Rhinestones & Ribbons

One

Six in the morning was the most peaceful time in the day for Nellie. She sat perched on the porch swing, sipping her coffee and savoring the taste of it, warming her body while the mug thawed her hands. Her mind raced about, considering sale horses, pregnant mares, and upset clients.

Groaning when she realized her mind wasn't blank, she went back to her meditation in an attempt to slow her anxious thoughts, the sun slowly rising and mist dissolving in the glow. The horses had been fed and were content to stay deep within their hay, no thought towards the coming day other than what they had in front of their soft mouths.

Nell took in one, deep breath, and then let it out slowly. The air she released was bright, milky in the coldness of the early day. Her venture into meditation was not a typical part of her routine.

In fact, she'd rather be starting her day in the barn moving horses into their daytime paddocks or getting the youngest out for patience training, anything but sitting on the front porch and breathing or clearing her mind. However, she knew that if she didn't at least try, her best friend and co-trainer would know and then proceed to kick her ass.

So, she breathed deep and loudly, tried to keep her mind blank, and drank her coffee.

The screen door suddenly flew open, the crack and slam following broke Nell out of a brief moment of actual concentration. Her younger sister, Adrienne, ran out the door, Nell spooked and dropped her mug, and their mother screamed in anger. It sounded closer to a mountain lion screaming than a mother who was venting her frustration. Nell closed her eyes and ground her teeth to the shrillness of it.

"I'm fucking late!" Adrienne hollered as she ripped open passenger door to her truck.

Nellie threw her hands up in disgust, carefully standing around the mess of coffee on the wooden floor. She reached down and snatched the metal mug as her mother crashed onto the porch, so angry she made a strangling motion at the younger Riley girl.

"Watch your language! And don't blame me for you being late! You hit snooze at least eight times!" Anne, their mother, yelled back.

"All you need to do is load the horses, Addy!" Nell yelled into the commotion. She'd done the sisterly thing (after her mom had asked her) and fed Adrienne's appendix quarter horse their grain and supplements.

"You fed Mikey?" She cried, "Oh my gosh, Nellie, I love you!"

Mama scoffed, slamming the screen door closed behind her. Nell considered the abuse the door had gone through after years of teenage and now not-so-adult-acting women as she opened it again to head inside. As soon as the door was cracked, three mongrel dogs squeezed through it, zooming around the property while hazing the youngest with growling and mock biting. 

Shelby, Nellie's cousin, also pushed passed her carrying two large duffel bags. Nellie watched with a quirked eyebrow as she grunted under the weight, packing them down the few steps.

"Sierra is going to kill me," She heard Adrienne say to Shelby as she was finally able to walk through the door and head to the kitchen.

"I can't believe she's leaving so soon. The next race isn't for another two weeks!" Mama said when Nellie walked towards the full coffee pot.

"I'm not surprised. She's been home for three months. Time is money." Nellie said while her mother pushed papers around on the dinner table. Nellie turned to look at her mother with the full mug, watching as she tapped the end of the pen on the glass, cheeks red and hair disheveled.

"I know." Anne said, eyes staring off into the distance, pen still tapping on the table.

By the time Nell reached her sister's trailer, Shelby was clamping the doors closed behind Mikey.