“How ’bout we keep working and I’ll tell you a story.” Lola's suggestion was met with smirks, but hands stayed busy on the task.
Carli pulled out her phone to take a few pictures she would add to her social media pages later, with the parents' permission. She glanced at the time. Only fifteen minutes had passed. This was going to be a long morning.
Chapter Seventeen
As Carli set a bridle down in front of the only two riders who had showed up for opening day of her new LoveJoy Riding School, she cast a glance at the girl who refused to participate. Carli ignored Bianca’s outburst wondering what she should say. After several long moments, Bianca shrugged one shoulder and fiddled with a set of reins, brushing saddle soap on them with her sponge.
In a low, soothing voice, Lola started. “This story comes from the Bible in the book of Luke. There once was a father who had two sons. But for our story I’m going to make it a father with two daughters.”
Carli showed Lexi how to take a bridle apart, unbuckle the parts, then they both started cleaning the strips of leather.
Bianca smirked and rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.
Lola continued. “One day one of the daughters came to the father and said, ‘I want my inheritance and I’m going to leave home.’ That sure made her parents sad.
“The father loved both daughters and he only wanted the best for them. He agreed and the daughter left. At first the girl had a great time, traveling the world and partying with friends. The people she hung out with liked her as long as she was paying for everything. Unfortunately, her good times didn’t last forever. Eventually, the money ran out. Then those friends started disappearing, one after the other. She had no place to live and nothing to eat.”
Carli stood to hang up several of the cleaned bridles on pegs that lined one wall. She glanced at the girls and noticed that Lola held their attention. They were not distracted or rolling their eyes, but instead listened intently. Another sign? Thank you, God.
Lola’s soothing voice was easy to listen to. Even though Carli remembered the Prodigal Son story from Luke 15, she was just as enthralled as the girls. Lola continued. “The young girl, now hungry and homeless, abandoned by her wealthy friends, begged for work at a family farm. ‘I can do any work you have,’ she said. The owner agreed to hire her and in exchange for her help with the chores, she could have a place to stay.
“The first chore on her list was to feed the pigs. You might know that pigs love mud. They like to wallow in it because it protects their skin from sunburn and parasites.”
“Do you have pigs at the Wild Cow?”
Carli was surprised that Lexi finally spoke. “No, we don’t. Have we ever had pigs on the ranch, Lola?”
“I can’t say we have. Cows and chickens, and of course many ranch horses. One year we kept two Texas Longhorns at the headquarters. Ward took an interest in alpacas, but thankfully we didn’t have to learn about them. But I can’t remember having any pigs. They like garbage. A bunch of leftovers, veggies, and a soupy mixture of scraps called slop. That's why they call it ‘slopping the pigs’.”
Both Bianca and Lexi scrunched up their noses and mouths. “Eww.”
“Gross.”
“You’re right,” Lola said. “It was gross. And it got worse. The girl was so hungry she even thought about eating a little food from the scraps she fed the pigs. The hollowness in her stomach reminded her she had finally hit rock bottom. She recalled the wonderful places she had seen and the abundant food and friends that were now gone. She cried and cried and thought of how mean she had treated her mother and father. It was a stupid idea to leave home and spend all of her money. Now she had nothing. What was she going to do? Where was she going to live?”
Lexi spoke up again, quietly, “Couldn't she go back home?”
“Do you think her father would let her come home?” Lola asked.
“This story is so lame,” Bianca chimed in, all smart-mouthed and puffed up. “Her father would probably call the cops on her.”
“The girl did think about going home,” Lola continued. “Her parents owned a business. The girl wished that maybe she could be one of the workers. She would do everything asked of her, all the things she'd been asked to do before but had rebelled against. And they might pay her a small wage and give her some food. It had to be better than stealing scraps from pigs. She wondered if her father would be angry, maybe even turn her away. But she had to try. She didn’t know what else to do. So, she borrowed enough money for a bus ticket, with a promise to pay it back as soon as she could and left to go back home.”
Carli and the girls stopped cleaning the leather to listen as Lola proceeded with the story.
“When the girl reached her home, she hesitated. Would she be forgiven? Or would she be turned away again for squandering her inheritance?
"To her surprise, her parents came bounding out and wrapped their arms around their daughter. The father said, ‘You’re alive! You’re home! We love you!’ The mother called out. ‘We missed you. We’ll make a big dinner with cake and ice cream!' To the other daughter, she said, 'Let’s celebrate your sister’s return!’
“The girl cried in her mother’s arms and said she was sorry for leaving. She promised her father to work hard. ‘I want to help you now. What can I do for you?’ she told them. But the second daughter who had stayed behind wasn’t as excited. Do you know why?”
Bianca spoke up, tough as usual
