“Please, just go away…” I stutter.
“I will…” He smiled. “But only because you have asked so nicely.”
“Right, it’s over Edwin, let’s get going we have an appointment. I am sorry for…” Patrick waves his hand. “Well, shit for this.” He ushers Edwin back to the car which drives away at speed.
“Oh, shit Anne…” Jane rushes over. “Are you okay and you Mandy. Wow! You were some sort of…”
***
“Patrick… No one likes horse crap on their shoes.” Edwin mused.
“I’m sorry. I’ll have your shoes cleaned.”
“No, you are missing the point. I would think that even the police would not want to get horse shit on their shiny boots.”
“No, I am sure they don’t…” Patrick sighed, staring out the window.
***
“Drink some tea…”
“Uh…?” I was sitting in the tack room, the concerned faces of the staff around her. I sipped the warm tea. “Oh God, that’s sweet…”
“I have to thank you… And tell you off, that was really stupid and amazingly brave.” Anne hugged Amanda warmly.
“I don’t like bullies.”
“I can tell.” Anne stopped. “Sorry, I’m still a bit in shock.” She gulps her own tea. “Right, I’m taking you all to the pub tonight.”
***
I didn’t have to pay for a single drink with Anne and the staff fighting to make sure my glass remained full, so I staggered back to the yard supported by Sue and Jane, hiccuping gently, my eyes rolling.
It was only the next morning when I woke, head spinning still wearing the clothes from the night before crumpled on my body that I regretted the amount I had drunk. My actions the day before had been hasty. It was true I hated bullies, it had been natural to step up to help Anne in the same way I had done for my brother over the years. I stopped, I had not spoken to Adam and had any way of knowing how to get in touch with him. I knew that he was to go to new foster parents, but had no idea where and it wasn’t as if I could just ring social services and ask, their immediate response would be to try to find me.
I sat glumly, hoping he was well, that he had fallen on his feet. He deserved a break I hoped that he’d not been returned to care as I had been, a troublesome child, then a tearaway teen. How I would do things differently now, but it was too late.
Standing up was a chore, my head pounded. Sipping dark black coffee which burnt my lips but was starting to ease the churning in my stomach, I just hoped I could hold down the late-night kebab I had been bought and hungrily eaten last night as I faced the filthy stables which needed to be mucked out. No rest for the wicked and no sign of the other staff, but the horses needed to be fed and I could already hear the expectant kicking from the stables beyond the door. I took a deep breath and faced the day.
***
Patrick’s phone buzzed. “Yes, Edwin, good morning.” He listened. “Look are you still going on about that horse crap, I’ll buy you new shoes myself. No, okay. You want to speak to her. Why? Okay, I’ll wait and see. I’ll ask her nicely if she’ll join you this morning.”
***
“Morning…” Sue smiled. “Oh God my head hurts, remind me not to go drinking with you again!”
“What time do you call this?” I put my pitchfork aside. “I’ve fed and mucked out all of the horses now, there was no sign of any of you.”
“What can I say. We appreciate your efforts.” She bowed.
“Oh, whatever…” I paused. “Have you seen Anne by the way?”
“Moi? I’ve been asleep, I’ve seen nobody…” She started to walk away, before turning.
“Don’t forget to chuck back the muck heap!” The bucket of water narrowly missed her as she leapt away laughing.
***
“I think we got off to a bad start yesterday.”
“You threatened me and now you’ve dragged to your club against my will.”
“No, this was an invitation to join me. You must have misunderstood my request.”
“Your request was served up by two louts who dragged me from the bus stop as I stepped off the number six bus and frogmarched me into here. What the hell do you want?”
“I have a business proposition for you.”
“And if I say no?”
Edwin leaned back, lighting a large cigar slowly before blowing smoke in Anne’s face. “You have a lot of very flammable materials in your stables. It would be such a shame if there was an accident. An accident which could see both your horses and the staff you keep in your illegal accommodation seriously injured or killed. It would be an accident which I would ensure you would be there to witness personally, to hear the screams. Now, do we have an understanding? Because I would listen very carefully to what I tell you and at the end say ‘yes sir’. Perhaps a sip of this rather fine vodka this might help ease your conscience? Please, keep the bottle.”
7
Foster Care on The Farm
“Adam?” The kindly man opened the door of the car. Andrew smiled and nodded, so he stepped out to meet the couple who were standing before him. It had taken almost three hours from the centre of Birmingham initially along motorways and then country lanes until they had pulled into a driveway for Penny Farm. It nestled in a valley with green hills dotted with sheep on each side, Adam gasped as he saw a beautiful bay mare standing in the field opposite, he ignored the couple and ran towards the fence line, calling the horse who walked towards him, holding its head down to be stroked. The couple laughed. “Ah, he’s a horseman at heart. He’ll get on perfectly well here.”
***
I looked around, from the cluttered and
