Chapter 4 Peppy Papino's New Friend
So now we had two pets we shared, Mr. Papino and I had Peppy the Puppy, and now Happy the Horse! WOW!!!!
Another good thing about having a horse is that we really didn't have to take care of it. Happy would stay at the Orchard Ranch, and we could visit him and the other horses anytime we wanted to!
Now, when Mr. Papino told me that he had bought Happy the Horse, and that we could share him, in the back of my mind I wasn't really overjoyed. I still had a fear of horses, and now I knew that Mr. Papino wanted me to overcome that fear... and... actually ride a horse!
The horse seemed smaller than the others too.... I didn't know if it was like a puppy or young horse; or- if the horse was just a small bread or stature. I liked the idea that it was smaller than the others, because I was pretty small myself. Some people even called me "Shorty", which did bother me.
"So", Mr. Papino started to say, "Ready for a ride?"
I was definitely NOT ready for a ride. I was still trying to get over the fact that Mr. Papino just laid down a thousand dollars; and I was hoping that he didn't do it for me! I knew that Mr. Papino had a love for horses, but buying one was something I didn't see coming. Deep down, I was also hoping that he wasn't trying to buy my love; I loved him like a grandpa, and I didn't need a horse, a pony or even a puppy to bond us together... we were friends; best friends... horse or no horse; puppy or no puppy.
So now there was a question that deserved an answer; "Was I ready for a ride?".... and the answer that came from my mouth was, "No!"
There... I said it... I was NOT ready to ride a horse just then and there. The truth was, I really did not like horses at all... I mean, their nice to look at and feed an apple to, but- did I want one?... did I want to ride one... and the answer again was "No".
Mr. Papino didn't look surprised or disappointed in my response. He kind of knew that I still was uncomfortable with these huge beasts; even though Happy was of a smaller size. Still, I really, really, really actually just wanted to get some more of those apple cider donuts; but I didn't have any money- and I was hungry
"Well Mr. Papino," I replied, "I really need to get back home, get some breakfast in me and do some chores for my folks".
"Oh" he said, "Okay, that's okay, we'll do it another time".
"Let's at least visit Happy and I'll show you how to groom her while we're here... it won't take long and then we'll head on back".
So he had brought some horse stuff like a blanket, some brushes and some tools to dig out the horses shoes. Happy seemed happy to see me, and now for the first time, I was at the other side of the fence, in the horse pen, with the horses, acting like I was okay with that... but I wasn't. I wasn't comfortable at all with these huge beasts all around me, able to kill me or crush me.
So he handed me a brush and said, "Be gentle and stroke only in one direction." as he put his hand over mine, showing me how to brush her so lightly, and how to talk to her while doing so.
"Nice Happy... nice Happy", he said softly to her, while helping me stroke or brush her.
Happy whinnied a bit, her head bopping up and down, and she shuffled her feet a bit as if she too was a little uncomfortable... and she was....
Happy had only just met us the day before, and now we owned her, and we were treating her like we owned her; but she hardly knew us, and I also think that she knew that I was a bit frightened by all of this; so- she in response seemed a little uneasy too....
Even though Mr. Papino had a knack for horses, it didn't guarantee that the horses would automatically adjust to him. Mr. Papino then grabbed Happy by the ropes around her head and petted her, patted her and stroked her long neck. She liked that, and she kind of used her head to nudge him.... they were bonding....
We left Peppy in the truck however. Mr. Papino didn't want the puppy to get in the way of our bonding process I guess. At this time, I could see little Peppy's head over the dash board as he watched us brushing, petting and stroking our new friend. When I made eye-contact with him, he barked! YEP, he barked, like a dog, not a puppy and not a yelp, but a real, short, precise, bark, "BARK!"
I knew what he was trying to say, Peppy was trying to say, "Hey, what about me?" "Hello....hello....!"
So by now my stomach was growling and I really wanted a donut; but I had no money and since I rushed out of the house that morning, I didn't even grab a banana or anything to shove in my mouth.
Although me and Mr. Papino were pretty tight, I really wasn't too comfortable with him regarding money... but I had no money and now I was hungry. I either needed a donut, or I needed to go back home where the food was.... I actually really just wanted to leave; I wanted to get back to the truck, hang out with my puppy, love him, pet him, make him feel loved instead of jealous... and I really wanted a donut!
"Should we buy some more donuts" Mr. Papino broke in?
I replied, "I forgot to ask my mom for money", I said timidly, then looking down at the ground.
"Oh, don't worry" he stated, "Let's go in and get a dozen... I'll pay, I got money".
With that things seemed to get better. So I ran to the truck to get Peppy, and he finished up with Happy, put the items back in his truck, and we went into the barn where they were making and selling all their apple products.
He got me some more cider, and he got himself some adult-cider, and we got a dozen donuts to go!
I popped one into my mouth and oh-my-God, it was warm still...warm, juicy and delicious! It was the best donut ever!
I tore another one into bite size pieces for Peppy, and he gobbled it up as well. I was happy now, and deep down I was happy to get out of that horse pen. I really hoped that he didn't buy Happy the horse for me. The reason I thought that he did is because Happy the horse was kind of a midget horse or runt; she wasn't as big as the other horses, and quite frankly I wondered if she was big enough for an adult to ride her like Mr. Papino!
"Will Happy ever get big like the other horses" I asked Mr. Papino.
"Well" he replied while licking his fingers, "Maybe a little bigger, but not much. She is what we call the runt of the litter".
"Am I a runt" I asked him?
He laughed and replied, "Why would you ask that?"
"Because I am one of the shortest kids in my class" I said....
"Oh, don't worry" he remarked, "You're just a late bloomer".
I had no idea what a "Late bloomer" was, and then he mentioned something about puberty; another subject that I didn't know what he was talking about.... so I just went with it.
"Is Happy big enough for an adult to ride?" I asked him, now licking my own fingers....
"Sure she is, I can't wait to ride her"... "How about you? Do you want to ride her?" he asked.
I replied, "Maybe someday, but not today!"
"That's reasonable" he stated, "At least you are keeping an open-mind", "I had my doubts".....
Now he had my mind spinning; why did "He have his doubts". Did I look that scared or petrified? The truth was that I did looked scared and petrified... because I was scared and petrified! I was actually more uneasy with the other huge horses... it wasn't Happy that scared me; it was the other horses that were so big and scary. Actually, I guess I did bond with Happy, because on the way out as we were driving away, I caught myself waving to her and shouting, "Bye... we'll be back!"
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