Page 21 of The Only Seconds that Matter
“It’s fine if you don’t wanna take her,” Kayla said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.“I ain’t expectin’ you to be a babysitter.”
“I don’t mind, truly.If she wants to be a horse trainer when she grows up, it helps to get her feet wet.”
Kayla rolled her eyes.“Taylor’s got a lot ofideasabout what she wants to be when she grows up.Pay it no mind.She can barely manage a B average in 3rdgrade, so my expectations are low.”
“Sometimes schoolwork isn’t a kid’s strength.She’s an exceptional rider for her age.”
“Hopefully she don’t do what Johnny did and get into rodeo, cuz after that horse knocked his head in the last time, he ain’t fully there.”She tapped her temple.“He was always dumb, but now his memory is complete shit, and the drinkin’ don’t help.”
Victor felt obligated to defend Johnny, but Taylor showed up with her mother’s phone, holding it out for Kayla to take.
“Johnny says he can pick me up.”
“Fine.You can go to the horse auction—”
“Yay!Thank you, thank you, thank you!”Taylor dashed up to her mother and hugged her tightly.“Thank you!”
Kayla patted her daughter’s head briefly, then waved her away.“Hurry up then.Get ready for your lesson.”
Taylor bolted away, and Kayla rooted around in her wallet for money to pay Victor for the lesson, cigarette dangling from between her lips.“Guess I’ll leave her with you then.Best call Johnny when the auction is over so he has time to get here.”
“Sure thing.”
“Lemme get you her tablet, in case she gets too annoying.”Kayla headed back to her SUV, dug around inside for a bit, then returned with tablet in hand.“I make her play games when she gets too chatty.”
“I don’t mind her chattiness.”
“We’ll see what you think after a long car ride with her.”Kayla lifted her eyebrows, then snorted.“Good luck.If you buy her any food, lemme Johnny know and he can reimburse you.”
Victor nodded, and Kayla walked off, snapping something at whatever other child had been waiting in the car.Victor didn’t know what to think of her.In some ways she was extremely like Johnny, but in others they differed, such as their relationship with Taylor.Johnny was very protective of Taylor, but her mother was more willing to let her off the leash.That might be where Taylor got her independence.Victor liked that about her, so perhaps in a way Kayla’s hand-off approach was a benefit.
* * *
The horse auction was held inside a complex of large pole buildings off the state highway, marked by a large sign with a fiberglass horse standing on top.Trucks and trailers filled the parking lot.The semi-trucks were typically driven by dealers—some more benign, some not.There was a small cohort of what were called “kill buyers”, horse dealers who bought up the old, infirm, and untrained horses dumped at auctions and then took them to the Mexican border for processing at slaughter plants.
Victor only attended auctions occasionally, but he’d come at the request of Melissa Fargo, who was heavily involved in horse rescue networks.She was in need of his horse expertise, and he loved horse shopping, especially when he didn’t have to spend of his own money.Melissa was happy to keep up conversation with Taylor, who was indeed very chatty during the entire ride to the auction.No one in the truck minded, and no one asked her to occupy herself with the tablet.
Once finding a place to park, they headed into the main building.Jade offered to get them a number so that Victor and Melissa could browse the horses in the pens out back.Taylor was a ball of energy, jumping from pen to pen and offering every horse her hand to sniff.Victor took note of the horses that were friendly, the ones in good condition and the ones in most need of help.Most of the horses at the front of the building were shod, groomed, and already tacked up, which meant they’d probably draw the most money.The further back you wandered, the worse off the horses seemed to get.Some had curled and cracked feet.Others had been brought in with burrs in their mane and mud caked on their legs.One horse had an eye leaking white pus.Another had a tumor growing out the side of its neck.Victor pointed out details others might miss, like big knees, ringbone, past laminitis, and one horse with an open wound under its chin that definitely indicated it was infected with Strangles.Melissa took notes on her phone and made calls while Victor did some browsing for his own interest.
At some point, they lost Taylor.Victor wasn’t particularly concerned; she was probably in a pen somewhere and would catch them eventually.About five minutes after Victor noticed her missing, she came running up the aisle toward him, expression determined.
“Where did you vanish to?”Victor asked.
“Come look at this horse I like!”Taylor insisted, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt and tugging.Victor let himself get led along until they reached the loose horses toward the back of the building.
Loose horses were horses dropped off with no history, no name, and no one to care about where they ended up.Buying a loose horse was a mixed bag—you could get home and find yourself a real treasure, or a real pain in the ass.But they were prime targets of kill buyers, since no one gave a shit about them and most people were unwilling to purchase horses they knew nothing about.Victor looked in the direction Taylor was pointing.
In a dark corner stood two horses, one a chestnut pony and another a black horse, most likely an Arabian by the looks of her dished head.She was in poor condition, with jutting hips, visible ribs, and a toothpick neck.The pony was better off, though his hooves looked atrocious.Victor was about to ask Taylor why she liked these horses in particular, but she’d already slipped through the gate and into the pen, so Victor followed.Both the Arabian and the pony looked at them as they approached, and the Arabian reached out to sniff Taylor’s hand before allowing her to reach around and hug her neck.
“Isn’t she sweet?”Taylor asked, her face half hidden in the Arabian’s neck.“I really like her.”
Victor pulled her lips apart to check her teeth.She was much younger than he’d first assumed, only about six or seven.The pony was probably about fifteen.Despite their obvious neglect, both seemed accustomed to human contact and sought out Victor’s touch without fear.
“What’s so special about this one?”Victor asked Taylor.
Taylor shrugged.“I don’t know.I just like her.I’ve already named her Midnight.”
Oh Lord.“She’s pretty thin.”
