Long Islanders

33 - Amusement Park

"I've never been here in the summer," Jimmy observed as he stared up at the various rides scattered throughout the huge amusement park. "Just to ski, a couple times." A couple years ago, he, Henry, Tyler, and Peter had all come here to ski down the Alpine Slide.

"It's gonna be great," Tyler enthused.

Jimmy, Tyler, Peter, and Henry walked through the amusement park, glancing around. It was so much different to see it in summer, without the snow covering everything.

Eventually, Peter gestured to a racecar track. "Hey, let's go try that out!"

Henry and Tyler eagerly followed after Peter, Jimmy jogging along after them. The four guys climbed into the different racecars and listened to the instructions of the attendant. "Stay on the track," he emphasized. "No doing donuts, and don't pass anyone."

After nodding, the four drove out onto the racetrack and Henry, Tyler, and Peter promptly forgot everything the attendant had said. Peter whipped off the track and started ripping up the grass in the center of the racetrack as he whirled the car around in a donut. Tyler and Henry started to race each other, passing the other cars on the track as well as each other in their efforts to show off their speed.

Jimmy furrowed his brow from the driver's seat of his own racecar, watching his friends blatantly disobey the rules. Then the three of them were ordered off the track and after finishing his laps, he joined them.

"What the heck?" he demanded. "You's guys knew the rules and you still disobeyed them?"

"Do you not know us by now?" Henry asked with a laugh. "No amount of rules will beat the Stanwich outta us."

And the three of them continued to demonstrate the undeniable streak of Stanwich. They raced boats and ended quite similarly to their racecar driving experience, and then the four boys set their attention on the tallest ride in the park.

It was a tall, steep slide and in order to slide down it, one must climb a ladder up to the platform. Henry, Peter, Jimmy, and Tyler waited in line until it was their turn to climb the ladder. By the time they reached the top, they were hot and sweaty and ready to go down the slide.

The attendant eyed them up. "You can't go," he said dismissively to Henry. "You're over the weight limit of the slide."

Henry crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at the attendant. "Listen, I didn't climb up that ladder just to climb back down. So, either you find some other way for me to get down off of here, or I go down that slide."

After a moment's thought, the attendant agreed to let Henry slide down.

Tyler went down first, and then Jimmy was told to go. He eased onto the tough, thick plastic tube and glanced down.

This was the steepest slide Jimmy had ever seen. It was so steep it needed a cover for the first third of the way down in order to keep riders from falling out. Jimmy leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest, took a breath, and started off.

Instantly, he picked up speed as he raced down the slide. Jimmy felt more like he was falling than sliding, until the slide became a little less steep and his back came in contact with the plastic again.

It was exhilarating.

He met up with Tyler once he reached the bottom, and soon Henry and Peter joined them. The boys continued to tour the amusement park, having fun on their weekend off.