Broken

“Do you like horses, Brad? That’s Storm, my pride and joy. He’s won a ton of ribbons! Maybe we can go for a ride tomorrow, if you like.”

“Yes . . . uh, yes . . . uh, I do like . . . horse . . . ssss.” My tongue felt swollen, my mouth dry as cotton.

“Come. You don’t look so good. You better sit down for a minute.”

Carman led me to a loveseat in the study and once sitting down again, I felt fine. She took one of the two scrapbooks from an end table and laid it across my lap, opening it.

“This is the last show we did in London,” she said, obviously proud of her animal. I could see Raul and Susan’s reflection in the mirror and she seemed to be all right, so I forced myself to pay attention to Carman. When I looked up again I saw Susan’s head resting on Raul’s shoulder. Although I knew neither of them could see us in the Study, her face was turned away from Raul, toward me, her drowsy eyes half-closed. Raul’s hands rested on his lap but as I watched he moved his right hand to her knee, and reaching across his body with the other, placed his open palm flat against her stomach.