The Mask
Carolyn wore her blouse, jeans and boots in the hope they would go horse riding, when she approached the dining table with Gisele and Natalia already there.
"Godfrey has business this morning, so we'll get together after lunch."
"I'll go horse riding."
"That's fine."
"Do you want to ride with me?" Carolyn asked Natalia.
"I don't know how to."
"I can teach you."
"Good, thank you."
"Dress in jeans and boots, we always ride in boots. Nothing nefarious, just shoes can slip off your feet."
The maid brought out scrambled eggs on toast and cups of coffee, reminding Carolyn of home where she wished she was. In the absence of being at home, that breakfast was lovely. Later brush her teeth, get her hat, meet Natalia downstairs and walk to the stable. The stable hand saddled the gelding and the mare, Carolyn got two pairs of gloves and taught Natalia how to mount the gelding, squeeze her legs to go and they plodded away.
"It's a long way off the ground."
"Yes it is, but the saddle won't slip so you'll be fine."
"It's relaxing."
"It's lovely. I'm going to ride fast for a moment but don't try to do this."
Carolyn cantered around the grassy plain, no trees at all, in a big loop to close on Natalia.
"That looked fun."
"That's why I did it."
Further on was a ruined stone homestead where Carolyn taught Natalia how to dismount, and they went exploring with Carolyn's imagination running wild.
"This once was a family's pride and joy," Carolyn said. "And now it's like they never existed. This will be our fate one day."
"I know so what do we do?"
Carolyn closed on the fireplace that once kept them warm in winter's cold. "Do you watch movies?"
"Of course I watch movies."
"I want to find love like in movies, and then no matter how long I have, it will have been worthwhile."
"You are too much of a romantic!"
It was getting late. "We should ride back."
Carolyn gave Natalia a hand to mount, she mounted her mare and they walked away to reach the barn just before midday. Hand over their horses, wash the grime from her face and downstairs for lunch, being burritos with a different style of beans, and coffee of course. To her bedroom to get rid of her hat and brush her teeth, and downstairs to read.
"Excuse me Miss Carolyn," the Latina servant said.
"I understand."
Carolyn put her book to one side and climbed the stairs while thinking servants must think Godfrey Bibbenstein was fucked in the head, and of course they talked amongst themselves and told family and friends. Carolyn opened the bedroom door, went inside and began undressing, and Lisa entered to undress too. Natalia was the last to arrive where she undressed and joined them on the bed.
