Chapter 8

Kim was helping out at her parents’ work that week so I had some freedom in how I filled my days. I decided to bike twenty and run ten immediately after. My triathlon would sneak up on me and I’d be unprepared if I didn’t get busy. I wasn’t worried about the swim but knew I needed to practice that transition.

Since I was doing less than half the bike distance, I decided to really work hard on my speed. I parked at Franklin’s house. I didn’t want to leave my bike just anywhere and his house would make a pretty good transition spot. It gave me easy access to a main road and some place to change, leaving my bike protected. I’d spent too much on it to risk theft.

I laid out my running gear, then thought about the actual race-day sequence of events. I’d have a water bottle on my bike but not while running. Marty said there would be water stations about every mile and that was plenty. I thought about how I’d identify my bike in a crowd of bikes and didn’t really know. Maybe it was just like remembering where you parked your car.

I reset my bike computer to zero, started my watch, and took off toward Savannah Highway. Traffic on a Monday morning was pretty light and as soon as I got through it, I accelerated to twenty. It wasn’t blistering but it was fast enough, especially if I was going to run, afterward. I noted my location at five miles, so I’d know where to turn around for the run. I was able to hold twenty for the first half without any problem. I made the U-turn, half expecting a headwind. There wasn’t one.

With five miles to go, I picked up the pace to twenty-two, then, with a half mile left, I followed Coach Miller’s advice. I loosened my shoes and wiggled my toes. I swung my right arm in circles, then my left, and before I got to Franklin’s house, I stood up on the pedals and stretched out each leg. I lost a little time doing that, but if he was right, it would pay dividends on the run.

Back at Franklin’s house, I swung my right leg over the bar and coasted to my running gear. I slipped my left foot out of the shoe, leaving them both still attached to the pedals. I slid into my running shoes, let my bike helmet fall off, and took a last drink before I set out running. I was glad I had powdered the insoles of my shoes before I started. I wondered how many other little tips and tricks there were that I knew nothing about.

I started off with choppy, little half strides, letting my legs get used to the new motion. Part of me wanted to stretch it out and get going but that little five percent of my brain that was in charge of reason told me to take my time. By the end of a half mile, I’d stretched my stride out to nearly normal length. I began to accelerate and by the end of the first mile, I thought I was holding pretty close to seven-minute mile pace. That was my goal.

Somewhere around four miles, the notion that seven-minute miles might be a bit optimistic crept into my brain. By the time I made it to the turnaround point, that thought seemed to be taking over. I went through the same running checklist I’d drilled into Kim. I put my eyes on the horizon, tried to loosen up my arms, and keep my chest high and open so my breathing would be easier. I relaxed my fingers, then worked on keeping my head level, rather than bobbing around.

I passed the marker letting me know I had three miles to go. It seemed like forever. I needed music. I dialed up a pacing favorite from the Juke Box in my head. “Love and hope and sex and dreams are still surviving on the street. Look at me, I’m in tatters. I been shattered, shattered, shadoobie.” I let that song run through my head for the rest of the run.

I reached Franklin’s house and collapsed in the front yard, remembering to push the timer on my watch. I’d look at it later. I wasn’t sure which was worse, what I’d just done or getting my ass handed to me by an old man on the racquetball court. What was I thinking? I knew I needed to get moving or risk cramping up but my body didn’t really want to. Ugh. Nearly two-twenty. That was ten minutes slower than I’d hoped for. That’s it. Marty was officially off my Christmas list.

Back home, I put all my stuff away and dove into our pool. Refreshing. I didn’t stay long. Once again, I had to ask myself what was I thinking. I was hungry, that was for sure. I dried off and made myself a couple of sandwiches. Marty said the best thing about triathlons is that you could eat however much you wanted. He was probably right.

After lunch, I felt much better but I was still worn out. Only one thing appealed to me. I grabbed a bunch of carrots and drove out to the Denton ranch.

I parked near the front pasture and whistled. Maveric came right away and I slipped between the rails into the pasture. “Hey, Maveric. Miss me?” I asked, giving him an entire carrot. Ghost and Diva showed up looking for similar treats. Fortunately, I had plenty. I rubbed their necks and muzzles, feeding them carrots and talking to them as I did. When I ran out of carrots, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I guess as long as I showed up with carrots on a regular basis, Maveric didn’t mind me leaving so soon.

Back at the house, I called information and got the number for Delray Ranch in Ocala, Florida. I called and asked for Susie. After I explained who I was and why I wanted to talk with her, the lady took my number and said she’d have Susie call me back. I had no idea if she’d call in ten minutes or ten days so I grabbed a book and settled down to read.

I was trying to make sense of my computer class for the following year when the phone rang.

“Mostly Edris residence,” I answered.

“Mostly? Ha-ha. This is Susie Newmoon from Delray Ranch. I’m trying to get in touch with Jack Pierce.”

“That’s me. Thanks for calling. I just purchased a horse I think you worked with and I was hoping you could tell me a bit about him.”

“Ah. I’ll try. Let me guess. Flytrap?”

“No. I bought Maveric.”

“Really? What do you think of him?”

“I think he’s perfect. We connected. He was at Hope with Horses. I went out to collect him from the pasture, whistled, and he came at a trot. He’s been great for me since then.”

“You did connect. This makes me happy. Not everyone liked him, you know.”

“I gathered that. I think that feeling was mutual.”

“That’s exactly it. Have you ridden him?”

“Yes. I’ve ridden him a couple of times, both in the arena and on a trail. My fiancée rode him once, although I think he let her as a favor to me.”

“That sounds about right. I’ve just got a couple of minutes. I’m probably not going to tell you anything you don’t already know. First of all, he’s super smart. And you already know that he’s a bit temperamental. He’s spirited and I don’t think he’d be good with kids. You don’t have any plans to use him as a lesson horse, do you?”

“No. I didn’t mention that my fiancée’s dad rode him briefly. He’s an expert.”

“An expert, huh? I’ve heard that before.”

“He used to play polo and Maveric did flying lead changes for him and I didn’t even know what those were.”

“That does sound like someone who knows horses. Maveric has been started and you can take him any direction you want to. I think he’d be a great show horse. He’s got lots of potential jumping if you want to go that route. I think he can do just about anything you want. Oh, he knows how to bow and turn on the haunches and if you want him to back, he understands that verbal cue. Just say, ‘back’. I used an eggbutt bit and he was really responsive so light hands do the trick. Back, and take a bow, are the two verbal cues that aren’t common.” She took a breath.

“That’s outstanding. I was just out at the ranch today but now I want to go back. He can jump a fence and seems to be attracted to mud puddles.”

“He’ll definitely jump a fence but he won’t go far. He knows where the oats are. I watched him once when he didn’t know anyone was around. He jumped the fence, took a tour of the place, drank some water from a different pasture, ate some of their hay, then jumped back into his own pasture. He thinks he’s sneaky. Oh, and he will roll in mud but only if he thinks there might be some grooming to follow. He won’t do it if no one’s around.”

“He’s a person.”

“Yup. That’s him alright. I have to go but you have my number. Call me anytime. Anything else before I hang up?”

“Thanks so much, Miss Newman.”

“Everyone does that. It’s Newmoon, like the phase of the moon. I’m from Oklahoma. Part Comanche.”

“No kidding?”

“No sir. Nice talking with you and enjoy Maveric. I’m really happy he’s with someone who appreciates him. Take care of him.”

“Count on it. Thanks so much,” I said and we hung up.

I actually considered driving back out to the Denton ranch, just to ask Maveric to take a bow. I reclined in my favorite chair and took a nap instead. I was rudely awakened with a sudden weight on my lap. It wasn’t Kim and that made it even more rude. Mac. I woke up as he circled on my lap, causing all kinds of discomfort.

“I don’t know who invited you up here, Mac but it wasn’t me.” His little tail wagged furiously as I gently moved him to the side. At first, he seemed to settle down, then began climbing my body toward my face.

“He wants a kiss,” Mom said from the doorway.

“I don’t think so. I kiss Kim with these lips. You lick your butt. We are not going to connect those dots.” I pulled him back down but he was undeterred and simply started trying to creep back up. Giving him the eye didn’t slow him down at all. I eased him back down and rested my hand on him.

“How was your day?” I told her about it, including my talk with Susie Newmoon. I left out the part about Maveric knowing how to take a bow. I wanted to see that for myself and maybe surprise a few people with it.

“Interesting. I’m glad you connected with her. Dane said you learned how to play racquetball.”

“Dane has a flair for overstatement.”

“And understatement. He’s not to be trusted,” she said, laughing.

While Mom fixed dinner, I called Kim and told her about my conversation with Susie Newmoon. Once again, I left out the part about him knowing how to take a bow. I had no plans for it. I just wanted to keep it to myself until the time was right.

“She’s right about one thing. Maveric is clever. Mrs. Denton has to put a new latch on the gate to his pasture.”

“He didn’t open it. He couldn’t have.”

“He could and he did. She’s got it on video. He let himself out, took a walk around, eating hay at the other pastures, then went back. Not only that, he pulled the gate closed, thinking we wouldn’t know.”

“I’m not sure if I should laugh or not. What was Diva doing?”

“Apparently, she and Ghost watched the whole thing.”

“They didn’t try to get out?”

“Diva’s a good girl, not like your sneaky little troublemaker.”

“Was Mrs. Denton upset?”

“No. She thought it was funny, although I don’t think she’s too happy that she has to put an extra latch on the gate.”

“I’ll call her. My horse, my responsibility. I’ll go out in the morning.” We talked for a few more minutes and hung up. I went to the kitchen and told Mom the latest.

“Why am I not surprised? That is just the kind of horse that would be your buddy.”

I didn’t know what to make of all that and I really didn’t have a point of reference. Maveric was my first horse. I realized I had used the word first. I assumed I would have a second horse. How crazy is that?

The next morning, I was out at the Denton ranch bright and early.

“Hey, Aquaman. Come to check on your mischief maker?”

“I came to install a new latch and whatever else I need to do to keep him from causing you grief.”

“I’m not sure you can do that. Let me check in my parts bin. I’m pretty sure I have a good latch.” We walked to the back of the barn and she sorted through a couple of bins until she found what she wanted.

“Is Maveric normal? I mean, do you have other horses that get into trouble like that?”

“Oh, he’s not that bad. We had a horse here a few years ago that saw me turn on the water once. She decided that she would prefer to drink from that spigot rather than her trough. We didn’t have a camera and it was weeks before I caught her in the act.”

“This ought to be good.”

“Oh, honey, you have no idea. I was up early and watched her. She jumped the fence, walked up to the house, and used her lips to turn on the water. She had her little drink, then went back to her pasture and jumped the fence. If she hadn’t been leaving the water running, I might never have known.”

“I don’t feel so bad, now.”

“He’s a pistol for anyone but you, though, and that reminds me, the farrier is coming out on Thursday. You might want to be here for that. You don’t need to be with it being his first visit, I thought you might.”

I shared with her what Susie Newmoon had told me. She asked a few questions as we walked out to his pasture together. Mrs. Denton said it would be easier to get the two parts of the latch lined up with two of us doing it. Maveric came over to see what we were doing.

“Hey, Maveric, this is just for you,” she said. He watched us, as I screwed the plate into position. We had to open the gate a bit to put the second part on. I stepped into the pasture, turning my back to him. When I started to screw the other half of the latch into place, he nudged my butt, and I had to realign it.

“Oh, for goodness sakes, Maveric, let him work.” Maveric trotted off to the run-in to eat with Diva and Ghost.

“He’s a little kid. We have a new puppy. Lots of similarities.”

“He enjoys the attention, that’s for sure.” Without Maveric’s help, we finished installing the latch in no time.

“Anything else you need help with?” I asked.

“That’s a question you never want to ask around here. There’s always something. Do you still have that Bobcat?”

“It’s not mine but I have the use of it. What do you need?”

“You can pull some stumps and level a couple of paths with it, can’t you?”

“If they’re not too big. I don’t have a trailer hitch on the Rabbit so I’d have to borrow Kim’s truck. Just let me know what you want done.” We walked to the back of the barn and she pointed out the work she needed. They had a lot of equipment but nothing that would handle the work she wanted done as easily as the Bobcat.

We walked back to my car together, talking about some of the other horses she had taken in recently. She asked, and I told her I wasn’t planning on riding that day.

“You know what they say? Riding a horse is a lot like riding a bicycle that can make bad decisions. You’re welcome to ride any time, but if you trail ride alone, it’s probably best if you keep it to a trot. Maveric likes to show off and if you ride him at a canter, he may decide to give you more speed than you asked for. Worst case, he could dump you and take off and we’d be in a world of hurt.”

“Yes, ma’am. That makes sense. He does like to show off. I don’t think he knows the difference between showing off and getting into trouble.”

“I might put another horse in with them. He’s a smart horse and probably gets bored easily. Another pasture pal might help with that.”

I left Maveric to show off to Ghost and Diva, and went home to get some exercise before it got too hot. On the way home, I stopped at the sporting goods store and found a pair of Lycra shorts like Marty had. They were worth a try.

Starting from my house, I rode a fast ten miles, then set off running. The transition was a little easier than the time before. I wasn’t sure if I was just getting used to it, or if riding only ten miles had something to do with it. Either way, I was happy to manage a sub seven-minute mile pace.

Back at the house, Mom and Mac greeted me. Mac wagged his tail like crazy. Mom didn’t. She did offer me a sandwich, and that was almost as good. I sat down to eat and she sat across from me, fiddling with a glass of iced tea.

“How’s your summer going, Buddy?”

“Good. Busy, I guess.”

“You both enjoyed the trip to Nashville, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Do you feel like you got some closure with Sally?”

“I think I got that when I went there on Spring break.”

“Maybe she’s the one that got it, then. It sounds like Kim and Sally got along pretty well. How did you do with Sally’s boyfriend?”

“Alright. He’s different. I don’t think he’s someone I would naturally hang out with.”

“Who do you naturally hang out with? You’ve got a lot more friends now than you did a year or two ago.”

“That’s for sure. I don’t know. It’s kind of weird. It’s not like I hang out with someone individually so much. It’s more like Kim and I hang out with another couple. No, that’s not it, exactly, either. Marty and I can train together but not much more than that. Bobby and I have a shared history and since his girlfriend is Mel, we do pretty well. It’s kind of the same with Vince and Lani. I think Lani gives me a lot of credit for getting Vince back to South Carolina but that was all Vince. Cherry is going to be back next year. It’s too bad Mei doesn’t go to Porter-Gaud, though.”

“All that makes sense. Who would you go to if you needed advice on something?”

“Probably Franklin but I guess it depends on what the subject was.”

She thought about that for a few minutes. “Would you do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Put Dane on your list, or maybe higher on your list. Dane has never been a father and we’re not going to give you a little brother. Another year and you’ll be gone.”

“I get it. He’ll be a grandfather to Karen and Franklin’s kid without ever really being a dad.”

“Do you know something I don’t know?”

“No, no. I just mean, apart from me here this next year, he’s going to miss out on that dad thing entirely.”

“He has nephews but it’s not the same. He’s surprisingly knowledgeable about a very wide variety of topics. Take advantage of that. He’s highly sought after as a speaker.”

I thought about that for a few moments. “Large audiences?”

“Sometimes. I guess it depends on what you mean by large. I know he’s spoken to three or four hundred doctors at a time. He’s also an NRA instructor, and was a Toastmasters instructor and mentor. Take advantage of that.”

“So, he not only has experience speaking to large groups, but experience teaching others how to do it?”

“Exactly. I think you could learn some very valuable things. You should take advantage of that.”

“You know I don’t like public speaking, unless my brother is getting married, right?”

“I know that. I also know you can do it. You did a wonderful job in your TV interview and on It’s Academic. Tens of thousands of people have seen you on TV. That’s not common.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal. Once, I was talking to Debbie Dare, and the other time it was just answering questions.”

“Uh-huh. Ask him.”

That night, at kung fu, Sifu Chen taught us the basics of weapons defense. “Mr. Danielson has been studying with Mr. Inosanto for many years. He will share some of what he has learned regarding weapons. I will give you a little head start.”

“That sounds like a good idea. You’ve met him before, right?”

“Yes. Mr. Inosanto and I go way back and I have shared mat time with Mr. Danielson. Mr. Inosanto would not send him if he wasn’t representative of his arts.”

He thought knives were the most dangerous because they were so dynamic. They could stab, cut, or slice, and they could do it when the opponent came at you or drew back. Clubs required directional energy, making them more predictable, and guns were generally static, at least until they were fired.

For all three, he said the principle was to divert, control, and disarm. There was a lot to learn and the hour went by quickly. “Now, you are experts,” he said, and we all laughed. “The best way to win a knife fight is with a gun.” We got that part.

We were quiet on the way home. There was just so much to think about. I pulled into Franklin’s driveway but he didn’t get out. “What do you think?” he asked.

“If you are in a knife fight, you will get wet,” I said, with my best Sifu Chen impersonation.

“Yeah, I didn’t care for that part very much. Take away their reason for fighting sounded good to me.”

“As in, give him your wallet.”

“Yup. There’s nothing in my wallet I can’t replace. Are you and Kim both going to the airport on Thursday?”

“I think so. I think Mom’s going to cook something special. Local, I guess.”

“Who do you know from California?” Franklin asked.

“There’s a guy on the swim team. He was a bit of an ass when he first showed up. He’s better now, but he still thinks he’s in redneck country and he’s better than anyone else, simply because he’s from California.”

“Is he?”

“I didn’t see him at regionals.”

“I’ll take that as a no. I’ve worked with some engineers from California. We hired a couple, actually. I think there’s a bit of California snobbery with them, too.”

“I really hope this guy isn’t like that.”

“He’s here to teach so we need to keep that in mind.”

Kim didn’t have to go to work until noon on Wednesday so we went out to Denton Ranch to ride. We took both cars so she could leave in time for work and I could stay if I wanted to. When I pulled into their long dirt driveway, I saw a new horse in with Maveric. I didn’t recognize her but she seemed to be getting along.

“Hey,” Mrs. Denton hollered when I got out of my car.

“Hey, yourself. Who’s the new kid in town?”

“That’s Ladybug. She’s been there a couple of days and it’s made a world of difference.”

“Really? How so?”

“I think Maveric was bored. Ladybug is a youngster, full of energy and with three other horses in his pasture, there’s usually someone he can butt, or nudge them into playing with him.”

“What does that even look like? Playing.”

“I came out yesterday afternoon and all four of them were running full-out. I must have watched them run around for twenty minutes before they settled down.”

“Full blast for twenty minutes?”

“Lots of energy to burn off. There’s no way Ghost or Diva would have started it. Ladybug was trying to keep up. It’s good for them. Here, take this out and give it to Ladybug and just watch,” she said, handing me a yellow rubber chicken.

I grabbed Maveric’s halter, and Kim and I walked out together. She looked at the chicken and laughed. I asked but she wouldn’t say a word. Ladybug was a fifteen-hand quarter horse with a funny blotch of a white mark on her forehead. Maybe someone thought it looked like a ladybug.

We stepped into the pasture and all four horses walked toward us. When they got close enough, I held the rubber chicken out to Ladybug, not really expecting her to take it. She took it, alright. Then, she started nodding her head up and down and when she did, the chicken started making a ridiculous clucking sound. The other three horses seemed surprised at first. Then Ghost decided he wanted the chicken and tried to take it.

Ladybug took off with it, nodding and clucking with the other three horses in hot pursuit. It took about three seconds for the absurdity of it to really take hold of me. I started laughing. I was pretty sure Kim had seen this before. Ladybug dropped the chicken; Diva scooped it up and Ghost and Maveric started chasing her. Ladybug took a break. This was much funnier than any of Mel’s underappreciated movies. I whistled for Maveric but he was far too busy chasing Diva and the chicken to come to me.

“Don’t whistle for him. He’s not going to come and if he hears your whistle and ignores it, you’ll just be teaching him that’s acceptable behavior,” Kim said.

“Ah. Don’t set him up for failure.”

“Exactly.”

Eventually, Diva got tired of chasing the chicken, settled down, and came trotting over to Kim, tail swishing like crazy. Maveric noticed and probably figured that treats might be involved. As the four of us walked toward the barn, Ladybug was, once again, making the chicken cluck. We groomed our horses but didn’t put saddles on them. Instead, we rode bareback, first, in the indoor arena, then around the trail. We made two complete loops at a walk before we increased the pace to a trot for part of it. Trotting bareback is less comfortable than a long bike ride.

Back at the pasture, Kim held our horses outside while I snuck in and collected the slobbery yellow rubber chicken. Enough was enough and they could enjoy the novelty of it again sometime. It had been clucked to death, anyway. When I got back to the gate, Kim let our horses loose into the pasture. Maveric sort of pranced around like he was something special.

As we started back toward our cars, I sang, “You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you,” and Kim laughed.

“He can be pretty full of himself. It’s funny.”

“What a personality. Are you going to work?”

“Yes. I took this morning and Thursday afternoon and Friday off. I’ll work Monday and Tuesday of next week and that’s it.”

“Do you have a plan for Friday, while Mr. Danielson teaches? Saturday, too, I guess.”

“Not really. I guess I’ll just see what Mrs. Danielson wants to do. Fallon, is that right? Unusual name. I have no idea what to expect.”

“If we managed to deal with Dane’s mom, then we can deal with anyone.”

Kim went to work. I went home and had lunch, then went for a long run. Thursday morning, I got in a great workout, hitting the big five, then doing some heavy bag work. On a hunch, I drove up to Mink’s Gym. The lunch hour crowd was just leaving and Timex was finishing up with a student. I watched and waited.

“Hey, Aquaman, you here to do a little work?”

“No, sir. I miss it, though. I have a question for you.”

“Shoot. If’n I doan know, I mek sometin up.”

“What do you know about Filipino Martial Arts, and more specifically a guy by the name of Dan Inosanto?” His face changed when I asked that.

“Why you wan know?”

“One of his proteges is coming this afternoon and I plan to be in his clinic for two days. Good stuff? Useful stuff? What do you think?”

He moved closer to me and dropped his voice. “Inosanto da real deal. FMA da real deal. Dats some nasty stuff, right der. Nasty. It work doe.”

“Useful, though, right?”

“You make friends wit evbody in da clinic. Doan wan fight no FMA guy. Uh-uh. Nope. Dats a losing propsition. Boxing doan do you no good dere. Nobody roun here teach it doe. Make friends wit evbody der. You be safe.”

“Thanks, Timex. I had a hunch you’d know.”

“When dey talkin bout knife fightin, dey ain’t no Ban-Aids big nuff to fix it. Messy stuff.”

“Now you’ve got me freaked out a little.”

“Das good. Jus member, it better to give den receive and you be ahright.” I laughed at that. His next student showed up. I thanked him and drove home trying to figure out how to process that. Timex hadn’t told me that kung fu was nasty. It was just a different way to fight.

I drove to Kim’s house so we could trade my car for her mom’s bigger sedan. How nasty? What did that even mean? Timex definitely seemed to have respect for FMA and Dan Inosanto. That alone said a lot.

When I pulled into the driveway, Kim was just coming out. She drove us to Charleston International Airport. Our airport was pretty small and we didn’t have an area for international arrivals. I think it got that designation because a customs official used to live within three hours, or maybe a flight from the Bahamas to Miami had to divert once. We parked in the lot across from the terminal and walked in to wait. I told Kim about my visit with Timex. She didn’t say a word. I don’t think she knew what to do with that, either.

We checked the estimated arrivals on a digital board, then went to the reception area for incoming flights. We had a few minutes to wait.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“What Timex said. He made it sound like FMA was pretty dangerous stuff.”

“You’re obviously concerned. Franklin took you to the gun range once and you got me a gun for Christmas. Dangerous stuff.”

“Yeah, but this is different. Sifu Chen explained once that we wanted to first avoid violence, and then manage violence if it couldn’t be avoided. This sounds like it’s designed to maximize violence.”

“And you want to put it in one of the other two categories.”

“Exactly.”

“We’ll just wait for the ninja master to deplane and ask him about it.”

“I think I’d rather just be a sponge and learn what he has to teach, then ask Sifu Chen about it. He taught Franklin and me a bunch of stuff about guns, knives, and clubs. He’ll help process it. At least I hope he does.”

“What if it’s all a crock?”

“Right. What are the odds of that? I don’t think both Timex and Sifu Chen would put stock in something that wasn’t real. We’ve got passengers coming.”

“We don’t have a sign. We should have one that says, ‘ninja master’ or something.”

“That’s exactly it. How do we recognize them?” A steady stream of passengers walked down a corridor separated from us by a glass wall. We could see everyone long before they came out.