Page 113 of The Only Seconds that Matter
A week later, Victor drove his truck and trailer to the feedlot to pick up both of Johnny’s mares Lieutenant and Captain so they could come live on his farm.Johnny would still have to pay him for whatever they ate, their medical care, etc., but at least this way he wouldn’t be paying $1000 a month for board.Right after the horses hopped into the trailer, Johnny’s boss stopped by to see what was going on.He was a stocky man past fifty, with a big handlebar mustache and a massive belt buckle but no Oklahoma accent, despite looking like the second most stereotypical Oklahoman, after Johnny of course.He had a thousand questions about Victor, mostly about where he’d come from and what he did for work.Victor kept his answers short and to the point.
“You from California, huh?State was nicer twenty years ago when it wasn’t full of Mexicans,” the man said, which was Victor’s cue to leave as fast as possible.
“Sorry about that,” Johnny grumbled as they bumped and rattled their way down the dirt rode out of the facility.“Dave’s a real fuckin’ asshole.”
Victor shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal.It was, of course, but if you lived in rural Oklahoma this long, you learned what battles were worth fighting and which you walked away from.The horse world was filled to the brim with rich white people.If you didn’t have thick skin, you didn’t last long.
Once at the barn, Victor and Johnny each led a mare into the barn where they’d spend a day in a stall to decompress and get used to their surroundings.Both were sweet and well-behaved mares, and Victor wondered if he could use them for introductory lessons for students just starting out.Sometimes kids just wanted a horse to groom and love on, and Johnny’s mares had the temperament for that sort of thing.
After ensuring they were happy and fed, Victor and Johnny took a bale of hay outside to the round pen where the bucking mare still lived by herself.Instead of running off, she wandered over with hungry curiosity.Victor offered her handfuls of hay while Johnny pet her neck, and she happily took the food.She’d come far in just a week.By now, she was letting Victor touch her head and shoulders, and with a few more sessions she might let him replace her ratty, faded halter.
“Maybe I should name her somethin’ like Admiral,” Johnny muttered as he scratched her withers, which she was learning to enjoy.“To stick with my naming theme.”
“I like that.”
“Or maybe I do somethin’ else, since she ain’t related to the others.”Johnny paused in thought.“You got any suggestions?”
“I’m leaving it up to you.”
“I need some ideas.She’s a big gal, so she needs a name that demands respect.”
“Doña,” Victor said without thinking.
“Huh?”
“Doña.In Spanish it’s an honorific term you put in front of an older woman’s name when you want to convey respect.”
“I kinda like it.I can pronounce it at least.Doña,” he said, putting extra emphasis on theñ.“How’s that sound?”
Victor snickered.“You’re a real natural.”
After giving Doña a good scratching, Johnny told Victor to get back to his work so Johnny could have a training session with her.Maybe Johnny didn’t have the knowledge or experience gentling feral or fearful horses, but he had the instinct, just like his niece.
* * *
In mid-May, Victor was gone a whole week, first to a horse show, then two clinics, then another horse show.When he got home at last, he still needed to spend two hours unloading the horses and tack before he could finally escape to his house and fall face first into the couch.He wasn’t aware he’d fallen asleep there until he woke up around midnight with dried drool on his cheek and an aching imprint of his belt buckle on the skin of his stomach.He removed his pants, took a piss, then headed back to the kitchen for a drink and a snack.On the counter he found a large cup of water filled with several handfuls of wildflowers, along with a note written in Johnny’s messy scrawl.
Taylor picked these for you down by your stream.Sorry I couldn’t find a vase.
Victor smiled to himself and leaned over to smell the collection of blue vervain, daisies, and Queen Anne’s Lace.He reread the note again, shaking his head.God forbid Johnny write anything more sentimental than this after they’d spent a whole week apart.He wondered if the flowers were Taylor’s idea or if Johnny was simply giving her credit because he was too chickenshit to fess up.
Victor was up at six the next morning, and his day wasn’t over until he’d worked through his schedule of three lessons in the morning and then five rides in the afternoon with four horses in for training and then Cyclone to finish it up.He ordered pizza for dinner because he didn’t feel like cooking, then settled onto his couch to eat it.After he’d consumed a few pieces, the door swung open to admit Johnny.
“Wow, what happened to you?”Victor asked, because Johnny’s backside was smeared with dirt and he was walking with a slight limp straight to the refrigerator.He threw open the door to root around inside.
“Got run over by a damn cow,” Johnny muttered, yanking out a carton of orange juice and taking a swig.
“Damn.Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.”Johnny tossed the carton back into the fridge and shut the door.“Just hurtin’ a bit, but it ain’t nothin’ sleep can’t fix.”Johnny stood there for a second like he didn’t know what to do or say next, but he finally met Victor’s gaze.“How’re you?”
“Exhausted but happy to be home.Thank you for the flowers, by the way.”
“Oh yeah.Taylor wanted to get those to ya.”
“Mhm.”
Johnny either didn’t catch Victor’s skeptical tone or didn’t care, because he walked off for the bathroom without another word.So much for a welcome home kiss.A minute later, Victor heard the shower hissing.With a sigh, Victor returned to the show he’d been watching before Johnny’s arrival.
