Read Online Friendly Foal by Dandi Daley Mackall - Free Book Online Page B

Hawk said. “Tell him that Thomas Alva Edison had over 5,000 birds, and he was our greatest inventor.”
    I wrote down everything in longhand.
    The other question was from someone named Paula, who was worried about her parrot. Chiquita had started doing crazy things, like standing in her water dish and doing weird dances and making odd noises.
    Hawk said, “That poor parrot is bored! Boredom can lead to madness in parrots. Birds need affection and interaction. If they spend too much time alone in a cage, they can lose their minds. There are even mental institutions for parrots. Tell her she should get Chiquita a friend.”
    â€œThanks, Hawk.”
    There was a pause. Then Hawk asked, “Winnie, is anything wrong?”
    I wanted to shout into the receiver, “Yes! Everything’s wrong! I can’t get close to Friendly Foal. Sal and her grandmother want to send Amigo back to Argentina. And what I really need is for you to leave the fun and sun and get back here and help me!”
    But I couldn’t say that.
    â€œI’m okay, Hawk. Here. Let me pass you to Pat. She wants to ask you about her twit.”
    Pat took the phone. “Thanks, Winnie. You get on home. I’ll type the bird e-mails.”
    As I left the shop I heard Pat exclaim, “That’s all? And that twit will be as happy as a clam? No offense.”
    As soon as I got outside, the worries inside me started swirling around and bumping into each other, piling up like snowflakes in a blizzard. I breathed in air so cold it froze my nose hairs.
    Then without even thinking about it, I shot up a prayer: God, don’t let them send that little horse to Argentina! Please! Amigo needs a friend. Let me be it. Okay? Help me be a faithful friend to that horse.
    It surprised me that I’d prayed like that. On-the-spot prayer was something Lizzy might do. Or Mom. Until the last couple of months, God and I had barely been on speaking terms. But little by little I’d figured out that God wasn’t going to give up on me. Mom’s dying wasn’t God’s fault, or even my fault. And God cared about me too much to let me get away with giving him the silent treatment.
    I could feel my stomach stop swirling. I would be the best friend Amigo and Friendly ever had. No matter how they acted. Even if they didn’t think of me as a friend, that’s what I’d be.
    Maybe that’s the way it had been with God and me. I’d sure done everything I could to wrestle further away from him after Mom died. But he’d waited patiently for me.
    I’d wait patiently for the horses. I wouldn’t give up on them .

    I was halfway home and feeling a lot better, in spite of the icy wind numbing my face, when who should I see coming up Claremont but Geri and Nathan.
    â€œHi, Winnie!” Nathan waved and sprinted toward me. He was wearing a gray coat and gray mittens, so ordinary that his sister wouldn’t have been caught dead in them.
    Geri lagged back and seemed to be studying a snowdrift.
    Nathan is about Lizzy’s height, maybe two inches taller than me. He doesn’t look much like Sal. She’s slim as a racehorse. Nathan’s more like a small Clydesdale. Sal used to say her brother lived for the days Lizzy brought in treats to their class. Maybe he’d eaten a few too many lizard cookies.
    â€œIs Lizzy with you?” Nathan asked, peering around me.
    I shook my head.
    He seemed disappointed. “Tell her hi for me when you see her.” The way he said it wasn’t like he was lovesick or anything, not like Geri must have been for him. My guess was that Nate liked Lizzy for a friend. Everybody does.
    I stared at Geri. She finally met my gaze, then stared down again.
    â€œThat’s some horse Gram Cracker gave my sister, huh?” Nathan said.
    â€œLook, Nathan. You guys can’t send Amigo back to Argentina. I need time to work with him. He’s a good horse. He’ll