West Coast Friendship: Part Seven

Shall I continue on a bit with my story? I know it's been awhile. Part Six is back here, in case you need to refresh your memory...
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Possibly the most ironic thing that ever happened to me at Magnolia is a little something I like to call "The Great Migration." I had been at Magnolia for several months now, and my days at Carousel Farms seemed a lifetime away. Occasionally, Maura and I would talk about something that had done or seen there, but mostly, I ignored that part of my riding career.

And then, on what seemed to be another ordinary day at the barn, I arrived for my regular lesson and stepped into a nightmare. My first thought as I walked down the aisle of stalls to grab my horse was that I was losing my mind. Familiar faces poked their noses out at me, and I narrowed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things correctly. Aida, Harlem, City, Seel, Foggy, and Topaz. Six horses new horses at Magnolia, but I knew them all. They had all been at Carousel, their owners loyal boarders who were often Donna's partners in crime. And yet, seemingly overnight, they had crossed some invisible treaty line and made their way to Magnolia.

If I looked just at those first six stalls, I could swear I was back at Carousel Farms. God has a really sick sense of humor.

My little oasis now seemed oddly similar to the place I had fought so hard to escape. As I stood there, staring at the Carousel horses, I battled between curiosity and aversion. I wasn't quite sure how to handle this. And then I heard a voice behind me.

"You used to ride Carousel, right?"

I turned and found myself staring at Foggy's owner. I answered her question with a simple yes, but I was surprised that she recognized me. The boarders at Carousel had formed a sort of clique, bound together by their general distaste of anyone who couldn't afford a horse of her own. She smiled at me then, though, and introduced herself. I answered her politely and made small talk for as long as I could bear before wishing her the best at Magnolia and excusing myself to finish getting ready for my lesson. I ran out of the barn and headed straight for Maura.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Where did all these Carousel people come from?" It's like an infestation in there. I'm not sure I just thought that part, or if I actually said it out loud.

Maura shrugged lightly. "I don't know the whole story. Donna did something to piss them all off, and it was the last straw." She saw the worry in my face and added, "They'll be fine, I promise. You know Tracy won't put up with it if they cause any trouble."

But I was still wary of the Carousel boarders. I was very reserved around them, always polite but always cautious. I still saw them in my heads as Donna and Shannon's comrades in arms, haughty and holier than thou.

It took me months to realize that they weren't those people anymore. Magnolia had the same effect on them as it had had on me. The quiet little barn on the edge of the river brought out the best in people. You couldn't be mean when birds chirped softly in the background, when the smell of cedar chips wafted pleasantly from the stalls, and when everyone else around you was at peace. Away from the pretension of Carousel Farms, their attitudes slipped away.

Or maybe, I began to realize, they had never had an attitude at all.