Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“Honey,” I start again, slowly inhaling. Louisa comes up the stairs and down the short hall, stopping next to Everly.
“You have to go, Mom,” Everly continues. “This auction is a hot-button issue and…I know how this is going to sound.” She holds up a hand to keep me from protesting what she’s about to say. “But look at the donations. This is all from the last two hours, and it’s all from people who are outraged and saddened by the thought of horses being beaten and killed for meat. If you can get some photos, or even livestream from inside the auction, our views will skyrocket, and that will get more people to follow us. And the more people who follow us, well, the more shares and donations we’ll get. Plus, it’s raising awareness. The fact that horses are considered livestock makes it hard to punish people who abuse and neglect them. And that needs to change.”
“The kid presents a strong argument,” Louisa notes.
“She certainly does, but I don’t know. I’ll go from the charity gala to home, and then leave in the morning to drive nearly four hours away to the Hillside Auction. And, yes, that’s how far it is. I might have already looked it up a few years ago when Aunt Kim mentioned going to get a new horse.”
“What if I’m able to double the amount of donations?” Everly tries as I pull the shirt over my head, yanking the towel free once it’s on. “Then will you promise to go?”
“It’s not that easy, Ev. The cost of the horse isn’t the issue, it’s the upkeep and we both know horses coming from a loose sale like that are going to have health issues. And who’s going to take care of everything while I’m gone all day on Sunday?”
“I’m here,” Louisa reminds us both.
“I can't make you take on that much respon—”
“My goodness, Jo! For the second time, you’re not making me. I’m offering. I’m your big sister and don’t get to help you as much as I wish I could. I’m only here for a few more days. Let. Me. Help.” She looks at Ev and smiles. “The kid has a point. People love a good story that pulls on their heartstrings, and I’m old and will admit I didn’t realize the power of social media when it comes to fundraising until Ev recently showed me, but people are there. They want to help, but you have to figure out how to reach them.”
Everly looks at her aunt with a big smile. “I can stay and help Aunt Louisa, too. Maria and her mom will be here in the afternoon too.”
I put my hands on my forehead and close my eyes in a long blink. This is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to do, and it is exactly the thing that Aunt Kim would do. She'd gone to this very auction many times before and came home with the rejects, the horses deemed not worthy enough to even a run to the auction but only a loose sale where the majority are bought by kill buyers. “Okay…let's see how much money we can raise by tomorrow morning.”
“So, you’re going to go?” Everly asks.
“I’m saying I’ll consider it. We need enough in donations to assume we’re getting one sick horse like Pongo.”
Everly makes a squeaking noise. “I’ll post updates now! Oh, and yes! I have the best video in my drafts to post.” She keeps rambling about what she’s going to post as she walks into her room.
“She picked out a name for your rescue,” Louisa says, coming into the room, and I notice she’s holding her brush and hairdryer.
“What is it?”
My sister smiles. “Phoenix Farms.”
I flip down my rearview mirror, checking my hair before I get out of the car. Both Louisa and Everly helped me get ready. Louisa curled my hair, pulling some of it back from my face and securing it with a small crystal clip. Knowing that my hair doesn't hold a curl well, we left the curls tight and I carefully rake my fingers through them to break them apart so that they hang in tight waves around my face. Everly, who is better at contouring than I'll ever be, did my makeup, and I hardly recognize the woman staring back at me in the mirror.
She looks collected, put together, and not at all frazzled. I stare at myself, taking a good few seconds to think about how crazy life has been the last few weeks.
I'm still upset by the lack of action from the school in Indianapolis in regard to my daughter being bullied. I would love to take the issue further, mostly to keep it from happening to another kid, but Everly has begged me to let it go. From there, things have just spiraled, not necessarily in a bad way.