Maybe Baby Lite (42 page)

“
We can request
compensation for attorney fees as part of the
settlement.”

“
I just really don’t want
to mess with it all, okay?”

“
If that’s what you want,”
he replied.

“
It’s what I want, Trey.
You can take your portion of the attorney fees out of it and send
me a check for the balance.”

“
Tylar, I wasn’t planning
on taking
any
attorney fees.”

“
I don’t want to take
advantage of you Trey.” I heard silence on the other end. He didn’t
know how to respond.

“
Is there something
upsetting you, Tylar?”

Oh hell no, Trey! Nothing
at all!

“
I wanted to congratulate
you on placing second in the competition last weekend, Tylar. Good
job. I was sorry that I couldn’t make it to the arena. You brought
a nice purse in for Sinclair Stables. You know that 10% of that
will be coming to you.”

“
I hadn’t really thought
about it, Trey, but thank you.”

“
Well then, okay. I'll
send the communiqué to Mr. Sneed. We’ll forward your check to you
as soon as we receive it.”

“
Thank you,
Trey.”

The next few weeks, Mark
and I prepared exhaustively for the next competition. The rest of
the crew had already returned to school, so new fall semester
interns were populating the estates. Much of the tour business
declined after the summer months, and the track closed for Friday
quarter races after Labor Day. Dressage competition was in full
swing in the U.S.; the next competition was September 22 and 23. It
was the Fall Horse Trials at Malvern Park near Leesburg, Virginia.
It was a two-day event that included dressage, show jumping, and
cross country jumping events.

Mark had entered Derringer
and me in a musical freestyle event. It was set to a shortened
version of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Mark eliminated the
introduction portion of the song as the freestyle was going to be
done with the lyrics left in, timing at just a little over three
minutes in length. Mark was also entering two horses from Sinclair
Stables into a Quadrille event, combining the talent with two
horses from a neighboring stable. A fellow trainer Mark had worked
with previously had suggested they combine resources. It was a
fairly hefty purse, even when split in half.

Mark wanted me to purchase
a new riding outfit before the competition at Malvern. I ordered
another pair of formal white full-seat breeches. Instead of the
typical black dressage coat, I ordered a solid navy blue, with a
matching derby hat. I ordered a new pair of black dress boots. I
decided to go with white gloves instead of black; my hands were
steady so there was no reason not to accentuate their movement. I
ordered an additional white shirt and stock tie. I was told
everything would be ready to pick up at the store mid-next
week.

The tack shop was close to
Denise’s salon, so I told Mark I wanted to run over there and see
if she could fit me in for a trim and some fresh highlights. He
told me to call him when I was ready. I spotted Denise as soon as I
walked in the shop. She was cashing a customer out at the counter.
Her eyes lit up upon seeing me.

“
Hey sweetie, how are
you?”

“
I’m fine, Neecie, how
about you?”

“
No complaints here. Is
this a social visit or business?"

“
Both if you can fit me
in?”

“
No problem, sweetie!”
Denise did my hair herself, her hands moving expertly as she spoke.
“So, how are things going between you and Trey?”

“
They’re not,” I replied,
“he is barely around and when he is, we do our best to avoid each
other.”

“
That’s a shame,” Denise,
said, shaking her head.

“
Maybe it’s serious
between Trey and Charlotte,” I said, wondering if Denise knew
anything. I'd provided a nice segue for her.

“
Please!” she hooted, “I
already told you that's not happening. He’s not seeing anyone that
I know of or else Ray would probably be aware of it.”

We changed the subject to
more pleasant topics. I phoned Mark when Denise said I had about 10
minutes more under the dryer. She finished up with me, twirling the
chair around so that I could take a look at the finished product. I
paid the cashier on my way out, sending a generous tip to Denise.
Mark stood waiting for me when I got outside, leaning up against
his bright red truck. He saw me and let out a long wolf whistle,
grinning like a kid.

“
Stop,” I said,
laughing.

“
You’re gonna look great
in the navy dressage coat with your new hair color.”

“
Except that I'll have my
hair back in that awful hairnet under my derby hat,
remember?”

“
I know, but I really
think going with the blue on your jacket will lend itself well to
the music we selected. Maybe we should think about dying
Derringer’s tail?”

I looked at him quickly
but saw that he was still grinning.

“
Speaking of which,” I
said, “I'd like to braid Derringer’s mane for this competition. Is
that okay with you?”

“
Just as long as you leave
his forelock unbraided, I don’t want anyone mistaking him for a
mare.”

I had Mark drop me back at
the office when we pulled in to the drive at the Belle. I needed to
pick up my pay. Becky was in the office on the computer when I went
in.

“
Hey,” she greeted,
looking up, “oooh, I like what you did with your hair, very
nice.”

“
Thanks,” I replied, “just
wanted to pick up my pay.”

“
Just a sec,” she said,
finishing up her task. She went to the safe, putting in the
combination, and opened the heavy door. She rifled through some
envelopes and handed me two.

“
Your pay’s in one and
your portion of the purse from a couple of weeks ago has been up
here. I forgot to let you know. You have a piece of mail also.” She
handed me a business-size envelope from a tray on her
desk.

I saw that it was from
Trey’s law firm. My name had been handwritten on it. I recognized
it as Trey’s neat script.

“
Thanks,” I said. “Have
you talked to Gina lately?”

“
Not since last week,”
Becky said. “I let her know we’ve got another bumper crop of red
wine ready soon if she wants her discount, she’ll need to get up
here and help.”

“
It would be nice to have
her here again,” I replied. I was anxious to get outside and open
the envelope from Trey.

“
See you later,” I said to
Becky, taking my leave.

I went outside to sit on a
bench on while I tore open the envelope. There was a check in the
amount of $10,000 made payable to me. Trey had attached a note on
his personal stationary that read, “From the Desk of Trey M.
Sinclair, Esq.” I wondered what the middle initial ‘M’ stood for?
I'd never asked Trey about his middle name. His note was brief, and
to the point:

Tylar,

Hope all is well. Here's
the check for releasing liability of the handling of your trust
from the firm of Findley, Morris & Sneed. Accepting this does
not waive your right to criminally prosecute your mother should her
whereabouts become known. I'll forward you the deed on your
property in Radcliff once executed by the Recorder’s office. You'll
need to contact the auditor’s office in order to get the
semi-annual tax billing sent to your current address. Also, I
recommend you contact the utility companies in Radcliff to have
them put into your name. Please let me know if I can be of further
assistance.

Very truly
yours,

Trey M. Sinclair,
Esq.

Trey’s all-business tone
was a slap in the face. If I thought that scene in the stable last
month between us was humiliating, it was nothing compared to this.
He treated me as a client. This was the final humiliation. If he'd
shown anger at me it would've been better than this. I could deal
with anger. I couldn’t deal with apathy. His lack of emotion
diminished me to the core. What kind of a fantasy world had I
created for myself those couple of months? It was nothing that a
future could ever be built upon.

I spent the next week and
a half at the arena from sunrise to sundown working with Derringer.
Mark was concerned at my obsessive practicing but it felt
therapeutic to me; it made the days go faster, it wore me out so
that I could sleep without dreams.

My new riding outfit
arrived at the store. Mark drove me in to pick it up. I hadn’t
driven my Mercedes for weeks. I didn’t plan on driving it again. I
didn’t want that car. It represented something that was despicable
to me. It was a gift from Trey for me being his paid whore, as far
as I was concerned.

Malvern Park was a
five-hour drive from Bristol. I was riding up with Mark; his dually
was pulling the horse trailer with Derringer. Ray and Charlie were
driving some of the other horses up. We would be staying at a hotel
near the park.

We left Bristol at 6 a.m.
the day before the competition. Mark wanted to make sure that
Derringer was rested and calmed well before we took center stage in
the arena. We made fairly good time, arriving in Malvern a little
after noon. Mark dropped me at the hotel while he took Derringer on
to the stables to get registered and settled in. He said he’d meet
me later for some dinner.

Once in my room, I
unpacked my clothing and hung up my riding outfit. The early
morning and long drive exhausted me and I promptly fell asleep
across the king-sized bed. I was awakened by the sound of my hotel
phone ringing. It was Mark on the phone; he was ready to go to
dinner. After we ate, we took a ride over to the park. I visited
with Derringer while Mark discussed tomorrow’s schedule. The music
freestyle started at 10 a.m. Derringer and I had pulled third in
the line-up, after Amazing Grace and Saltillo. Not a bad position
out of 15 entries. We walked around the arena, which was standard
in all parks for these competitions. Mark had all of the tack
unloaded and in the storage area of Derringer’s stall.

We drove back to our
hotel. He asked me if I wanted to have a cocktail at the lounge
before retiring for the evening. Despite my nap this afternoon, I
was still tired. We agreed to meet for breakfast in the hotel at
6:30 a.m.

I fell into a deep,
exhausted sleep and didn’t wake until my alarm clock buzzed at 5:15
a.m. I got dressed and applied some make-up. I brushed my hair back
into a tight bun. Wow, I looked like Jenna! I covered it from the
top of my crown to the base of my hairline in back with a hairnet
that was close to the color of my hair. That would secure it and
still allow for my derby to fit comfortably on my head.

My dress boots were shined
to perfection and my riding outfit was stunning. My navy blue derby
actually looked a little saucy perched on my head. White gloves in
hand, I was ready. I headed down to meet Mark for breakfast. He was
already in the hotel restaurant, waving to me as I approached the
entrance. He stood up as I arrived and grasped my hand.

“
Tylar, you look
fantastic!”

I knew what he was doing;
he wanted to assure me all was fine so that I could concentrate on
the competition. Nerves played a very big part in the results of
these competitions.

“
What would you like for
breakfast?”

“
Mark, my stomach is in
knots, I think I want to play it safe with a toasted bagel and
apple juice.”

Mark signaled for the
waitress and then turned to me. “Tylar,” he said, “don’t worry.
You're prepared. Derringer is prepared. Do you know what your
greatest strength is as you enter the arena today?”

He had me
there.

“
Your biggest strength is
that your horse loves you. You have a bond that in all of my years
in this business I’ve not seen until now. Use that bond, Tylar,
trust it. You'll be fine.”

We arrived at the park
early. I went to Derringer immediately to brush and tack him up. I
braided his mane while Mark checked on the horses scheduled for the
Quadrille. I took advantage of this opportunity to have a
one-on-one talk with Derringer as I braided. I told him how much I
loved him. I told him that no matter what, we just needed to go out
into that arena and give it our best. I finished the last braid,
tying the plait into a button with yarn. He looked
magnificent.

When it was time, Mark and
I led Derringer to the arena, awaiting our cue.

“
Everything will be fine,
Tylar.”

“
I know it will, Mark.” I
believed it.

It seemed like no time had
passed at all and we were being announced.

“
Introducing five-year-old
Derringer, owned by Trey Sinclair of Sinclair Stables, Bristol,
Virginia; trained by Mark Montgomery; ridden by Tylar
Preston.”

The opening chords of Lady
Gaga’s “Born this Way” came across the speakers. It was as if
Derringer just took over. We were out in the arena; Derringer
commenced his prancing as Lady Gaga continued. From the halt and
salute at the beginning to the halt and salute at the end, the
execution was perfect. Derringer’s impulsion, his stride in the
collected canter, his leg yield in trot were perfectly
choreographed to the sound of the song. His circle right was
flawless. The collected gaits down the center line couldn't have
been any better. Derringer had impressed everyone.