The morning ride to school
Every morning before dawn Angel gets up, catches and saddles the
horse, washes, dresses, and rides to high school an hour away. He
is back at sundown. His chores in the morning are to round up his
father’s horse, if he is riding today, then gather the milking
cows, and milk them. In the evening, to rub down the horses and
take them to pasture. Some days he doesn’t make it to school
– if the horses or cattle are pasturing too far away, or if
his dad needs help.
Not many kids in the village get past primary school, it’s
such an expense and a bother, but Mercedes and Reynaldo insist that
any child of theirs must continue as long as he or she wants. They
hope that two of their five will make it to a high school degree.
A lot of unspoken hopes ride on Angel’s shoulders, but he
himself is a gentle and shy boy, careful not to voice any ambition
at all. No need to add fuel to the fire. |
