KICK 'EM BEFORE THEY GET UP!

(1) washington county fair.

  your oldest child somehow managed to hit it spot on, first try. hell, had you not known who his father was, you might think he belonged to a baseball player with that aim. the red and white bullseye aggressively swung back and the seat appeared to have vanished from underneath you. it all felt like it was happening in slow motion as you got a small glimpse of the tennis ball that determined your fate. the game attendant subtly jumped when you hit the water, afraid he was too close to the 'splash zone,' and quietly gave a congratulations.

  you remained underwater for a few moments, looking through the front of the glass. your fingers were pushed up onto it in an attempt to keep yourself steady. the tank seemed to have its own current with the liquid trying to toss you around. this thing is putting up one mean fight for a rinky-dink carnival game, you thought.

  your two youngest kids dashed over to see you in the water. they giggled because your hair was floating upwards in a funny looking way. the smallest child, evan, reached up to place his babyish hand on yours. when he felt the freezing see-through surface, he looked back towards his father with a tiny sparkle in his eyes. "look, daddy, look!" he yelled, "look, i'm touching mommy, but i'm not really touching mommy! isn't it so cool?"

  your husband chuckled at his son's excitement from a distance. he was standing with the eldest, michael, the one who damned you to this temporary demise. "darling, michael and i are gonna get corndogs! will you be alright here?" he shouted to you over the loud commotion of the fair with his hand resting on the boy's shoulder. you could just barely hear that british accent of his you loved. nodding as best you could, you hoped he would see it. he did, walking off immediately after noticing your signal.

  your daughter tried to mimic evan's actions, slowly raising her palm to yours. unfortunately, you began to run out of breath. rising up out of the suspiciously blue confinement, water splashed all around you. the two children in front of you got hit with it.

  evan shook his hair, fruitlessly trying to get all the water out as he only covered the attendant in more of it. he laughed loudly and started to wring out his shirt. stomping away, the man cursed silently to himself. the petite girl, now soaked, pouted with her bottom lip stuck out and her arms crossed. "mommy, i wanted to touch your hand, too!" she complained, "how come only evan gets to?" your brows furrowed as you climbed over the top lining of the tank, landing your shoes on the dirt with a moist 'squish.'

  "hey," you trudged over to her, "i know you wanted to, but i was gonna run out of air. you want mommy to breathe, right? that way, we can do more fun things!"

  kneeling down to her height, you held up your hand in front of her. "i'm sorry, honey. forgiveness high five?" she swiftly turned her head to the left as a refusal of your offering. "elizabeth, i'm gonna tickle you if i don't get my high five," you playfully warned. she shut her eyes tight and blew a raspberry.

  "liz..." lowering your palm, you smirked.

  "hmph!"

  "okaaayyyy... guess i'll have to-"

  "no, no, no, okay! i'll give you the forgiveness high five..."

  you grinned and held up the sacred offering once more. elizabeth took it this time. the soft 'clap' made her smile and forget all about the issue. standing up, you took her hand and walked over to evan who was busy bombarding the game attendant with questions. "c'mon, ev! we're gonna go dry off, then find daddy and michael!" he ran over to you and grabbed your other hand. "you guys ready? keep up!"

  instead of the two being at a corndog stand, they were at a shooting gallery game. you watched from afar as your husband gently helped michael hold the gun; what a good dad. he pulled the trigger and BAM! the bullet hit right in the center. he wasn't wearing anything particularly alluring. if anything, it was sloppy. he donned an old t-shirt and blue denim jeans. he looked tired and purple-ish pale, but didn't he always? his beautifully brown hair, messy as usual. pretty silver eyes, void of life. even his posture was oddly attractive to you.

  shifting the gun, he looked back to see you and smiled widely. "mom, did you see that?" michael exclaimed, all giddy inside, "i just did that!"

  "well, with a little help from me, of course," his father placed a hand on his chest, feigning betrayal, "you're just gonna take my credit like that?"

  michael sneered and played along, "what are you talking about? i did that myself!"

  the other two kids let go of your hands and chimed in, arguing with michael, trying to get him to apologize as the exhausted man turned to stand next to you.

  "so. are we ready to go?" you asked him.

  "hm... i think we have time for one more attraction."

  "william, i'm cold and damp-"

  "relax, my love. the only attraction i'm feeling is yours."

  you scoffed, baffled at the lame flirt. somehow, you still couldn't help but love it. there he stood, the goofiest look on his face, and all you wanted to do was shove him in bed and go bonkers on him. "alright, well played, mr. afton," you gazed at him darkly, "we'll continue this later."

  "oh, wow. i'm quite scared, dear! have mercy on me, will you?"

  the sun was beginning to set, skies yellow and orange, accompanied by wisps of scattered cirrus clouds. the little fair calmed down, many people taking their children home to rest after the rowdy day. you and your family, however, had something else in mind.

  feeling a weak tug on your shirt, you turned to the side and met eyes with your youngest child, evan. he sat on your right, michael to your left, and elizabeth in front of you, next to william. you were all at a table sharing a powder covered funnel cake, one of life's many enjoyable pleasures. "can we do the ferris wheel last, preeeeetty pleaseee?" you chortled at evan's plead in amusement.

  the other two children violently nodded in agreeance as you glanced back toward william, wondering if he had enough energy for it. he didn't look any more worn out than before, so the decision was made. everyone rushed to finish the funnel cake in excitement. the ferris wheel was a very calm ride, but it always provided the best view of hurricane. it just so happened to be in the best spot for sights.

  you all piled into the car of the contraption, kids first. as you settled into your seat, you felt the bumps and creaks of the ride starting up. christ, it seems to get more unstable every year. what else can i really expect from a place like this, though?

  the youngsters bunched up at the edge, holding onto the bars to get a better look at their surroundings. a lot could be seen from up there, hence the reason your family loved it so much. it wasn't exactly an annual ritual to do this before you left. it was only ever done if there was enough time. the bugs in hurricane definitely weren't a force to be reckoned with, so you normally preferred to head back home prior to their arrival. one year, you all stayed until 8 pm and that was not a great idea. all of the ointment used that night... the copious amount of bug bites... the wailing of your offspring as they almost burst out crying from trying not to scratch... the yelling from your husband when they eventually gave in and clawed at their limbs... it was enough to make you flinch any time you'd gotten that flashback.

  michael loudly sighed in satisfaction, "another great visit! i hope they never end."

  "of course they won't! just minus the dunking, maybe?" you asked.

  everyone roared with laughter, remembering how humorous you looked under the water. william laughed the loudest, even doubling over. you didn't quite understand why. was it really that hilarious? he didn't seem to find it as amusing when it happened. you figured it wasn't worth the effort, so you let it go and enjoyed the fun moment you were having with your family.

  the ride ended and the fair was slowly darkening. hopping off, you all made your way back to the parking lot through the spotty patches of grass.

  "alright, guys. time to say goodbye!"

  all of you stood close together and waved at the sparkling lights and bright stands. it was a beautiful picture, one you should've cherished longer than you thought to.

  "goodbye, washington county fair! we'll see you next year!" elizabeth shouted.

  if only that were true. had you known, maybe you would've savored your last family fair day.