Love in rodeo

Chapter eight

I woke up in the horse pasture. My head hurt as if a bowling ball had hit it. I sat up in the pasture. Cupid and Brandy were laying down a few feet away from me while Red Dawn layed exactly next to me. I reached out and petted his red fur. He's ears twitched but other then that he didn't move. I stood up. My legs started to shake while my heart hurt. I grabbed my chest as a little whimper escaped my lips. My grandpa was dead. And he wasn't come back.

I started  to head back to the house. My jeans and shirt were covered in mud and grass while my hair stuck up everywhere with grass all mangled in it.

I stepped into the quietest my house has ever been. Trying not to wake anyone up I tip toed my way to the fridge. When I opened it suddenly my appetite disappeared. Nothing was wrong with the fridge it was just I wasn't feeling so hungry anymore. So instead I grabbed the milk and pour me a glass.

I took a small swig before I saw my phone was on the table. Ha  I left my phone here the whole time? I picked up the phone to see if my parents had messed with it and sure enough they had. Several calls were made to family members which I didn't mind but I did mind the one call they made to unknown number I had yet to put in my phone. I checked my text messages to see that my parents had text our adress to this number.

Suddenly not only did grief fill my heart but also anger. Jack was nothing to me so why did they invite him. I threw my hands up in the air and placed them on top of my head. Just breath May. Breath in...breath out. I quietly talked to myself in my head.

"Well if Jack is coming you might want yo take a shower" I whispered to myself.

And with that I walked down the hall to one of the two bathrooms we owned in this house. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a red tang top I started to clean up this mess that they called a girl.

*****

I jumped out of the shower feeling a little better then I did when I first got in it. I slowly started walk down the stairs after I had got dressed in a deep red tang top and a pair of cut off shorts.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I heard familiar and not so familiar mumbles coming from the kitchen. I heard grandpa and May. With out thinking twice I walked into kitchen. Both my heart and mind did a back flip when I saw my mom and dad at the kitchen table but that wasn't what made my heart and mind do a back flip.

Oh no it was the third person sitting at the table. It was Jack. My parents did call him. All heads turned to me as soon as my foot hit the tile. I suddenly wished I had just went outside to visit the horses.

"May your up" my dad got up from the table. He was dressed in his ranch clothes and one of his all time rodeo champion buckles just like he always did.

"Of course I'm up" my eyes darted between my farther and Jack.

Why in the world would he come? I didn't tell him anything about my life? We didn't know each other that well so why would he come to help out?

"You didn't come in last night hon. Where were you?" my Mon slowly stood up from her chair as if she was in pain. Who am I kidding she was in pain. She just lost her dad.

"I fell asleep in the horse pasture" I said a little ignored. I know I shouldn't be but I was becoming a bitter person. With out a hello to Jack I left the room.

As I shut the front door behind me I picked up my pass. Grabbing a lead rope and halter from a fence post near by I ran the rest of the way rest of the way to Red Dawn's pen. Crawling through the barb wire fence I spotted my pony.

His ears perked up when I whistled at him. He pranced on over to me. As soon as he was close enough I slipped his halter on and tired the lead rope to the halter making it act as rains. Throwing the lead rope over Red Dawn's big head I grabbed a handful of his mane. As soon as I was sure I had a good grip on him I swung my body up onto his bare back.

With one swift movement me and Red Dawn were on the run. Red Dawn picked up his pass as the barb wire fence came close  and closer. With a little nudge of my heels Red Dawn launched from his hind legs up into the air. For minute while my fingers were tangled in Red Dawn's mane and my body was leaned forward I felt free. I felt as free as a little blue bird that just spread it's wings for its first time leaving its nest. With a thud Red Dawn landed back onto the solid ground. Wasting no time he continued at a run.

I didn't ride bare back a lot but I found it quite fun. Feeling the horse's muscles beneath you as you raced off to only God knows where. I stopped Red Dawn as a creek came  into view. I wasn't much in the mood for a afternoon swim so I just slid off of Red Dawn's back. I threw the lead rope rains to the ground letting Red Dawn roam around for a nice pile of grass as I headed over to a big old oak tree. It's leaves rustled in the summer breeze as I slid down its trunk.

I watched as Red Dawn found someplace to roll around as an eagle made noise somewhere up in the sky. I sighed. How was the world still moving when I felt stuck in place. Then a saying my mom's mom always use to say to me when I got in a ruff patch of life or I was grieving over someone.

Imagine if the world stopped spinning and moving every time someone was feeling down or was dead. The world would never move. So what makes you think it'll stop for you my dear? Just pull up your big girl pants and get back on the moving world before it leaves ya too far behind.

Her words permanently burned in my memory. My grandma Turner was the best dang grandma you could ever ask for. Even in her early 70s she still rode horses. She was one of the smartest people I've ever met and probably will ever meet in my life time. She always wanted to learn more and she always loved to work with her hands. From wood working to ridding she did it all. Another saying she always told me was:

Jack of all trades and master of none.

She used that one a lot on me. Why master one when you can learn more then one? she would always ask me if I went to say something afterwards. Needless to say she was my most favoritest person in the world. I would never get tired of her stories or her voice. But last year she passed away leaving me only her words of wisdom and sweet sweet memories.

I sighed. My heart started to ach with pain as I thought more and more about my grandparents that are finally reunited again. I was happy they were together again but it hurt to see them go.

Their death is not what hurts us the most dear. It's the fact they left with out us. We grieve because we are left behind.

My grandma's voice rang in my head. A silent tear rolled off my cheek as her face popped in my mind. A little smile was forced on my face. I leaned my head back against the tree as my eye lids became heavy. Darkness filled my vision.