“How are your ribs?”
“Okay.” They hurt but Ru wasn’t going to admit that.
In the yard, the professional players handed over their mounts to the grooms and went off with Jasim. Ru dismounted and led Shadow into the stables. Everyone was busy looking after the ponies and as Ru took care of Shadow, he let himself bask in the pleasure of having scored. Jasim should have stopped him and he hadn’t. Maybe it had been a fluke, a chance snatched right at the start, but it had been so exciting.
“You did really well.”
Ru looked up to see Diego leaning over the door of the stall.
“Thanks. Marcelo seemed pleased even though we lost.”
“Only just lost and you were a help to Joaquin. I couldn’t believe the way you smacked the ball sideways just before it went through the posts in the second chukka. It was a brilliant move. You were really shifting. You ride as if you’ve been playing for years.”
“I’ve practised the moves for a long time without realising that was what I was doing. I used to hit the heads off weeds with a stick. A mallet and a ball seem much easier in comparison.”
Diego laughed. “Next time we stick and ball, will you play with me?”
“What… What about Mike?”
“I think we can learn from each other.”
“That would be grand.”
Ru took Shadow out to the pasture, and on the way back, he saw Mike coming towards him.Shit.Ru really wanted to turn and go in another direction but he made himself keep going.
“You think you’re such a smart-arse,” Mike muttered.
Ru kept walking and Mike stepped in front of him. Ru stopped and looked at him.
“I have a job for you.”
Ru waited.
“Cock cleaning.” Mike smirked. “Clean the cocks of every pony.”
“Okay.”
Ru moved past him and headed back to the stables.
“Thought you’d like that,” Mike called.
“No you didn’t,” Ru muttered.
Mike grabbed Ru’s collar and hauled him round.
“I’ve decided that you should be the smeg-queen.”
“When were they last done?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not a job that should be done too often. The penis has beneficial bacteria on its surface. If you clean it too often—”
“Shut the fuck up and go and do it.”
Ru shook free of Mike’s hold and went back to the stables. It wasn’t a pleasant job, but fortunately, most polo ponies were mares. Ru checked each horse’s notes before he even gathered the equipment he’d need because itwasbad to do this too often. None had been done more than three months ago. He went round and checked all the geldings for signs they needed cleaning and he didn’t think any of them did. Which left him in a quandary.
In the end, he decided to do the work. He didn’t want to give Mike any excuse to demand he was sacked. As he suspected, none of the horses had any problems. But that just made the job quick and easy. Ru disposed of the last pair of gloves, washed his hands and marked their charts.
