Free Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin Page A

said.
    A car pulled up and a kid got out. He didn’t look much older than me and he was small and skinny and wearing jockey boots and carrying a helmet and a whip. He went over to a guy who looked like the main boss and started talking to him. Then another guy went into the round pen, took out a horse, put a bridle on him, then a racing saddle, and they led him out onto the dirt road.
    It wasn’t much after that I saw Del and Harry coming out leading Broken Blue. Del and one of the Mexicans began talking and Harry held on to Blue until two men came on horseback. Del gave Harry a leg up, and I saw another guy help up the Mexican kid. Del handed the lead rope to one of the men on horseback and they headed down a long dirt road away from the house.
    Del and I leaned against a fence near the finish line to watch the race. The starting gate was nothing but two-by-fours, and it was old. There was no finish-line camera, and Del said that his horses had to lead by a full head to win. If they didn’t, it was the same thing as a loss.
    He let out a long sigh when the horses left the gate. It seemed close for a time but as they neared the finish you could see Broken Blue was trailing by half a length. Harry was whipping the horse and yelling at him but it was no use.
    “He’s always been a fucking pig,” Del said and spit on the ground.
    He looked over at me, and you could tell he was upset.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Watching the race,” I told him.
    “I told you not to leave Lean on Pete alone.”
    “You didn’t tell me that.”
    “You don’t know how to listen,” he said, looking at me.
    “I know you didn’t tell me that.”
    “Just get back there. Who knows what these motherfuckers will do.”
    I turned around and went back to the barn and stood by Pete.
    He looked at me and moved closer against the gate. I just stood there scratching him and talking to him. His dark eyes stared off and every once in a while he’d yawn or shake his head up and down. I told him that he was the fastest horse there today and the fastest horse in the whole state. I told him to be careful and not to get hurt, and that he should win ’cause then everyone would be nice to him and Del wouldn’t be such an asshole on the ride back. Then Harry came in trailed by Del and Broken Blue. Blue was put in an empty stall and the saddle and bridle were taken off.
    Del looked at me. “Hose him down, but that’s it. Stay close. When this race is over we’re getting the hell out of here, okay?”
    “Okay,” I said.
    They pulled Lean on Pete out of his stall, put the bridle on, and saddled him. Del put a handful of tablets underneath Pete’s tongue, then tied it down. He cinched up the saddle one more time.
    “You’re a crazy fucker,” Harry said quietly to Del.
    “We’ll be alright if you’re not too drunk.”
    “I ain’t drunk,” Harry said.
    Del shook his head and they led Pete to where the two horsemen were. Del gave the lead rope to one of them and helped Harry up. The same Mexican kid hopped on another horse and they were both led down the dirt road track. Del walked over to the men. He spoke to a man in a gray cowboy hat, then took his wallet out and handed a wad of money to an old man who was standing next to him. The man in the gray cowboy hat did the same and the old man counted the money.
    I walked down the fence line near the midway point of the straight track when I saw them break out of the gate. It was neck and neck for the first bit, then suddenly Lean on Pete took off. He exploded with speed and by the time he passed me he was nearly a full length ahead and when the race finished I knew he had won by even more than that. I stood there for a bit, then went back to the barn.
    Ten minutes later Harry came in.
    “It’s time for us to get going,” he said. He was out of breath and looked worried.
    “Give me the truck keys, then get Blue and meet me at the trailer.” I gave him the keys to the truck and he grabbed his