This story is set in Scotland and has taken me a while to write because I had other writing tasks to complete. I hope you like it and I may consider a spin off story later on with other characters.
Ulrika stared at her reflection in the mirror as she puckered her lips. At the age of twenty five she was starting to look more and more like her mother. Granted, she had her father's grey-green eyes and his height but anyone who saw Ulrika and her mother together was left in no doubt that they were related. She had the same angular face and wedge-shaped jawline, her mother had shorter blonde hair whilst Ulrika's was considerably longer, and although her mother had put on weight in her forties she was still considered slim.
There were other traits she shared with her mother though, a single-minded independent nature that meant she could dispense with romance whenever it got in the way of her goals. Three months ago she'd walked out of a marriage with her second husband after discovering his infidelities. It was still a momentous decision considering the fact she'd been married to John for the last twenty seven years. Her first marriage had lasted a mere eighteen months but despite the length of time spent together, Åsa was never going to be the third wheel. The decision had shaken Ulrika, because whilst she understood the motivation, he was still her father.
She stepped back and ran a cursory eye over her outfit, the pale peach blouse was fastened with a pussybow tie and tucked into a pair of white trousers that matched the white jacket on the bed. It wasn't exactly classic interview attire but this wasn't your atypical job either. She'd met Amelia for the first time some six weeks ago when she signed the agistment agreement for her horse, Thor. Amelia owned a pony club called The Bothy, located a few miles outside of Queenzieburn not far from Kilsyth and when she saw Ulrika's name on the agreement a flicker of recognition came into her eyes.
"You were in the national team, am I right?"
"Yes," she'd replied.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you dropped out, didn't you?"
"Technically speaking it's a sabbatical," she replied, "I've signed up for an IVF procedure in the next six months."
"Uh huh?" Amelia raised an eyebrow, "so you and your partner will be expecting the pitter patter of little feet soon?"
"I have no partner," she shrugged, "it's just me, I ended it with my girlfriend because I was too committed to my career and I could not give her what she needed. It wasn't fair on either of us to be honest."
The conversation had inevitably moved onto finances after that and whilst she had no financial worries at the moment, Ulrika was still considering part time work but in her words, she wasn't willing to just pick up any part time job.
"My mother owns the flat where I live so I do not need to pay rent, but I will still need to find money for basics pretty soon."
She'd thought that would be the end of the conversation but Amelia had planted a seed when she talked about the possibility of introducing training programs for equestrian events. It had been one of her dreams for a few years apparently but due to her geographical location she'd been unable to find anyone qualified enough to train riders. Granted, she'd not asked her outright but she had left it with her and thus Ulrika had continued on with her routine. Training was not something she felt qualified for but on the other hand she'd been part of the national team and if she hadn't dropped out of the team she would have gone onto compete at Rio in the Olympics.
The ringing phone disturbed her and she picked it up.
"Hey, mama," she smiled.
"How are you?"
"I'm good, I was just getting ready to leave for this interview."
"What are you wearing?"
"A pink tie blouse and white trousers," she replied.
"That is too formal, is it not?"
"Perhaps," she shrugged, "for this job," she moved away from the mirror, "but I don't get to dress up so much these days and it is not as if I have not met Amelia," she picked up the jacket.
"When are you coming up here next?"
"Maybe six weeks," Åsa replied, "that is why I am calling. They just told me this morning that my transfer request has been approved, so I will be moving to the Edinburgh consulate."
"They did not approve Glasgow?"
"It was my first choice but they said the only vacancy for someone with my qualifications was at Edinburgh, but they did say there would be an opportunity to spend some time there, it depends very much on what one of my colleagues there is doing. It is complicated."
"So, you would be living here or somewhere else?" Ulrika exited the bedroom.
"That is what I have to decide," Åsa replied, "they would let me rent a place in Edinburgh but I am thinking that if I just used the flat that it might give me some negotiating power to base myself at Glasgow instead of Edinburgh."
"There is plenty of room here," Ulrika paused by the couch, "it would be good to have you here, mama, I miss you."
"And I miss you too," she replied, "I have to get back to work, let me know how it goes with your interview."
After she'd farewelled her mother, Ulrika contemplated this new turn of events. The terms of the settlement had meant that the house in Bayswater had to be sold, which left Åsa with this flat and the money from the settlement. Åsa had bought this flat some years ago and rented it out to students for a second income but these last twelve months it had been left vacant as her marriage descended into farce. Henrik's infidelities had cut her to the quick and whilst Ulrika had been a support, she'd felt very much on the outer just observing the passive aggressiveness in full bloom. There was no physical violence but the remarks were definitely designed to provoke the other into responding in kind and so she'd focused on her career as a competition rider. Sensing her daughter's distress, Åsa had finally suggested she relocate to Scotland and use the flat in Queenzieburn until she managed to sort out the divorce settlement.
A lot had changed since then though. Ulrika had decided to have a baby and because she was gay she elected to go the IVF route. Being so far from London also meant she was out of the loop so to speak and so she'd stepped down from the team for the foreseeable future. It was not such a bad idea once she got over the hump. Scotland had its own unique charm and there were plenty of good opportunities to ride competition here, in fact she was almost at the top of her grade but as yet she hadn't competed, being content to just chill out and practice. The Bothy was well suited for these purposes and so she'd spent the last three months just honing her skills and trying to map out a career path that was more manageable.
Ulrika settled in behind the wheel and started the engine. Amelia's offer had initially seemed almost counter intuitive. Instead of competing, she'd be teaching her skills to other riders but on balance she saw the logic behind it. Being at the pony club five days a week would give her some routine and she'd still be involved in the equestrian world without the pressure of competing. It would also mean she could still get pregnant and work through most of her pregnancy. Maybe by the time she'd given birth she might find her mojo again.
***
Ulrika slowed as she reached the driveway and glanced at the phone mounted on her dashboard and then she came to a stop as three women on horseback came towards her. They looked to be in their late teens and were dressed in casual clothes although the trousers at least were dressage related. Once they turned onto the road she accelerated and drove past the two riding circles, one was a lot bigger than the other one. A canopy of oak and ash trees blocked out the sky as she coasted towards a whitewashed stone cottage that had probably been the original bothy. It was ridiculously tiny, but immediately behind it was a much larger two-storey dwelling that was modern. Indeed, from this far back it almost seemed to be swallowing the house in front because of the large steel girders joining the two buildings together.
Ulrika's eyes travelled to the right, taking in the stables and other buildings that extended around the arch and then she focused on the multilingual signpost that indicated the carpark to the left, the other languages were Spanish, German, Arabic, and Mandarin. The carpark was partially obscured by the house but it extended the length of the building and formed an elongated triangle with the narrowest end serving as the entrance and exit. It was almost empty and because she was ten minutes early, she took the time to check her makeup.
Movement at the periphery of her vision caused her to glance over just as a dark-haired woman came around the corner of the building and stopped. She was talking on her phone and unaware that Ulrika was observing her. The woman looked to be about twenty with long brown hair and an olive complexion, which contrasted nicely with her outfit, a white shirt under a light brown woollen jumper, creating a subtle contrast with a pair of pale blue jeans. The woman was looking right at her as if trying to recognise her but then she turned away to continue her conversation.
