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“Where is Jack?”
“I don’t know, inside, I think.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter. “Typical.”
“There you go, Charlotte.”
She picks her up, with some difficulty, and hoists her on the pony. “You’re a natural.”
“Look, Mama!” Charlie squeals.
In a soft voice, but not so soft that I can’t hear her, Bronwyn says, “Laura, sweetheart. Her name is Laura.”
It’s like a flash goes off in my head. I can’t think straight, my vision has gone blurry, and next thing I know I am lifting Charlie off the pony and plonking her on the ground. I snatch the lead rope from Bronwyn’s hand and pull the pony back to the van. “Pony’s going home. Party’s over.”
Behind me, Charlie wails and I steel myself not to turn around. I hand the lead rope to the dumbfounded women and tell them that I’m sure there’s a cooling-off period and we are returning the pony for good and they can reimburse Bronwyn directly, minus any costs. Whatever, I don’t care.
Charlie is lying on the ground, hysterical when I get back, Bronwyn is crouched next to her, her hand on her back, consoling her. All the parents are shooting me dirty looks, grabbing their crying children, putting hands on their shoulders, and I’m thinking, what do they expect? Do they want a pony in their backyard?
I walk right up to Bronwyn. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
She stands up. “With me?”
“Yes! We can’t keep a pony in the backyard!” I hiss. “But you know that. You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You just want to make me look bad!”
“I think you’re doing that all by yourself, sweetheart. Seriously. I was talking to your friend Katie before, I understand she’s a psychologist. Maybe you should schedule a session or two, because you’re not well, sweetheart.”
“Stop calling me that!” I hiss.
She looks at me with concern, puts her hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off.
“I was only trying to help,” she says.
“By giving her a pony that youknowshe can’t keep?”
She frowns at me. “It was just for the afternoon, Laura.”
I stop trying to pick up Charlie who is kicking me in the shins anyway. I stand up straight, study her face, try to figure out if I heard her right. “What?”
“For the party! You really thought I was buying her a pony? Where on earth would she keep it? Here?”
“But…you said…”
“What did I say?”
“You said, meet your new pony, or whatever!”
“It was just a turn of phrase!”
“But Charlie thinks it was hers to keep!”
She frowns at me again, but there’s a ghost of a smile on her lips and I know I’ve been played.
She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I was about to explain.”
My jaw is slack with shock, and for a moment I can’t get the words out. Charlie is still crying hysterically. My chest is so tight I can barely breathe as I realize how stupid I’ve been. I should have waited. I should have called her bluff. Meanwhile, Charlie, still sobbing like the world has ended, manages to scramble herself up and turn to me, her face purple, her eyes blazing, and shouts at the top of her lungs, “IHATEYOU!IHATEYOU!IHATEYOU!” Before running inside the house.
“I’d be more concerned about what Jack is up to than a stupid pony, if I were you.”
