Not Saint Jimmy, chapter 3
It was 4 months since Teresa had moved in with Billie and everyone was getting used to her. It was a stormy summer night and Billie was sitting on the sofa in the lounge. He had a pint in his hand and the TV was on but he wasn't drinking or watching. He was mulling over the past 4 months and thinking. Although Teresa had seemed to settle down she didn't speak much, yes and no just about covered her vocabulary, and she was really reserved. Most of the time she spent at home she was in her room, playing guitar or just sitting listening to music. It seemed that she had broken on the day her parents came and was now bottling up all her emotions again. She wasn't happy, he knew that but he didn't know what to do.
Teresa sat in her room. She loved it here and everyone was so kind to her but she couldn't be happy. She hated herself for it and it was like a spiral, she hated herself and then hated herself for hating herself. She just wanted to rewind and go back to before the cares homes but she couldn't. Her mum hadn't rung or written and Teresa was beginning to realise that as far as her mum was concerned she wasn't part of their family anymore. But she couldn't let go, she felt like her soul was ripping in two. She wanted to yell and scream and cry, she wanted to hurt them, like they had hurt her, but then she also just wanted her mum to come back, to wrap her arms around, tell her it would all be ok. She was confused and unhappy.
"Come on, join in Tez," Joey yelled at her from their volleyball court. Teresa was sitting on the sidelines. She didn't know how to play volleyball and she didn't feel like embarrassing herself today, she shook her head. Joey stood and looked at her for a bit and then got hit in the head by the ball.
"Ow, shit. Who threw that?" He demanded.
Tre stood sniggering. Joey picked up the ball and chucked it at Tre who promptly volleyed it over the net and scored a point. Joey went over to pick up the ball again fuming. Everyone laughed, except Teresa, she hadn't smiled or laughed scince she got here.
Suddenly Teresa heard something behind her. She stood up and looked over the fence. A couple of gardens down there was a field and a couple of horses were sticking theirs heads over the fence, trying to get at the lush green grass outside their field. Ignoring the lush green grass inside their field. Teresa smiled and walked over to them. She stood about a foot away from them and just looked at them. They reminded her of her old horses. She went up to the smaller one and began to stroke her nose. The horse responded by promptly itching her head on Teresa's hand.
"Get away from them, their dangerous," someone screamed making Teresa and the horses jump. A woman came running out of the house behind the field. Teresa stepped back from the fence quickly and the horses ran off.
"I'm sorry," the woman said, "but they are very dangerous and I don't want anyone hurt by them."
"Why do you have them then?" Teresa asked.
"Oh... erm... some woman from England sold them to me. She told me that one (she pointed to the smaller one with the white sock) was a nice calm family horse and that that one (she pointed at the other one) was an eventer. Stupid bitch lied to me. The 'family horse' kicks, bites, rears, and is basically a piece of shit and the other one I can't even get on. She just runs away."
"What are their names?" Teresa asked. They had been brought in England; they did look like her old horses, maybe, just maybe... ? No, it was impossible... wasn't it?
"Flicka and Xantia (pronounced Zantia, odd I know but I didn't choose the name)"
Teresa looked at the horses for a while.
"Can I ride them?" she asked.
"Haven't you listened to me?" the woman replied, "They're mental!"
"Please," Teresa begged she looked desperate as if she would die if she couldn't ride them., "I won't hold you responsible if I get hurt, please? I'll do anything"
By this time Billie, Adie, Tre, Mike, Joey, Jakob and Frankito had joined them. The woman looked at Billie, who was looking puzzled, why was Tez so desperate to ride these horses? He nodded and the woman nodded at Teresa.
Teresa took the head collar from the fence and entered the field. The horses stopped and looked at her. She walked up to them with her arm outstretched and her eyes down. Her body language was clam. Flicka walked up to her. She slowly slipped the head collar around Flicka's head and looped the lead rope around her neck, like reins. Then she climbed on the horse and sat for a second. She squeezed with her legs and the pony began to walk on. She walks for a while and then squeezed again and the pony began to trot. She turned the horse in a circle and then changed the rein. She made the horses head come down and round as it was meant to and she bent the right way. After about 10 minutes she signalled the horse to canter and she did. She stopped and slid off the horse. The woman looked at her amazed. Teresa proceeded to do the same thing with Xantia. She looked around and saw a small fence in the middle of the field.
"Could you make that bigger please?" she asked the woman politely who immediately obliged and Teresa began to circle the jump. She turned towards it and the horse cantered up to it, her striding perfect and when her front feet were off the ground Teresa leant forward for a second into jumping position and then sat back on the horses back as she landed and cantered away. She smiled.
She walked over to everyone and slid off the horses back. She undid the head collar and the horse walked off. Everyone looked at her dumb founded.
"How did you do that?" the woman asked.
"They were mine, back in England," Teresa confessed. "I guess mum must've sold them" There were tears in her eyes but she was smiling as well as she remembered her old home. She remembered riding and shows and jumping. She remembered her friends and her pets and her family. She looked away quickly. Billie just stared at her. He was thinking, how long was it till her birthday? 1 month? Adie loved horses as well, that would help.
1 month later
Teresa woke up to some shaking her.
"Tez, Tez wake up," she heard Tre's voice. She groaned and rolled over. Couldn't a girl sleep in on her birthday? Suddenly a pillow thumped her over the head. She jumped and got out of bed.
"Get dressed and come outside," Tre ordered and then left her room.
Ten minutes later Teresa was walking outside. She didn't see anyone. Fucking Tre was probably playing a joke. Fuck him, she thought. She walked down the huge garden and something caught her eye. It was a fence; she swore it hadn't been there before. She walked past it and then stopped, something moved in the corner of her eye. She looked around her; Xantia was standing by the fence looking at her. She stood. No, it couldn't be, she was dreaming. She walked on further and then, as she came through the small bunch of trees at the end of the garden she saw a huge stable block and everyone standing there.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" they all yelled.
She stood her mouth open. Flicka was standing by the fence and Xantia promptly joined her. I'm dreaming, she thought. She closed her eyes and opened them again, everything was the same as it was a second ago, she wasn't dreaming. She looked at Billie who was smiling.
"It's too make up for all the birthdays and Christmases I've missed" he said.
She smiled at him. Tears in her eyes.
"Plus I needed something to blow some of my money on," he added.
"I could've done that!" Adie said.
"I said some, not all," everyone laughed, including Adie.
Billie walked up to Tez, "So, what do you think?" he asked. She turned round and hugged him as hard as she could. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, bending his head down and kissing her hair, "Happy birthday, sweetheart" he whispered. Teresa smiled, now she was happy
Teresa sat in her room. She loved it here and everyone was so kind to her but she couldn't be happy. She hated herself for it and it was like a spiral, she hated herself and then hated herself for hating herself. She just wanted to rewind and go back to before the cares homes but she couldn't. Her mum hadn't rung or written and Teresa was beginning to realise that as far as her mum was concerned she wasn't part of their family anymore. But she couldn't let go, she felt like her soul was ripping in two. She wanted to yell and scream and cry, she wanted to hurt them, like they had hurt her, but then she also just wanted her mum to come back, to wrap her arms around, tell her it would all be ok. She was confused and unhappy.
"Come on, join in Tez," Joey yelled at her from their volleyball court. Teresa was sitting on the sidelines. She didn't know how to play volleyball and she didn't feel like embarrassing herself today, she shook her head. Joey stood and looked at her for a bit and then got hit in the head by the ball.
"Ow, shit. Who threw that?" He demanded.
Tre stood sniggering. Joey picked up the ball and chucked it at Tre who promptly volleyed it over the net and scored a point. Joey went over to pick up the ball again fuming. Everyone laughed, except Teresa, she hadn't smiled or laughed scince she got here.
Suddenly Teresa heard something behind her. She stood up and looked over the fence. A couple of gardens down there was a field and a couple of horses were sticking theirs heads over the fence, trying to get at the lush green grass outside their field. Ignoring the lush green grass inside their field. Teresa smiled and walked over to them. She stood about a foot away from them and just looked at them. They reminded her of her old horses. She went up to the smaller one and began to stroke her nose. The horse responded by promptly itching her head on Teresa's hand.
"Get away from them, their dangerous," someone screamed making Teresa and the horses jump. A woman came running out of the house behind the field. Teresa stepped back from the fence quickly and the horses ran off.
"I'm sorry," the woman said, "but they are very dangerous and I don't want anyone hurt by them."
"Why do you have them then?" Teresa asked.
"Oh... erm... some woman from England sold them to me. She told me that one (she pointed to the smaller one with the white sock) was a nice calm family horse and that that one (she pointed at the other one) was an eventer. Stupid bitch lied to me. The 'family horse' kicks, bites, rears, and is basically a piece of shit and the other one I can't even get on. She just runs away."
"What are their names?" Teresa asked. They had been brought in England; they did look like her old horses, maybe, just maybe... ? No, it was impossible... wasn't it?
"Flicka and Xantia (pronounced Zantia, odd I know but I didn't choose the name)"
Teresa looked at the horses for a while.
"Can I ride them?" she asked.
"Haven't you listened to me?" the woman replied, "They're mental!"
"Please," Teresa begged she looked desperate as if she would die if she couldn't ride them., "I won't hold you responsible if I get hurt, please? I'll do anything"
By this time Billie, Adie, Tre, Mike, Joey, Jakob and Frankito had joined them. The woman looked at Billie, who was looking puzzled, why was Tez so desperate to ride these horses? He nodded and the woman nodded at Teresa.
Teresa took the head collar from the fence and entered the field. The horses stopped and looked at her. She walked up to them with her arm outstretched and her eyes down. Her body language was clam. Flicka walked up to her. She slowly slipped the head collar around Flicka's head and looped the lead rope around her neck, like reins. Then she climbed on the horse and sat for a second. She squeezed with her legs and the pony began to walk on. She walks for a while and then squeezed again and the pony began to trot. She turned the horse in a circle and then changed the rein. She made the horses head come down and round as it was meant to and she bent the right way. After about 10 minutes she signalled the horse to canter and she did. She stopped and slid off the horse. The woman looked at her amazed. Teresa proceeded to do the same thing with Xantia. She looked around and saw a small fence in the middle of the field.
"Could you make that bigger please?" she asked the woman politely who immediately obliged and Teresa began to circle the jump. She turned towards it and the horse cantered up to it, her striding perfect and when her front feet were off the ground Teresa leant forward for a second into jumping position and then sat back on the horses back as she landed and cantered away. She smiled.
She walked over to everyone and slid off the horses back. She undid the head collar and the horse walked off. Everyone looked at her dumb founded.
"How did you do that?" the woman asked.
"They were mine, back in England," Teresa confessed. "I guess mum must've sold them" There were tears in her eyes but she was smiling as well as she remembered her old home. She remembered riding and shows and jumping. She remembered her friends and her pets and her family. She looked away quickly. Billie just stared at her. He was thinking, how long was it till her birthday? 1 month? Adie loved horses as well, that would help.
1 month later
Teresa woke up to some shaking her.
"Tez, Tez wake up," she heard Tre's voice. She groaned and rolled over. Couldn't a girl sleep in on her birthday? Suddenly a pillow thumped her over the head. She jumped and got out of bed.
"Get dressed and come outside," Tre ordered and then left her room.
Ten minutes later Teresa was walking outside. She didn't see anyone. Fucking Tre was probably playing a joke. Fuck him, she thought. She walked down the huge garden and something caught her eye. It was a fence; she swore it hadn't been there before. She walked past it and then stopped, something moved in the corner of her eye. She looked around her; Xantia was standing by the fence looking at her. She stood. No, it couldn't be, she was dreaming. She walked on further and then, as she came through the small bunch of trees at the end of the garden she saw a huge stable block and everyone standing there.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" they all yelled.
She stood her mouth open. Flicka was standing by the fence and Xantia promptly joined her. I'm dreaming, she thought. She closed her eyes and opened them again, everything was the same as it was a second ago, she wasn't dreaming. She looked at Billie who was smiling.
"It's too make up for all the birthdays and Christmases I've missed" he said.
She smiled at him. Tears in her eyes.
"Plus I needed something to blow some of my money on," he added.
"I could've done that!" Adie said.
"I said some, not all," everyone laughed, including Adie.
Billie walked up to Tez, "So, what do you think?" he asked. She turned round and hugged him as hard as she could. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, bending his head down and kissing her hair, "Happy birthday, sweetheart" he whispered. Teresa smiled, now she was happy
