“Do you have the Jodhpur boots with you?” she asked without waiting for my response before walking to the inner cabin and tossing stuff around.
I could see the panic in her demeanor and her aura just screams anxiety. This was her third competition after the accident that happened five years ago and I could immediately sense that she hadn’t gotten over it.
So, I walked towards her as she tossed things around the room. I stood behind her with her back bent, holding her shoulders from behind and she shuddered under my touch.
“Relax. Calm down,” I said to her as she stood upright and turned around to face me.
“I’m… I’m trying to. I just don’t think I’m ready for the competition. I don’t think I’m prepared for it yet. I’m…oh… I don’t…I don’t…”
“Shhh”
“I don’t think… I…”
“Mabel, look at me. Shhh…look at me,” I said with my hand holding her shoulders a little firmly. She was shivering and her lips quivered as she spoke. Her eyes were a little red at the corner and sweat was starting to form on her forehead but she looked everywhere but my face as her body shook.
“I don’t… know.”
“Mabel, look at me. You need to calm down right now!” I increased the intensity of my tone and that seemed to pull her out of her trance.
She gazed at me, holding the stare with tears welling up in her heart. The intensity of the fear that masked her heart transcended to the speed of her heartbeat. The panic was obvious and the anxiety was evident on her face.
“I don’t think I can go through that day again!” she finally formed the words while she still stared hard at me but now, the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“You have gone through that day twice before today. What's wrong now?”
“Probably because I’m on my period,” she chuckled.
“Probably because you are letting your fears take over you.”
I could remember how she was before the accident. Confident, fearless and smart but the accident slowly got to her. I could remember that day vividly as if it was yesterday. The way her horse, Blare lost control and galloped out of power, colliding with her opponent who was leading, causing her to fall to the ground while Blare went berserk and threw her off her back.
Mirabel’s strap got caught with Blare’s rein and as Blare galloped out of control, she dragged Mirabel along with her while her whole fit was drenched in her own blood. I could remember how I felt my whole world collapsing before me at the fear of losing her; the fear of losing her to the cold hands of death as I ran after Blare like my whole life depended on it.
That day was crazy for me as well as it was for her and I wish I could stop her from riding the horse but this was her life, this was her passion. Following the antecedent, this was what they were known to do in her family.
The rumour after the accident was dreadful with no thoughts of her feelings in mind. She transfixed the stage where she was called a race-wrecker after she caused the lady who was leading to fall to her doom. She knew she wasn’t going to win that race, that was why she caused the accident they said.
“I can’t do this, John.”
“You can!” I asserted and she shook her head negatively.
“I’m not even going to win!”
“You will try your best!”
“Oh, John,” she sobbed before resting her head on my chest.
“You will control the horse’s movement and speed with maximum effectiveness and maximum effort! That's how you do it!”
Mabel raised her head from my chest and looked up at my face. She nodded before wiping the tears off her face and stretching her lips in a thin smile.
“Yes! I can. That's what I’d do!”
The sound of the horse hoofs hitting the ground reached our ears and I knew the game was about to start.
“Now, you gotta get ready. You gotta go out there and show them you would have won the race five years ago if the accident hadn't occurred!”
She smiled broadly before nodding.
“Except I don’t have my Jodhpur,”
“Look down. You got it on!”
She looked down at her legs and realized she really got it on then she laughed and I joined.
She grabbed her helmet and pulled at her boots then adjusted her strap around her waist. She turned to me before hugging me tightly and I couldn't help but place a deep kiss on her lips. Her body reaction towards the kiss was different and was driving me nuts.
“I love you, Mirabel. Now go make me proud!” I said, spanking her ass and winking at her while the broad smile remained on her face as she hurried out.
The competition went on for hours and to say I was happy after it was done was an understatement.
Mirabel won the race!
“No causality, John. No accident and I still won! I fucking won!” she yelled as she got to me, jumping on me.
“You won, my love!”
This is my submission to the Inleo prompt suggestion for June. The topic is "experience on a race.....". You can join here. This is the calendar
