The Broken Spur

"Emma, you need to focus. You have to keep your balance and control the horse," I said.

Emma held tightly to the reins, struggling to keep Emery from bucking. "I'm trying my best, but it's hard! I've never done this before."

"That's why you have me here to help you. Just take a deep breath and try again. If you don't get it right this time, we'll try again tomorrow."

Emma grunted in frustration and pulled tighter on the reins, forcing Emery's head back. The stallion whinnied and snorted, his breath shooting out of his nostrils in a thick cloud of fog. Emma struggled to keep herself in the saddle as the horse fought her. I watched from the other side of the paddock, sitting astride my own horse, Dakota.

"It's okay, Emma. Just relax your grip and keep your balance. You can do this."

Emma nodded, her face determined as she loosened the reins and adjusted her weight in the saddle. Emery slowly settled down, and Emma was able to get him under control. I smiled in admiration.

"See? You've got it now! Now just practice a few more times and you'll have it down pat!"

Emma took a deep breath and tugged on the reins, trying to get Emery to move forward. I could feel my heart racing as she concentrated on keeping her balance while guiding the horse around the paddock. Emma's brow was furrowed in concentration as she focused on every step. After several minutes of effort, she is finally able to control Emery's movements and keep her balance. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up from the sidelines. I called out encouragement, and Emma gradually gained more confidence with each lap. After several laps, she finally managed to keep control of the horse and complete the circuit. Emma was elated at her accomplishment and cheered loudly, laughing and raising her arms above her head. Emery spooked and bucked wildly.

"Whoa, whoa!" Emma cried out. Emery throws her off violently, screaming in rage and gallops to the other side of the paddock. Emma crashes to the ground with a sickening thud and is still.

I turned pale and snapped my reins, urging Dakota over to where Emma fell as quickly as I could get there.

"Emma!" I shouted. I threw myself out of the saddle and ran over to her body.

I got down on my knees, trying not to panic. Emma groaned and gingerly rolled over.

"Emma, are you okay? Did you break anything?" I questioned frantically. She looked up at me, squinting in the glare of the sun, and smiled. She was missing a tooth and there was blood all over her face.

"Other than a tooth? Just my pride," she wheezed. I stared at her, then fell backwards onto my butt, laughing nervously. The nervous laughter soon turned into a full-on raucous howl. We both sat there in the snowy paddock, struggling to contain ourselves.

I stood and offered my hand to Emma, who gladly accepted it, and I pulled her up. She gave me another toothy grin, and I shook my head at the hole where her tooth used to be. She spit out some blood and wiped her face with her sleeve.

I looked over at Emery, on the other side of the paddock. The stallion snorted and whipped its tail back and forth.

"I think we need to give Emery a break. Are you still up to continue the lesson?" I asked.

Emma nodded, spitting out more blood.

"I just need a new horse, is all," she said. I concurred and led Emery back to his enclosure in the stable.

Once he was settled in his stall, I returned to the lesson with Emma, this time with a white thoroughbred named Nestor. We worked on the basics of horsemanship and she quickly picked up on the different techniques. After a few hours, we were done for the day and I helped her off her mount before leading Nestor back to his stall. As we walked away from the stable, I could feel Emma's eyes piercing me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I had a great time today," she said with a smile. "Thank you so much for teaching me how to ride."

"It was my pleasure," I said, returning her smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Seeing her smile once again made the weird tingling in my gut returned, and I instinctively placed a hand on my belly. Emma noticed this and looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm alright," I replied. "Just a bit of an odd feeling."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head no, and we went inside the house. I got her a towel to clean up her face and went to the refrigerator to grab some food. I offered some to Emma but she declined, saying she wasn't hungry.

"How's your dad gonna react to you getting your tooth knocked out?" I asked.

"He won't be happy," Emma said, grimacing, "but he knew that was part of the risk. I won't let him keep me from coming back."

"Don't you think he would have more than enough power to keep you away?"

She guffawed at this. "I have my own resources. Don't worry about me."

I looked at her and shrugged. I grabbed a milk bottle and chugged it from the source. I smacked my lips in satisfaction and put it back in the fridge. Emma stared at me, as if she had never seen someone do that before.

"What?" I said.

"You, uh… you just chugged half that bottle," she replied.

"Yeah, so? We do that all the time."

Emma furrowed her brow. "I see."

I shrugged again. "It's just something we do. It's normal for us."

Soon, her chauffeur arrived to take her back home. Before Emma left I pulled her aside.

"Come back tomorrow, around seven o'clock. I want to spend more time working on control."

"Okay!" she said, in her trademark sing-song voice. I nodded and let her go. After the vehicle rounded the bend I went back inside. My mother was in the living room, knitting. I plopped down on the couch opposite her and let out a huge sigh.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she asked, looking up at me briefly.

"Teaching is exhausting," I said. My mother smiled and went back to her knitting.

"Yes, well, do remember that it was you who chose to do so."

"I know, I know. Still, it is fun. Emma's not as bad as I thought; she's just way too enthusiastic."

My mother "mmmed" in response, and I took that as my cue to leave her be. I got up and went to the bathroom upstairs, and prepared to take a shower. My aching muscles were grateful for the hot water streaming over my body. I showered in complete silence and put my pajamas on, and went straight to bed.

I was pleased to see Emma at the stable bright and early the next morning. She had a determined look in her eyes as she approached me.

"Good morning," I said, smiling. "Ready to pick up where we left off?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice full of determination.

"Let's get started."

We spent the morning grooming the horses and getting them ready for their first ride. I had Emma review how to saddle up, adjust the stirrups, and check that all of the equipment was in working order. After that, I started teaching Emma how to do a canter.

I watched as Emma struggled to get Emery into a canter. The horse kept resisting, no matter what she tried. I could tell the frustration was mounting in her eyes. I dismounted and walked up to her, offering a few words of advice. I suggested that she loosen the reins a bit and focus on keeping her hands steady while she asked Emery for a canter. I also made sure to remind her to keep her seat light in the saddle, so as not to interfere with the horse's natural movement.

She did as I suggested, and when she squeezed Emery's side he took off in a canter. Emma let out a triumphant cry as they started to move faster and the wind blew through her hair. I smiled at her excitement, proud of her progress. After a few minutes, I called for her to slow down and she did. She brought Emery back to a trot and then eventually a walk. When they stopped, she was beaming with pride.

"Well done, Emma!" I said, offering her a congratulatory high five. "You did a great job. You have really come a long way since we first started."

"Thank you," she said, her face still lit up with joy. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Do you want to try galloping now?" I asked.

"Yes!" she said, her eyes widening with excitement. "I'm ready to take on the challenge."

I nodded and smiled at her enthusiasm. "Okay, let's start with a few basic steps," I said. "First, make sure your reins are loose and you have a good grip on them. Then, squeeze Emery's sides lightly with your legs to get him into a trot. Once he has settled into the trot, click your tongue or say 'hup' to encourage him to take off into a gallop. Make sure you keep your seat light in the saddle as he accelerates so that you don't interfere with his natural movements."

I demonstrated the gallop, keeping my seat light in the saddle as Emery accelerated. I showed Emma how to keep her hands steady and use her legs to control the horse's speed. Once I was sure she had understood the basics, I asked her to give it a try. She took a deep breath and squeezed Emery's sides with her legs. He responded immediately and started trotting faster. When he was ready, she clicked her tongue and said "hup!" He took off into a gallop, his hooves pounding against the ground. She kept her hands steady on the reins and used her legs to control his speed. She smiled with joy as they raced across the field. After a few minutes of riding, she brought him back to a trot and then eventually a walk.

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed, beaming with pride. "I can't believe I did it!"

"You did great," I said encouragingly.

At that moment a sudden din of birds flew through the air, their chorus making a great racket. A loud crack echoed through the air. A gunshot. Both of our horses panicked, but I managed to keep Dakota under control. Emery was freaking out, and Emma was struggling to keep him from bucking her off like the other day. I quickly moved closer to her and grabbed Emery's reins to help her get him under control.

"It's okay," I said softly in an attempt to calm them both down. "Just take a deep breath and stay steady." Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Emery settled down. Emma let out a relieved sigh and patted him on the neck.

"Good boy," she said softly. I smiled at her and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "You did really well," I said. "Let's get going before anything else happens."

She smiled gratefully at me before turning her attention back to the horse. "Let's try galloping again," she said determinedly.

Suddenly, Emery spooked at something in the distance and bucked wildly. Emma lost her grip on the reins and was thrown off him, landing hard on the ground. She let out a cry of pain as she clutched her ankle. My heart raced as I ran over to her, fear gripping my chest.

"Are you okay?" I asked anxiously, kneeling down beside her.

She winced in pain, tears streaming down her face. "My ankle," she said softly. "I think it's broken."

I moved her hands away and gently attempted to move her ankle. Emma screamed in agony at the motion and I quickly removed my hands. It was definitely broken.

I quickly called for help and soon an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. As they loaded her onto the stretcher, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. I shook my head and smiled reassuringly at her.

"It's not your fault," I said firmly. "Accidents happen."

With that, the ambulance drove away, taking Emma with them. I watched until it disappeared from sight before turning back to Emery. He was standing still now, his head bowed low as if he felt guilty for what had happened. I walked over to him and patted his neck gently, murmuring soothing words under my breath. "It's okay," I said softly. "We'll get through this together."

I took up Emery and Dakota's reins and silently led them back to their individual enclosures. I filled their feeding troughs, then checked that the barn doors were securely closed for the evening. As I watched them settle in for the night, my heart ached for Emma, who was now at the hospital recovering from her injury. But I knew she would be okay, and with a heavy sigh, I turned away and headed home.

The next day, I made my way to the hospital to visit Emma. She was lying in bed with her foot propped up on pillows, her face pale and drawn. When she saw me, she gave a weak smile. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," I replied. "All this for a broken ankle, huh?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty bad," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Well, don't worry," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "You'll be back on your feet soon enough." Emma smiled again. "Thanks," she said gratefully. "It's nice to have someone here who understands how I'm feeling."

I felt a twinge in my gut at her words. I really did understand how she was feeling. I'd been in her shoes before, and it had taken me a long time to get back on my feet.

I reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. "You're not alone," I said softly. "I'm here for you."

She smiled, and the twinge in my gut grew stronger. I wanted to help her, to make things better for her, but I wasn't sure how. All I could do was be there for her and offer what support I could.

Emma sighed and winced sharply. I looked at her in concern. She noticed and gave me a weak smile.

"The doctors say I have three cracked ribs and a broken collarbone. I'll be out of commission for at least six weeks."

I was taken aback by the news. I felt terrible for her, but I tried to remain positive and supportive.

"That's a long time, but you'll be back in the saddle before you know it," I said reassuringly. "Is there anything I can do to help?

"No, I don't think there's anything anyone can do," she said sadly. "I just have to take it one day at a time and hope for the best."

I nodded understandingly.

"That's all you can do," I said gently. "But if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Emma smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she said softly. I squeezed her hand again and gave her a reassuring smile. We stayed like that for a few moments, until finally, Emma closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. I stood up quietly and made my way out of the room, feeling a strange mix of emotions as I left. On the drive home, all I could think about was how much I wanted to help Emma and make things better for her. But all I could do was be there for her while she recovered. It wasn't much, but it was something—and in that moment, it felt like enough.

Ananias was livid when he heard about what had happened to his daughter. He called the Avery household and demanded answers. "What happened to my daughter?" he roared into the phone. "Who is responsible for this? I want answers now!" I could feel the anger radiating from him, even through the phone line. I tried to explain what had happened, but Ananias wasn't interested in hearing my excuses. He just wanted someone to blame. I finally managed to calm him down enough to explain that it was an accident, and no one was at fault. He seemed somewhat relieved by this, but he still had a lot of questions. We talked for a while longer, and eventually, he seemed satisfied with my explanation and hung up the phone. Although I felt guilty for causing such distress to Emma's family, I was relieved that they were willing to listen and understand what had happened. It made me feel like there was hope after all.

That victory was short-lived, however, as Ananias called back to our house and told my father that Emma would no longer be taking lessons. He blamed me for her accident. I was devastated. I felt like I had let Emma down, and now she couldn't do the one thing she loved most. I wanted to apologize to Ananias and tell him how sorry I was, but I knew it wouldn't make a difference.

Still, I felt like I had to do something. So I wrote him a letter expressing my sincere apologies and explaining that while I understood his decision, I still wished he would reconsider.

To my surprise, Ananias responded positively to my letter. He thanked me for taking responsibility and told me that he appreciated my honesty and willingness to accept blame. He even said that he would think about letting Emma continue her lessons in the future.

I was relieved and grateful for this small victory.

I was surprised when Ananias showed up at my house the next day. He had come to talk to my father about the incident with Emma, and I could tell he was still angry.

My father listened patiently as Ananias talked about his daughter's injury. He shared his thoughts on what had happened and why he felt like someone should be held accountable for it – namely, me, as I was her instructor. At the end of their conversation, my father thanked him for coming over and promised that we would do our best to make sure this kind of thing didn't happen again. Ananias seemed satisfied with my father's response and said goodbye. As he left, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that he had been willing to listen and understand what had happened.

A few days later I got a phone call from Emma. She sounded extremely upset. I asked her what was wrong.

"My dad changed his mind again. I can't continue the lessons," she said. My heart sank.

"Emma, I'm so sorry about what happened. I never meant for you to get hurt."

"I know. It's okay. But now I can't take riding lessons anymore."

"I understand why Ananias has made this decision, but is there any way we can talk him into changing his mind? Maybe if he saw how much you love riding and that it was an accident, he would reconsider?" I said, hopefully. I twirled the phone cord around my finger absentmindedly.

"Maybe. But it won't be easy. He's really mad at you and doesn't think I should be allowed to ride ever again."

My face burned with anger. I sat there in silence, contemplating what could possibly be done.

"Harper?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."

"Did you come up with something?"

I sighed and tapped my fingers on the table.

"Well, maybe if you talk to him and explain how much it means to you, he might change his mind. Maybe if you show him that you understand why he's upset and that it was an accident, he'll be more willing to reconsider. You could also offer some compromises or solutions like riding with a helmet or only going on supervised rides."

I readjusted myself in my chair. "I don't know, though. Both me and my dad talked to him and I sent him a damn letter, and none of that did any good. But maybe hearing it from his own daughter might make the difference."

There was silence for a long moment on the other end of the phone.

"I'll try. Thanks, Harper."

With that Emma hung up. I placed the phone back on the receiver and just sat there in silence for a few minutes.

What a total mess.