In Normandy, after I was caught not going to my dentist appointments after school, my mother drove me to Le Havre to a fancy dentist. I seem to recall that I was getting my first caps. My dentist was wonderful. He was very brusque and abrupt with Mother and she wasn't used to that. She thought everyone was charmed by her. But to me, maybe for that very reason, he was amazing. After the first few visits, we started talking and he told me he had horses. He invited me to go horseback riding with him one weekend.
I never thought my parents would agree to it, but they did! My mother drove me to his farm near Le Havre, and left me there for the day. Mme. Le Dentist made us lunches and off we went, just the 2 of us. We rode all over the area, down dirt roads and across fields. I was riding his daughter's horse and he was perfect. When we were about to stop and have lunch it started pouring rain, so we found a barn and we and the horses spent an hour or so inside that barn while it poured down rain inside. I have no idea what we talked about, horses no doubt, not about teeth.
By the time we got back to his house, my mother was there chatting happily with Mme. Le Dentist (who seemed properly charmed). I was so blown away by my day that I barely talked all the way home. That day stayed with me a very long time. It was the first time I understood how it would be if I had a horse of my own.