Bulling
Mary Beth goes into heat on Saturday.
It isn’t surprising. All the signs were there. Increased agitation, elevated temperature, bellowing when we shut her in the closet without her cellphone. Her friend Tiffany comes by for a visit, and it is all but confirmed after Mary Beth tries to mount her.
We contact the school for a list of available males in the area. The secretary has us answer some questions, just to make sure Mary Beth is truly in estrus. She asks if we have observed her smelling the urine or the vulva of friends or acquaintances. Has she tried to rest her chin on their backsides? If we’ve seen her being mounted, did she try to move away? She asks if our daughter is secreting any mucus.
We answer to the best of our knowledge. We don’t watch her all day, after all. The secretary says that she understands and will email us the list.
We pick an eligible male and use rope and a low voltage cattle prod to get Mary Beth into the family van. A scary moment on the way to the farm when Mary Beth sees a boy from school and tries to leap from the moving vehicle.
Mr. and Mrs. Everett meet us at the foot of their driveway. They direct us to drive around back. Their son Willy is in his pen, naked, playing a PSP. When he smells Mary Beth, he pauses his game and begins restlessly pawing at the dirt.
After we get Mary Beth into the pen, we let the two have their privacy. The Everetts invite us in for some coffee. They are surprised when we tell them how we still keep Mary Beth indoors.
“I know it’s not recommended after puberty, but we couldn’t help it. When I look at her—I still see my little girl.”
From outside, Mary Beth bellows, her bell clanging.
