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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Death / Heartbreak / Loss
- Published: 08/23/2022
My parents loved horse racing. Religiously attending the races morphed into a side hustle when they purchased trotters. My grandparents also loved the track but this fascination skipped a generation with me. I did not understand the thrill of gambling and was even less interested in a behind the scenes visit to the stables. As a teen, I liked that their new all consuming pastime meant I was left unsupervised while they followed the circuit.
My dad bought matching gold, diamond encrusted, horseshoe shaped rings for himself and my mom. In contrast, I wore a puka shell necklace and mood ring purchased at the mall and thought my dad’s taste in jewelry was over the top gaudy. My father’s ring was his lucky omen; like many gamblers he was superstitious. Framed photos of my parents in the winner’s circle hung in the den which showed them looking young and happy while wearing the gleaming horseshoe rings. The photographic proof of success contrasted sharply with the colorful collage of losing tickets they glued haphazardly on the kitchen wall. The inside joke was it’s the most expensive wallpaper they could buy.
When Dad hired a pony to celebrate my daughter Faye’s third birthday, the real gift was sharing his passion for horses with his beloved granddaughter. His bejeweled hand lifted Faye onto her first pony. She loved it, and my dad claimed this event ignited her passion. He believed his birthday gift was the reason Faye insisted on years of riding lessons, ownership of a horse, and finding a college which had equestrian studies.
Faye’s college internship video depicts her transporting sixteen horses to the Bridger-Teton Wilderness Area of Wyoming. My dad watched the video with pride and amazement of her riding along a trail which panned out to the stunning mountain backdrop. Faye and her grandfather enjoyed breathtaking moments with the horses they cherished, hers in the wilderness, his in the winner’s circle.
My dad wanted Faye to inherit his “lucky” horseshoe ring. For her 30th birthday I traveled to North Dakota with his diamond talisman disguised in a beautifully wrapped shirt box. Faye moved after college to North Dakota for a job in the equestrian field. She fell in love with a real cowboy, married him and moved to a ranch in an isolated area outside of Bismarck. I watched as the marriage went from rocky to a cascading landslide of insurmountable problems right before she turned thirty. This marriage had been a long shot, and now she was boxed in due to her efforts to fix this fissure rather than accepting how to handle a loss. My father would have told her to stop beating a dead horse, but I kept quiet knowing she had to make her own decision. I was fearful she would stay in a place and a marriage where I knew she was no longer safe or comfortable.
Despite my teenage criticism of my dad’s horseshoe ring, when Faye unwrapped the gift this piece of jewelry was something to behold. It was beautiful as was my dad’s legacy to Faye; these were memories of how he made her feel safe, loved, comfortable and respected. She remembered holding his hand and feeling the ring. She was reminded of a time when she felt deeply cherished and free from stress and fear. The ring my dad wore on his pinky fit Faye’s middle finger without any sizing. She flipped the ranch a goodbye and left her unhappy marriage with a gleaming reminder she was a winner.
Ride Me Back Home(Louise Bader)
My parents loved horse racing. Religiously attending the races morphed into a side hustle when they purchased trotters. My grandparents also loved the track but this fascination skipped a generation with me. I did not understand the thrill of gambling and was even less interested in a behind the scenes visit to the stables. As a teen, I liked that their new all consuming pastime meant I was left unsupervised while they followed the circuit.
My dad bought matching gold, diamond encrusted, horseshoe shaped rings for himself and my mom. In contrast, I wore a puka shell necklace and mood ring purchased at the mall and thought my dad’s taste in jewelry was over the top gaudy. My father’s ring was his lucky omen; like many gamblers he was superstitious. Framed photos of my parents in the winner’s circle hung in the den which showed them looking young and happy while wearing the gleaming horseshoe rings. The photographic proof of success contrasted sharply with the colorful collage of losing tickets they glued haphazardly on the kitchen wall. The inside joke was it’s the most expensive wallpaper they could buy.
When Dad hired a pony to celebrate my daughter Faye’s third birthday, the real gift was sharing his passion for horses with his beloved granddaughter. His bejeweled hand lifted Faye onto her first pony. She loved it, and my dad claimed this event ignited her passion. He believed his birthday gift was the reason Faye insisted on years of riding lessons, ownership of a horse, and finding a college which had equestrian studies.
Faye’s college internship video depicts her transporting sixteen horses to the Bridger-Teton Wilderness Area of Wyoming. My dad watched the video with pride and amazement of her riding along a trail which panned out to the stunning mountain backdrop. Faye and her grandfather enjoyed breathtaking moments with the horses they cherished, hers in the wilderness, his in the winner’s circle.
My dad wanted Faye to inherit his “lucky” horseshoe ring. For her 30th birthday I traveled to North Dakota with his diamond talisman disguised in a beautifully wrapped shirt box. Faye moved after college to North Dakota for a job in the equestrian field. She fell in love with a real cowboy, married him and moved to a ranch in an isolated area outside of Bismarck. I watched as the marriage went from rocky to a cascading landslide of insurmountable problems right before she turned thirty. This marriage had been a long shot, and now she was boxed in due to her efforts to fix this fissure rather than accepting how to handle a loss. My father would have told her to stop beating a dead horse, but I kept quiet knowing she had to make her own decision. I was fearful she would stay in a place and a marriage where I knew she was no longer safe or comfortable.
Despite my teenage criticism of my dad’s horseshoe ring, when Faye unwrapped the gift this piece of jewelry was something to behold. It was beautiful as was my dad’s legacy to Faye; these were memories of how he made her feel safe, loved, comfortable and respected. She remembered holding his hand and feeling the ring. She was reminded of a time when she felt deeply cherished and free from stress and fear. The ring my dad wore on his pinky fit Faye’s middle finger without any sizing. She flipped the ranch a goodbye and left her unhappy marriage with a gleaming reminder she was a winner.
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Cam Rascoe
06/08/2023I just love the family legacy continued and the greater gift the memory of your father offered your daughter. It seems that ring gave her the freedom she deserved. I pray she finds the love and happines she is worthy of.
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Shelly Garrod
10/19/2022What a beautiful and heartwarming story Louise. There's nothing like the love of family especially grandfather and granddaughter. His 'lucky' horseshore ring changed her life forever.
Shelly
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Gerald R Gioglio
08/30/2022Lovely, Louise. I couldn't help but think of both the joy of grand parenting, and the horse farms of Monmouth County. A very moving piece indeed. jerry. PS: love Manesquan, miss living in Lavalette deeply.
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Louise Bader
08/30/2022Greetings from NJ! You are right this story is a about the joy and deep connection of my dad had with his granddaughter. Thanks for reading and you kind words.
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Kevin Hughes
08/29/2022Aloha Louise,
The thread says it all. It is a tale of love winning in the long run.
Congrats on being StoryStar of the Week.
Smiles, Kevin
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Lillian Kazmierczak
08/28/2022What a beautiful tribute to our dad and his relationship with his daughter. Im so glad thatring gave her the strength to leave a toxic relationship! Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on short story star of the week!
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Louise Bader
08/29/2022Thanks for reading my story. I agree my dad’s legacy was showing his granddaughter how much she was loved. It is difficult to leave a relationship even when it’s toxic and I cheer on people who do it.
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JD
08/28/2022Beautifully told story of family and memory. Thank you for sharing your true life story with us, Louise, and for participating in the Storystar community as both a reader and a writer. Happy short story STAR of the week! :-)
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Mare
08/27/2022I love the full circle structure of this story, creating a tale of redemption. I found the references to fixing a fissure creative, and beating a dead horse most apropos. This is a work filled with sweet and moving emotions. Well done and Thank you!
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Tracey
08/23/2022Great job Louise! A very sweet story and I love that I can picture the whole thing start to finish...and got a great idea for wall paper...!!
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Louise Bader
08/29/2022Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the story. I hope to read a story by you soon.
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