Cowboy Summer - 15. Reality Check

Rhydian opened his eyes, and he was eighteen. Eighteen, an adult, a free agent. Legally, he could do whatever he wanted. Except that he couldn’t legally drink, since his eighteenth birthday was happening in California. On the other hand, the people he was with probably weren’t going to mind much. He stared at the ceiling, wishing that he’d been successful in asking Bryce to stay the night. Waking up with his boyfriend on his eighteenth birthday would have been top. But Bryce had kissed him hard, with eyes full of green fire and promised ‘later’, and Rhydian had been sort of fine with that too.

It was early, there were no getting around his new schedule that made seven o’clock seem like a lie in, and Rhydian jumped out of bed and into his jeans to have a quick shower before he started his day. He came back from ten minutes in the hot water with his overactive imagination and his hand to find his clothes missing. There was a box on his bed, wrapped in brown paper

Time to show off that great body of your babe xxx Bryce

Rhydian unwrapped the package with shaking hands. His boyfriend had not been joking when he’d said that he was going to kit Rhydian out. Two sleeveless wife-beater shirts, one white and one black, three chequered shirts in varying shades of red and black, one which was blue and white with frosted pearl snaps and a bolo shoestring necktie made of black woven leather with silver ends. The clasp was in the shape of a horse shoe with a three quarter profile of a silver horse in the centre. The silver was textured, like the mottled dappling of Shura’s neck, and Rhydian held the weight of the silver in his hand, fist pressed to his heart.

There was another package on the bed, this one was not wrapped, but simply tied with a quantity of the orange twine that held the hay bales in shape. A pair of jeans, in a clean stone grey. Rhydian pulled them on over his boxers and regarded himself in the mirror. He looked different than he had when he’d first gotten here. His stomach muscles were more sculpted now, he was much more tan, his hair was getting longer again. The jeans fitted well, not riding too low on his hips, and Rhydian noticed that there were no seams on the inside of the leg, made with riding in mind. He donned the white wife beater and the frosted looking shirt, rolled up his sleeves and was fiddling with the bolo tie as he wandered downstairs.

“Rhyder!” Rhydian turned in the direction of the shout, and found Pal and Moreta standing in the doorway to the dining room, “You’re up early.”

“I had better go see to the horses.”

“Not yet buddy,” Pal took his shoulder, pulling his hands from the bolo. Rhydian waited patiently while the older man turned up his collar, set the cords straight, tightened the clasp so that it hung right and then flattened the material of his shirt. “Much better. Breakfast for the birthday boy.”

The main table was piled high with bacon, pancakes, waffles and syrup. Sam and Caleb were standing by the chairs, looking pleased with themselves.

“Happy birthday Rhyder!”

Rhydian earned a round of hugs for his birthday morning.

“You guys got me the jeans?”

“Those were just Sam actually. I got you something else,” Caleb pushed his shoulder down, and Rhydian became very interested in all the food, “And before you ask, Bryce isn’t hiding in the kitchen, he dropped off your present last night.” Rhydian looked concerned and disapointed, “He’ll be by later buddy, don’t worry.”

The other guests came and joined them for breakfast, some of them looking puzzled at Rhydian’s favourite morning combination of meat, baked goods and sticky sweetness. The pony club girls had gone home, and Rhydian wondered how he had missed that happening. He’d been so observant back home, nothing ever got away from him. Here though, he was distracted by all the good things in his life. Here he had Shura and Bryce, Sam and Caleb and to a smaller extent, Jase. Here he had a life like he’d never known back home. Rhydian looked across the table to find Caleb sitting in Sam’s lap, feeding the Texan bacon and giggling. He didn’t miss home.

Caleb’s present was presented to him in a long cream envelope.

Plumas County Fairground Open Rodeo

Rhydian blinked, hard.

“Tickets?” He turned the card around in his hands, attached was a single thinner piece of card with his name and the number thirty-four printed on it, “One ticket?”

“That’s not a ticket Rhyder,” Caleb smiled at him, “That’s your competitor’s number. Open Rodeo means just that. You’re an adult now, and you’re entered for the steer wrestling and the team penning. I’ll be your team second and Jase is gonna be your outrider.”

“I’m… I’m gonna…”

“You’re a real cowboy now Rhyder!” Sam threw a piece of plain pancake at him. Rhydian ate it, grinning like an idiot. “County fair is tomorrow. You picked a good time to have a birthday.”

“You guys are the best!” Rhydian jumped up, still clutching his competitors number, and dashed to the other end of the table to wrap Caleb and Sam in a slightly awkward hug, “I’m gonna go tell Shura!”

Outside, Rhydian looked again at the contents of the envelope. It was all there, a map of the county showground, what times he had to report for his events, where to go for sign up and get his shirt number, a list of the prizes he didn’t bother looking at, where to park and rest his horse, the rules and regs in the ring and for the warm up arena. He tucked the competitors pass back inside the card wallet and then in the envelope, placing in his his back pocket, then he ran to the paddock where Shura was. The big dapple grey was already waiting for him, Samson not far behind, and Rhydian whooped in answer to Shura’s bray.

“We’re goin’ to the rodeo!” Rhydian knew that the horse didn’t understand the words, but there was no mistaking the gesture as the quarter horse pressed his face against Rhydian’s front, nuzzling and rubbing, his ears turned forwards, listening to everything Rhyder told him. Shura might not have been speaking English, but Rhydian could tell that he was happy too.

He walked the horse to the school without a head collar, and saddled Shura up in record time, swinging into the saddle easily, and walking straight out towards the fields.

It had been a while since he’d ridden any distance by himself, as much of their work had been based in the school for rodeo practice, and there was no need to hack out alone if Bryce was there. It was nice, even though they only went around the nearer paddocks, just walking together like it was any other day. It was his birthday, he was eighteen and in love, and he was going to be a real big time rodeo cowboy. There was a county fair tomorrow, Bryce would be over later, and everything was just going to be fine.

Rhydian turned Shura out into the shaded field and carried the tack back on his shoulder, making sure he left the yard clean and tidy. Guests, and Rhydian had to remind himself that technically they were other guests, were just now coming out of the house and starting to look for head collars and lead ropes. He explained the brass-tag and number system to a pair of English, no, other English riders who were confused by the Western gear, then went inside. His boots had started his trip clean shiny, upright, but now they were are dusty and folded as Sam’s were, worn and happy and looking like they’d been used hard. Somehow, putting his no-longer-new boots down next to Caleb’s made him happy in a way he couldn’t describe.

“Rhydian!” Rhyder skidded into the hallway in his socks. Moreta was standing there holding the cordless house phone, “Birthday phonecall kiddo.” She handed him the phone and a glass of milk, two cookies balanced on the rim, “Go on upstairs with that sweetie. Go on.”

“Thanks Moreta.” Rhydian cradled the phone against his ear as he ascended the stairs, already most of the way through one cookie, “Hullo?”

“Rhydian!” His sister’s shrill voice nearly made him drop the glass, “Oh my god, it can’t believe you’re there! I miss you little brother!”

“Claudine!” Rhydian smiled once his sister had dropped a few decibels, “What are you doing home? I thought you were doing your thesis?”

“I came back for the weekend, but Mum said we had until wait until now to call you, it’s not too early is it?”

“Nah,” Rhydian put down the glass carefully before flopping on his bed. “I’ve been up for hours. We get up at dawn ‘round here.”

“God, I’m almost glad I didn’t come.” Claudine laughed a little bit, but Rhydian knew when his sister was lying. Now was not one of those times. He didn’t feel selfish for being happy that she hadn’t come either. If she had, Rhyder knew there was no way he’d have gotten to know Sam and Caleb the same way, and he certainly wouldn’t be riding in the Open Rodeo at the County Fair tomorrow. “Oh hang on mum! Rhydian, I’m gonna put you on speaker.”

“Rhydian!” His mother’s voice was crackly, she was shouting as though the technology might not work over the ocean, “Happy birthday! We miss you.”

“You too.” Rhydian felt odd. He did miss them, but in a distracted sort of manner, the way he imagined you missed people who you knew you weren’t going to see for years. It was nothing like the hot-sharp pain he felt when he thought about Bryce.

One crackly rendition of ‘Happy Birthday to You” later, Rhydian found himself back on the phone with his sister.

“So how is everything over there? You sound well little brother.” Rhydian hated being called ‘little brother’, but he didn’t say anything.

“It’s great. Sam and Caleb are really nice. My horse is Shura, he’s lovely Claudine, all dapple grey and we get on really well.”

“So you’re a better rider now?”

“I’m getting there.” Rhydian smiled. Like Caleb said, only ten percent of being a good rider actually involved in sitting on the horse. “I ride ro-”

“Rhydian,” His sister interrupted him, “I have to tell you something, before you come home.” Rhydian didn’t like the way she said ‘come home’ like it was necessary and inevitable.

“Sure.”

“I sold Cloud.”

“What?”

“I’m not going to be able to ride him now that I’m at university pretty much full time, and living away from home. I would have had to find new livery for him near the new house. It would have been a pain. I sold him to really nice girl. She gave me a thousand pounds.”

“You sold Cloud for one month’s rent and beer money?” Rhydian couldn’t keep the disbelief from his voice. His sister’s horse had been about the only good thing about going home. He’d joined up with Samson. He knew he’d be able to do the same with Cloud. No horse could be Shura, but it’s been something, “Claudine! How could you!”

“Well it’s not like you were gonna drop everything every weekend to ride him.” He could well imagine his sister, hands on hips, waggling her finger at him.

“I would have dropped everything every day to ride!”

“You say that now. It won’t be so easy when you’re at university too. Have you even picked one yet?”

Rhydian was suddenly reminded why he didn’t miss home, not one bit.

“Put mum on.”

There was a shuffling on the other end of the phone.

“Rhydian! Happy birthday darling, I’m sorry you have to spend it alone.”

“I’m not alone mum,” Rhydian grinned, if only to himself, “Sam and Caleb are great, I think we’re having a party, Jase hinted at something.”

“My, my, all these people, you’ll have to show us pictures when you get back.”

“Yeah.” Rhydian fiddled with the tips of the bolo Bryce had bought him, “I don’t wanna leave mum. I love it here.”

“Everyone loves being on holiday son.”

“It’s not just that,” Bryce, smiling under the stars, appeared in his head, “I feel like I belong here. I have friends here, and… a boyfriend. I fit in here.”

“Well it’s not like you can pay hundreds of pounds a week to live there forever Rhydian. You’ll be home in a week. Wait until you see your new room, it’s huge.” She nattered on for a bit, describing the new house, where they’d put the furniture, and Rhydian just couldn’t place his worn cowboy boots and Stetson hat in the picture.

“Mum. I’m a cowboy.”

“That’s nice dear, now-”

“Mum!” Rhydian waited until he was sure that his mother was listening, “I’m serious. I’m riding in the rodeo. Caleb entered me in the County Fair Open tomorrow. I’m gonna be competing.”

“But Rhydian, it’s so dangerous. You could get hurt.”

“And I might not. I’m real good mum,” Rhydian noticed Sam’s Southern twang in his voice. The big Texan was rubbing off on him, “I might even place. You know, rank in the top lists.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea. You’ve not ridden much before.”

“And now I could run circles around everyone at the yard, probably without a saddle too.”

“Rhydian. It’s not polite to boast.”

“But it’s true!”

His mother did her usual trick when she wasn’t winning an argument, change the subject completely.

“Have you decided on a university yet? I really need to post the form back for your first and second choice. Winchester had that great English literature program, and the river is so pretty. All those swans…”

“I don’t want to go to university.”

“But darling!”

“I’m only going because Claudine went and you want me to.”

“Then what exactly are you planning on doing young man? Because no son of mine is going to sit around being lazy.” He could tell that his mother was wagging her finger now. They were so alike. Rhydian wanted to throw the phone across the room, only the fact that Moreta would be disappointed in him made his stop and release the tension from his arm.

“I wanna ride, and do ranch work and compete in rodeo.”

“And who around here is going to pay you for that?” His mother sounded angry, “Get your head out of the clouds Rhydian. You need to sit up and take responsibility here. You can’t just live in your sister’s shadow anymore.”

“Then I’ll just stay here!” Rhydian shouted, “People here will employ me.”

“Rhydian…” his mother was building up to say something moral and stupid and upper-middle class.

“I want to stay.”

“Without a university education, you won’t be able to earn the money to keep a horse of your own.”

“Bollocks.”

“Rhydian!”

“No mum. I’m gonna go and enjoy my birthday. Thanks for the phone call.”

“Rhyd-” But Rhydian didn’t listen to the rest, he just hung up.

Lying on his bed, he waited for the phone to ring back in his hand. It didn’t. He’d hung up on his mother, and he didn’t actually feel guilty about that. He didn’t want to go home, and now that Cloud was sold, there was absolutely no reason to go home at all. No reason whatsoever. Shura was here, Bryce was here. Everything he loved was right here in northern California, and if everything went right at the fair, he was going to be a rodeo cowboy. It wasn’t fair that his legal home was on the other side of the planet. The phone bleeped in his hand.

“Yes?”

“Rhyder?”

“Jase?”

“Hey birthday boy. Happy birthday kiddo. Why’d you sound so down pretty boy?” He could hear Jase’s genuine concern down the line, “Did Caleb give you your present?”

“Yeah,” Rhydian felt his smile come back in, tugging at his face, it was too impossible to stay unhappy, “It’s awesome.”

“You’re an adult now kiddo!” Jase was laughing, “You’re gonna do well playing in the big leagues with me. I can feel it.”

“I’m an adult…” Rhydian sat up on his bed, stiff backed, “An adult…”

“Yeah pretty boy, now go find Sam and give him the phone, I got errands for him to run. I’ll see you about sundown OK bud?”

“Sure.” Rhydian got up and drank his milk quickly before nipping down the stairs. He couldn’t think past what Jase had said. He was an adult. Rhydian handed the phone to Sam, just coming in for a drink and went to stand by the back door.

He was an adult, free of his parents. In the right circumstances, he could do whatever he wanted.