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Vada wasn’t hopeful when she awoke that Monday morning. She had learned not to tell Theron about any kind of outing—even a simple trip to the backyard—until a few minutes before the event. If she did, he fretted about it until he was a wreck when the time came. That morning she was surprised when he came out of his room and sat down at the table. He had his fidget toy in his hands, but he wasn’t playing with it.
“Cheerios?” she asked.
“Bacon, please, and eggs.” He kept his eyes on the table.
“Scrambled or fried?” Vada asked and then wished she could take the words back. Choices would not be a good thing that morning.
“Do horses eat scrambled or fried?” he asked.
“I think they eat hay or grass. I know they like carrots and apples,” she said.
“Scrambled then, and I will need an apple to take to the horse,” he said.
“What horse?” Vada almost dropped the whole carton of eggs she was taking from the refrigerator to the counter.
“The one we are going to see today. I looked horses up on the computer. I think I will like them,” Theron said. “They are supposed to help kids like me.”
Vada was both excited and shocked almost speechless. “How did you know about horses?”
“I heard you talking to Stevie and to someone about going to see a horse this morning at ten,” he answered, “so I did some research.”
“You’ve had therapists, Theron, and…” Vada stumbled over the words.
“I don’t like people. They scare me and the ones my age bore me. That’s not nice to say, but they do…” He paused, and Vada half expected him to go back to his room, but he went on, “The therapists you took me to, and the ones that came here want me talk about the way I feel. They want me to say more than I just feel alone and lonely.” He raised one thin shoulder and looked up at her.
Vada had almost forgotten how pretty his brown eyes were. “Well, I don’t expect Buttercup—that’s the horse’s name that you will meet today—will expect you to talk if you don’t want to.”
“Are there more animals where we are going?” Theron asked.
“I understand there’s a dog named Tex, a cat and some kittens in the barn, and alpacas.” Vada thought she was dreaming until she took bacon out of the microwave and a bit of the grease popped onto her finger. It burned badly enough that she knew she was wide awake.
“I will research those and see if they help kids like me,” Theron said.
Why didn’t I think of that before?Vada wondered.If any animal would help him, then he could have a cat or a dog.
Hope. Miracles. Magic. ’Tis the season for all of it, her grandmother whispered softly in her ear.
She whipped up two eggs, scrambled them in a bit of butter. “Do you want the horse to help you, son?”
Theron picked up the plate of bacon and carried it to the table. “Yes, I do. Will there be people there?”
“Just Lucas. He owns the horses and lives on the ranch,” Vada answered.
Theron got two plates from the cabinet and cutlery from the drawer. He set a perfect table, poured a mug of coffee for his mother, and set a bottle of orange juice beside his plate.
“Lucas won’t want me to talk a lot like the therapist did, will he?” Theron began to work with his fidget gadget.
“I don’t think so,” Vada assured him. “I knew him a long time ago, and he was kind of shy back then. I imagine he’ll just want to tell you about the horse.”
He laid the fidget toy to the side and began to eat his breakfast. That he even came out of his room was a miracle. That he talked to her that morning gave her hope. Could a bit of holiday magic really be waiting for her out at Sunflower Ranch? she wondered as she sat down at the table and had breakfast with her son.
When he had finished his food and drank all his juice, Theron carried his plate to the dishwasher and then sat back down at the table. “I might like Lucas if he doesn’t ask me how I feel about every little thing.”
“That would be good,” Vada said.
“If this helps me, will we go back for more therapy?” he asked.
