No Control • hs

twenty-three

     "Okay," Harry walks up to the counter filled with toys and prizes. "Two clubs, and 10 holes please." He hands me the two golf clubs and he carries the basket of neon pink golf balls. We get to the first hole and I give Harry a club.

"No! I want the green one!" He wines, stomping his legs and throwing his head back.

"Why do you think I gave you the yellow one? The green one is mine."

"Peyton pwease!" Harry pouts his lips and blinks his eyes rapidly, crossing his arms across his chest in the process.

Before I give Harry my golf club, a voice comes over the speaker. "Okay everyone, break out your best dance moves because we are about to have a dance contest!"

"Yay! Peyton, we're having a dance contest!" The lights go out and all you can see are  highlighter colored shirts. Harry starts dancing, I can tell he wants to win this really bad.

"Yeah!" Harry runs off, yet I can still see him."Peyton look at this-" There's a thud on the ground in sync with Harry's iridescent shirt falling chest first to the ground. The lights come back on and Harry lies on the ground. "Ow!" He whimpers.

"Harry, you idiot come over here." He gets up and wattles towards me, rubbing his elbow. The lights dim once again, as if the room isn't already dark enough. Spotlights circle in different directions of the room and finally land on a kid wearing a tie dye tshirt.

"Oh my gosh!" Harry gasps while putting a hand over his chest. "I had way better moves than...him." I can tell Harry is totally disgusted that he didn't win any tickets.

"Okay, let's get started with this mini golf game, who's going first?"

"You still haven't given me my golf club yet." I sigh and hand him the club. "Thank you." Harry gets down in his golfing position and hits the golf ball 2 inches away from the hole.

"C'mon! That was a perfect shot!" I get down in my position and hits the golf ball perfectly into the hole.

"Well, well, well, Tiger Woods." Harry glares at me. "Hole-in-one...always having to one-up me."

"Hey, I'm just warming up."

***

"Alrighty." Harry mumbles while counting the tickets that spit out of the Deal or No Deal arcade game. "I think we have enough here for a big stuffed animal."

"I want to play a round!"

"Then go ahead." I win 10 more tickets than Harry, what an accomplishment. We walk up to the counter and Harry gets a big bear.

"Here." Harry says, extending the bear in my direction. "Take him."

"I can't take your bear!"

"Yes you can, all you need to know is that his  name is...Beary and he is vegetarian." I laugh at the fact that he just spent all his 600 tickets on me.

"Can I get the stuffed banana?" I ask and the cashier hands over the stuffed banana. I hand him my tickets. "Here, take... Mr. Banana." Harry giggles and we trade stuffed animals like we are in first grade.

"Thanks Peyt!" He says, examining the banana.

"Okay, I guess we are going home now, right?"

"Nope."

"Harry, I think mini golfing is enough for a day that were sick."

"Nah, that's only getting us started." He was still examining the stuffed animal.

"Really Harry!" I groan.

"Really."

***

"Open!" I open my eyes and see Harry grinning widely.

"You know me so well."

     "So..." Harry waits patiently for my reaction.

     "I can't believe you."

     "Me either, I thought this would make you feel better though."

     "You were right." Harry just sits in the drivers seat smiling at the entrance.