Horse Games Read Free

and almost rude at the festival. Now, she was up and walking, with the help of some crutches. Carole hoped that was improving her mood, too. “Looks like you’re getting better, huh?”
    “I guess that’s what it
looks
like,” Marie said. From the way she said it, Carole knew that although her physical state was clearly better, emotionally she had not improved.
    That was what Carole remembered the most abouther. Marie had resisted all attempts to help her. It was almost as if she were determined to be unhappy.
    “Are you still in the hospital now?” Carole asked.
    “No. I’m just here for physical therapy. It’s something they make me do four times a week to keep my mind on how much it hurts to walk.”
    Carole laughed. Marie smiled weakly in spite of herself.
    “Are you still running pony-cart rides?” Marie asked.
    “No, that was just for the day,” Carole said. “But I am riding a lot. In fact, I just came from there.”
    “I know,” Marie said. She pointed to Carole.
    Carole looked down and then blushed. No wonder Marie could tell she’d been riding. She was still wearing breeches and high boots. Her riding gloves poked out of her pocket. The only thing that was missing was her hard hat.
    “It’s sort of a giveaway, isn’t it?” she said.
    “Yeah,” said Marie.
    There was a
bing
then, and the elevator arrived. Carole stepped on first and held the door while Marie walked on slowly, using crutches.
    There were a lot of other people on the elevator. Carole didn’t feel like talking as they rode down, stopping at almost every floor. She stood quietly, but her eyes watched Marie’s back and her mind raced. There was a very special quality about Marie. Carole didn’t know what it was, but she instinctively recognized that theyhad things in common and that Marie wanted to talk to her. Marie’s sharp tongue and grumpiness couldn’t hide the fact that she needed a friend. Carole wondered if she could be the friend and, if she could, what good it would do Marie.
    The elevator drew to a stop at the ground floor. Marie stepped off slowly. Carole followed her.
    “Is somebody meeting you?” Carole asked. “I mean, my dad is waiting for me outside. We could give you a lift.”
    “No thanks. I just finished up my therapy a little early today, so my mother isn’t here yet. That’s funny, too, because since the accident, she’s barely wanted to let me out of her sight.”
    “Is she afraid it will happen again?” Carole asked. She was trying to make a little joke out of it. After all, she knew what it was like to have a parent who sometimes cared too much.
    “No, I don’t think so,” Marie said. “It’s more like she’s afraid she’ll lose me, too. See, my father was killed in the same accident that put me in the hospital.”
    That was it, then. That was what Carole had intuitively sensed that was their common bond. They had each had a parent die, Carole’s mother from cancer, Marie’s father in an accident. Carole wanted to say something, but an odd thing happened. She and Marie had the most important thing in the world in common and she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to tellher that she really did know how much it hurt. Sharing her own sadness didn’t seem like the right thing to do just then.
    “I’m sorry,” was all Carole said. “Really.”
    “Thanks,” Marie said. Then she winced and Carole got the feeling her legs were hurting her.
    “Want to sit down a minute?” Carole asked.
    Marie nodded. Carole led her to a bench in the lobby of the hospital and sat down next to her. It was an awkward moment. There was a lot Carole wanted to say and even more she wanted to ask, but she had the feeling that Marie didn’t want to talk about what she had just told Carole. Carole switched the subject to the one she always felt the most comfortable with.
    “Have you ever done any horseback riding?”
    Marie laughed. “That’s funny,” she said.
    Carole didn’t think it was