Love Means No Boundaries - Andrew Grey

smiled his approval completely momentarily forgetting that Robbie couldn’t see it. Then caught himself and whispered his answer. “That’s fine. We’ll be looking for you.” “There’s just one more thing. I need to ask if you have experience working with people with physical challenges?” Robbie began to chuckle. He was needed, loved, and he fit.
    For the first time, he’d found a place he truly fit. Joey pulled him closer as he concluded the telephone conversation, their bodies melding together as he told him the details. Standing in Joey’s arms, the last of those self-imposed boundaries fell away. He knew that with Joey behind him, he could do anything.
    195
    Andrew Grey JOEYco
c uld har
a d
r ly
y bel
e iev
e e
e his eye
y s
e . “Y
“ o
Yu’r
’ e
r
e doing
g rea
e l
a ly
y we
w l
e l,
Cici.”
“T
“ h
T an
a k yo
y u, Mr.
r Joey.
y ”
” She
e may
y hav
a e
e brac
a es
e on her
e
r legs
g , but
she was learning to control that a hors
r e
e like
e a
a pro
r . She
e bea
e m
a ed
e at
a him
as
a the
e smal
a l gr
g o
r up of
f fi
f ve
e hors
r es
e an
a d six ri
r der
e s
r co
c ntinued
e slowl
w y
y
down the level trail. “T
“ h
T ey’
y r
’ e
e doing
g re
r al
a ly
y wel
e l,”
” Joey
y wh
w isper
e e
r d
e to Robbie,
e wh
w o
wa
w s
a in his usual
a plac
a e
c
e be
b h
e ind him as
a they
y led
e the
e wa
w y
y on Tw
T i
w light,
wi
w th Cici c on
n Be
B l
e le
e beh
e ind them e , fo
f llowe
w d
e by
y thre
r e
e other
e
r hors
r es
e an
a d
ri
r der
e s
r wh
w o wer
e e
r
e ea
e c
a h
c led
e by
y a
a hel
e per
e .
r
“I
I can
a ’t
’ bel
e iev
e e
e how we
w l
e l this has a wo
w rk
r ed
e out,”
” he
e hea
e r
a d
r
Robbie
e sayi
y ng
g into his ea e r
a .
r Joey
y knew
w his lover e
r wa
w s
a listen
e ing
g fo
f r
r an
a y
y
sign of trouble just as a he
e wa
w s
a wa
w t
a ch
c ing
g fo
f r
r it.
“O
“ f
O
f co
c urs
r e
e it did. Yo
Yu org
r an
a ized
e it.”
” He
H had
a ev
e er
e y
y confi
f den
e ce
c
that
a an
a yt
y hing
g Robbie
e set
e his mi
m nd to
o he
e co
c uld mak a e
e hap
a pen
e , an
a d
Robbie
e see
e m
e ed
e to be
e star
a t
r ing
g to bel
e iev
e e
e it himsel e f.
f Th
T ey
y did three e
ther
e a
r p
a y
y ri
r ding
g ses
e sions a a we
w ek
e , eac
a h with four children. Today it wa
w s
a Cici
c an
a d three
e
e blind ch
c ildre
r n
e . Cici
c had
a been
e the
e pro
r gra
r m
a ’s
’
bigge
g s
e t succ
c e
c s
e s so fa
f r.
r When
e she’
e d
’ fi
f rs
r t co
c me,
e she
e wa
w s
a sca
c re
r d
e an
a d
196
Love Means … NO Boundaries
almost refused to get on the horse, but one look at Robbie sitting behind Joey, and she’d agreed to give it a try. For her first few sessions, they’d had spotters on each side of her, but after her balance improved, her mother had led the horse around the ring.
     
Joey remembered the day she’d told her mother she could do it herself and that was that. She was riding. Cici still needed help mounting, but that was all.
     
“Juanita called. They want to add your program to the district’s website.” He stopped Twilight and craned his neck.
     
Everything was fine, horses happy—they seemed to sense that their riders were special—smiling and laughing. “She said we should give it a name.”
    “She mentioned it to me too. I was thinking about calling it the No Boundaries Riding Program. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect.” Joey turned Twilight around and began heading back to the barn, leading the group on its slow but steady progress. As he passed he watched the helpers leading the horses turn as well.
Many were parents, which was wonderful, but the best part was the looks on these kids’ faces.
    In the barnyard Joey and Robbie dismounted, and Joey helped the kids down, getting a hug from each one as he did. When he lifted Cici down, she hugged him tight, and he felt her brace encased legs around his waist. “If you keep that up, you’ll be strong enough and won’t need them anymore.” He returned her enthusiastic hug and smiled as her mother approached, obviously having overheard his remark.
“That’s what the doctor said too.” There was a tear in her eye as she beamed at her daughter. “And it’s all because of you.” She smiled again, and Joey watched as they got in their car, talking about getting ice cream.”
    “Doesn’t get any better than that, does it?” 197
Andrew Grey
Joey felt Robbie’s hand on his arm. “You heard?” Joey shouldn’t have been