“Shower,” I urged. “Now.”
Holly left without another word.
I waited until the horse was resting comfortably in the hay before I told the owner, “I’ll give you a call with the results of the test a little later in the day.”
The owner winced. “Thanks, man.”
The horse lay down gently, and I gave Carlene, who had also been helping with the procedure, a look that clearly said, “be back after I get this shit off of my body.”
Carlene tried not to smile.
Failed.
“You’re such an asshole,” I grumbled, but immediately regretted it when I felt things I was trying not to think about dislodge off my face and tumble down across my lips.
We only had one huge shower that was used for dual purpose. Horse, cow, dog, cat, or person.
It didn’t matter who needed rinsed off, everyone was welcome.
I walked into the shower stall, uncaring that Holly was also rinsing off at the same time, thankful that I’d rid myself of my cell phone and keys before I’d taken the exam.
“This is the worst,” Holly declared from the other side of the stall.
I grunted, knowing better than to open my mouth again.
I turned face forward into the shower spray—thankfully there were two separate shower stalls separated by a curtain you could pull around you to cordon the space off—and tried not to breathe.
I don’t know how long I was in there, rinsing shit off my face, when I heard the voices.
“Just go look and see,” I heard my mother crow triumphantly.
My mother had bonded out of county jail within a couple of hours, but Kurt hadn’t paid and neither had my father.
It took us a while, but eventually we found out that it’d been Ida Bell. The poor woman had no clue who she was dealing with.
It was also too bad that I’d failed to trespass my mother from my vet practice. If I had, I’d have pressed charges and she would’ve wound up in jail again.
But she’d stayed away over the last five weeks and I hadn’t thought about her much at all. I’d been too busy enjoying my life.
“Are you not going to look?” my mother taunted.
I would’ve peered over the side of the shower stall had I not had shit now rolling down my face.
I could literally feel the chunky bits sliding down over the corner of my lips.
“They’re not in there together, Gail.”
Shit.
“Yes, they are.” My mother laughed like this was the best thing in the world.
I couldn’t open my mouth, either, because I was afraid of what would roll inside if my lips parted.
“Don’t go in there!” I heard Young yell.
But then the door was opening and there were gasps.
“Shit,” Holly moaned. “This isn’t what it looks like!”
