The Ride

I sometimes write things off the top of my head....and have been known to write short stories.  I just read one of them to my sister and she loved it. So, I thought I would share it with you all to see what you thought too.  Here it is:

The Ride

“I got the horses ready.  Let’s go for a ride”, Toby said.

Sam looked up from the dishes she was washing in the sink, and he was amazed at the smile on her face.  Her eyes and her smile shone like the sun in the cloudless sky outside.  He had surprised her with a new mare the weekend before, and knew she couldn’t stay away from her for more than a day.

“I’d love to”, she said.  “Just let me get the basket I packed for us.”  Her dress was a pale blue sundress with royal blue flowers on it, and the bottom flowed around her shins with a silky sound.  She thought about changing into jeans, but chose to just slip on her boots. 

As they walked out to the barn, she almost skipped with excitement, unable to wait to mount her beautiful horse.   Sam felt like a kid in a candy store when she looked at the shiny, almost deep rust coat on her mare.  The mane and tail were like black silk, and shone with the brushing he had given them.  She had named the horse Sadie, for no other reason than that she liked the sound of the name.  It appeared that the horse did too, because when Sam called to her, Sadie lifted her head, and nickered in answer.  There was a connection between them that she had never experience with any other animal.  The first time she rode Sadie, it had been like magic.  They were one with each other, the earth, and the wind, and as they moved together, it was pure freedom.  Sam’s long wavy hair matched Sadie’s coat, and Sam’s mother would have told her that they would get along great for that simple reason.  Sadie laughed to herself at that thought.

Toby’s horse was a solid black gelding with a single white sock and a star on his forehead.  He was breathtakingly beautiful and had a coat that felt like velvet.   Black Jack was his name and he and Sadie seemed to take to each other right away too.  They had been inseparable since Toby brought Sadie home.

Toby and Sam mounted their respective horses, and Sam placed the picnic basket in her lap.  Her dress draped over the rump of the horse like a princess’ silk gown, adding a beautiful contrast.  They had decided to ride for a little while and find a place to set up their picnic.  Toby chose a clearing by the big pond on their property, where the only shade was provided by the beautiful green canopy of a massive oak tree that was over 100 years old.

Toby got down off Black Jack and took the picnic basket from Sam.  As he looked up at her, he saw a devilish grin on her face and that sparkle in her eyes that told him she was ready to fly.  No sooner had he placed the basket on the ground, he heard the click of Sam’s tongue and the yell he was so familiar with.  As he turned, he saw Sadie and Sam take off over the meadow and he hurried to get back on Black Jack to catch up to them.   The race was on.

Sam loved to gallop across fields and down dirt roads, just for the simple feeling of flying.  She was amazed by the power and grace in her Sadie, and the exhilaration she felt with each stride of her horse.  Sam looked behind her to see if Toby was gaining on her, and was surprised to see him trying to get Black Jack to hold still so he could get back up on him.  Sam knew that wherever Sadie went, Black Jack wanted to go too, and when she took off so quickly, all Black Jack wanted to do was catch up, with or without Toby.   Sam slowed Sadie to a trot and waited for Toby to get his horse under control.  Once she saw that they were heading her way, Sam clicked her tongue again and Sadie took off like a shot.  It only took a few minutes for the boys to catch up to the girls, because Black Jack was a retired racehorse, and Sadie had no chance in getting away from him.  And she really didn’t try too hard.

Amazingly, the two horses seemed to interact very much in the same way as Toby and Sam did. Sam’s smiling eyes would say “Chase me”, and Toby always responded with a grin that said “Trust me, I’ll catch you”. 

Once the racing was over, the horses slowly made their way back to the pond, where they leisurely ate the long grass and took a deep drink of the cool water.  Sam spread out the blue and white checkered blanket in the shade of the old oak and laid out the items she had packed for their lunch.  There was cheese, grapes, crackers and their favorite wine.  Toby and Sam enjoyed their meal over easy conversation, and quite a few giggles from Sam.  Sam would not soon forget the antics of Black Jack when Toby was trying to catch up to her and Sadie.  Her teasing of Toby was all in good fun, and it would be a while before she let him live that down. 

After they put away the dishes, they moved the blanket to the edge of the oak tree’s shade and lay down to enjoy the warmth of the sun.  Sam was on her back with her arms up over her head and Toby was next to her, propped up on his elbow.  He looked down at her and felt relaxed, exhilarated, and confused, all at the same time.  He loved her spirit, her positive attitude, and her spunk, but he couldn’t quite figure her out.  She made him want more out of life, but she scared him half to death. 

Sam watched the emotions cross over Toby’s face and knew he wasn’t sure what to make of her, even now, after several months together.  She wanted to be the one that put the smile on his face; made his heart jump for joy at the sound of her voice; the one he went to for comfort, excitement, passion, and love.  She’d always wanted to be everything to just one person, and know that he would be everything to her.  Had she finally found that?  Time would tell.

Toby’s eyes shone as he looked down at Sam.  He gently wiped away the tear running down her cheek, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.  “What a ride”, they both thought as their lips met.

Enjoy my imagination,

My Father's Daughter