Hector led his daughter under an old, rusty gateway adorned with two horses facing each other.

In front of them was a paved walkway that led to a small house. The newly installed windows stuck out against the rest of the dilapidated home. The desert landscape around the house was littered with shattered glass, miscellaneous tools, and large splinters of wood.

The debris all circled the location where an old shed once stood off to the right of the house.

From outside, they could hear the muffled sounds of an announcer on the radio, commentating on a horse race.

Hector knocked heavily against the door to get the old man's attention.

Emilio finished scratching his bald head before slowly rising off his couch.

The old jockey shuffled to the door as he tied his bathrobe tight around his protruding belly.

On the other side of the door was a nineteen-year-old Hispanic girl. She greeted him with a soft, shame-filled 'hello' as she continued to look down towards her feet, her long black hair covering her face.

She wore baggy jeans and a long-sleeved, oversized t-shirt emblazoned with Japanese symbols.

Looming over her was her large father, Hector.

"Hola Emilio, how are you?" he asked.

"Bueno," he responded.

"Glad to hear it. Sorry again for all the trouble, but Gabriela's here to get started working."

"Good, good. Okay, well, there's a wheelbarrow in the back and a shovel. Just pile up the debris by the side of the road. I'll take care of it in a couple of weeks. Just knock if you need me."

With that, Gabriela got to work shoveling up the debris that was strewn about his gravel lot.

A week earlier, Gabriela and her boyfriend Manuel had continued their routine of terrorizing Emilio with fireworks. This time, a stray Roman Candle spark landed in his work shed, igniting something inside. A minute later, an explosion destroyed the shed and shattered the windows of his modest house next to it.

Emilio, being on relatively friendly terms with her family, proposed that he would drop any charges related to Gabriela in exchange for her possible testimony against her boyfriend, Manuel.

Also, in exchange, she would come and clean up the mess.

Manuel was able to evade capture, though. No one, not even Gabriela, knew where he was now.

She spent the day shoveling the debris into a cart and dumping it by the road.

Any complaints from her were met with her father reminding her she was 'too old for this shit' now, and that he was right all along about Manuel.

Emilio stayed inside on his couch listening to the radio. Every once in a while peeking outside to check on her work.

After about four hours, Hector knocked again on Emilio's door.

"She's slow going, but she's getting it done. Look, I will be gone for work for a week," he told Emilio. "Doing some construction in Mexico City. Don't worry, though, she'll be here promptly at 8 am every morning to continue work."

"That's a pretty big mess out there," Emilio said as he eyed Gabriela up and down.

She stood about six inches above him at five feet.

"Well, she'll keep at it as long as it takes. No days off until it's finished," Hector assured him.

"Very well, I'll be inside here tomorrow if she needs anything. Just knock."

Emilio watched as they walked together back down the gravel road that made its way back to their home about a quarter of a mile away. At that far, they were still the closest neighbors to Emilio by a good distance.

The next morning, Gabriela cursed her boyfriend as she made the quarter-mile walk back to Emilio's place. 

"This was all his stupid idea. All his fault," she thought.

Arriving at Emilio's, Gabriela pulled on her work gloves and got back to work filling the wheelbarrow with debris. She decided that morning to start closest to the blast and work her way out.

A K-Pop playlist blaring in her earbuds kept her from hearing the seventy-year-old jockey who was standing next to his home, calling out to her.

Eventually, she noticed him as he called out while pointing down at a pile of glass next to him.

"What?" she asked, removing her earbuds.

Emilio then made some clicking noises while pointing.

Gabriela just stood there staring at him.

Again, he made some clicking noises.

She rolled her eyes as she grabbed her shovel and made her way over to the pile.

She shoveled the pile into the cart and went back to where she was originally working.

click click

Again, he made the sound, getting her attention.

This time, he was pointing at another pile near him.

Walking over, she began shoveling the debris.

"Do you have any other spots you want me to get?" she asked, trying to keep her annoyance from showing.

The old man then walked over to another pile and made the clicking noises again.

"I'm not a fucking horse," she scolded him under her breath as she walked over to the area he was pointing to.

This routine then played out for the next couple of hours until it was noon, the agreed time for her to go home and help her mother with chores.

"How did the cleaning go?"

Her father had called as she was walking home.

"Fine," she said, annoyed. "He clicked at me like I was a horse. What an asshole."

"What!? An asshole!? You're lucky he's not dead after the stunt your lazy ass boyfriend pulled!"

"Ok, ok! Sorry!" she replied.

"Look...I'll be home in a week. If you're not done by then...well...I'll help you wrap it up, ok?" He relented.

That evening, Gabriela helped her mom with her younger siblings before showering and going to bed.

The next morning, Gabriela was back walking down the road to Emilio's to meet her 8 am start time.

She wasn't sure why, but her clothing was starting to feel uncomfortable. Almost heavy on her.

She pulled at her baggy shirt and readjusted her bra straps, but nothing felt right. She had been basically wearing the same outfit, a long-sleeved shirt and baggy jeans, for the past decade without ever feeling this awkward.

In fact, it was always tight clothing, anything that accentuated her figure, that made Gabriela wince...but now she couldn't help but wish she owned a tank top. She wondered if that would feel better.

Emilio was already outside, sitting in a wooden chair beneath the sparse shade that was offered by one of the Joshua trees on his property.

He nodded at her as she passed, making her way to the cart to put on her gloves. She began shoveling in the same place she had started yesterday, but was once again interrupted by Emilio, who was pointing at another debris pile near him.

Gabriela looked to the jockey with a blank expression before walking over and shoveling the glass under him.

They carried on this routine for about an hour, with Gabriela remaining silent the entire time.

Emilio broke the silence as she continued to follow him around with the shovel.

"Your parents...they don't know how to train you."

He then stopped and pointed at another area. Instructing her to clean it up with some more clicking noises.

"Why do you let your boyfriend talk you into stupid shit?"

click click

Emilio pointed to another patch of ground.

"I'm not a horse," she said indignantly as she began to shovel the debris beside him.

The last bit of debris topped off the cart, which she then began to lift before Emilio made his way over, his hand then gently grabbing her arm.

His touch caused Gabriela to jerk away from him.

"Don't touch-"

"Whoa," he said, interrupting her. "Whoa."

He spoke to her as though he were speaking to a wild animal, with his hands up as though to defend himself.

Gabriela was silent. She didn't understand why, but for some reason, his 'woah' had caused a sense of calm to wash over her.

He slowly reached his hand out again to grab her arm. She jerked slightly but remained still. His touch was as calming as his voice.

Emilio gently turned her around to face away from the cart.

He then moved her hands down to the handles before making the clicking noise again.

Gabriela then began to pull the cart behind her towards the debris pile.

"Good girl," he said, praising her.

After dumping it, she pulled it back over by Emilio, who was now shoveling the debris himself and dumping it into the cart.

As she stood waiting for Emilio to shovel the debris, she couldn't help but focus on how uncomfortable her clothing still felt. Sweat started to mat her hair to her face, but for some reason, she didn't dare take her hands off the handles to wipe it away.

After Emilio filled the cart, he pointed towards the dump pile.

"Medio...galope," he called out.

Gabriela had known that word from her time riding horses with her father.

"I'm not a fucking horse." 

The thought had briefly entered her mind, but the desire to please Emilio was greater than any annoyance she had originally felt. The feeling she got when he praised her earlier was too intoxicating.

She had made her choice and began to trot toward the dumping spot near the road. Kicking up her feet a little as she went.

After a couple of hours, her time had come to an end, and Gabriela followed Emilio's instructions to walk back home.

Gabriela had hoped a shower would clear up the discomfort she had felt all day in her clothing, but it returned as soon as she got dressed again. She couldn't help but continue tugging at her clothing as she ate dinner with her family.

Her mom had prepared a large meal, but Gabriela found herself drawn more to the carrots at the table.

"You haven't touched your asada," her mother noticed.

"I just feel like carrots tonight. I'm...I'm not that hungry," she said, taking another bite.

That night, she supplemented her dinner by sneaking down to eat some fruit that was out on the counter.

---------

The next morning, Gabriela felt uneasy as she got out of bed, as though her footing was unstable.

For a brief moment, she thought about skipping Emilio's as she wondered if her uneasiness was due to an oncoming sickness. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't think twice about skipping work, but she couldn't deny the pull she felt to Emilio's.

Her walk over was slow and once again uncomfortable. The uneasiness of her steps, combined with the ever-growing discomfort of her clothing, was almost unbearable.

As she arrived, Emilio made his way out of his front door.

"You're late," he said.

This was the first time in two days that he had spoken to her as if she were a human.

"I'm sorry," she replied shamefully. "I'm...I'm feeling uneasy on my feet. My clothing...also..."

She couldn't quite finish her sentence as her search for words became harder and harder. She felt a deep shame growing inside of her that she couldn't quite wrestle away. She shouldn't feel this way. She shouldn't care about being late. She should have talked back to him for questioning her on being a couple of minutes late, but she couldn't. Actually, she realized, it was even crazier than that. She didn't want to talk back to him.

Emilio walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. His calming touch washed away her anxious thoughts.

"Whoa, now," he said softly, sending another wave of calmness over her entire body.

He then pressed her shoulders down, positioning her onto her hands and knees.

"Whoa," he said again as she made a half-hearted attempt to stand back up.

Gabriela felt better, though. The uneasiness that she had felt working on her feet had now disappeared.

She slightly flinched again as Emilio began to pet her hair.

His hand then moved to her back as he began rubbing up and down it. Her bra was becoming increasingly constricting every time his hand passed over the strap.

"You've got a strong back," he told her.

She let out a sigh as the compliment sent an overwhelming sense of pride throughout her body.

As he rubbed her back, his other hand then moved under her shirt, which hung loosely towards the ground. She once again bucked a little at his touch. Another instinctive move that didn't reflect her feelings towards him at that moment.

He rubbed her belly for a bit before moving his hands to her sides and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Strong back indeed," he once again complimented her.

Emilio then used a leather harness he had to fix a small metal wagon to her back. She then followed him around on all fours, pulling it as he moved from spot to spot, filling it up.

When full, he then led her to the dump spot and poured the debris out before fixing the wagon to Gabriela again.

A small part of her questioned what the hell she was doing. Why on Earth was she letting this dorky old jockey treat her this way?

These moments of 'clarity' were quickly washed away with an overwhelming sense of pride that came from following his directions.

Especially whenever he would give her a 'good girl.'

She couldn't quite explain the joy that shot through her body when he said that. It reminded her of how it felt to know her father was proud of her. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, especially once she started seeing Manuel.

After a couple of hours, Emilio noticed the hair matted to her face with her sweat. He gently moved her hair away from her eyes.

"Good girl," he said.

He watched as she closed her eyes and smiled. The first smile he had ever seen her give in all the years of knowing her and her family.

He untied the cart from her and handed her some water.

Gabriela slowly stood up, as the uneasiness returned.

She tugged at her shirt as she drank, finishing the entire bottle in one go before handing it back to him.

Emilio grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it a little, making the clicking noise again.

"He wants me to take off my shirt," she thought with equal parts embarrassment and relief.

Gabriela thought about the reality of exposing herself to him before realizing she was already starting to lift her shirt over her head.

She held onto her shirt as she stood there in her bra. While that still felt constricting, she was relieved to have removed her shirt. She was also glad that she was wearing a bra that well covered her B-cup breasts. It was a white one with some anime-style hearts on it.

Emilio reached out his hand to take her shirt, which she handed over.

He then instructed her to get back down again as he tied the cart back around her hips.

They got back to work, with Gabriela following him around as he continued to clear out the debris.

As they rounded the left side of the house, she began to notice, behind a row of bushes, there was what looked like a horse racing track, only smaller in scale. She assumed it was built for miniature horses.

At noon, Emilio undid the makeshift harness from her waist and stood her back up.

She put her shirt back on, starting her walk back home at his instruction.

On the way, she began to wonder how things would be once her father returned. What would happen if she and Emilio were unable to clean everything up before then? Even if he would approve of their new cleaning method, would what happen once the cleanup was done?

She began to plan how she could sneak out to return to his place after the task was done. She grew anxious at the thought of not being around him.

"Working hard today?"

Her mother noticed her dirty jeans.

Gabriela just nodded her head and headed to the shower.

That evening at dinner, Gabriela once again avoided the meat her mother prepared while devouring any of the vegetables that her mother had laid out.

"My daughter, the vegetarian!" her mother teased.

--------

The next morning, Gabriela slowly made her way out of the house and down the gravel road until she was sure she was outside of her mother's view.

She then pulled off her shirt and jeans before letting out a sigh of relief.

Slowly she walked, gripping the fence along the way until she arrived to find Emilio waiting outside for her. She felt a sting of embarrassment as she stood there in her underwear, swaying uneasily on her feet, but the embarrassment quickly faded as his approving smile made her feel that it was okay.

Emilio walked towards her, presenting her with a small contraption of straps and a rubber bar.

He moved in closer and moved the hair from her face.

Tired of standing, Gabriela instinctively got down on her hands and knees.

He then placed the bridle over her head, positioning the rubber part in her mouth as she bit down on it.

"I also have something to protect your hands and knees," she heard him say as he went back towards the house to a small pile beside the door.

He returned with what looked like four plastic hooves. They had a large section of padding on top, along with some straps.

Emilio then fastened them to her hands and knees. Gabriela thought they felt comfortable. They felt right.

She then 'trotted' around, testing them out. She loved how comfortable they felt, though her bare shins still dragged a little on the ground.

She turned to the sound of Emilio clicking once again as he attached some reins to her bridle. He then led her over to the wagon, which he fastened to her waist.

Once again, she pulled the wagon as Emilio shoved in the debris.

Saliva began to run down her chin and neck from the bridle. Emilio noticed as well, and after dumping a load, he led her by the bridle to a small black plastic trough that filled with water from a hose. After there was enough, he clicked while motioning for her to drink.

Gabriela lowered her face into the water and began to drink it.

After a couple of hours, Emilio led her to a chair he had set up in the sparse shade in the back of his property.

He sat while she stood on her hands and knees in front of him.

Her bra and panties had become more and more uncomfortable as the day went on. She began to wiggle...