Callie

"Hector just isn't enough horse for you, Callie. You've outgrown him, and he can't come close to matching the speeds at the track. We're going to have to find a way to get you a faster horse. Maybe I can ask around and get you some time up at one of the bigger farms."

"But, Dad, I'm not Derby material. I haven't paid my dues, and I don't know any of those trainers. I'd never get a ride. All I want to do is ride in some of the normal races. That would be more than enough for me."

"Oh, Callie girl, don't sell yourself short. I've seen quite a few jockeys in my day, and you're up there with the best of them. But, as you say, we'll make do with what we have. We just won't limit ourselves to that."

"Okay, Dad. How are you feeling today? Did you have any problems getting the chair here?"

"No, doing just fine. That ramp that Michael built was a big lifesaver. Did you tell him thank you from me?"

"Absolutely. He's really busy, Dad. He and I had a talk, and he wants to focus on this last year of school. He might even be out by the end of the semester. I'll be glad to see him again. I miss him."

I saw Dad smile to himself. He always had been a sucker for happy endings. I hoped I could give him one more, but there were no certainties in anything that Michael or I discussed.

Josiah was being a little fussy. I climbed down from Hector and tied him up to a tree. Hector, that is, not Josiah. "Here, Dad, let me take him for a while. He's been doing that lately, but the doctor says he's fine. I'm going inside and see if I can get him to lie down for a while. If anyone comes looking for me, please ask them to knock at the door."

I carried Josiah into his bedroom, changed his diaper and gave him a bottle of cool water, hoping he would fall asleep. I had to admit, it was a challenge being a mom, a caretaker, a farm manager and then just being me. In one way, having Michael tied up at school wasn't such an awful thing. But then again, having a partner around, especially when he was the father of my child, could have been very helpful. I couldn't picture Michael being a babysitter, but I could picture him being a dad. I set these thoughts aside. They were improbable, and I couldn't allow myself the luxury of that kind of dream.

Josiah was drifting off when I heard Dad shouting from the yard. I ran outside to see what was going on. There was a car in the drive. It was a black Mercedes and carried Woodford County plates. There was a man standing across from Dad and the two were shouting at one another. The other man's back was to me and I didn't recognize him.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I know what you are, and I want you out of here, now!" Dad shouted.

"I need to see to it that you and that squirrely daughter of yours are run out of the county. Don't think I can't do it. She's been interfering in my son's life all along, and I won't stand for a minute more!" The man turned, opened his car door and slid in. He sped down the circular drive, dust boiling behind him. I realized with a shock that it had been Michael's father.

"Dad! Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. That bastard had better never come back here, though."

"I don't understand. Why was he here, and what did he say to get you so upset?"

"Never mind what he said - it was just a mouthful of crap. In short, he came to tell you to stay away from Michael. He seems to think you have some influence over him, and he wants you out of the picture. The nerve of that son-of-a-bitch!"

I watched the dust settle behind Mr. Shannon's car and then took the handles of dad's wheelchair in hand and pushed him back to the house. "You can't allow yourself to get upset like that, Dad. You know the doctor told you it's not good for your blood pressure. You don't want to end up back in the hospital, do you?"

"I know, I know, but he has no right to come here and tell us what to do."

"I know and I agree. I'll take care of it. This time you just forget about it, please? I don't want to worry about you again. Listen, do me a favor and stay inside and listen for Josiah? I just put him down for a nap. I'll take you over here by the television. It's about time for your favorite shows."

Dad was a fan of old Westerns, and there was a lineup of them on weekday afternoons. He seemed to accept my suggestion, and I made a sandwich and brought it in to him before I went back outside. I went to the barn and saddled Hector, something I had been doing often now when things were upsetting me. I found it ironic that what had given me panic attacks before was now my greatest anxiety relief. I took Hector for a canter through the fields. To anyone else it would look as though I was riding the fence line, making sure it was in good shape. In reality, I was trying to calm down before I made the call.

"Michael?"

"Callie! What a surprise. Actually, you caught me at a very good time, lassie. I just finished with a class and was about to get some lunch."

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but we need to talk."

"You sound upset. What happened? Is your dad okay? Is it the baby?"

"No, it's your dad."

"My dad?"

"That's right. He just left here, as a matter of fact. I didn't even know that he knew, much less cared, where we were living. I was inside with the baby and heard Dad shouting. I came out to find your dad threatening him."

"What? Are you serious? What was he threatening him for?"

"Dad wouldn't tell me the extent of the conversation, but it had something to do with my having influence over you. Your dad insisted that I steer clear of you or he would see to it that we were ruined. What does he have against me? I've never done anything to him, or to you, for that matter."

"Callie, lassie, this has nothing to do with you. He's angry because he's losing control of me. Tomorrow is my birthday, so as of midnight he can no longer pull my strings. He's pissed about it, so he's coming after the only thing he knows will hurt me. That's you."

"Michael, whatever's going on between you and your dad has to stay between the two of you. You can't involve me or my dad or Josiah in this. This is what I've been afraid of all along."

"What do you mean? Why have you been afraid all along? Of what?" I realized I had inadvertently let my dismay expose Josiah and myself. I made a note to be more careful in the future. "Callie? Answer me, will you? What did you mean by that?"

"Michael, just please keep your dad away from us. We haven't done anything to deserve that kind of disrespect, and you know as well as I do that he could make our life miserable if he wanted to. If that means that I can't ever see you again, then that's what it means. I have to protect my child and my father, not to mention myself. I think you can understand that, can't you?"

"Callie, once again, let me tell you that this has nothing to do with you. I will take care of it, and I will do that immediately. If he ever comes near you again, I want you to tell me immediately. If need be, we'll put a personal protection order on him."

"I don't want go through all that, Michael. I shouldn't have to. Can you just take care of it, please?"

"Consider it done."