“Oh God that just sounds so pathetic. I can cope, honestly Adam. It just got out of hand for a bit.”
“Kate, I don’t want you to have to just cope. I’ve been selfish. Hilary agreed I can work part-time, and spend more time here or I can wait to spend time with her, we can try to get someone here to help run the yard and then…”
“No!” Kate stuttered. “No, I don’t want you to give up this opportunity.”
“Okay, well if I work four days a week with Hilary and the rest here. I’ll do the weekends here, that’s when we’re most busy. I was selfish to just go away and leave you to cope all by yourself.”
“You’re not selfish, I pushed you to do this. Adam, it’s all my fault…”
“Stop sulking young lady. You know I will have to work doubly hard when I am with Hilary. Come here.”
We hugged; I could almost feel the tension leaving Kate’s body before she had been like a wound spring.
* * *
“So, Sally, Adam will be here four days a week, he needs to support Kate. Honestly, I was a bit selfish taking him away full time, they are just starting their own business. It was too much for her to cope alone.”
“She could cope, she’s just being stupid.” Sally slammed down her wine glass.
I had hoped ordering Sally’s favourite meal from the local Chinese takeaway and plying her with some rather nice wine would have softened the blow, but it was clear from her obvious reaction, my groom was sulking.
“Sally, he can help out as much as he can and I’ll still give him lessons.” I looked up as Sally snorted, rolling her eyes. “Right! What is wrong with you?”
Sally took a deep breath, subtly wiping her eyes before looking up. “He’s not good enough for you…” Her voice was quiet, she was avoiding eye contact with me.
“What? Don’t be such a silly girl…”
“No… If he wants to work with you, he needs to commit. Bloody part-timer, what good is that?”
“Sally! Adam and his wife are running their own yard. He is working bloody hard to try to keep that going as well as work here. It was just too much to take him away from there full-time, but he has potential as a rider.”
“Potential? What good is that? I’m tired of you messing me about. I thought you were giving me someone to help me.”
“Sally, I’m not messing you about. Certainly not deliberately and I’m really sorry you feel that way. If you need more help, I am sure I can stretch to another groom to help you.”
“But, I’m your groom. You can’t just replace me!”
“I’m not replacing you. Sally, you said you can’t cope, I’ve offered to get you help. Honestly, you aren’t making sense.”
“No… Why would I make sense? Why would you even listen to me? I’m only your groom, after all…”
“Sally! Please. What are you saying? You’re vital to me and all I do. You are pivotal to me winning competitions. I really couldn’t do this without you. You are so much more than my groom, I hope you are my best friend also, after all these years together!”
“Well, maybe I just don’t want someone like you as a friend?” Sally snapped, sloshing wine from her glass.
“Go to bed!” I stood up snatching the wine glass from Sally’s hand.
“What? Now you’re treating me like a child just because you don’t like what I’ve said.”
“Sally, you are acting like a fucking child! Just get out of my sight.”
* * *
“Oh, where did the weekend go?”
“Kate, I’ll be back soon… Thursday night at the latest.” I hugged her before throwing my bag into the back of the car. “I love you…”
I knew she was hurting, I hoped we could be able to find a way to make this work. The week would be quieter and I could support her on the weekends. I switched on the radio and enjoyed a relaxing drive.
It was all quiet on the yard as I returned, it was Monday evening the traditional equestrian day off and there hadn’t been any events over the weekend. I parked up and walked to the static, pulling open the door. I noticed the caravan seemed to smell worse than usual, there was more than the normal damp odour.
Looking around the living area seemed to be okay but the smell was stronger from the bedroom. Pulling open the door it was immediately obvious why. My bed was covered in a large pile of dung. It looked like someone had spread wheelbarrows full over the bedclothes. I sighed, leaving the caravan and fetching plastic feed bags and gloves from the tool shed.
I spent time alone cleaning tack and ensuring the laundry was done, loading bandages, saddle pads as well as my own bedclothes into the rusty washing machine in the shed before hanging them on the washing line to dry. The yard was quiet, the horses resting, I fed and skipped out alone before retiring to the caravan for a meal with the provisions I had collected over the weekend.
* * *
“Hi, Sally…” I smiled cheerfully as I stepped into the feed shed the next morning. She nodded sullenly and went back to sorting out the feeds. I ignored her and started to dish out breakfast for the horses. The morning was quiet, I rode many horses yet noticed no helpful groom was standing by to take my horse at the end of each session so I walked them back to the yard myself, having let them cool down, brushed them
