| About two years ago, a friend of mine became ill with a disease that takes the lives of more people every year.We taught classes together, and shared ever little secret. She kept her illness quiet throughout her whole battle, only one other friend, whom she knew only by words, and i had known.We kept teaching, but her students were unaware of the illness that would soon take thier teacher away. Eight months into her battle, life caught up with her. She could no longer teach her classes, no longer care for or ride her beloved horses.She was hospitalized for 9 months straight. Went through surgury after surgury, but only got worse as time went on. A nurse kept me and Sierra notified of her situation, but as she got worse, the nurse could no longer be honest with us. She couldn't find it in her heart to tell us that our best friend wouldn't live to see her 15th birthday. Her students had begun to worry. One day they approched me and asked me where she was. I looked at them and found myself tellling them she had gone on a trip with her boyfriend, and would be back the following month. I just didnt have the heart to tell them the truth. They believed the story and went back to their stable chores. One weekend I brought them to a show. We were to compete all week. The first 2 days we did great, 1st place ribbons for all of us. At the end of the third day as i went into my hotel room I checked my e-mail. It was an e-mai from Sierra, she said our frined had only a few days left. As i cleared away the tears , I thought to myself that her students needed to know. I gathered them in my room and and got Sierra to tell them(over the net). WE cryed a little, actually we cryed a lot. everyone was heart broken and didnt sleep well at all that night. The next day the students decided to win every class for their instructor. I would have, but I just didn't feel like riding so I scratched from that days classes. The students did great. They did just like they had promissed and got even more 1st place ribons. My friend died on that friday morning. We were all horribly upset. I found myself trembling as I rode, and unable to maintain my seriousness as I tought her classes. I didnt go to the funeral, not because I was unable to stop crying, but because I didn't want to believe she was gone. After 2 months of not teaching her classes,I decided to start teaching them, first only once a week, then every day. Life had gotten pretty much back to normal, at least most of it did. Though I found myself wondering What life would have been like if she hadnt gotten sick. These last 5 months I've had dreams everynight about what life would have been like. We went to every show that was in and out of town, and we won them all too. THen we started going to the high class shows, the kind that only grand prix riders entered into. We actually won a few of those as well. We had the life that every little kid only dreamed about. Then we stopped teaching. Stopped caring about everyone, we even stopped caring about the safety of our horses. Eventually we stopped caring abut each other. We found a new group of friends, and stopped riding. Never again did we speak from that point on. It was only today that I realised that life throws us a few curve balls to detach us from what might hurt us in the future. My friends illness was to make sure we would allways be friends and keep us from pure disaster. Sure the fame and winnings would have been great, but is loosing a friend while getting it really worth it? ~Emilly P.~ ~2001~ |
| Life's Curve ball |