the beginning

All summer long I rode out at Pam's house. At the very beginning I felt as if I had never sat on a horse before. I'm sure Oliver felt as if he had died and gone to hell. But slowly, over the months, we began to work together. Some days were incredible; we were in sync, working willingly for a common goal. Other days, one or the other of us seemed to have an unusually short temper, and things seemed hopeless. He would be a lazy jerk, or I would get frustrated much too easily.

I laughed; I cried (a lot - and at all the wrong times). I yelled; I was gentle. I was mean; I was nice. I was healthy; I drank way too much of Pam's Pepsi. I won; I lost...

And through it all, Pam's voice faithfully rang out -

Now ride your ride, girl! Ride your ride!