Mad Idea.
Winds wreaked havoc on one of the paddocks yesterday, taking down a fence post. Kerey and Len and I got it fixed, then fled to the Groom's Cottage to escape the cold. I made bacon rolls and Kerey made us a mug of tea each while Len lit a very good fire.
"I think we may need to linger here longer than usual." said Len. The Romanies usually move on in the spring. "This weather is the worst in years."
"You know the fields are yours whenever you need them." I said, "And if any more fences come down, I'll be glad of your guidance. I have all the engineering skill of a confused wombat."
"You could stay here forever, Uncle Len." said Kerey, "You'd get used to a house."
Len shook his head. "I was born on the road. I'll die there."
"Fine, but stay in touch, yeah?" said Kerey, "And make sure Dad's okay."
"I told you. For now, we need to stay here. Maybe until April. It's good to see you happy, though, even if you are staying in the one place forever."
"Well, I have a world to change." said Kerey.
"From here?" I said.
"You started changing it." he said, "I'm just a student of your Jedi ways."
"My what?" I said.
"We need to spread the secret." said Kerey, his eyes alight like Ronan's used to be when he was talking about going around the world as if it would be easy. I reminded myself that Ronan is currently in the hills of Nepal and maybe I should not underestimate the bright-eyed crazy young men.
"Secret?" I said.
"The way to train horses without harm to their spirit or ours. All the things you have taught me. We need a generation of trainers who won't back a horse before it's four years old, who won't break a horse but will encourage it. We need to give your ideas to all the new trainers. We need to train trainers."
"How do we do that?" I said, genuinely interested.
"Do you know how many people would love to work with you?"
"We get a lot of requests." I said, "But could we pay them all?"
"We could charge them." he said.
That sounded a lot like exploitation to me. "No," I said, "If someone is working on my land, I will pay them for their hours."
"Great." said Kerey, "Then there's that book you were going to write."
"Someone suggested I should write a book." I said, "I am not a writer."
"If you write a book, you will be." said Kerey.
"Can you imagine what Emma, an actual published writer with real long words in her head would say if I told her I was going to be a writer?" I said, "I didn't even pass English at school."
"And yet you seem to cope remarkably well with speaking the language." said Len.
"I am a simple trainer." I said.
"Do you know what a pair of trainers can be worth?" said Kerey, "The truth is, you are a genius and you're the only one who can't see it. Someone wrote 'failed' on some stupid exam you did as a kid and you think it means you're stupid."
"I never said I was stupid." I said.
"Well, write the book." he said.
"If I tell Emma I'm going to do that, she will call me stupid." I said.
When the wind had died down a bit, we headed for our respective homes. I found Emma in the study, working. "Kerey's crazy." I said.
"All men are crazy." she said, "It's part of your appeal."
"He's only saying I should write a book." I said. I laughed. She didn't.
"Are you going to?" she said.
"Of course I'm not going to. I wouldn't know where to start."
"Start at the first line and write until you hit the last." she said, "That's how I do it."
"You're a writer." I said.
She smiled at me. "And you're a poet and philosopher. Words come more easily to you than to me."
"I can't waste my time trying to be what I'm not." I said.
"Be what you are," she said, "A man who knows a lot that the world needs to hear."
"Have you been talking to Kerey?" I said.
"No, I've been listening to you."
"I thought you'd laugh at the idea." I said.
"Good. I'd hate to be predictable." she said.
"What if the book's a disaster?" I said.
"It won't be. The only problem will be that I'll have to share you with all your fans."
I kissed her cheek and said, "Darling, you will never have to share me with anyone."
"I think we may need to linger here longer than usual." said Len. The Romanies usually move on in the spring. "This weather is the worst in years."
"You know the fields are yours whenever you need them." I said, "And if any more fences come down, I'll be glad of your guidance. I have all the engineering skill of a confused wombat."
"You could stay here forever, Uncle Len." said Kerey, "You'd get used to a house."
Len shook his head. "I was born on the road. I'll die there."
"Fine, but stay in touch, yeah?" said Kerey, "And make sure Dad's okay."
"I told you. For now, we need to stay here. Maybe until April. It's good to see you happy, though, even if you are staying in the one place forever."
"Well, I have a world to change." said Kerey.
"From here?" I said.
"You started changing it." he said, "I'm just a student of your Jedi ways."
"My what?" I said.
"We need to spread the secret." said Kerey, his eyes alight like Ronan's used to be when he was talking about going around the world as if it would be easy. I reminded myself that Ronan is currently in the hills of Nepal and maybe I should not underestimate the bright-eyed crazy young men.
"Secret?" I said.
"The way to train horses without harm to their spirit or ours. All the things you have taught me. We need a generation of trainers who won't back a horse before it's four years old, who won't break a horse but will encourage it. We need to give your ideas to all the new trainers. We need to train trainers."
"How do we do that?" I said, genuinely interested.
"Do you know how many people would love to work with you?"
"We get a lot of requests." I said, "But could we pay them all?"
"We could charge them." he said.
That sounded a lot like exploitation to me. "No," I said, "If someone is working on my land, I will pay them for their hours."
"Great." said Kerey, "Then there's that book you were going to write."
"Someone suggested I should write a book." I said, "I am not a writer."
"If you write a book, you will be." said Kerey.
"Can you imagine what Emma, an actual published writer with real long words in her head would say if I told her I was going to be a writer?" I said, "I didn't even pass English at school."
"And yet you seem to cope remarkably well with speaking the language." said Len.
"I am a simple trainer." I said.
"Do you know what a pair of trainers can be worth?" said Kerey, "The truth is, you are a genius and you're the only one who can't see it. Someone wrote 'failed' on some stupid exam you did as a kid and you think it means you're stupid."
"I never said I was stupid." I said.
"Well, write the book." he said.
"If I tell Emma I'm going to do that, she will call me stupid." I said.
When the wind had died down a bit, we headed for our respective homes. I found Emma in the study, working. "Kerey's crazy." I said.
"All men are crazy." she said, "It's part of your appeal."
"He's only saying I should write a book." I said. I laughed. She didn't.
"Are you going to?" she said.
"Of course I'm not going to. I wouldn't know where to start."
"Start at the first line and write until you hit the last." she said, "That's how I do it."
"You're a writer." I said.
She smiled at me. "And you're a poet and philosopher. Words come more easily to you than to me."
"I can't waste my time trying to be what I'm not." I said.
"Be what you are," she said, "A man who knows a lot that the world needs to hear."
"Have you been talking to Kerey?" I said.
"No, I've been listening to you."
"I thought you'd laugh at the idea." I said.
"Good. I'd hate to be predictable." she said.
"What if the book's a disaster?" I said.
"It won't be. The only problem will be that I'll have to share you with all your fans."
I kissed her cheek and said, "Darling, you will never have to share me with anyone."