Give Me Grace

Chapter 2

Part Two

I expected Mr. Bates to get angry and yell at me, but he didn’t. Instead, he rushed over and picked me up, dusted me off, and told me it was going to be okay. He apologized for scaring me and checked to see if I had broken anything. There was just a small bruise on my arm where I fell, but otherwise, I was okay.

“What were you doing in here all alone?” He asked me when I finally calmed down.

“I wanted to see the horses,” I sniffled as I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand.

“All of the animals are out in the fields running around. Do you want me to take you to see them?” He offered.

I was flabbergasted but eagerly agreed. He led me out of the barn and into his old truck. It smelled like stale coffee and dirt, but the seats were comfy and I couldn’t help but smile.

I stared out the window as we drove along the dirt road, toward the other side of the farm. This side, I had never seen before. There was nothing but open fields, filled with cows and sheep and goats. It felt like we were taken to a whole different farm. Bales of hay neatly littered the ground as the animals seemed to not notice us.

Thin-wired fences separated the animals and two border collies lay in the grass, watching over the sheep and other animals. After driving for about ten minutes, the truck started to slow as we made a turn and drove another five minutes. Once we stopped, Mr. Bates pointed out of his window on the left.

“Look over here.”

I turned my head and looked out his window and saw about six horses. I was amazed and excited. I quickly got out of the truck and ran around it to the fence. The fence holding the horses was different from the ones that held the other animals. It wasn’t a wired fence, instead it was a white wooden fence.

“Mr. Bates, why do you only have six horses and a thousand cows and sheep?” I asked, noticing the vast difference between the animals.

“Because the cows provide nourishment and the sheep provide warmth. The horses help me get around the farm,” he explained.

I didn’t question him further, I knew what he meant. I may have been young, but I knew that he meant the cows were sent to the slaughterhouse. I had already learned about it in school.

Mr. Bates walked towards the corner of the fence where there was a door and opened it. I watched in fascination as he slowly approached one of the horses and started to pet it on the long nose. He threw a rope around its neck and guided the horse to the fence.

The large horse was gentle and seemed bigger than the others. Once they made it back to the fence, Mr. Bates tied the rope to the fence and then exited. He went to the bed of his truck and grabbed a large saddle and a weird-looking strappy thing.

He threw the saddle over the back of the horse and made adjustments. When he was done with the saddle, he grabbed the strappy thing and pulled it over the nose. I didn’t know what that was, but I saw it on a lot of horses when people would ride them. It had a rope for the rider to hold so they could control the horse.

“Mr. Bates? What’s that thing called that you’re putting on the horse?”

“This is called a halter. Normally, I would put on a bridle, which is similar but has a bar that goes in the mouth. But she is a very well-trained and well-behaved horse, so she gets special treatment.”

I nodded. “She’s a girl? What’s her name?” 

“Her name is Camila, and she’s pregnant. She’s going to have a baby.”

My eyes grew big and I got excited for her. There was going to be a pony and I knew I wanted to play with the pony once it was born. Once Camila was ready, Mr. Bates went back inside the fence and removed the rope that was around her neck. He then used the straps that were connected to the halter to guide her out of the fence and onto the dirt road.

He told me to open the bed of the truck as he walked with Camila towards me. I did as he instructed and quickly let the tail fall. Getting to the truck, Mr. Bates helped me into the bed of the truck so I was high enough to pet Camila.

“Do you want to take her for a ride?” he finally asked me and I excitedly squealed.

Mr. Bates smiled and then reached into the truck and pulled out a black padded cushion. He attached it to the saddle and then helped me onto the horse. Once he was sure I was secured, he got on behind me. He reached around me and grabbed the straps and then tugged on it a little.

Camila started to back away from the truck before turning around and heading towards the dirt path we came from. She took her time as Mr. Bates guided us through the rest of the farm. There was a second barn, much smaller than the first. Inside, there were pigs, which he told me he planned on getting rid of. I wasn’t a fan of them either so I agreed that he should.

Turning around, we went back towards the area where the horses were roaming and Mr. Bates helped me off. He told me that since Camila was pregnant, we couldn’t overwork her. Although I was sad, I understood and got off.

After Mr. Bates took the halter and saddle off Camila, she went back to grazing with the other horses. We got back into the truck and went back to the barn. I continued to look out the window and I saw the other side of the land this time.

It was similar to what I saw on the way here except as we got closer to the barn, I noticed chickens and roosters roaming around. I didn’t see them or hear them when I was inside the barn and when we first left, which was surprising with the amount of noise they made. I also saw that there was a chicken coop attached to the back of the giant barn.

The coop was big, and could easily fit many people inside at once. I’ve always wondered how many chickens Mr. Bates had. He always sold so many eggs at the farmers market and with how many chickens were roaming around behind the barn, I figured he’d never run out of eggs.

We passed the barn and turned onto the gravel road, heading back towards the house. Mr. Bates and I talked the whole way back.

“So, why didn’t you go to the birthday party with your sister?” He asked me.

“Because I wasn’t invited,” I told him honestly.

“And your brother?” 

“He went to a friend’s house to play video games.”

“So everybody is with a friend, but you? Why didn’t you go play with your friends?”

“I don’t have any friends. I’m kind of a loner. But I like it that way,” I explained. “Plus, getting to ride on Camila was so much fun. I’d rather do that than play with other people.”

Mr. Bates laughed at my explanation, but I was being serious. I would rather ride a horse than pretend to have fun while playing with dolls. My sister, on the other hand, did whatever everyone else did and pretended to enjoy it.

“Everyone needs friends. You should try to make one.”

“You don’t have friends and you’re okay. I can be like you.” I declared.

“Even I have friends. My best friend, Joe, comes out here a lot. Maybe one day you’ll get to meet him.”

A part of me didn’t believe him, but a bigger part of me knew he had no reason to lie to a nine-year-old child that he barely knew. So I chose to believe him.

“So, Mr. Bates? Who takes care of the animals?” I changed the subject.

“I do. Everyday. With the help of Tigerlily and Peter.”

“Who are Tigerlily and Peter?” I asked, confused. I had never seen anyone around besides us.

“The two dogs you saw with the cattle,” he smiled as it clicked to me.

“But when do you have time? You’re always with us helping out with the crops.”

“I get up much earlier than you kids. In the morning, I let the animals out of the barn and feed them, groom them, and take care of them. By the time you all are back from school and done with your homework, I work the crops with you. Then I go back and put the animals away before bed.”

“That’s a lot of work for one person. Can I help you?” I was eager to spend more time with the animals.

“Yes. Of course. But first. I have to teach you how to ride a horse by yourself. And that means you have to get up earlier than you already do. Think you can do it?” He asked me.

“Yes! I will do whatever it takes,” I proclaimed. “Mr. Bates? Do you think we can get some pizza? I’m starving.”

“Of course,” he smiled. “I could go for pizza.”

Instead of turning down the entrance to the driveway of the house, we continued out the front gate and made our way into town. Mr. Bates waved at my mother as we passed and let her know we were going into town for pizza. My mom looked concerned for a moment before smiling and waving us off.

On our way to town, Mr. Bates asked me about school, and what I was interested in. I rambled on and on about every subject in school and what I had learned throughout the week. He paid close attention to my stories and never interrupted.

Getting into town, we quickly find a place to park and go inside the pizza parlor to order our food. I got a slice of cheese while Mr. Bates got a veggie lover’s pizza. It sounded gross, pizza full of vegetables was not pizza.

When the food was finally ready, a server brought us our plates with a large slice of pizza on it. I immediately dug in as Mr. Bates folded his pizza in half and took a bite. I had never seen someone do that before.

“Why do you fold your pizza? It’s not a taco,” I laughed.

“Hahaha. I know it’s not a taco. But when you have as many toppings as I have, you fold it so they don’t fall off.”

“I never thought of it that way. But it’s still weird, so I won’t do it.” I told him.

“You can eat pizza however you want there’s no right way,” he smiled.

After finishing our pizza, we went back to the house, talking the whole way. I never knew Mr. Bates was a fun person. All this time, I was scared of him, but for no reason. When he should have been upset with me for going into the barn, he wasn’t.

I had completely misjudged him. He wasn’t the frail old man he looked to be. He was stronger than I initially thought and had more energy than most old people. Now, I wanted nothing more than to know him better. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.