“What do you mean ‘we’re done’?” Floyd called after her.
Valerie kept walking away. She didn’t respond. She was not sure about this trip. Not sure at all.
Moira had slept in this morning, which wasn’t like her. Valerie didn’t know how much pregnancy changed things. Probably a lot. Valerie couldn’t help worrying about her. Could she really leave Moira behind to go off on a crusade through time and space? Did it really need to be her?
Valerie left the the gate open for Floyd to follow. She heard him trot up behind her. She smiled a little, but didn’t turn around. She was starting to get through to him, even if he didn’t realize it.
“What do you mean, ‘we’re done’?” Floyd asked again. “Are you kicking me out?”
“We’re done for the day.” Valerie hung the bridle on a hook just inside the barn door.
“We need more practice.” Floyd said. “There’s still a lot of daylight left.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Valerie walked back to him and undid the cinch. She pulled the saddle and pad off of him. “We’re both only getting frustrated, so we’re done.”
Moira reached the last step of the stairs and came over to take the saddle from Valerie. Valerie peeled off the pad from underneath and handed it to her.
“I’m not even showing yet.” Moira said. “I can handle-”
“Humor me.” Valerie interrupted.
Moira rolled her eyes, but took the saddle pad.
Valerie struggled to get the tack room door open while holding the saddle. Moira opened the door and pushed it wide open.
“For the record, I didn’t invent saddles, bridles, bits, or anything else. It’s just… what we have. So quit acting like I’m the one responsible for every little discomfort you experience.”
“I didn’t mean-”
“Do you imagine that this project of yours, this sojourn into the wounds of time, will be easy? That it won’t be uncomfortable, hard work?”
“I’m sure it will be.” Floyd started to paw the ground, but stopped himself. “May I remind you, it was no picnic in those fish caves. I can handle pressure.”
“You had no choice, and neither did I!” Valerie snapped. The tack door closed behind her a little harder than she meant it to. She fiddled with the latch. “I’m going with you in 3 days, but if you don’t stop taking all your troubles out on me, you won’t have me with you for long. So I suggest you plan the quickest way to get this done, or do it yourself.”
Not grooming a horse after a workout felt wrong. So wrong. But Valerie didn’t turn back. Floyd thought he could take care of himself, and fought everything she did. He needed some time alone to think about how this relationship would work.
Valerie went up the stairs. What she wanted right now was a shower and then a nap. Valerie was afraid to think about just what it would mean for her to leave home for an indeterminate length of time. This project was dangerous. No doubt about that. They hadn’t discussed it, but Valerie knew there was no guarantee she’d ever make it back home.
Leaving Moira alone, possibly forever, was the scariest thing about it all.
Valerie finished her shower and came out to find Moira reading her tablet on the couch.
“Kind of early to quit on him.” Moira observed.
“Not for your average horse.” Valerie kept rubbing the towel over her head, creating a mess of her hair. She started combing it with her fingers. “You can usually lead them through the basics in as little as 3 days. Not that I’ve ever done that. I’m no professional.”
“Floyd is not your average horse.” Moira leaned back into the couch and crossed her legs. She closed her eyes and smothered a sigh. “Tomorrow is your test flight. You’re not going to be able to walk away from him when you’re billions of miles and years away from home.”
“I’ll talk to him later.” Valerie promised. She sat down on the other side of the couch and closed her eyes, just like Moira.
It was quiet. The only real noise they could hear was Floyd stomping his way around the barn below. Maybe stomping was a strong word. He was a big horse, so of course there would be a bit of noise. It would have been nice to know, for sure, if he was using this time to think about his approach to their working together.
Floyd took advantage of his time alone in the barn. He went into each stall and searched the buckets and floors for any bit of feed or hay that his stable mates had left behind. The old mare usually left a little.
There might not be a whole lot of variety on this planet’s equine menu, but it was enough for now. It was certainly different from those pasture restaurants back home. Carefully curated, cross-bred grass varieties were a rare treat. For everybody else, anyway.
For Floyd, it had been about a month. He had discussed leaving home with his wife before he went. He vaguely remembered her saying he really shouldn’t leave right then. But Floyd told her how important it was, and she understood.
Arguing with Valerie reminded him of that discussion, but he wasn’t sure why. His wife was a lot nicer about it than Valerie.
Maybe he’d been wrong. It was possible. Maybe she wasn’t the one to help him out with this. But who else was there? Moira already made it clear that if he talked to anyone, he risked being kidnapped for “scientific experimentation”, as she put it. He had enough of that at home, thank you very much.
With all that happened, he knew this was the right thing to do. Coming to this place and time had been necessary, He just wasn’t sure he could do what was needed. Nobody else was willing to try.
Valerie had called him a pegasus. That was a bad sign. History had already been manipulated. Now it needed to be repaired. His people wanted to change history, though he never understood why. He was happy enough, why weren’t they? Changing history was just plain stupid. Arguably, so was his own solution.
