Show Day Part Two
Merry and Stefi walked back toward the barn together. For several minutes, neither of them spoke. The noise of the competition grounds gradually swallowed them again—the announcer calling another rider, the metallic clink of a bridle being adjusted, the low murmur of people discussing scores and horses and the endless minutiae of the day.
Merry kept one hand lightly against Stefi's back. She didn't need to say anything else. Not yet. Stefi had cried herself empty, and Merry knew better than to fill the silence simply because it was there.
They reached the end of the aisle. Otto was standing outside his stall, already dressed in his show clothes and holding Mito's lead rope. He looked from Merry to Stefi and his blue eyes narrowed.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Stefi said quickly.
Otto looked at his sister's red eyes. "That's not nothing."
"Mathias happened." Merry sighed.
"Oh." Otto's expression changed immediately.
There was enough in that single syllable to suggest that Otto had a fairly good idea of what had happened. He glanced toward the direction they'd come from. "Did he say something?"
"He said quite a lot," Merry said dryly.
"Mutti told him off." Stefi looked embarrassed.
Otto looked at Merry. "You did?"
"Yes."
A grin began to appear. "How badly?"
"Child."
"What?" Otto looked at his mother blandly.
Merry gave him a warning look. "Your sister has had a difficult morning."
"I know. I'm just asking."
Stefi sniffed. "He said I rode badly."
Otto's grin disappeared. "You didn't."
"I did." Stefi shrugged.
"Everybody rides badly sometimes."
Merry looked at him. Otto was always sensible.
Otto shrugged again. "I mean, even Mutti rides badly sometimes."
"Excuse me?"
"You fell off Witch last month."
"Witch spooked."
"You still fell off."
Stefi laughed. It was small and reluctant, but it was a laugh.
Merry pointed at Otto. "You are on very thin ice."
Otto grinned.Stefi wiped the last traces of tears from beneath her eyes.
"You have to get ready for Otto's test."
"Yes," Merry said. "i do." She glanced toward Mito. "How much time?"
"Twenty minutes." Otto said.
"Then let's get to work." The three of them turned toward the mare. For a while, the world became wonderfully simple. Saddle. Bridle. Boots. Gloves. Girth.
Mito stood patiently while Otto checked his tack for the third time. Stefi retrieved his gloves and adjusted the white stock tie beneath his collar. Merry checked the mare's legs, then stepped back and watched Otto mount.
He looked different on show days. Older. More serious.
There was always something almost startling about seeing her children dressed for competition. At home they were simply Otto and Stefi, arguing over breakfast and leaving boots in hallways and stealing food from one another's plates. Here, they became riders.
Merry watched Otto gather his reins. "Remember to breathe."
"I know."
"Do you?" Merry arched a brow.
"Yes, Mutti."
"Good."
Otto looked down at her. Then he smiled and nudged Mito forward.
Stefi stood beside Merry, watching him ride away. They watched until Otto disappeared behind the warm-up ring. Then Stefi leaned against her mother's shoulder.
"Can we find Fritz?"
"Yes."Merry's smile faded.
They left the show barn behind. The farther they walked, the quieter the grounds became. The competition noise was still audible, but it had softened into a distant murmur. Merry checked her phone. There were three missed messages. Two from Jim. One from an unknown number. She ignored them for the moment. Fritz came first.
They checked the parking area.
Nothing.
The hospitality tent.
Nothing.
The small grassy area behind the barns where competitors often sat between phases.
Nothing.
Merry looked toward the far end of the grounds. There was a small row of empty stalls there, mostly used for overflow during larger competitions. Beyond them was a narrow path leading toward the trailer parking. Something about the place caught her attention.
"Let's look over there." They walked down the path. The sound of the show faded behind them.
Then Merry heard it. A voice. Not speaking. Reading.
She stopped, and Stefi nearly walked into her.
"What?"
Merry lifted a finger. They listened. There it was again. A quiet, animated voice coming from behind the empty stalls.
Fritz.
Fritz was sitting on a hay bale with a program spread across his knees. He looked up. "Oh."
Merry folded her arms. "Hello."
Fritz looked at Stefi.Then at Merry. Then back at Stefi. His eyes lingered on his sister's face.
"You've been crying."
Stefi stiffened.
"I'm fine."
"What happened?"
Herr Schmidt."
Fritz's eyebrows went up."What did he do?"
Merry decided there was no point pretending. "He criticized her."
"That sounds like Herr Schmidt."
"He was mean."
Fritz considered that. "He's always mean."
Merry almost smiled. "That's not quite fair."
"It is."
Stefi looked at him. "Why are you reading that?"
Fritz glanced down at the program. "I was looking at the driving schedule for that show next week."
Merry sat beside him. "You've been here this whole time?"
"Mostly."
"Why didn't you come find us?" Merry asked.
Fritz shrugged. "I didn't want to bother anybody."
The words were casual. Too casual. Merry studied him.
"You're never a bother."
He didn't answer. She reached over and gently tugged at a strand of his hair.
He ducked away. "Mutti."
"What?"
"I'm not five," he said indignantly.
"I know."
"You treat me like I am."
"That's because you're my child."
"I'm aware."
Merry looked at the program. "You're really interested in those driving classes, aren't you?"
Fritz's expression changed just slightly. His attention sharpened. "There's all these things you have to do at once. The horse has to know what you're asking. You have to know where you're going. And you have to think ahead."
Stefi nodded slowly. "That sounds like you."
Fritz glanced at her.
"What does that mean?"
"You think about everything." Stefi said thoughtfully.
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
"I don't."
Merry smiled. "She has a point." Fritz rolled his eyes.
Then his gaze returned to the program.
"Do you think that Eddie will like me?"
"I think he already does."
"Really?"
"Really."
His face brightened.
It was such a small change that someone who didn't know him might have missed it. Merry didn't.
Fritz stared at the program for a second.
"I don't want to ride."
"I know."
"I don't want to get on a big horse."
"I know."
Merry smiled gently. "Driving isn't riding."
Fritz blinked.
"Eddie might be able to help you find something you actually enjoy."
Fritz was quiet. Stefi leaned closer. "You could drive."
"I know."
"No, I mean really drive. Like competition driving."
Fritz nodded. "I know."
For a moment, the three of them sat together in the shadow of the empty stalls. Then the loudspeaker crackled in the distance. A familiar voice announced the next competitor. Stefi stood.
"That's Otto."
Merry rose immediately. "Come on."
Fritz looked at her. "Do I have to?"
"No. But you can come if you want."
Fritz hesitated. Then he folded the program carefully and tucked it beneath his arm.
"Okay." The three of them started back toward the show ring.
Halfway there, Fritz spoke.
"Mutti?"
"Yes?"
"When does Eddie come?"
Merry laughed.
"Next month."
"That's a long time."
"It'll go quickly."
"It won't."
Stefi laughed. "You've already started counting the days, haven't you?" Fritz ignored her.
Merry looked at her youngest child walking beside them, the driving schedule tucked securely beneath his arm. For the first time in weeks, he wasn't walking behind them.
He was walking with them.
(1261 words)