For Sale or Swap - Alyssa Brugman [50]
'Have you lost your horse again?' he asked.
'No, I . . .' And then she burst into tears.
24 Pillion Passenger
The trail bike rider's name was Chad. He only lived a few blocks away from Shelby, but he went to the Catholic college, while Shelby went to the local state school. The bike belonged to his older brother, who was grown up and had moved out of home.
Shelby thought it was weird that they were sitting so close together, with her arms wrapped around his waist, and her stomach pressed against his back, and yet he had to yell all this over his shoulder to be heard above the engine noise. She tried to ask a question but her words were whipped away by the wind.
Riding a bike was different from riding a horse. The bike leaned from side to side, and Shelby was worried that they were going to topple over. It had hard suspension, and Chad put his feet on the ground when they went over rocky parts, or around corners. The main difference was that Chad had total control. He and the bike were one unit, whereas working with a horse was a partnership – ask and response.
It was the partnership part of horse riding that Shelby liked the most. The horse was so much bigger and stronger that it didn't have to do what she asked, like a motorbike did – it chose to. No matter how exhilarating riding a bike was, there could never be any understanding or harmony between bike and rider.
But then, bikes don't change their mind, either.
They reached the bottom of the gully, crossed the causeway and whizzed up the other side. Shelby realised something else – a bike could never enjoy being ridden. Blue loved this hill. He used to prick up his ears and jog jauntily towards it, looking forward to stretching out.
At the top of the hill, Chad stopped and Shelby climbed off the bike.
'Thanks, and sorry for being a cry-baby back there.'
'That's all right,' Chad replied.
'I promise I won't say rude things about trail bikes any more,' she added, smiling.
Chad nodded. 'Well, I still think horses are dumb and dangerous.'
They stared at each other.
'But the people on them can be OK, I suppose. And they can be really pretty.' He blushed. 'The horses, I mean. They are kind of majestic and noble . . . when they're not being dumb and dangerous, that is.'
He stared at his boots for a moment. 'Yeah, well, I'll see you next time you fall off, or get lost, or whatever.'
Chad walked the bike around, and then let it roll down the hill, waving to her over his shoulder.
Shelby trudged along the dirt road, and when she reached the cul-de-sac she stopped at one of the empty half-built houses to drink from the tap in the front garden. The cold water tasted so good. She splashed some of it over her face and washed her arms, and as she walked home along the road she enjoyed the feel of the sun and hot wind drying her skin.
The front door was open and, when she stepped inside, she saw her father standing in the lounge room holding the cordless phone to his chest. He stared at her, his face turning completely white. He dropped the phone on the floor, and as he rushed towards her, he kicked it and it spun around on the carpet.
'Shelby!' he said, hugging her so hard that it hurt. 'Oh my God, oh my God.' He held her at arm's length for a second, examined her face, and then squeezed her again. 'Oh, Shelby. You gave me a fright – such a fright.'
When he let go of her again she could see that his eyes were bloodshot, and his face was wet.
'Are you crying?' she asked.
He frowned, and wiped his face. 'Yes, I think so. Yes, I am.'
He picked up the phone and punched in numbers with his thumb. 'Marie? She's here. She's come home. She's . . . here.'
Shelby thought she could hear screaming from the other end.
25 Justice
Shelby had never been inside a police station before. It looked like the front office at her school, or like the doctor's waiting room. There was a rotating brochure stand near the front door, and a few vinyl armchairs