone.
Hope you enjoy this chapter. Tell me what you think. I so appreciate you reading my amateur stories. Plus, I enjoy your feedback, your reviews, your ideas, your take on possible twists and turns!
Thank you kindly. Be safe, stay healthy.
SBR
Ps. I want to thank tkbird and pat. Your kind words of encouragement got me through a bump in the road. Thanks!