Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Juliet

T oday is the day! I have been up here since eight this morning making sure the stall is perfect. It's a Sunday, so the place is busy with kids arriving for lessons and ponies being led out to be tacked up. I have been helping, but I just had a phone call from my grandad to let me know he will be here in half an hour. My mum had to work today so she insisted grandad drive over to be here when the horse arrives. MY HORSE!

I am waiting in the car park when grandad arrives and barely let him get out of his car before I run at him, throwing my arms around him.

"Hmmm now are you happy to see me or is it just your present that has you so excited?" He laughs as he speaks.

"Both. I can't believe you bought me my own horse, thank you grandad. I love you."

"I know sweetheart, and you deserve it. Your mum will come around. Just make sure you keep up with all your homework or she will be on the phone giving me grief."

"I promise, I have been looking into the courses I can do where I can take my horse with me. I'm not going to just give up on my plans."

"Good girl. This looks like him now."

At that moment, a lorry pulls in. I am going to be honest. My heart sinks a little. The lorry is a conversion with a couple of windows stuck high up on the box part. It looks shabby, and though I shouldn't judge, I had been dreaming of a nice horse box pulling up and my dream horse stepping out. Once it is parked, a man climbs out and I have to say he matches the lorry perfectly.

"Hey up Charlie, is this your grand bairn?" He walks over and shakes my grandad's hand.

"Yes, this is my Juliet. Juliet, this a Kevin he's delivering your present."

"Well, let's get him out. I've got to get straight off, got to go pick up two youngsters from down the motorway."

He walks to the rear of the lorry, and I follow. My heart is in my mouth, and I can see some of the other girls watching from different places around the yard. He pulls the ramp down and disappears inside. I wait for him to come out and when he does, I let out a gasp.

This is not the horse from the photos, it can't be. This horse is so skinny. He is holding out the lead rope towards me.

"There you go lass, Shakespeare's Last Sonnet, stable name Billy. Just grab hold of this while I grab his passport for you."

In shock, I reach out and take the lead rope, not realising that this technically means I have taken delivery of him. I can see a ghost of the horse in the photos. He is the right height, but his coat is dull and patchy. I can see his ribs. I reach my hand up to stroke his face and he shies away from me.

I am so lost in my own thoughts as I look over at this creature before me that I don't notice the lorry is pulling away until it is turning the corner out of sight. I turn to look at my grandad who is standing holding the horse passport with a concerned look on his face.

"What's up sweetheart? Don't you like him?"

"It's not that grandad, it's just I thought I would be able to ride him straight away. It's just going to take a while to get some weight on him first. But I'm sure it will be okay. I'm sorry grandad I didn't mean to be ungrateful."

"It's all right love. My mate said he had dropped a bit of weight because he wasn't happy in the field with the other horses, but I didn't realise how much. I'll pay for the vet to come out and give him the once over. If there's a problem, I'll send him back and get you a different one. Your mother's gonna give me earache over this."

"It'll be okay. I'm sure all he will need is some TLC and I will be flying over the cross-country course in no time." I force a smile out trying to reassure my granddad that it will all work out.

At that moment, Lou, the owner of the stables walks over towards us.

"Have you got the passport?"

"Yeah, it's here."

I pass it over to her and watch as she begins to go through it, looking at the markings on the diagram and the horse stood before her.

"Well, at least it looks like the passport matches, even if he doesn't match the photos. Are you getting a vet out?"

"Yes, I am getting one out tomorrow. I bought him is, so it's my fault she hasn't got what she thought she was getting." My grandad looks and sounds devastated.

Lou places her hand on my granddad's arm. "Sometimes we don't get what we want, but we get what we need." She passes the passport back to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Stable him until the vet has been, then we will take it from there. Just remember you have plenty of friends here who will help you. And I have a feeling this boy might just do okay."

The horse, Billy, has been standing quietly all this time.