That night, I had lit a candle. It was simple, an opaque yellow one with a plain old wick shaped in a stubby little cylinder. But it was in a glittering, clear holder that looked like a shining diamond. I didn’t bother getting a lighter, but instead took a match and scraped it until it set fire. It took a lot of personal will. Fire was something I feared.
As a matter of fact, Alex happened to be over with me. Teddy had driven, and while I invited him over as well, he rejected it. But I did not blame him. He was dating Navaeh after all. I couldn’t even imagine how it must hurt him. Well, I knew how much it hurt. But we felt the hurt in different ways.
The candle flickered, first rather gently but before long it grew and caused light to enter our dim setting of my room. There was a slight glow from the moon, so the combination of candlelight and moonlight caused my room to erupt in a dazzling shade of honey and blue. I could have sat there for hours, just reliving the memories had Alex not spoken up.
“You know… I really, really didn’t want to mention this… But Teddy spoke with Mrs. Mayfield… and… and…” Alex broke off, pain in her voice.
“Just tell me.” I tell Alex. “Get it out.”
“You won’t want to know. That’s the point.” Alex buried her face into her hands.
“Just say it!” I was getting impatient now. Plagued from today’s event.
Alex stood up, walking to the end of my room. The carpet rubbed unter her feet, the blue turning a brown from the strange lighting. I thought she wasn’t going to say anything and possibly walk out, but at the very last second she turned around. Tears streaming down her face.
“You don’t know because Mrs. Mayfield told your mom to let me tell you. Because she thought I could be the only person who could possibly describe it.” Alex was bawling now. “Because Navaeh took a turn for the worse.” She dropped to her knees. “She isn’t going to make it.”
Suddenly, my world spiraled down, down, down.
Everything exploded into thousands of stars.
Alex promised she wouldn’t tell anyone I passed out after she told me the news. I mean… I just held on to something. I guess within hours something like “could live” could change to “will die.” In fact, I was told Navaeh had two days, at most. She could die today for all I knew.
In fact, I was already on Marvel. My second round was today, Saturday of Week 2. While I was in the ring, doing my round, she could die. Over an oxer, she could die. It was all so overwhelming that I could hardly remember my course. Todd had to force me to repeat it out loud to him eighteen times before it finally embedded itself in my head. But I didn’t want to remember! The only things I wanted to remember were love, friendship! Not some stupid course!
I felt like Marvel could sense my sadness. He was going nice and easy for me today, and even when I pop chipped a fence in the schooling ring, he completely took care of me. Apparently he was green, but I couldn’t really believe that. Or maybe he was. Maybe he just had a big heart.
Adriano Ricci was leading the times… again. On the same black gelding he absolutely demolished all set times before he went. I learned the name of it, Inheritance, and discovered the gelding was in fact a grand prix prospect owned by Adriano’s father. No surprise there. He glided easily over the jumps and wasn’t even close to hitting them.
But now it was my turn. I was the last rider to go, and Marvel was more than ready. Sure, he saved my bottom in the schooling ring, but enough of that. He was rearing to go. Literally. He was bouncing off of his hind end, chomping on the bit as the second to last rider finished up. I felt all of his power beneath me, his sheer elegance. Ever single rippling muscle sent sensations through the saddle and to my seat, educating me on just how ready the great horse was. He snorted, stomping in great rapidity, throwing his mane around like the true character he was. What a horse! What a horse I was on!
“I wont bother asking if you know your course. You learned it eighteen times. So go on in.” Todd said, rubbing his hand on Marvel’s hind end.
I nodded sickeningly. I pressed Marvel up into a canter straight away, listening to the buzzer sound. Marvel seemed to hear it too, because the gelding flicked an ear and quickened slightly when it rang out.
“And now we have number 222, That is… Marvelous with Schaefer Hoff. On in the children’s jumpers.”
That was our signal it was time. I made way to my first fence, a fairly inviting single fence. It was blue and white, and the blue instantly reminded me of a blue ribbon. First place. I could almost grasp it… But I knew I would have to beat Adriano Ricci. Had to. There was no other way I could possibly win. So, I legged Marvel forward. And I decided I would ride my heart out for Navaeh just like I promised I would.
We got the long distance I wanted over that jump. It was earlygoing still, but I had a gut feeling this would be a good round. But I did not let the confident thought distract me. I was rolling, rolling, rolling as I made my way around to the plank jump that came up next. We got a shorter distance, but that was okay because it ran in a short line up to an oxer.
Four strides. That was the amount of paces there were until we were up and over the 3’6 obstacle. Marvel took it in full stride, stretching and tucking as much as he possibly could. I felt it. I didn’t deserve to ride a horse like him. Not at all.
“Easy then, hold it in for the jump-off…” I whisper into the wind, hoping Marvel will catch the word in his ear that was pushed back from wind.
We had an end jump next, so I pulled back on my insde rein, sitting deep so that Marvel would balance back on his hind end. We did, so the two of us glided easily over the fence. But then my eyes nearly shot out of my head. What was my next jump? Oh no…. Come on… Not after eighteen repetitions of the silly course! But indeed. I forgot where I was going and steered towards a random oxer.
But then I remembered, a tad too late. I remembered my fences, the one stride, just as I began to skip away from them. Now alarmed, I whipped my outside rein back and made a suicide approach to the fences. It practically was suicide! We were chipping, I knew it. Of course we where. I got Marvel’s eye on it way too late, so I became thrown forward from the force of his knee to ground launch. I expected to hear the clatter of a rail, but I didn’t. No. Marvel somehow got us through the jumps without dying.
He would get five carrots later for that, but I lost time from my confusion. So I sent Marvel a kick, and we jumpstarted and breezed up to our next jump, an inviting oxer.
I must say, the rest of the course was easy as could be. We had no problems the rest of the time, except for our little… issue at the one stride. I made it under the time allowed, so now thirty-five seconds was the barrier between me and the jump-off. I would have to fly if I wanted to beat the Adriano Ricci boy.
Marvel and I were walking. But not for long. The buzzer sounded, and I sent the gelding an astounding kick. He bucked once, but then took off at a flying, breezing gallop. Perfect. Just what I needed. However, I gathered him up becaue I wanted to be able to turn. Todd instructed me to merely go clear. But in my mind… I knew I needed to ride to win. For Navaeh, on her deathbed. For her, for her.
And so I had no regrets as I, in full form, shot over the plank jump like there was no tomorrow. We landed far from the jump, and I kept riding, drivin Marvel as I pointed him at the triple bar. Once more, I saw the launcher. So, why not? You only live once. I gave Marvel all of his head as we breezed over the giant, looming obstacle.
And then, a rollback. I blanaced back into my saddlem jerking my inside rein and kicking with my outside leg. It was an oxer. We ended up all out of sorts, cross-cantering up to the jump. But luckily for me, Marvel had no issues at all with the height of the jumps so we managed to get over them easily.
And now… One of the plainest jumps of all that so many horses tended to knock down. It was a basic brown vertical that looked like it could be used for low level hunters. And that was exactly why so many horses brought it down. They were so unimpressed with the jump, that they don’t bother picking up their feet. But Marvel- he was careful. So I didn’t have to worry about it. Indeed, I did not. Even though I was at a full out gallop, he didn’t come close to knocking the jump down. Not at all. And even though out next jump was the end fence, I drove. I drove hard.
So it was a risk, but I didn’t care. I was going to slice the jump, if I hit it, I would not know. But Adriano Ricci did the move I did, and he managed to make it over. And I had Marvel… so I was going to make it. I knew I would. Because right now, I felt like I was living some fairytale or cheesy movie with how I was riding for Navaeh. But it was so real. Too real for me.
Because when I ended up galloping over the end jump and not balancing back, we didn’t hit the jump. Didn’t come close. And at that moment, I knew we would be ok.
Maybe not ok, when I got to the one stride and realized I came in with way too much pace. Uh oh. That… could be a problem. I was so busy building pace and trying to win that I didn’t even realize there was a such thing as striding. Oh well, Marvel would fix it for me. And an extra five carrots to him.
Yeah, no.
It completely surprised me when Marvel decided it was a perfect idea to jump the one stride as a bounce. I, of course, ended up falling to his neck from the astronomical effort. I wasn’t even sure I could hold on, but we passed the timer. I looked up. And sure enough, right on the big screen was the winning time.
Just that was enough to hoist myself back into the saddle and let tears fly from my face, looking up into the sky where my friend soon would be.
The winner’s taco was a combination of beef, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, and jalapeno. When I brought in my shining blue ribbon and Alex brought hers from the juniors, we were awarded our tacos. And man, they tasted amazing. I wasn’t exactly one for avocado, but the combination on the taco just made it taste great to win.
“I’m going to head back to the barn.” Alex told me. “I’m going to try an equitation horse.”
“Oh, have fun.” I said to Alex with a smile. I couldn’t believe I was smiling in the midst of everything. “I guess I’ll go catch some more jumpers or something.”
“Alright. Enjoy yourself.” Alex said, waving me off.
I continued mucnhign away at my taco, and I laughed a little at the blue shell. It was blue, just like the blue ribbon I traded in to get it. Of course, it was probably some strange food coloring mix, but so what. I needed to live a little.
I walked down the pathway towards the Denemethy ring where hopefully I could catch some low junior jumpers. I had some time before I showed Lumiere, so I could afford to watch some rings. Learn how things were going with the other riders. Now, everyone knew about what happened with Navaeh- but only the people of The Bay knew she was labeled good as dead. Yet I couldn’t believe it. I could hardly believe it.
I was ready to watch when I walked past some bushes in front of a lack, separating some of grand prix village from the grounds. I would have continued walking forward had there bushes not be rustling from something. What? I was curious, and I knew I would need to take a look.
Slowly and cautiously I made my way around the hedge structure, quietly stepping along so whatever it was would not hear me. Tip toeing practically. I held off from taking bites of my taco as I slowly got closer and closer to the noise, and finally I got there. But it was wrong. It was all wrong. Nothing would prepare me for the sight before my eyes.
Nothing would prepare me to see Grace and Mattie kissing.