After the session, I did a little shopping with Lambert on my back. He handled the crowds a bit better than last time, though I wasn’t sure if it was with the doctor’s help, or if the gym had left him too tired to get worked up.
Working my way through the crowd, I managed to sneak up to Applejack without her seeing me. “You sell apples?” I asked, disguising my voice in a valley-girl impersonation.
Applejack’s ears splayed. I’m pretty sure I could hear her eyes roll at the question. “Yes Ma’am, we—” The forced retail smile faded to a genuine one as she turned to face me. “I oughta kick you...” she said through the smile. “What brings you two out on a weekday?”
“Gold made me take a day off. Said I’d been working too much.”
Laughing, Applejack waved at Lambert as he peeked at her from over my shoulder. “I know a little about that,” she said and hoofed Lambert an apple. “Any plans this evening?”
“No. Probably eat a light lunch, then take a nap. We hit the gym pretty hard this morning.”
Behind me, Lambert crinched on the offered apple. “This is yummy. Thank you.”
“Well there’s plenty more where that came from,” Applejack said glowing at the prase. “Why don’t you two come for dinner tonight?”
Turning my head, I tried to look at Lambert. “You okay with that?”
I could feel him nod more than see him.
“Around five?” I asked.
Applejack nodded. “See ya then,” she said, before turning to greet a pony that had just walked up.
- - -
Back home, Lambert and I fell into our rhythm of putting the groceries away. A little salad made a light lunch. We’d be eating heavy that night, so no need to spoil our appetite.
After lunch, it was nap time as far as I was concerned. Picking up a book, I spread out on the couch. “I’m going to read then cat-nap,” I announced.
Lambert looked around the room for a moment. He winced as sore muscles reminded him of the earlier workout. “Can I take a hot bath?”
“Enjoy yourself.”
Diving into my book, I was vaguely aware of the upstairs water running, and sound asleep before it turned off.
Sleep brought one of those bizarre dreams that midday naps seem to give me. I was back home, except everything had an old, quaint feel to it, like some fifties television sitcom. I was older too, almost grandmotherly. The chick I’d taken in had grown into a handsome adult griffon and at some point had become the little town's sheriff.
Something nudged me, dragging me back to the waking world. A griffon’s beak greeted me as I opened my eyes. “What is it Andy?” I asked, still half in the dream.
Lambert gave me a confused look.
“Sorry, strange dream. You okay?”
He nodded. “It’s almost five.”
“Oh?!” Sitting up, I scrubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Thank you.”
The feathers around Lambert’s neck flattened against him. “You smell funny.”
“Oh... Thanks.”