Running Blind

12. The Race

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(Callis)

As I drove, I looked over at Brianna in the passenger seat. It was 6:30a.m. and we had a 2 hour drive to the track. Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail and she wasn’t wearing any makeup—doing her face a big favor. I smiled and glanced back to the road. Ila was doing quite well for being in the trailer for the first time; with very few sudden movements.

I unbuckled, cutting the engine and glanced over at Brie; still asleep in her seat. I touched her forehead, noticing that it looked moist. Her head was burning and felt as though it was about to fry an egg. That couldn’t be any good. I grabbed her shoulder, slightly worried, and shook her. Her brow furrowed and then her face showed that she was in pain.

“Brianna. Get up.” I said, hopefully calmly. “We’re here, at the track…”

And then her clouded eyes opened up, a tear escaped and ran down her left cheek. She quickly wiped it away and unbuckled herself.

“What’s wrong, Brie?” I asked her.

“Nothing,” her voice cracked as she searched for the door handle. “Just a bad dream.”

Before I could ask another question, she was out of the truck and trying to unbolt the trailer. I helped her get Ila out and let her go walk her around to stretch her legs as I unpacked the two bales of straw and got a small bucket of oats for her.

 I was spreading the straw when someone came up to the stall and stood in the doorway behind me.

“You ain’t here for Miss Stone…are ya?”

I turned around to see a man I hadn’t seen in two years. Howard Wilks—better known as Howey—a young 17 year old man wearing a flannel shirt and jeans that were tucked into his muddy cowboy boots. He tipped his cowboy hat to me. “How’ya doin, Callis?”

I smiled and tipped my hat back at him. “Good to see you, Howey. Yeah, Brianna’s here, she’s entering in a race.”

Howey’s shiny grin faltered. “Y-you mean…But I thought she’s blind…?”

I shrugged my shoulders, knowing that a few weeks ago, that is what was going through my head. I remembered what Brie had said when I was talking to her about it a few nights ago. “I guess, in her opinion, it’s not what she can see, but what the horse can see.” I let out a chuckle. “That’s why it’s called horse racin’ right?”

Howey didn’t laugh. “You can’t be serious. You’re actually gonna let a blind girl ride atop a 12 hundred pound horse which just happens to be running as fast as it’s legs will allow it to?”

I tried not to let his words get into my head, otherwise, I would have a hard time letting Ila race, much less, Brianna. “Look. We’ve been trainin’ that horse good. Alright? You just wait an’ see. She’ll show you…”

Howard shook his head. “She’s gonna get hurt, I’m tellin’ you.” He said. “I gotta go, Callis, but good luck, man.”

I mumbled a farewell to him, wondering if he was racing or just there to watch. Then I realized that it’d been a good twenty minutes since I’d seen Brianna. Cursing, I set the pitchfork against the wall and then I went out in search of her and her horse.

I went by what I like to call the exercise pinwheel of horses and she wasn’t there, so I thought, maybe she went back to the stall. Crazy Princess. Doesn’t she know she can’t see?