After a long scrubbing my face I walked down and we said goodbye to Pat. We walked to the car and I helped her in all elegantly like the old days. As I started the car we waved one more time to Pat and just to be mean Dot grabbed the colour of my shirt and pulled me in for a big kiss. I could tell she was trying to smear her lipstick all over. As she let go I fell back in shock like I just downed a shot of liquor. When I realised what happened Pat was half way down the driveway. I peeled out of the driveway and hauled ass!
We were driving down the rode and I glanced in the mirror and the lipstick was all over my face. “Your so mean to me.” I said.
“You know it.” She replied.
We arrived at the found town fair on the carnival boardwalk. The boardwalk has always had been a fun place to hang out with people renting booths for a flea market and games. On special occasions the carnival rides are on. Now the Rides are on. The marry go round was full of kids on the ponies. The fun house was keeping a good line with kids coming out laughing. Then theres the ferris wheel. The fifty foot spinning monster is ‘The biggest attraction of the fair!’ Dot has been talking about the ride ever since I asked her to go with me to the fair. Theres only one major problem, I cant stand heights. Its not the heights I'm scared of tho! Its falling. Not even falling! Just the end of the fall. That dreaded splat that follows and increases after every inch by greater and greater amounts! She wants to talk to the worker and get him or her to stop our car at the top so we can sit and look across the pier, the great lake, and the land our town sits so gracefully on. My response was a scared shaky; ‘Yah, sounds great!’ Altho I wanted to say; ‘Are you crazy! I would like to be with the town on the ground! I know its romantic, but sorry , no!’
As I stood looking at the gigantic ferris wheel, Dot was standing next to me. “Ray?”
“What? Oh sorry I was off in space.” I snapped out of my trance of utter fear.
“Its ok. What were you thinking about?”
“The ferris wheel.”
Dot’s Eyes glistened at the mention of the word. “Yah! Let’s go!” Dot grabbed my arm and started to pull me but then had to stop. Dot stopped and started to coff.
“You ok?!” I asked her patting her back.
“Yay.” Another coff. “It was probably just a bit of that dust.”
After Dot stopped coughing we decided to hold off on the ferris wheel for a while. We went and played a few carnival games. I helped her when a milk bottle toss and she beat me at the game where you shoot the little pellet rifles at the paper star. Then Dot saw the strength tester. She begged me to come watch her play it. When Dot picked up the hammer she stumbled back in to me and went into another coughing fit. This one brought Dot down to a knee. After she recovered she picked up the hammer and tried to swing it and ended up on the baby line.
“Good try. Lets see beanpole try.” The muscular russian man running the game told Dot.
“No I'm trying one more time!” She handed the man her next dollar bill.
“Ha! You ring bell, I give all moneys in pocket!” The man laughed jokingly.
“Watch me!” Dot exclaimed lifting the hammer to the back of her head barely holding it.
Dot started to swing but the hammer was slipping so before she gave it her all, I tapped the hammer. All I did was start it going and Dot did the rest. The hammer came down hard and hit the plate hard. The loud bell rang over the entire ally!
“Ha! I told you!” She pointed and yelled to the big russian man.
The man pulled out a hand full of dollar bills and handed it to Dot. The man looked at me and gave me a respectful nod.
