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Gabriel nods but his eyes are still glued to the show in the round pen, and I don’t blame him. It really is beautiful to watch.
Grandma Jo sees me through the kitchen window and waves. The back door opens and she comes outside to great us, giving me a hug.
“I didn’t know we were getting a new horse,” I tell her, looking over my shoulder as Grandpa John takes the horse out of the round pen and leads him into the barn.
“Well, you know how these things go,” she shrugs.
Sometimes horses come and go. We aren’t an official rescue, more of a stopover for some until Grandpa John finds them a good home. I’ve always wanted to make this a sanctuary, but for that we’d need lots of funding and volunteers. It’s time and money we don’t have, and Grandpa John isn’t getting any younger.
“Who’s your friend?” Grandma asks, looking at Gabriel.
“Grandma Jo, this is Gabriel,” I introduce them. “I’m showing him around so he can help at the clearing party. His father has a landscaping business.”
“I keep telling your grandpa he’s too old to be doing all that by himself,” she says to me and then turns towards Gabriel. “Nice to meet you. Can I get you something to drink? Lemonade, ice tea?” She practically drags Gabriel into the house.
She pulls a chair out for him and he reluctantly sits, looking uncomfortable.
“Um, lemonade would be nice.” He looks around, bewildered, and Grandma Jo places a glass of lemonade in front of him.
“I hope you know what you’re in for, Gabriel,” Grandma Jo says while Gabriel takes a sip of his lemonade.
“I got a couple of guys that can help,” he says, licking the lemonade from his lips.
Grandma Jo laughs. “I was talking about John.”
“Oh,” Gabriel laughs nervously.
He inspects the glass, swirling the lemonade inside. “This doesn’t taste like Country Time.” Gabriel says as he takes another sip.
Grandma Jo swats him playfully with her rag. “Don’t insult me. This is homemade; no powdered drink mixes come out of my kitchen.” She stands up from the table and busies herself by cleaning the counters.
It’s odd seeing Gabriel in my kitchen with his tattoo’s peeking above his collar, and the chain dangling from his wallet hitting the metal of the kitchen chair. He looks so out of place against the lacy window curtains and doilies on the table in front of him.
“Looks like Grandpa John is finished.” I see him through the window, and the minute I stand up, Gabriel rockets out of his chair, ready to get back outside.
“Thank you for the lemonade,” Gabriel says to Grandma Jo. “It was really good.”
I pull open the back door and we meet Grandpa John near the gate to the pasture as he’s locking up.
“Grandpa John, this is Gabriel,” I introduce them. “His father owns a landscaping business, and I wanted to show him everything that needs to be cleared away so he can bring the right equipment tomorrow.”
Grandpa John tips his head and Gabriel does the same. “Well, let’s just hope he can keep up.”
Gabriel shakes his head and we follow Grandpa John around the property as he points out all the dead brush that needs to be cleared, and how much of a perimeter to make.
There are a lot of little weeds that litter the area, but dead bushes that popped up over the winter and died once the heat of summer hit are just fuel for a fire.
Gabriel looks like he is mentally cataloguing everything and stops to call his cousin, speaking out of earshot.
He turns back around and tucks his phone back in his pocket. “If I can get a couple of guys it’ll only take a few hours, but that tree there,” Gabriel points to an ancient Eucalyptus tree at the front of the house, “should be taken out.”
Grandpa John studies the tree. “That trees been here longer than I have,” he grumbles, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“Half of it’s dead, and all that bark it’s shedding,” Gabriel easily pulls pieces of bark off the tree and drops them on the ground, “is just fuel for a fire.”
“Hmm.” Grandpa John gripes as he inspects the tree. “How do you know it’s part dead?”
I wouldn’t have known either because it looks like it always does, not that I’ve paid much attention to it anyway.
