Even the Sweetest Rose Has a Thorn., chapter 5
Tre' turned to lock eyes with Paprika but she was already gone. Tre' grabbed his son away from Estelle and slapped him. "Dad, what was that for?" Frankito yelled at him as he was rubbing his cheek. Tre' did feel sorry for his son, he felt sorry for Paprika. "While you were sucking the face off of Stella, I hope to let you know son, that Paprika saw you!" Tre' yelled back. Frankito's eyes went soft and he ran to look for her, when he didn't find her, he went to the hospital, he had to ask Dragon and Vulcan.
"Where does Paprika live?" Frankito said bursting through the door of Dragon's room. They both stared at him, confused. "I lost her, I don't know where she is," Frankito said panting. "She's probably at Wheatfield Farms," Vulcan replied. Frankito nodded and ran to the the farm.
Frankito looked around, the tackroom, the stables, the indoor arena and couldn't find her anywhere. She found someone who looked like they worked there. "Where is Paprika?" Frankito said politely. The worker pointed at the mini racetrack they had. He saw a splotchy blur go past the gate and watched, intrigued. Paprika seemed to lift comfortably out of the saddle as the horse went faster. Soon, the horse was at a dead gallop, leaving dirt and dust where is body once was. "She looks like she was born to ride that horse," Frankito heard a voice say. He turned only to be confronted by Mike. "Mike I..." he was soon interrupted by Mike.
"Stella told me everything and I have to say, that's the stupidiest thing I've ever seen you do Kito," Mike said sadly, still watching Paprika. Frankito hung his head and continued watching Paprika. The horse was breathing heaviliy so she walked it around and finally walked it into the stables. She saw Mike and Frankito and tossed the reins to one of the grooms and hugged Mike. "Hey Dad," she said with a smile. Then, Paprika looked at Frankito and walked to another horse's stable. "Dad, if you want, I'll sweet talk the managers so you could go on a trail ride, Frankito, I guess you could come too." Mike smiled and Frankito just nodded and when Paprika was done talking to the managers, she walked into two horses stables and took them out. She brushed, combed, and tacked them up. Then she took another horse and simply put on a bridle on him.
She got out the stool for Mike since she couldn't lift him up. She intwined her fingers so Frankito could jump up in the saddle. Frankito and Mike took better looks at their horses and smiled. Mike's was a black horse, but with a white mane and tail. Frankito's was a bay, brown body with black legs, mane, and tail. Paprika's horse was a very large blue roan. She took the stool and hoasted herself up with a grunt. "We're head out on the Baby Toe trail and we'll end up at the Cherokee creek and turned back when we reached Foxburrow forest," Paprika told the other two. Mike and Frankito looked at each other when she said 'Baby Toe trail', why was it called that. "Um, why's it called Baby Toe trail?" Mike asked her. Their horses were side by side on the trail as Paprika explained.
"There's a legend that wolves were very common among this parts, a mother and her child went for a walk on the trail, they never came back, and all that was found of them was a baby's toe, and there are stories that you can still hear the howls of the murderous wolves still in the wind and the wails of the mother trying to protect her child," she said while closing her eyes, concentrating on the wind. Mike and Frankito also concentrating and indeed, there were howls of wind, the wind was so calm but the sound was so strong.
"Spooky," Frankito said. Paprika nodded and finally they reached the Cherokee creek. Paprika's expression didn't changed but she trotted up the creek and broke out in a gallop, leaving Mike and Frankito behind. They shared glance and broke out in a dead run. They were very uncomfortable with the jumping in and out of the saddle (for obvious reasons) and Mike had the smartest idea! He lifted himself from out of the seat of the saddle and told Frankito to do the same. This gave them some relief but they couldn't find Paprika anyway. Then they slowed down and looked around for Paprika, then they felt their horses take off. With Paprika laughing in the background. "You're grounddeeeeeed!" Mike called off whlie clinging for dear life to the horse's mane. He heard a whistle and the horses slowed down instantly, turned around and walked back to Paprika.
"Ugh, that was probably the most uncomfortable thing I'll have to indure in my life," Frankito complained. Paprika told them to dismount and they did as told. She untacked the horses and let them go through the river without any tack. "They won't run away, they just need to cool down," Paprika said suringly. She took off her shirt to reveal a bikini top, leaving Frankito staring. Mike elbowed him in the ribs, hard, warning him to be careful. "I do this to relieve my stress," Paprika said while revealing her full bikini and jumping in the deep part of the river. Frankito seemed to almost be drooling and after 10 minutes, the horses came back and Paprika put her clothes back on and mounted her horse without the saddle after tacking up Frankito and Mike's horses. She stood on a log and trotted with her horse and finally jumped up while her horse was still trotting. "What are these horse's names?" Mike said while patting his horse.
Paprika pointed at Mike's horse, "that's Apache." She pointed at Frankito's horse, "that's Cowboy." She patted her own horse, "this is my baby boy, Sundance."
"Is Sundance your own horse?" Frankito asked. She nodded, "I have half ownership, he's a racehorse, that would explain his long legs and solid colors, his actually name is Sundancing at Night."
"Why only half?" Mike asked.
"'Cause I helped this horse through death as a foal, so because I'm only a groom and all of his earning would go only to me, then I only get half."
"How much as he won so far?"
"Twenty million."
"So you get.... ten million dollars?" Mike said, astonished. She nodded, and patted Sundance's neck and took off at a canter.
"She's a millionaire Mike," Frankito said.
"She takes after dad, I wonder where that money is?"
"It's in the safe hands of a bank!" Paprika called out.
"Well this is a weird surprise, knowing that your daughter is a millionaire without your help."
"He still has a few races left!" she called back.
Frankito and Mike looked at each other, more races? Mike's cell phone started ring, startling Sundance. "Whoa Sun, whoa boy," Paprika soothed. Sundance reared and Frankito could hear the Lone Ranger theme song playing.
"Hello?" Mike asked, it was Tre'.
"Where are you?" Tre' asked.
"On a trail ride."
"Why?"
"'Cause Paprika invited us."
"Is she all right?"
"Oh, she's more then all right."
"What do you mean Mike?"
"I found out that my 'little girl' is a millionaire!"
"How'd that happen?"
"She half owns a famous racehorse."
"Let me guess.... Sundancing at Night?"
"How did you know?"
"I do regular bets on horses."
"This is amazing, how could this happen."
"Well, I don't know, all I know is that imagine when this horse reaches his peak, that horse is just starting his season."
"This is crazy!"
"Mike, this is Billie Joe, I heard about the whole millionaire thing, this is nuts!"
"Don't you think I know that?"
"She's probably the richest teenager in America without inheriting money!"
"Yeah, but why does she live in the dumps?"
"I don't know."
"Ok, well I'm going to try and see what this is all about, the whole bank account thing."
"Ok Mike see you later."
"See ya man."
Mike hung up, Paprika, a millionaire?
"Where does Paprika live?" Frankito said bursting through the door of Dragon's room. They both stared at him, confused. "I lost her, I don't know where she is," Frankito said panting. "She's probably at Wheatfield Farms," Vulcan replied. Frankito nodded and ran to the the farm.
Frankito looked around, the tackroom, the stables, the indoor arena and couldn't find her anywhere. She found someone who looked like they worked there. "Where is Paprika?" Frankito said politely. The worker pointed at the mini racetrack they had. He saw a splotchy blur go past the gate and watched, intrigued. Paprika seemed to lift comfortably out of the saddle as the horse went faster. Soon, the horse was at a dead gallop, leaving dirt and dust where is body once was. "She looks like she was born to ride that horse," Frankito heard a voice say. He turned only to be confronted by Mike. "Mike I..." he was soon interrupted by Mike.
"Stella told me everything and I have to say, that's the stupidiest thing I've ever seen you do Kito," Mike said sadly, still watching Paprika. Frankito hung his head and continued watching Paprika. The horse was breathing heaviliy so she walked it around and finally walked it into the stables. She saw Mike and Frankito and tossed the reins to one of the grooms and hugged Mike. "Hey Dad," she said with a smile. Then, Paprika looked at Frankito and walked to another horse's stable. "Dad, if you want, I'll sweet talk the managers so you could go on a trail ride, Frankito, I guess you could come too." Mike smiled and Frankito just nodded and when Paprika was done talking to the managers, she walked into two horses stables and took them out. She brushed, combed, and tacked them up. Then she took another horse and simply put on a bridle on him.
She got out the stool for Mike since she couldn't lift him up. She intwined her fingers so Frankito could jump up in the saddle. Frankito and Mike took better looks at their horses and smiled. Mike's was a black horse, but with a white mane and tail. Frankito's was a bay, brown body with black legs, mane, and tail. Paprika's horse was a very large blue roan. She took the stool and hoasted herself up with a grunt. "We're head out on the Baby Toe trail and we'll end up at the Cherokee creek and turned back when we reached Foxburrow forest," Paprika told the other two. Mike and Frankito looked at each other when she said 'Baby Toe trail', why was it called that. "Um, why's it called Baby Toe trail?" Mike asked her. Their horses were side by side on the trail as Paprika explained.
"There's a legend that wolves were very common among this parts, a mother and her child went for a walk on the trail, they never came back, and all that was found of them was a baby's toe, and there are stories that you can still hear the howls of the murderous wolves still in the wind and the wails of the mother trying to protect her child," she said while closing her eyes, concentrating on the wind. Mike and Frankito also concentrating and indeed, there were howls of wind, the wind was so calm but the sound was so strong.
"Spooky," Frankito said. Paprika nodded and finally they reached the Cherokee creek. Paprika's expression didn't changed but she trotted up the creek and broke out in a gallop, leaving Mike and Frankito behind. They shared glance and broke out in a dead run. They were very uncomfortable with the jumping in and out of the saddle (for obvious reasons) and Mike had the smartest idea! He lifted himself from out of the seat of the saddle and told Frankito to do the same. This gave them some relief but they couldn't find Paprika anyway. Then they slowed down and looked around for Paprika, then they felt their horses take off. With Paprika laughing in the background. "You're grounddeeeeeed!" Mike called off whlie clinging for dear life to the horse's mane. He heard a whistle and the horses slowed down instantly, turned around and walked back to Paprika.
"Ugh, that was probably the most uncomfortable thing I'll have to indure in my life," Frankito complained. Paprika told them to dismount and they did as told. She untacked the horses and let them go through the river without any tack. "They won't run away, they just need to cool down," Paprika said suringly. She took off her shirt to reveal a bikini top, leaving Frankito staring. Mike elbowed him in the ribs, hard, warning him to be careful. "I do this to relieve my stress," Paprika said while revealing her full bikini and jumping in the deep part of the river. Frankito seemed to almost be drooling and after 10 minutes, the horses came back and Paprika put her clothes back on and mounted her horse without the saddle after tacking up Frankito and Mike's horses. She stood on a log and trotted with her horse and finally jumped up while her horse was still trotting. "What are these horse's names?" Mike said while patting his horse.
Paprika pointed at Mike's horse, "that's Apache." She pointed at Frankito's horse, "that's Cowboy." She patted her own horse, "this is my baby boy, Sundance."
"Is Sundance your own horse?" Frankito asked. She nodded, "I have half ownership, he's a racehorse, that would explain his long legs and solid colors, his actually name is Sundancing at Night."
"Why only half?" Mike asked.
"'Cause I helped this horse through death as a foal, so because I'm only a groom and all of his earning would go only to me, then I only get half."
"How much as he won so far?"
"Twenty million."
"So you get.... ten million dollars?" Mike said, astonished. She nodded, and patted Sundance's neck and took off at a canter.
"She's a millionaire Mike," Frankito said.
"She takes after dad, I wonder where that money is?"
"It's in the safe hands of a bank!" Paprika called out.
"Well this is a weird surprise, knowing that your daughter is a millionaire without your help."
"He still has a few races left!" she called back.
Frankito and Mike looked at each other, more races? Mike's cell phone started ring, startling Sundance. "Whoa Sun, whoa boy," Paprika soothed. Sundance reared and Frankito could hear the Lone Ranger theme song playing.
"Hello?" Mike asked, it was Tre'.
"Where are you?" Tre' asked.
"On a trail ride."
"Why?"
"'Cause Paprika invited us."
"Is she all right?"
"Oh, she's more then all right."
"What do you mean Mike?"
"I found out that my 'little girl' is a millionaire!"
"How'd that happen?"
"She half owns a famous racehorse."
"Let me guess.... Sundancing at Night?"
"How did you know?"
"I do regular bets on horses."
"This is amazing, how could this happen."
"Well, I don't know, all I know is that imagine when this horse reaches his peak, that horse is just starting his season."
"This is crazy!"
"Mike, this is Billie Joe, I heard about the whole millionaire thing, this is nuts!"
"Don't you think I know that?"
"She's probably the richest teenager in America without inheriting money!"
"Yeah, but why does she live in the dumps?"
"I don't know."
"Ok, well I'm going to try and see what this is all about, the whole bank account thing."
"Ok Mike see you later."
"See ya man."
Mike hung up, Paprika, a millionaire?
