~~~ Part 2 ~~~
Henry and Elizabeth awoke the next morning to the sounds of the ocean and the crowing of roosters. Henry took advantage of the early hour to go for a short morning run along the beach, returning to find his wife had fallen back asleep. After quietly placing a cup of coffee on her nightstand, he stripped out of his Marines T-shirt and jogging shorts and took a cool shower before crawling back into bed beside her. Elizabeth began to stir as he placed kisses along her back, and she rolled over to embrace him. "Morning, love," her sleepy voice greeted him.
"Good morning."
Henry ordered them breakfast, and they enjoyed a bit of snuggle time and breakfast in bed before Elizabeth got up. She was really looking forward to their plans for the morning.
It didn't take them long to get ready, settling into outfits they might have worn at home - their old home, the farmhouse, that is. They both wore lightweight shirts, jeans, and boots. Before heading outdoors, they applied sunscreen and insect repellent to all exposed areas and donned sunglasses to protect themselves from the tropical sun and insects.
Henry drove their somewhat beat-up rental jeep the short distance to the stable, where the owner Annie, a white English woman about their age, was waiting to greet them. They had the stable to themselves for the morning, and Annie would be leading them on a walk along the beach and sand dunes in the direction of their hotel. If they were interested, she told them, they could take the horses into the ocean. Elizabeth and Henry exchanged knowing looks. Of course they were interested! Annie handed them small waterproof fanny packs to keep their phones and other pocket items dry.
Annie introduced them to all of the horses, including the two Paso Fino horses they would be riding: a perlino mare named Blondie for Henry, and Muscovado, a bay gelding with a thin band, for Elizabeth. They saddled up, chatting about Annie's decades living on Anguilla, Elizabeth and Henry's horse farm years in Virginia, and Annie and Elizabeth's shared experience of growing up with horses. They snapped a few selfies with the horses to share on the group chat with the kids, and then they mounted their horses.
Elizabeth had thought she was fairly relaxed before, but as soon as she was seated, a sense of calm overtook her. It had been too long since she had been on a horse. She missed her horses, most of all Buttercup. Sometimes it felt like a lifetime since they had lived on the horse farm. Would it one day feel like a lifetime since she had been Secretary of State?
The last time she'd quit a job, horses had regrounded her. Her whole world had been turned upside down, and it was while riding that she felt most like herself again, like she was invincible and the world was full of possibility. And now here she was, having once again turned in her resignation to Dalton, but the circumstances were entirely different. This time she knew exactly what she would be doing next, at least for the immediate future. She would be throwing herself into work like never before.
While she wouldn't be deploying overseas, she would be traveling constantly for over a year, likely away from home and her family more often than not. And after that? She was signing up for the possibility of an all-consuming job for four - maybe even eight - years. A job that would change not just her life forever, but the lives of her entire family, even more so than being Secretary of State had already done. Did any of them understand what they would be getting into?
Or, she could fail spectacularly, be defeated and have no idea what she would be doing next. Maybe this wasn't so different from leaving the CIA after all. Suddenly she didn't feel nearly so calm. She took a deep breath, concentrating on the air in her lungs. "You can do this, Elizabeth," she thought to herself. Below her, Muscovado breathed too, waiting patiently for his cue.
She looked over at Henry, on his horse. Henry, who had learned to ride horses when they were dating because horses were so important to her. Henry, who had taken the leap with her and supported her completely in moving to a horse farm, in returning to UVA, in raising a family, in being Secretary of State. Henry, who she knew would be beside her through her campaign and possible presidency. Henry, who had brought her here, to Anguilla, to a horse farm in Anguilla - how cool was that? She looked at him and couldn't help but smile. She looked down at Muscovado, who let out an encouraging nicker. She was going to do this. They were ready to run.
Henry watched Elizabeth, waiting to see how she would take to her horse. He'd seen her with many horses over the years, but mostly he pictured her riding Buttercup. This horse had similar coloring, but of course there was only one Buttercup. A range of emotions played out across her face, from eager to calm to nostalgic to unsettled to determined to confident. His Elizabeth, who had been through so much, who he knew needed this time to recharge, who could do anything. He felt so much love for this woman, and so proud to be by her side. Sometimes when he looked at her, he thought his heart would burst. She smiled warmly at him. He was glad he had found this place. Elizabeth had once told him that home was wherever he was, but he knew her affinity for horses. Home was also where the horses were. So he did what he could.
Elizabeth took off, soon cantering ahead. Henry followed some ways behind, paying attention to his horse's ambling lateral gait. The paso corto had a distinctive sound, and there was hardly any bounce at all. Henry squeezed his legs and Blondie sped up. The faster paso largo was indeed as smooth as Annie had said, something Henry appreciated, as his back was older now than when they had lived on the farm.
Elizabeth was enjoying the freedom of being back on a horse, of seeing the world moving past her at a higher speed and from a higher vantage point, of feeling her motion at one with another creature. Muscovado resembled Buttercup in coloring, but he rode quite differently. He was clearly a very tame horse, used to being ridden by beginners. Elizabeth rode in circles, keeping to the shade as much as possible. Eventually she slowed down, not wanting to overheat the horse.
Henry and Annie caught up to her on her next lap and motioned for her to follow them out of the stables down the short path to the bright blue ocean, the hills of St. Martin visible in the distance. They turned right at Cove Bay, trotting slowly on the packed sand, the ocean to their immediate left, a pond to the right past the sand and grass scrub, and the hot sun at their backs.
It was still early, and the beach was nearly empty, save for a few walkers, joggers, and a lone fisherman. There was a catamaran anchored offshore. The ocean was calm, and the waves lapped gently at the horses' feet, as they made their way confidently along the sand. Beyond the little bit of foam at the sand's edge, the water was crystal clear. The only sounds were muffled hoofbeats, the surf, and the high-pitched tweeting of birds.
They passed a restaurant that looked to be permanently closed, and then the beach curved left, and vegetation-speckled sand dunes obscured the view of the pond. The waves broke further out in the ocean on what must have been shallow rock or coral. From atop his horse, Henry watched seagulls and pelicans diving for fish. The seagulls flapped their wings in flight, but the pelicans glided effortlessly, almost skimming the surface of the water, climbing a few feet before tucking in their wings and executing spins immediately before dive bombing into the water. The horses walked single file along the narrowing strip of sand. Henry couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Elizabeth look so relaxed. She'd been going nonstop for years; they both had, really.
Ahead, a rocky point and the domed buildings of their hotel were coming into view. Henry pulled up alongside Elizabeth, their horses keeping pace with one another. A pair of pelicans landed one after the other, as if in formation. A motor boat zipped along in the distance. Henry felt the sweat beading on the back of his neck.
"Ready to head into the water?" Annie asked. They nodded, and Annie led them slowly into the water. As the water hit her legs, Elizabeth was surprised at how warm it was, though it still felt refreshingly cool compared to the blazing sun. The horses seemed quite happy with the opportunity to cool off, wading deeper until their saddles hit the waterline, their bodies fully submerged with only their necks and heads remaining dry.
Henry also appreciated the respite from the heat, although it felt strange to be in the ocean fully-clothed, weighted down by the heavy denim of his soaked jeans. Elizabeth looked gracefully elegant perched on her horse, almost as though she was floating on the water, which reminded him of how Elizabeth would always describe riding Buttercup as like "floating on air".
Elizabeth halted her horse, its chin grazing the salty blue, and Henry stopped beside her. Holding the reins firmly in one hand, Elizabeth reached out to Henry. He extended a hand, and she clasped it in hers.
"Want to move to a horse farm in the Caribbean?" he asked teasingly.
"Maybe if that Pennsylvania Avenue thing falls through," she replied.
He shook his head and squeezed her hand. "It won't. I'll ask you again in four years."
Once the novelty of being in the water had worn off, they turned around to return to the stable, moving to slightly higher ground, just enough so that they were out of the water but their horses weren't. The horses alternated between walking on dry sand and in at least ankle-deep water for most of the ride back. The water was so clear that every now and then they could see fish darting out of the way of the horses.
By the time they got back, the sun had completely dried their clothes, though not their boots. They gave the horses lots of water to drink and hosed them to cool them off and remove the salt. After brushing them down and feeding them carrots, Elizabeth and Henry reluctantly said their goodbyes to Muscovado and Blondie and thanked Annie for a wonderful morning. She welcomed them back anytime, and they made plans for a sunset ride later in the week.