11.12.12: Lieben

*not based on real life.
I was at my wit’s end. I heaved a sigh and looked towards the sky praying to God. I didn’t belong here and I knew it. I looked around the room…. and based on the stares that I got back, they all knew that I didn’t belong here either. Let’s be honest, I stuck out more than an all-white cow at a buffalo farm. I was completely worn out and I’ve been here for about four hours. In case you’re wondering, I’m from New York…not Tennessee…which, due to an unfortunate and cruel twist of fate, was where I was now banished. Daddy wasn’t too pleased when he found out that shoplifting and boarding school don’t mix. In my defense, it was a dare and I totally won…. but I guess that’s besides the point since I’m now like 3,000 miles away from civilization…well that’s what it felt like at least. Now I was stuck on my grandmother’s stinky horse farm with snooty old people who thought that they were all better than I was because their wrinkles were showing. Congratulations, you have terrible skin. Would you like some moisturizer for that?

            “Abigail Howard? Abigail?” hearing my name snapped me back into my real life nightmare. I raised my hand.

“Present.” Now even my teacher was starting at me. Great…as if I really needed more attention. I sat up straighter (even though I was already sitting with perfect posture).

“Well, you’re a new face. Would you like to introduce yourself?”

“Uhm…didn’t you actually just do that for me by calling my name for attendance?” Oh, this lady was going to hate me.

“Well, alright then. Why don’t you tell us where you’re from.” She motioned for me to come to the front of the class. I sighed and pushed back from the desk. I walked up slowly and for the first time in my life, I felt uncertain of myself. I turned around and gave an awkward wave to the wide-eyed class that so totally wasn’t dressed in boarding school uniforms…and then my confidence was back. I flashed a smile and held my head high.

“Hi. I’m Abigail Howard and based on the stares that you’ve all been giving me, you already know that I’m not from here. I’m from New York. My grandmother owns Rockaway Stables…” and that’s when everyone started to freak out.

“You’re rockaway royalty?!”

“No way! So which of those 50 horses is yours?”

“Are you going to be riding in the Grand Prix?”

Woah, woah. What were they talking about?

            “Uhm…” was all that I could get out. I hated horses and I hardly ever saw my grandmother.

            “Alright, class. Class! Settle down! You can all talk to Abigail after class.” So for the next 40 minutes and for the rest of the day, I got to wonder what secret was in my family and why I hadn’t known earlier that I was “rockaway royalty”…whatever that even meant.

            My Mercedes’ tires crunched over my grandmother’s mile-freaking-long driveway. Good thing the drive was pretty. Each side of the driveway was lined with white-fenced horse pastures and big oak trees. The driveway led to a big brick mansion that I was now supposed to call my home. I mean I could deal, though. To the left of the house were the barn help’s house and the actual barn. The barn was huge with 25 horse stalls on each side. I shut my car off and slowly got out. McQue, my grandmother’s border collie, greeted me. I liked McQue. He followed me to the house close to my heels. I reached down and patted his head.

            “Nana, I’m home! I neglected to mention that I was miserable and my only true friend was her nine-year old border collie. There was no answer. I decided to walk out to the barn to try and find my grandmother. I don’t know why I decided to go there. It was honestly the last place that I wanted to go. But it was nice out and I was in a good mood despite my current situation. As I was passing the entrance to the barn, though, someone grabbed my hand. I almost screamed but then I heard Nana’s voice.

            “Come look at this!” she dragged me down the barn isle until we got to one stall surrounded by about ten people. “This is Germany’s Exception…but you can call her Bella.” Nina pointed to a big sweaty horses laying down in the stall. I wish I knew what Nana was talking about. “Anyway, she’s about to give birth and her baby is all yours.” What? I didn’t want a baby horse. “His show name is ‘In Good Company’ but you can come up with his barn name. Look,” and she pointed, “there he is.” And there he was indeed, right in front of me trying to stand up. It was both the most hysterical thing and probably one of the cutest things I had ever seen. My heart melted…and then he looked right at me. He made a sound and then attempted to walk. He got one step and then another and then another. I was in shock. How’d he do that so fast? And then he kept walking until he was right in front of me. I looked down at him and he looked up at me and then he nudged my hand with his head. I gasped. He was mine.

            “Lieben,” I whispered. “I want to name him Lieben.” I heard my grandmother chuckle behind me. I turned to smile at her. “It means love in German.”

            “I know what it means, dear.” And then she smiled back at me, too.