Steely Determination: A Mary Lou Adventure
Mary Lou leaned closer to Billy’s neck, smiling at the flyaway strands of his black mane that playfully slapped at her face. She urged him on faster with a small nudge from her heels, and he eagerly picked up the pace. Her smile brightened, rivalling the sun’s rays. Though she was small in stature, on top of him, she felt like she could conquer the world. So when her father told her they would have to move and leave Billy behind, she knew she had to do something.
Mary Lou’s mind flashed back to the time some months earlier when her small family had moved back to the States. Her father was a Colonel in the Air Force, and he with Mary Lou and her mother had been stationed in Germany following the end of the Second World War. From that time, some of Mary Lou’s first and most formative memories were of horses.
Back on US soil, thirteen-year-old Mary Lou felt the same awkwardness that comes for any military kid moving to a new place. Hers was compounded, however, by her unfamiliarity with American culture. Fortunately, she had horses to lean on.
In that time, Mary Lou met two of her best friends. The first was Billy, a beautiful bay five-gaited American Saddlebred. She met him riding or a local horseman who had to sell his horses. Mary Lou’s job was to keep the horses in shape and ready to sell. Billy was among them, and was the last of the group left over. Their love blossomed, and her parents bought Billy for $125. Never was a girl so proud to sit atop her very own horse.
The second was Mary Gray, who lived next door and shared her passion for horses. They met when Billy was moved to the farm Mary Gray also boarded at. The pair with their horses could often be found together, charging through the corn fields of southern Illinois. Then on hot days, they’d leap with their mounts into local ponds to cool off with some swimming time.
Summer days passed by blissfully with their beloved horses. Laughter rang out like music on their gallops through the fields. On top of their noble steeds, the girls were unstoppable. Until the day it felt like Mary Lou’s world would fall apart.
Mary Lou choked back tears when her parents broke the news. It shouldn’t have been a surprise; she knew something of military life by now. Her mind understood the possibility that they would have to move again, but her heart did not. Colorado would be nice, they said, and once they got there, they would buy her a nice Palomino. Wouldn’t she like that?
“No!” She protested. “I only want Billy!”
In tears, she ran to her four-legged friend. In his simple understanding, Billy lowered his head and held her close. She felt safe in his embrace and ran her hands up under his mane, tightening her fingers around the thick strands of hair. She couldn’t let him go. She wouldn’t. Then, sniffling and wiping her nose on the back of her hand, she rubbed Billy’s mighty neck. A small smile dared to crease her lips. A plan was beginning to form.
With the help of Mary Gray, Mary Lou began hatching her scheme. She was cheerful with her parents in an attempt to throw off suspicion. Each day, her mother would send Mary Lou to the barn with her sack lunch, and the girl would take it with a hearty thanks. She didn’t eat her lunch that day – or any day – for two weeks. She was setting them – and some contributions from Mary Gray – aside for her most important undertaking.
Then, on an appointed day, the two girls took off on a trail ride as they usually did. The only difference was a little note Mary Lou left tacked to Billy’s stall. They tromped through the fields together, ending up at their pre-prepared destination. The abandoned farmhouse was the perfect spot – plenty of lush green grass for Billy and a clear running stream nearby for the both of them.
Both girls slid off their horses for a quick embrace. Mary Gray promised to keep their location secret, and then off she went. Mary Lou waved, and shaded her eyes as she watched her friend ride away. Then she looked back to Billy and smiled. The gelding was already happily munching on the grass at his feet. His eyes seemed to smile when he caught her gaze. Mary Lou led him to his temporary paddock home and slid his tack off. Then, sitting and leaning against a fence post beside him, she bit into her sandwich and imagined her parents’ reaction.
Understandably, her father was furious and her mother worried over the discovery of their daughter’s disappearance. They pleaded with Mary Gray to tell them where Billy was, and Mary Lou’s faithful friend would refer them back to the note left at Billy’s stall. Mary Lou would not return until Billy could come to Colorado with them.
Her father being an important Colonel, the response to Mary Lou’s escape was a massive undertaking. Military Police were the first involved, and they eventually had to call in local law enforcement for assistance. Mary Gray faced them all down with the grit of a captured spy. She would not rat on her friend.
Two weeks later, the girls’ combined determination won out. The Colonel’s head drooped as he assented in a growl, “Fine. Billy can come with us.”
Mary Gray practically burst with glee as she flew out after her friend. She took a zig-zagged approach to throw any pursing MPs off her trail, and she finally made it back to Mary Lou. Breathless, Mary Gray leapt from her horse and embraced her friend in uncontainable enthusiasm. When Mary Lou heard the good news, she squealed with delight.
The sun was warm on her face as Mary Lou rode Billy back to the barn. She took her time; no need to rush this moment and lose the feeling of victory too quickly. When she returned, she dutifully brushed Billy down and put him in his stall with a hug. She lifted her chin high when she saw her parents, and they sighed and embraced their determined little daughter.
And true to her parents’ word, Billy came to Colorado. There he stayed and adventured with Mary Lou through his last days. Decades later, Mary Lou still remembers his powerful gait beneath her saddle and the gentle touch of his nostrils on her cheek.