A Saved Friendship (cont'd)
By Eowyn HorseCrazy

Chapter Five:

As I started walking down the stall way half hour later, I tried talking to God.  But, I couldn’t think of one thing to say.  One thing to ask Him.  I knew I needed help, but the words just wouldn’t come out; my brain was tied in knots like my stomach.  As I passed Nickers' stall, I peeked in.  Her stall was in need of cleaning.  Why not?  I asked myself, going to the tack room for the pitchfork.  It’s only a favor.  Might even soften Rae up!  After I got the wheelbarrow and pitchfork, I made my way back to Nickers’ stall.  All of the Devine’s horses are in their stall at night, and from 2:00 to 4:00 because that’s usually when somebody is riding and they don’t want the other horses out ‘causing trouble’. 

Back inside, I worked around the pony and forked out all of the dirty hay, making 2 trips to the manure wagon.  After that, I got the clean wheelbarrow and loaded it with straw.  I spread it around in her stall, and then went ahead and mucked the rest of the stalls, including the palomino’s.  I decided to dub her Golden Glory.  An hour later, I was done with the stalls, so I put the wheelbarrows and the pitchfork back in the tack room and grabbed Nickers’ green grooming bucket.  

I went in and set the bucket down, grabbed the rubber currycomb and began grooming the mare, who welcomed my company.  After grooming her, I did the same with Towaco, Spirit, Gracie and Gifty.  Gifty was the sweetest horse in the whole barn.  She had her mother’s temperament; sweet, quiet, gentle, and compliant.  She was starting to grow into her legs and her flanks where filling out, making her look very athletic, graceful, and baby-horse-powerful.  I stroked her neck before leaving her stall. I started to go home, but again, stopped in the stall way.  I glanced at my watch.  It had only taken me an hour to muck and 45 minutes to groom.  It was 3:45.  Lunchtime for the horses.  Why not go ahead and feed them, too? 

Just then, Rae’s brothers Abel, 14, and Grant, 13, walked into the barn. 

“Oh, hi!” Abel said to me. 

“Um, hi,” I replied. 

“Are you looking for Rachel?” Grant asked me. 

“Um, n...no.  Not exactly.” 

“Oh, what are you doing?” Abel asked me.  

“It’s the horse’s lunch time, so I was getting ready to feed them.” 

“Oh,” said Grant, “you don’t have to do that.” 

“I know.  I want to.” 

“Thanks!” Grant and Abel said together.  “We appreciate that, Elisabeth!” 

“Mmhmm,” I responded. 

“See you!”  They walked out of the barn.  

I went and got the wheelbarrow again and fed the horses, filling the palomino’s hay net and hayrack, also.  Just as I was making my way down the stall way towards the tack room with the wheelbarrow, I heard Rae and Janelle with their horses behind me.  I scurried into the tack room, hoping they hadn’t seen me. 

I was almost relieved when I heard Janelle say, “Oh, Rachel, that one girl’s gone home!” 

I was trying to figure out how to get out without being seen, when an idea popped into my head.  “Phew!” I exhaled loudly, stepping into the stall way… right behind the girls.  Janelle laughed... a high, obnoxious noise.

Then Rae yelled, “Hey, Janie, looks like my brothers were doing some work for us!” 

Janelle walked to her stall and looked back at Rae. “What do you…?”  Janelle’s question was cut off by a shriek when she looked into her stall.  “Rachel!  Didn’t you tell everyone to stay out of Goldie’s stall?” 

“Yes, I did!” Rae ran to Janelle.  “Why?”  

“Oh my gosh!  Look!” Janelle, eyes wide, practically jumped up and down. 

“Whoa!... I’m sorry they didn’t obey me, Janie, but they did do your chores.  You can’t be rude... you know?” 

“Yeah, I guess.  Yeah, I agree with you,” Janelle replied. 

I cleared my throat.  “Oh!  You guys are back!  And, it’s good you agree that you can’t be rude.”  I stepped up beside Rae, who looked from Janelle to me, wearing a confused expression. 

“Elisabeth?” Rae asked. 

“Yes, it was me,” I replied, then, turning to Janelle, I forced myself to look her in the eyes and say sweetly, “I’m really sorry, Janelle.  I didn’t know I’d irritate you.  I just wanted to help.  I won’t...” 

Janelle looked at me and frowned.  “I thought I told you not to get in Goldie’s stall!  You’re the rudest, meanest, most inconsiderate person in the whole world!”  

“Thanks for noticing…!”  

“Why can’t you just go home and play with your stupid plastic horses, Miss Muck?  Hmm?  Why don’t you just…?” 

“Leave?” Rae, who had been staring nervously at the floor, intervened.  “I think you had better leave, Janelle.  Now!” 

“But the sleepover...!” 

“I don’t care!” 

“You never where my friend, anyway, Rachel Devine!” Janelle snapped, jerking her horse out of the stall and yanking the cell phone off her belt.  I stared at Rae, whose face turned red. 

“C’mon, Beth, I could use your help unsaddling Chakotay.” 

As we walked Chakotay to his stall, I heard Janelle talking to somebody about bringing a trailer and picking her up.  I helped Rae unsaddle the paint gelding silently.  After that, she went to walk out of her stall to get her grooming bucket, and I grabbed her arm. 

“Here, Rae, I’ll get it.” 

She smiled.  I’d never appreciated that familiar, gentle, friendly smile as much as I did just then.  It was like we had forgiven each other without saying anything.  I smiled back, and then went and got the blue grooming bucket and came back to the stall.  She grabbed the currycomb and started on Chakotay’s right side, and I got the little comb for his mane, tail, and bangs and set to work.  We groomed in silence until I had started on his hooves and Rae was washing Chakotay’s face with the soft blue sponge. 

“Rae,” I said softly, bending down to pick Chakotay’s right hind hoof.  “Can you please…?” 

“No, Elisabeth, I can’t…”  

I didn’t listen to whatever else she said.  I dropped the hoof pick and stared at Chakotay’s splotchy side. 

“Rae, I…” 

“No, Elisabeth,” she cut me off.  “I was the one who was wrong.  I need you to forgive me.  You can do that, can’t you?” 

I picked the pick back up and walked to Rae, who smiled sadly. 

“Rae, I have been praying all day and night for this to happen!  Of course I’ll forgive you, Rae!  You’re my best and only friend!  And besides…” I smiled sadly and looked at the ground.  “…I was harsh on you.  I’d get irritated if someone just started bossing me around and shouting at me.” 

Rae smiled warmly.  “I forgive you, too, then.” 

“Thanks!” I reached out and hugged Rae, being hugged back.  After a minute I stepped back and looked at my friend.  “But what about Janelle?” 

“Oh, that.”  Rae looked at the ground, and then locked her deep green eyes around me.  “She’s not really my friend, Beth.  I just met her the day that you left.  I wanted to get back at you for trying to correct me.  I know I’m a fool, but…” 

I laughed, “So am I.  But you wouldn’t mind having a fool for a best friend again, would you?” 

Rae smiled, “Of course not... as long as my fellow fool doesn’t mind having me for a best friend!” 

We both laughed and hugged again, and then finished up with Chakotay.  After we finished, Rae and I got Spirit and rode double through the pasture and along the familiar, well-worn path that we had ridden on for many a day.  It felt good to be friends again.  And, as we rode bareback with Spirit’s powerful legs reaching out and pounding the earth to a musical rhythm, I could almost hear God saying, 'Way to go, Beth!'  And, I knew that I had someone in addition to God to thank; my brother.  He had saved our friendship.  I owed him.  Big time.

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