Chosen One

My mother had thankfully been leaving my sons and I alone. Our lives seemed to be improving slowly day by day. It was difficult living without the love of my life and having my best friend miles away. I called Stella almost everyday, but it never seemed to ease the heartache that I felt.

My age seemed to be catching up with me and I was no longer as active as I had been. My garden wilted and died off as the pains of arthritis kept me away. It seemed that everything and everyone I loved was going away. I was so glad to still have my sons around me, but for how much longer?

Their graduation day came closer and before I knew it, it was time for them to be awarded their diplomas. Inevitably, they would all leave me and start their own lives. I chose Cole as my best suitor for heir and he excitedly accepted. I would not wish for his dreams of being an athlete to be held back by me, but I can’t deny the relief I felt when he agreed to stay. His interest in sports had declined when a new horse racing track had been opened up in the booming town we lived in.

Visitors would flock from towns far away to attend the races. Cole eagerly hopped on board the crazy-train and began to focus all of his attention on the latest heroes of the race world. He was built to be a jockey, and he knew he could do it. He just needed someone to let him ride.

However, with no experience, he could not get anyone to hire him. He told me his plan to tear down the garden and built a fancy stable and practice area in which he would raise and train his own thoroughbreds. It was his destiny, I had no say in the matter so I stood back and supported him.

The day of graduation was one of the proudest days of my life. To see all four of my boys receive their diplomas was like a godsend. I had always had my doubts, but they pulled through. It was such a blessing to see Stella visit us that day as well. She hadn’t known if she would make it, so I didn’t tell the boys. They were all very pleased to see her again.

Just like that, all three of my boys left me. Colton headed off to Bridgeport so he could attend the highly praised engineering school in order to someday be an aircraft mechanic. I said my goodbyes to him with tears in my eyes and wished him the best of luck.

Chris and Caleb were moving into a small house across town together. They had acquired jobs working at a factory in town that made candy. It wasn’t quiet what I had expected of them, but they seemed happy. I was sure I would live to see the day that those two went to jail for something.

Eventually it came down to just Cole and I. Alone in my large house, it had never been so silent. As a graduation gift to him, I had ordered plans to build a barn and paddock along with a training arena for the horses he would someday own. He was absolutely thrilled when he found out.

He ran to the computer to show me a young thoroughbred stud colt he had his eyes on. “Why is he so cheap compared to all of the rest of them?” I was skeptical about his decision.

“Oh, well, he just doesn’t have the fighting attitude of a racehorse. His blood lines aren’t really top-notch, but we don’t have a million dollars to spend on a horse just yet. I have faith in him, he looks like a winner to me.” I agreed to purchase the colt for him and he immediately messaged the seller.

Cole continued his jockey training; he was working out constantly, eating nothing but blended food, and studying like never before. He was determined to make it big and I wished only the best for him.

To my surprise, he met up with the seller by himself, and without even consulting me, he brought home a weanling colt. With nowhere else to put the poor guy, we made a makeshift pen for him until the barn was ready. As we stood there watching the cute little guy, I caught my chance to lecture.

“You know it was a very bad idea to buy that horse before we even had a place for him. What made you go do something so irresponsible?”

Cole didn’t say anything, he quietly walked into the pen with a bottle in hand and began to feed the horse.

“His mom died of colic a couple of days ago. The owner said if I didn’t pick him up today they were going to send him away. He could have been slaughtered, or abused. I had to save him.”

I watched him for a few minutes as he fed the baby. They seemed to respond well to each other, an unseen connection between a man and an animal. To me, the foal didn’t look race worthy. “What makes you think this horse has any chance at winning a race?”

Cole laughed at me, patting the horse’s head, “I studied his family background. Buying any race horse is like gambling. You make the best choices you can and hopefully you get the better deal.”

I rubbed my chin, taking in my son’s logic. “Well, what’s his name?”

Cole looked at me with a smile on his face, “Drifter.”

~*:*~ 

With the house to myself, I began spending most of my time painting and reading. It was difficult with the searing arthritis in my hands, but I persisted. I didn’t want to have to sit around all day watching tv.

There were days when I would go for a walk down to the river. Fishing was not an option but I enjoyed sitting on the water’s edge, looking out over the horizon. It relaxed me and made me wish I could go home. I don’t mean to my house, I mean home to the creator. I missed my husband desperately and I knew that all of my children were set; I was ready to go.

Yet for some reason, no matter how much I prayed to be reunited with Andrew, I still awoke every morning.

Bonus Photos!
Chapter Eleven: Burning Hatred