A vintage's touch: Of horses and men -COLBY-

A vintage's touch: Of horses and men -COLBY-

 // Just because I think it's a sweet sentiment and I want to explore it a bit more. 

xxxxx

Uncle Charlie encouraged Mary as she took care of the Black Stallion in his junkyard. It had been used to seeing Mary for weeks now and didn't have an issue with her being around it. She took care of the animal, guided and mentored by Uncle Charlie while they spoke of those gentle beasts, the Shelby Family, and the Peaky Blinders. The older man enjoyed spending time with this sweet soul, mostly because Mary entertained him with songs she freely sang, or stories about Charlie and Tommy. He enjoyed those moments because she was kind to Curly and to the horses. She grew to love those animals and care for them properly, always asking for reminders should she forget something -which never happened- so they could be involved more with her. Curly loved the "Nightingale" as he called Mary, because she always made sure to come with something to share with them, a meal, a story, her voice.  Uncle Charlie loved to see her treat the animals with patience, compassion, and gentleness. He loved to see that she was doing it for Tommy. How could Tommy not notice her sooner? He had no clues, Tommy worked in mysterious ways sometimes, but at least he had Mary by his sides, at his house and caring for the family. 

Mary was genuinely enthused by the prospect of spending her time with Uncle Charlie, mostly because she could learn more about who Tommy was before. Obviously, Uncle Charlie didn't know everything about the man, but he knew how Tommy acted around horses. Everyone knew how Tommy acted around horses. He loved them and Mary suspected that it had something to do with them being kindred spirits. Horses and Tommy shared a lot in common, come to think of it. She admitted to Uncle Charlie that she sometimes called Tommy the black stallion because he reminded her of those noble animals. He was a free man who couldn't be contained. He was a man who couldn't be controlled, let alone fully understood. He was passionate and like a stallion galloping through the flowery prairie, his passion couldn't be stopped. Like a Black Stallion, Tommy was sensitive. He was caring in a way that was only his. Like a stallion he needed compassion, love and attention as well as the freedom to just be. Uncle Charlie was moved and even more eager to help her learn how to take care of the horses. 

He watched as she slowly climbed onto the horse and started to trot it. Until then, she had not been able to handle a galloping horse yet, but she wanted to make sure to master it before she offered to go on a ride with the Shelby.  The idea was lovely and Uncle Charlie couldn't stop smiling at the thought of the face of his nephew upon seeing Mary come over on a horse or handle a galloping one. The first couple of times she tried to ride that black stallion, she fell off of the horse. She scratched her knees, her hands but always came back up onto his back.  Mary didn't want to give up on trying and had an objective in mind. she wanted to share a hobit with the man she loved. She wanted him to allow his mind to feel better, lighter, better. She wanted to share a moment away from trouble, away from stress, fear, or even death. He loved horses and they loved him, so what better than spend time with both the horses and her? She was motivated by his smile and the joy he'd have to go on a ride with her and picnic somewhere in the garden.  Uncle Charlie watched as Mary struggled with the animal, nearly falling off of its back again but she held onto the leather reins and stabilized herself. 

Uncle Charlie watched and whistled and shouted his joy at the sight of Mary succeeding in riding the horse. She was now a true rider and her joy was contagious. She let her joy explode and lost control of her horse at some point. She didn't notice that the horse was going wild and it went so fast that she ended up falling off of it. The nurse let out a cry as she scratched her hands and uncle Charlie ran to her and helped her stand back up. She looked at him, both a little bit hurt but also very happy because she managed to ride the horse. It was progressing and he knew that in a matter of time, she would be able to ride that horse perfectly and spend some quality time with his nephew. She laughed and gently wrapped her arms around his shoulder and pulled the older man into a hug. She was closer to her goal and her smile warmed up the dried heart of the older man. Tommy got himself a good woman, a woman who loved him, she loved him enough to learn how to ride and take care of horses for him.  A good woman. A rare woman. 

-TBC-