All the King's Horses (14 page)

Suddenly I remembered how much happier Grandpa was when he looked at pictures of horses than he was the rest of the time. And I thought,
hey, maybe that’s it – maybe he’s been getting worse and worse because there aren’t any horses to remind him of who he is
. ‘OK,’ I said. ‘Ask the Gordons, and if they say it’s all right, we’ll come.’

The Gordons did say it was all right, and Colin thought I really had something about Grandpa’s needing horses to be Grandpa. So we were all set, but we agreed not to ask Mom if we could take him; she might have said no, and it would have made us feel bad to disobey her.

It took a long time for Saturday afternoon to come, and when it came, Mom took for ever deciding what to wear, and we were sure we’d be too late to see Tiffany ride. But she finally left, and the moment the car bumped over the railroad tracks, we asked Grandpa if he’d like to go look at a horse. He jumped up right away, looking so happy that I forgot about feeling guilty.

When we were halfway to the tracks, Jenny’s little dog ran out of the warehouses and barked
at
us, and she came out to hush him. It took me a moment to recognize her, though; her hair was clean, and she was wearing a decent skirt and a pea coat instead of her usual ratty clothes.

‘Going for a walk?’ she said. ‘Lots of traffic that way.’

Colin and I nodded and started to go on, but Grandpa stopped and smiled at her. ‘Horse,’ he said. ‘Going look over horse.’

‘That’s nice,’ she said, giving him a smile that made me feel funny. ‘I like horses. Can I come, if I leave Bran behind?’ She pointed to the dog.

‘Well, um,’ I said, ‘we don’t really know these people …’

But Grandpa interrupted me. ‘Come,’ he said, smiling. ‘See horse.’

That did it; Colin and I couldn’t argue with two grown-ups, even if they were both a little crazy. So we waited while Jenny put the dog inside, and then she came with us. I was embarrassed at first, because I didn’t know how we could explain her to the Gordons, but pretty soon, I was glad she was there, because walking along the road was a lot different from driving down it. There were pick-ups turning in and out of gas stations and hardware stores, and big trucks backing out of lumberyards, and cars making U-turns in parking lots of supermarkets
–
and none of the drivers were looking for people, so we had to stop and run and dodge all the time. I was really scared for Grandpa, but Jenny took his arm and steered him through everything as if she’d walked in craziness like that all her life.

‘Thanks a lot,’ I said to her, when we finally turned off on the Gordons’ quiet street. ‘We really shouldn’t have …’

‘It’s all right, hon,’ she said. ‘I owe you a favour, remember?’

A favour? Then I remembered the oatmeal, but too late to make some witty remark. Grandpa saved me by taking my hand and pointing around us with his hook. ‘Horse here?’

‘Close,’ I said. And it was pretty close. We passed five houses that looked like ours only not run-down, then three smaller, newer houses hidden by trees; then, just like Tiffany had said, we came to a sign with
Gordon
written on it. And there, at the bottom of the driveway, were Tiffany and two grown-ups watching a girl in chaps ride a liver-chestnut horse in a ring beside a beautiful little barn. The horse pulled up when he saw us, with his ears pointed forward and his nostrils wide open. I reached for Grandpa’s hand, but it was OK; he waited until the horse decided we were all right, then he
walked
quietly to the fence and settled down to watch.

Colin gave me a poke. ‘Look at him,’ he whispered. ‘It’s working.’

It was true. Grandpa really looked like Grandpa, with the expression that meant he’d blotted out everything but the horse he was watching. I stared at him, hardly able to believe it … then gradually he stopped looking like Grandpa, and started looking like the warrior in the Seer’s dream. I blinked, and when I looked again, Grandpa was just Grandpa, of course – but Jenny was looking at me with a funny kind of smile. I turned to watch the horse, feeling my cheeks get hot and wondering why Jenny, of all people, always made me feel so dumb.

The horse was one of those Quarter Horses that are built like Thoroughbreds and make great jumpers. He was young, all right, but you could see Gwen had spent a lot of time with him, because he did everything she told him to, even though he was looking all around. After a few minutes, when she halted him in the middle of the ring, he stood without fidgeting, and I was impressed, because most young horses won’t do that in a new place.

‘You’ve done a great job with him, Gwen,’ said the man who had to be Mr Gordon. On
our
side of the ring, Grandpa nodded.

Gwen smiled. ‘Thank you. I’m afraid his mind is everywhere but here, but I think he’ll be OK for Tiffany now.’ She dismounted and patted the horse. ‘What do you think, Dandy?’

Dandy gave her a little bump with his nose. Mr Gordon and Tiffany ducked through the fence, and he shortened the stirrups while Tiffany stroked Dandy’s neck. After a minute, Mr Gordon gave Tiffany a leg up, and Gwen gave her the reins. ‘Just walk at first, Tiffany,’ she said anxiously. ‘Hardly anyone’s ridden him but me.’

Tiffany nodded, and her face was very serious. When they started off, her back looked like someone had shoved a riding crop down it, and Dandy walked as if he were on eggs, but you could see they both knew what they were doing. I glanced at Grandpa; he was nodding.

After they’d walked around the ring a few times, Mr Gordon called, ‘Try a trot.’

Dandy swished his tail and looked at Gwen as Tiffany closed her legs, but he went into it. Tiffany’s serious look turned into a smile, and I knew why: it looked like Dandy was floating.

Gwen smiled, too. ‘Isn’t that nice?’ she called to Tiffany. And then, turning to Mrs Gordon, she said, ‘She’s good.’

‘She’s very good,’ agreed Mrs Gordon. ‘She’s
one
of those kids whose whole heart is in her horse, but it’s more than sentiment. She works.’

I gave Tiffany a thumbs-up as she rode by, but I wasn’t sure she saw it. She’d stopped smiling, and her face looked just like Grandpa’s; her whole mind was wrapped up in getting Dandy to go just exactly right. Walk, trot, halt. Walk, trot, circle, halt. Gradually, Dandy stopped looking around; his head came down, his strides got evener, and he looked really good.

‘OK,’ said Mr Gordon finally. ‘You’ve both done great. Let’s give him a break.’

Tiffany looked sad, but she halted him in the centre and slid off. The Gordons and Gwen ducked through the fence and strolled towards her; before I could stop him, Grandpa had ducked through the fence, too, so we had to go with him. I was afraid he might go straight for Dandy, but he just nodded at everybody and stayed out of the way.

‘Well, what do you think, Tiffany?’ said Gwen. ‘Do you like him?’

Tiffany nodded so hard I thought her helmet was going to fall off, but she didn’t say anything; she just stroked Dandy’s neck.

‘It looks like a good combination to me,’ said Mrs Gordon. ‘But of course, the decision is yours.’

Gwen swallowed and looked over Dandy’s back. ‘You wouldn’t just ride him, would you, Tiffany? I mean, you’d talk to him?’

‘Oh yes!’ said Tiffany. ‘I’ve got lots of time, and I’d spend it all with him!’

Gwen looked at her, and I saw tears in her eyes. ‘OK, then,’ she said. ‘It’s a deal.’

‘Thank you,’ whispered Tiffany. And she put both her arms around Dandy’s neck.

Mr Gordon cleared his throat. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘that’s that. Dandy can go in the extra stall while we do the paperwork, but first …’ He put his hand on Tiffany’s shoulder. ‘I think we should meet Tiffany’s friends.’

Tiffany turned around, looking embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘This is Sarah Madison, and her brother Colin, and her grandfather, Angus O’Brien, and …’ Gwen made a little noise and stared when Tiffany said Grandpa’s name, so I thought that’s why she stopped. But when I looked at her, I could see that wasn’t so. She was staring at Jenny.

I opened my mouth to explain who Jenny was, but Mr Gordon had already stepped forward. ‘Tom Gordon,’ he said. ‘And this is my wife, Judy.’ He held out his left hand to Grandpa. ‘We’re very pleased to have you here.’

Grandpa smiled and shook hands, and when I introduced Jenny as our neighbour, everyone shook hands with her, too. Tiffany was looking OK then, so I figured she’d just been surprised to see us with a stranger.

After all the introductions were over, Grandpa got down to business, just the way he always had. ‘Good girl, good horse,’ he said, laying his good hand on Tiffany’s shoulder and nodding at Dandy. ‘Good.’

I bit my lip, because I wasn’t sure what everyone would think when they found out Grandpa couldn’t speak a whole sentence, but Tiffany and Gwen looked as if he’d just given them a trophy, and both the Gordons looked pleased, so it was OK.

‘Let’s go back to the tack room and have some cocoa,’ said Mrs Gordon.

‘Good idea,’ said Mr Gordon. ‘Would you like to see our horses, Mr O’Brien? They’re Thoroughbred crosses that we’ve raised from weanlings.’

Grandpa nodded happily, and he followed Mr Gordon, Tiffany, and Gwen to the barn. Mrs Gordon looked after him, shaking her head. But before she could say anything, Jenny spoke up. ‘It’s great that Tiffany’s going to get that nice horse.’

‘I’ll say,’ said Mrs Gordon. ‘There’s
some
justice in the world at least, and she deserves all she can get. Her parents are …’ She glanced at Colin and me and broke off.

Jenny watched Tiffany stop Dandy at the barn door. ‘She spend a lot of time here?’

‘A fair amount,’ said Mrs Gordon. ‘But it’s always touch and go. Most of the time, her parents are glad to have her off their hands, but sometimes they get defensive, or something – I can’t figure out exactly what it is. When that happens, they don’t let her come for a while. Fortunately, they slip back into their old ways pretty fast, but it’s very hard on her.’ She sighed. ‘I wish there were more we could do, but her social worker says there isn’t, since it’s not a matter of physical abuse—’

‘Cocoa’s ready!’ called Mr Gordon.

We went in, and there was Grandpa, nodding while Gwen told him how she’d trained Dandy, and looking happier than I’d seen him look since he’d left Pennsylvania. I gave him half a cup of cocoa (so he wouldn’t spill it), and then listened to the horse talk until Tiffany edged over to me and said, ‘Let’s go look at Dandy.’

I nodded, and we slipped out. As we walked down the aisle, I thought she was going to talk
about
how great Dandy was, but instead she said, ‘Is Jenny really your neighbour?’

‘Well,’ I said, looking over my shoulder to be sure the tack room door was shut, ‘she lives in one of the warehouses, with those … er, poor people. But she’s really nice.’

‘Oh, sure,’ said Tiffany, looking embarrassed. ‘I didn’t mean that. It’s just … never mind.’ She dug two carrots out of her pocket and handed one to me. ‘Let’s give him these.’

Dandy stuck his head over the stall door and bopped her with his nose. She giggled and gave him his carrot. ‘Isn’t he cute?’ she said.

‘He sure is,’ I said, and I felt a little sad as I watched him rub his head on Tiffany’s shoulder. He’d never go to the Olympics – he just wasn’t that sort of horse – but he was well-trained, and sweet, and if I’d had a horse like that, I’d have been the happiest kid in the world.

Tiffany looked out the barn door. ‘Look, it’s starting to snow! Isn’t it pretty?’ She sighed happily and leaned against the stall door. ‘Oh, Sarah – I never even dreamed things could be this perfect. Not for me.’

Something about the way she said it made me ashamed of feeling jealous. ‘You deserve things

to be perfect,’ I said. And I meant it.

*

We didn’t have to walk back; Mrs Gordon gave us a ride as far as our road. She wanted to take us all the way to our house, so she could tell Mom we could come and visit the horses whenever we wanted – but I said we hadn’t been sure Grandpa could walk that far, so we hadn’t told Mom where we were going, and it would be better, all in all, if we explained what had happened and got her to call. Mrs Gordon gave Jenny a funny look and said it sure was a good thing she’d come along with us, but she smiled when she dropped us off by the tracks, so we knew she wouldn’t squeal.

We were going to tell Mom right away – both about the Gordons and about how much better Grandpa was when there were horses around – but when we got home, there was a three-coloured Chevy with fins behind our old humpbacked Ford in the driveway, and there was smoke coming out of the chimney. I looked at Colin. ‘Should we go in the front door and say hi to Mom’s friend?’

‘Uh-uh,’ he said quickly. ‘It’ll take a lot of horse visits before Grandpa’s comfortable with guests. It’d be better to go in the side door and up the back stairs.’

We did, and it worked, which showed us Grandpa really was better. Usually when we
came
home, he looked around for Mom, but this time, he settled right down in his study. I brushed my hair and put it back in the clasp Mom was always trying to get me to wear; then I went to Colin’s room to persuade him to come be polite, but he’d put his No Trespassing sign on his door. I couldn’t figure that out – he’d been so happy all the way home because of Grandpa – but I knew better than to barge in when that sign was up, so I left him be.

When I got downstairs, the sliding double doors to the living room were closed, which was unusual. Of course, in a drafty old house like that, it didn’t do much good to light a fire unless you closed the doors, but … I tiptoed up to them and peeked through the little crack. And I saw Mr Crewes and Mom sitting on the sofa.

I thought of going to fetch Colin; then I thought some more. Mr Crewes had driven him home the afternoon Grandpa went to the playground, so he must have recognized the new Chevy. Maybe that was what had upset him. I peeked through the crack again. There wasn’t much to be upset about; there was a whole cushion between them, and they were both drinking coffee. But Mom wasn’t looking very happy, so I decided I’d better listen a little before I went in.