17: Fluttering Feelings

The third date is set for the Leisure Park Outing. Drino invited her to date in an outdoor and indoor amusement park.

Ashmille is late again, but this time, he’s been waiting for almost an hour.

“Sorry, sorry,” she apologized. “There was a traffic incident. It was so bad.” “That’s why there were ambulances.”

“And the thing is… I fell asleep for half an hour on the bus and missed my stop. I had to take a tricycle ride and another jeep to get here.”

“You dozed off. Did you get enough sleep last night?”

“I was up late doing my study and interview. How’s yours going?”

“We can call this date off. You need to rest.”

“We can’t do that. We’re already here. We must make our efforts worthy of this.”

“As long as you’re okay with it, I’m good.”

She looked around. “This is nostalgic.”

“Why?”

“The last time I went here was when I was 13. A lot of repainting and renovation were done here. How about you? When was the last time you went here?”

“This is my first time.”

“Really? How about in the Walled City?”

“I went there multiple times with families and friends, mostly for lunch and dinners.”

“Is this why you suggested a theme park, because you’ve never been here?”

“Yeah, and I want it to experience for the first time with you.”

Ashmille slightly wonders why he hasn’t been to a famous amusement park when he’s more outgoing than she is.

“Are you okay riding that one?” he asked.

“Yes”

They rode a rotating giant swing ride.

“That looks fun,” he mumbled.

“The line is too long,” she complained.

“Which makes it more interesting. Come on, let’s fall in line.”

They waited 32 minutes before they were able to join a group of friends entering the River Dungeon ride. They plunged through an intense water raft ride that took 10 minutes.

“Whooo! That was fantastic. Have you seen the guy in front of us? He almost fell off,” he said.

“Luckily, he held onto the raft.”

“Yeah”

“We forgot to bring extra clothes.”

“Let’s go to that shop,” he initiated.

They bought matching T-shirts with the leisure park’s name and mascot.

They proceed with the Viking-themed swinging ship ride. Ashmille stopped walking.

“I don’t think I can do that.”

“Yes, you can. Come on!” he dragged her.

“Let’s sit in the middle.”

“Sitting in the middle is not unlocking its full potential.”

They sat at the corner, which made it more exhilarating.

“We ask that this ride be safe and sound. Do not harm us but protect us from the works of the devil,” she’s praying. “Let these rides be secured and. Amen.”

“Amen. You were that nervous that you prayed for this ride?”

“I was praying before we rode any rides.”

The ride’s engine started and swooped them away.

“Alejandrino, I didn’t sign up for this!” she shouted at him while the ship was sailing and swung them high and low repeatedly.

“Yeah! This is so fuuun!”

“Ahhh!”

The ride took 12 minutes to finish.

“For the next, we can ride a roller coaster, a lite version,” he giggled.

Ashmille agreed, thinking she could handle its lite version because she saw some elementary kids riding on it. The ride features two 15-seater trains with a unique design of three free-spinning coaches and back-to-back seating.

“It might not be extreme for you, but my head went spinning.”

“From what I heard, that’s one of their newest rides. What do you think of bumper cars and carousel then?”

“I’m in,” she agreed.

They were dismayed to see that bumper cars had the longest line, so they went to the carousel ride instead.

“Were you having fun so far?” he checks her.

“If you stop dragging me to the rides I don’t want to ride, yes.”

A 5-year-old girl was seen crying on the carousel ride. Drino did not hesitate to approach and knelt to the girl.

“Why are you crying? Where are your parents?”

She sobbed and pointed out her mother, who was watching her from a distance. She is 8 months pregnant, that’s why she didn’t accompany her to the ride.

“Oh, there she is. Say hi to your mama and smile. You’re not alone on this ride. We’re here with you, right, Ashmille?”

Ashmille nodded with a soft smile. Drino made the little girl chuckle. She forgot how scared she was being on that ride without her mother.

The ride ended. The girl ran to her mother while the two resumed walking for more rides.

“How about that ride? We can hear their screams from here,”

Drino was referring to the Space Jet ride, an extreme roller coaster ride.

But Ashmile wasn’t amused by their screams. “You can go. I’ll wait here for you.”

“You're sure about that? This could be fun. We can try this thing out.”

“No, that ride is too much for me. I know I won’t handle it.”

“Okay. Please wait for me. I might try the ride beside it, too, since no one was waiting in line. Sit on a bench by the tree for shade.”

After waiting 36 minutes due to a long line, Drino finally arrived.

“My soul left my body for a second when we were at the top, then they released the cars backwards and rotated us upside-down. The ride beside it is worse! It felt like my soul didn’t return. I can feel my knees shake; I almost fell to the ground.”

“Drink this,” she gave him a bottle of water.

He drank half of it and held his head.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Got a bit dizzy after the ride.”

“There’s a reason the second extreme ride had no queue.”

He ran towards the garbage bin and vomited.

“We need to get you to the clinic. You’re not feeling well.”

“My bad. It was worse than I thought. I underestimated it.”

“Let’s rest here for an hour, then find a place to eat. You need to replenish the food you puked. But first, let’s go to their clinic.”

They went to the amusement park’s clinic. The nurse advised them, as Ashmille had mentioned, and gave them the medication.

“That’s the last ride for the day. You should rest.”

“Aw, that’s so sad,” he pouted.

“Your health comes first. I can’t afford you sick.”

“How about one last ride?”

“No more rides for you.”

“The Swan Paddles is not an extreme ride. That's our final ride.

She sighed. “Okay”

“Oh, yeah!”

Drinno looked at a ride from a distance. Because of his condition, they didn’t get a chance to ride the most romantic ride of the park, the Ferris wheel.

This is what happens when an energetic boyfriend and a calm girlfriend date in an amusement park.

They left the amusement park together. He convinced her to ride with him in his car and dropped her off at the nearby bus station.

“Thank you for the ride.”

“Thank you for the day. Chat with me when you reach home.”