Page 163 of Waiting for Ru
“I still can’t believe you put up a guard around the pool to stop Isla falling in. Nor that you promised her Cookie’s foal.”
“She’s sweet and Cookie’s a…”
They both laughed. Cookie had managed to leap three fences to find a horse that still had its balls and got herself pregnant. Ru said it was an immaculate conception until they’d watched her one day and realised what she’d been doing. At least the stallion was a good one. Jasim had apologised to the owner. Cookie was just so full of herself.
“Tart,” they both said.
“I would miss everyone,” Ru said. “But we’d be in England for three months. And it isn’t as if I see a lot of my parents or the others, apart from Newt and Leigh.”
“That’s true.”
“And though Bela comes sometimes and drops off feathers and pebbles when I’m not here, she knows I’m still around. She’ll be fine. Would we travel around with the grooms and the horses?”
“Yes, and you’d help look after the horses, not as a groom but as a nurse.”
“What about Benning Park?”
“I was thinking of asking Paolo to run a polo training facility here.”
“Oh God. You’ve thought about all of this.”
“I think about any offer that’s made. I want you to think about it too.”
“I’m not good enough.”
Jasim laughed. “Yes, you are, and your advantage is that you’d be a low handicap which means you’d balance out my handicap and the others.”
“Has your handicap changed?”
“It might have.”
Ru gasped. “It’s gone down?”
Jasim growled. “Up to nine.”
“Oh my God. That’s fantastic. Congratulations!”
“You want to do it?”
“Only if you do.”
“Yes.”
Jasim glanced at him. “You don’t need to think about it?”
“I did. The answer is yes.”
Jasim slid his hand to his knee and squeezed.
Ru couldn’t believe it. Why would Jasim think he’d hesitate? He’d always be an equine nurse, but to get the chance to travel the world and play polo… It was brilliant! He knew his mum would be disappointed. It was Jasim who’d persuaded him to go and see his parents just before their first Christmas together. They’d not made any critical comment about him being gay and no eyebrows had been raised when he’d introduced them to Jasim. It made up a little bit for the way they’d treated Ink. Ink had been in touch with them too and slowly bridges were being repaired. Maybe they’d always be shaky but at least they were there.
Jasim, on the other hand, had heard nothing from his family. He said he didn’t care, but Ru cared for him.
“I assume I’d play Three,” Ru said, knowing that he wouldn’t.
“Careful or you’ll be one of the goal posts.”
Ru laughed.
