Promise to text him?
Yes, I promise.
Having both bribed and bullied me, Reed stuffed Totoro and the iPad into his Totoro-shaped backpack and went out to work with the horses. Stevie—of the swear jar contingent—was a massive fan of the animated Studio Ghibli movies, and Reed’s obsession with My Friend Totoro was a cornerstone of their deep and abiding friendship.
Now that he was off, I got to the business of the day. Besides taking a double dose of Naproxen, I’d planned on staying off my feet and just being available to the staff who were handling the wedding.
Best laid plans, and all that.
While the ceremony started off without a hitch, we got wind of a jail break right as the couple was saying their I do’s. I had adopted several exotics from my buddy Woody’s sanctuary, and one of my giraffes was moseying down the two-lane after several of the Dalls—those dang troublesome sheep—had once again shredded my fence.
Lane offered to handle it, but he had other fish to fry, so I waved him off and saddled up my working horse, Orion. I had to use a mounting block, but thankfully no one was around to see it.
Stevie, who was also Woody’s stepdaughter, was familiar with my runaways, so she joined me and the two of us were able to wrangle all the escapees. To be fair, she did all the wrangling while I barked out instructions from my horse and tried not to fall off.
Thankfully, the wedding party loved the impromptu parade of animals, which became the backdrop for several of their photos. Here’s hoping they remember to tag us when they post their pictures on social media.
That wasn’t the afternoon’s only disaster, and I didn’t lead Orion into the stables until the sun had already started dipping below the horizon. Reed came out to greet me, a disgruntled look on his face as he held his Totoro squishy in a death grip. I should’ve switched over to the golf cart after rounding up the animals, but it was hard to pull me off the horse once I got up there.
I gingerly dismounted Orion—without the mounting block—and smiled through the agony, all the while hoping Reed didn’t see the flop sweat on my upper lip. Gravity had other plans with my dignity, though, and two seconds later I was looking up at my son from the dirt.
Reed started signing in a rush.Ambulance? Hospital? Lane?
“No,” I choked out, then switched to sign.Don’t get Lane. One minute.
Pretty man,he signed.S-K-Y-L-A-R. Knee. Now.
“I know, son. I know. Calling him as soon as I get in.”
Cancel McKenzie?
“Don’t cancel your date on my behalf. I’ll be fine.”
You’ll call?
“Yes, I’ll text him.”
Standing with my son’s help was an adventure, and I threw up canteen water the second I was upright.
Call now,he signed furiously.
Yes, yes. I will.
Against my express wishes, Reed texted Lane to take care of Orion, then insisted on putting me in the damned cart. He drove me home and helped me into the living room. He then sat me down on the couch and gave me Totoro to hold while he gently elevated my leg and set me up with a frozen gel pack resting on the throbbing joint.
“You’re being a mother hen,” I teased, knowing it would provoke a response. “I thought autistic people didn’t have any empathy.”
Reed grabbed his iPad, and furious tapping ensued. “You’re thinking of psychopathy. And I haven’t killed you in your sleep yet, so . . .”
I gave a dry laugh. “I should be grateful, then. But you’ve got a date and you need to stop fussing with me.”
Fine, he signed, then took off to his mom’s house—just on the other side of the main building—to get ready.
Remembering it was my turn to drive the two lovebirds on their date, I texted Cynthia, who, after some light fussing about going to see the doctor, said she was happy to sub in for me. I sighed, grateful she and I could still work together.
I got comfortable and pulled up Skylar’s social media. He hadn’t posted to his sugar baby account in a few days, and it worried me. I hoped he was okay.
Not sure if he knew I followed his spicier account, I quickly switched over to his therapy/lifestyle account and was surprised to see he’d just posted about pasta night with Stevie and their family. A man of my word, I pulled up the messaging app and started typing.
