Never Is a Long Time

~ Four ~

Worried that one of them might have gotten hurt, Miri held out her hands to slow it. She called out, asking if they were both ok. Hearing Sal's laughter, she shook her head, knowing they were fine. Then, with a chuckle, she advised, "Maybe you should hold on, Sal." The next time he went around, he was playfully sticking his tongue out at her.

"All right," she whispered to herself. Then she grasped a bar and swung it by, adding some speed to the merry-go-round's revolutions. She did it again. And again. And again. She was surprised at how fast it seemed she had made them spin. She kept it up for a good five minutes before her arms started getting tired.

As they slowed down, Miri caught sight of Sal. He was not making funny faces for her now. Rather, he was looking sort of green around the gills. She wore a small smile and let out a brief chuckle. Then she said, "Watch out, Kelly! I think he's about to blow chunks!"

"Ew, no! Sal, don't you dare!" Kelly screamed at him. She tried to move as far from him as possible. Then hearing him gag, she jumped off, not waiting any longer for it to slow down enough to be truly safe.

Together, the girls reached out and let the bars smack against the palms of their hands to bring it to a stop. As it continued to slow, the girls giggled, seeing Sal get low so that he was on his hands and knees. He was quite pale and looked miserable.

Miri felt accomplished. When the merry-go-round stopped, she was bent down and lined up with him. She smiled and asked, "Sal, are you okay?" She stared into his green eyes, looking for any sign that he may really be sick.

Staring into her light blue eyes in return, a cheeky grin began to creep upon his face. Then he suddenly gagged again. He laughed as Miri covered her face and fell backward, trying to put more distance between them. Finally he stood up and did a belly flop onto the ground, and Kelly cringed thinking he was going to land on Miri. However, he landed beside her.

Kelly approached them. She said, "Are you guys okay?" Then she threw her arms up in the air in surrender. The two eight-year-olds were giggling at each other. With a huff and a shrill grumble, she marched away from them. She sat on a swing, but instead of swaying forward and back, she turned around, winding up the chain. When it was tight, she let go and as it unwound, she twirled with her legs outstretched.

Miri sat up and watched the other girl. She felt a little poorly about upsetting her, though she had not planned to be a part of Sal's joke. So, looking at him, she said, "I'm afraid you may be in trouble when you get home. She doesn't look too happy."

"Pfft," he breathed out while shaking his head. Then he, too, sat up and looked at Miri. He smiled and asked, "You wanna ride the merry-go-round? You didn't get a turn." He moved to his feet and smiled down at her.

Seeing his smile, she could not help but smile in return. She nodded, and took his hand as he offered to help her up from the ground. With a little blush, she thanked him in a timid voice. Then she hopped aboard the playground carousel and took hold of one of the bars.

"Ready?" he asked. When she nodded, he grasped one of the bars with both hands. Then, instead of pulling toward himself, he began to push forward, running and pushing at once. Hearing Miri squeal and then laugh, he laughed, too. He truly enjoyed making her laugh.

After a few minutes, Miri patted the floor of the device to get Sal's attention. He slowed to a jog and looked at her quizzically with one eyebrow arching. She smiled cheerfully and asked, "Why don't you take a break? You must have run twenty miles in a circle by now, Sal."