Chapter 12 #2
Molly drove the Jeep and trailer into Omak and parked at her favorite Mexican food truck.
She hadn’t eaten much for a week. She wasn’t hungry, but she’d emptied last night’s attempted dinner in the toilet that morning and knew she needed something.
She ordered two carnitas street tacos and sat at a picnic table under the trees, awaiting her order.
She was serenely calm. It was over. The stress of the anticipation had been nearly debilitating.
But she’d done right by her partner. Jo’s time had come.
Carson would now be driving her to the crematorium where she’d be converted to ashes.
Molly could pick up the urn in a couple days and dispose of them as she wished.
Her plan was to spread them in the arena where Jo had her greatest moments.
Her tacos came up and she ate them alone with a diet coke.
She needed to get something in her stomach.
There was nothing more to say or do. But she couldn’t go back to work.
She hadn’t thought about this. What to do after?
She at least needed to go back to the cabin and change her clothes.
She couldn’t wear her Omak Stampede queen regalia around all day.
She walked into the cabin, went straight to the bedroom, took off her rodeo outfit and carefully hung it back in the plastic bag. It wouldn’t come out again until the Stampede in August when she’d ride with past queens in the parade.
She put on jeans, western shirt, leather vest, and moccasins, and collapsed on the bed in a fetal ball, her arms around her legs, her thighs against her chest. She was cried out.
There were no more tears. But there was an emptiness that she didn’t know how to manage.
Fingering the leather vest, she wished Bart were there.
She didn’t look forward to her morning visit to Silas at the stables knowing that Jo would not be in her stall.
She didn’t look forward to the late afternoon when she and Jo took their afternoon ride.
There were other horses at the stables, but Molly wasn’t ready for another horse.
She knew she would be, but right now there was only Jo.
She heard a knock at the door. That could only be Silas checking on her.
She rolled out of bed and walked to the door.
Her grizzled stables manager was standing in his cowboy hat and boots holding a bottle of Jack Daniels.
She moved into his arms and gave him a long hug before inviting him in.
They moved to the kitchen where she pulled two glasses out of the cupboard and led him outside, pulling her leather cowgirl hat on to complete her post-Bart look.
She poured shots of bourbon and held them up. “To Jo.”
Glasses clinked and the shots became history.
Molly poured two fingers for each and they settled back in the Adirondacks.
It was early afternoon on a late spring day.
The sun was warm. They were sitting in the shade.
The sky was blue, the lake calm, and the mountains beautiful.
Molly was comfortable with her cowboy friend during these moments. Silas had helped her through this.
“Might be a few more folks stopping by.”
“That’s fine. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get through this day.”
“Jack Daniels and friends are all you need for a day like this. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“Thank you, Silas, for everything. Taking care of Jo. Taking care of me. I’ve been a mess this week, but I’m at peace now. We did right by Jo. I’ve got the memories. That’s all I need.”
“How’d it go at the arena?”
“We took our victory lap. Jo rallied for a little closing trot. We had our final words on our final ride. It was just how I wanted it. I’ll spread her ashes down there later in the week.” She paused, taking a long, deep breath. “Time for me to move on.”
“I don’t reckon you’ll be looking for a horse any time soon, but keep me posted. You know I might be able to help.”
“You’ll be the first to know when I’m ready. Not sure when that will be.”
Molly heard a car pull up her driveway. She looked at Silas.
“Probably Evelyn and Betsy.”
Molly heard the verifying chatter as they walked around the cabin, arms laden with food.
“Oh, good God, Evelyn. Food? Really?”
Evelyn said, “Might be a few folks stopping by. You and Silas just stay put. Betsy and I will get everything set up.”
Molly and Silas worked on the Jack Daniels while Evelyn and Betsy brought out a cloth for the table with glasses, plates, napkins, and silverware.
Pretty soon, Willy and Buck came around the cabin lugging a cooler of ice and beer, setting it down by the table.
Evelyn sent them to the shed to retrieve more tables and chairs, and Molly could see a party unfolding.
Mae and Tong brought a big platter of Vietnamese noodles, left them on the table, paid their respects, and left.
Pretty soon, workers from the restaurant, store, and stables started filtering in with more food.
Willy put a western playlist on a boom box.
People poured their own drinks, mixed around, and the party was on.
Molly never left her chair, letting others do the work, pay respects, and gather.
After a while, Mack, Lisa, and the three girls arrived with two large pizzas.
Mack put a bottle of Scotch on the table, pouring two fingers for himself and grabbing a beer for Lisa.
Molly greeted her brother with a long hug, and he pulled a chair up next to her.
Mack would understand this day. He’d been thirteen when she was crowned.
Molly’s nieces Beth and Christie went immediately to Shadow for play, but Mack’s middle daughter, eight-year-old Bethany, settled in Molly’s lap, Molly wrapping her arms around her niece.
Molly and Bethany had a special relationship.
Bethany shared Molly’s love for horses, was growing up in Molly’s former bedroom, and was riding the same trails Molly grew up using.
And she looked like Molly, tall, slender, and with the same Scottish coloring.
The family joked about the similarity between Bethany and Molly’s childhood photos.
Molly already had her pegged as a future Omak Stampede Queen.
Cuddled in Molly’s lap, she said, “I’m sorry about Jo.”
“Thank you, Bethany. She was my best friend, but her time had come. She had a good life, and I have great memories.”
The Summer’s End family ate and drank the afternoon away. Molly was with her people, the way it was supposed to be after losing a loved one.
The Omak Okanogan Chronicle ran an obituary on Jo the next morning, featuring a photo Vivian had taken at the veterinary clinic. Molly had no idea it was coming until Silas handed it to her when she arrived at the stables on Friday morning.
She sat on a stool and read it.
Jo Omak: Passing of a Legend
The Omak Okanogan community lost a legend this week upon the passing of Jo, the longtime racing partner of Molly McGuire. Molly raced as Molly Mack and, later, of course, became widely known in our parts as Molly Omak.
Jo was Molly’s 18 th birthday present from her father, the late Mack McGuire, owner of Mack Livestock Auctions. Molly rode Jo in the qualifiers when she was selected Queen of the Omak Stampede seventeen years ago.
Molly and Jo represented the Omak Stampede at every regional rodeo that next year and continued doing so when they went on the rodeo circuit competing in barrel races.
Molly and Jo won the barrel race at the Omak Stampede an unprecedented nine times. No other contestant at the Omak Stampede has ever equaled that level of dominance in a rodeo event here.
We say Rest in Peace, Jo. We were proud to have you carry our banner and represent the Omak Okanogan community with pride and distinction for the last eighteen years.
And we extend heartfelt condolences today to Molly McGuire for her loss.