I was working for big J about 8 years ago. I was young, 18 I think. I did everything she ever asked of me. I bused 2 hours each way to get to work. On 3 diffrent tranist lines. Then walked another 2 kms. Rain or shine, sleet and snow. Nothing stopped me from getting to the barn every day. I was like the mail man. I nursed a few hangovers on my bus rides. I got paid shit money. Barley enough to cover my bus fares some weeks. I turned more than one head after working in the barn all day when I was riding the buses. If I was lucky big J would give me a ride closer into town. Sometimes cutting a half hour from my trip home. After long days I would sometimes fall asleep on the subway, waking up at the wrong end of the city, knowing I had started going the other way. None of that really mattered. I got to ride and I was away from the big city.
It all started with an ad in the paper. I wasn't really looking for a job. I was trying to get myself through highschool and survive in the big city. I lived with my mom and sister. We partyed... Alot.
My friends were not really my friends. Sadly they were my younger sisters friends. But for some reason they accepted the older sister into their group. I was so socialy awkward and extreamly depressed. I had no friends of my own. I truly think they took pity on me. Either way over the years they became my friends too.
Anyway, my mom was getting tired of my behaviour. I couldn't keep my ass in school. I skipped to meet with "my friends." She knew how unhappy I was. When I mentioned the ad from the paper she encouraged me to send a resume in and take the job. She knew where I was happy. Horse posters covered my walls along with my collection of tack and ribbions from horses I had groomed. So I bit the bullet so to speak. I called the number posted and got an interview after faxing my resume to big J. 3 days later I got on the bus and took the first of many long rides out to the barn.
I walked the 2 kms to the middle of no where. Big Js "farm" ( I use this term loosely) was... Well sad really. I walked down the driveway to the barn. Big J had told me she had an office to the right as you walk in the main doors. As I was walking down the driveway I slowly took everything in. The farm was slightly neglected. Fence boards were broken and missing. Gates hung with binder twine. It was a bit of a shamble. I walked into the barn and let my eyes adjust to the light. The hallway was clean. From what I could see it looked ok.
I turned to my right and found big Js office. I introudced myself and got down to the interview. Big J and I hit it off right away. She asked if I would start right away. Ummm I just traveled 2 hours to see a horse... YES I will sign me up!!!! So I grabbed a wheelbarrow and a fork and started to muck stalls. 40 stalls. Every single one with a horse in it. I was out of shape but loving every minuet of it. I got about half way down the barn and big J called me back. She had to leave and wanted to show me how to feed. We fed the horses and big J gave me a ride to the bus stop I had gotten off at.
"9 am tommorrow? "She asked
"I will be there with bells on!"
No comments:
Post a Comment