Mama had a heroic quality to her. In spite of becoming a widow and raising a disabled child all alone, she never complained. Whatever the challenge, she rose to it. In this scene, her determination and courage once again pay off.

Scene 5: House Hunting

The afternoons and evenings of surveying potential new homes flew by. Mama looked non-stop, even on her lunch break at work. Though she saw a lot of houses, few of them satisfied her. She wanted the right size at the right price in the right location. She knew she could not afford to buy a large home, so she looked only at bungalows. She wanted a medium-size house in perfect condition.

Her most important stipulation was that it be within reasonable walking distance of the stables. Karen had to be able to walk back and forth by herself. Besides, that guaranteed that it would be in a prime neighborhood with rising property values, so she would make a profit when she sold it. She promised herself that she would not accept anything below her standard. Even if she had to sell some of her stocks, she would find a way to buy a house that would be comfortable for the two of them and close to the ranch.

Realizing that Pegasus now fully occupied Karen’s mind, and that moving would add more stress to their lives, she did not share her house-hunting disappointments with her daughter. She would wait until she could spring the new home on her with exhilaration, excitement and enthusiasm.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Mama got Kitten up early, and took her to the ranch so she could concentrate on house hunting. Since Pegasus’ living transformation, Karen’s personality had changed profoundly. Her once shy behavior had become more confident. She was now a stronger child, emotionally. She was more enthusiastic and more at ease with herself. Her weak arm and leg improved, and she was able to participate in more physical activities. She walked around the ranch and mounted Pegasus on her own. She was teaching herself balancing poses while riding him. When she dismounted from Pegasus, she practiced kneeling, bending, twisting and turning with ease. Her muscles were becoming stronger and her body more robust as each day passed. Mama was sure she could spend the entire day at the stables without her.

After dropping Karen at the ranch, she returned home and sat at the kitchen table studying the LA Times classifieds. Although she had made an offer on one house, she did not let herself become complacent. Her fourth cup of coffee had gone cold, but she sipped it, anyway, trying to keep herself going in spite of fatigue.

The phone rang. She answered it. Suddenly, she felt as if she were dreaming as she heard herself say, “Yes, I can come over and sign the papers, now. Thank you so much. I’ll bring my checkbook.”

©2021, Karen Lynn-Chlup. All rights reserved.