Chapter 27

John and I were playful as usual; he made a really good companion at work. I must say, the stress of the farm wasn’t my problem anymore as I had begun to like things the way they were here. Every day, I gave my report, and I was sure to learn a thing or two; some days, I went to the tracks and raced all day.

One day after work (I closed very early), John and I decided to hit the tracks together; we wanted to compete among ourselves to see who was better. Ever since the day of my first race, I had been making steady improvements, and I was sure I could at least give him a run for his money.

The race started, and I did not win. The gap was not much, though, and he was even surprised and said, “I must confess you did extremely well. I did not ever imagine you were that good.”

“Stop it; I know I did not even make you sweat,” I said.

He laughed, took a deep breath, and said, “On the contrary, this is the fastest I have ever gone; you brought out everything in me