A Date at the Carnival - Part 1

We had just arrived at the carnival fair after a grueling excursion in city traffic. Upon parking our cars, Maple ran out ahead of me.

“We’re here! This place is huge! Oh, I know; we should go straight for the rides!” Maple shouted.

“I don’t think my stomach could handle it. Could we maybe skip the rides and stick to the food and games?”

“Paige, this could be a one-time opportunity, so we can’t skip out!”

“But aren’t there hundreds of other parks and carnivals with rides?”

“Yeah, but how many of those will include both of us together? C’mon!” I had no chance to rebut before being whisked away.

Overshadowing the carnival fair was a massive stadium housing all the rodeo activities. Our tickets covered both events, but we planned to predominantly stick to the fair because of my aversion to animals (especially smelly ones). As we waited in line, I spotted a roller coaster stretching the length of the complex, dubbed “Ripped Pants” according to the event’s website.

“How about that ride?” Maple said while grinning.

“Not in a million years! I’d rather go help clean the farm animal exhibits than ever step foot on there!”

“We can do that too if you want, I don’t mind. But the ride? Oh yeah, we are so doing that, and you’re going to like it. I promise!”

While I loathed the idea, I didn’t want to disappoint Maple and ruin the mood. If I could gradually build a tolerance to rides, starting with less intense ones, then perhaps it was doable…

“Next!” declared the ticket manager.

“That’s our cue! Please think about it, will you?” Maple said as we moved through the line.

Now past the ticket booth, the surroundings were unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was a mystical land of food stalls, rides, and games, all enveloped in a showy flash of American and Texan pride. Catching my attention first was a drink stand advertising lemonade.

“Maple, why don’t we get some drinks first? Maybe some lemonade to beat the heat?”

“Not just lemonade, but also some jumbo corn dogs while we’re at it!” Maple said, pointing at an adjacent corn dog stand.

“Wait a minute, just how big are they? I think it would be wise to eat something lighter, so we aren’t bloated.”

“Paige, it’s a carnival! There’s no such thing as healthy food!”

Her eyes dead set on the corn dogs, she took off like a bullet. Surprisingly, it was Korean-styled, complete with wheat and rice flour in lieu of cornmeal. Not wanting to be left in the dust, I purchased my own hot dog in the classic flavor. In stark contrast, Maple went for the “Flamin’ Death Dog”, aptly named because of its 300,000 Scoville heat units. Simply sniffing the coating was enough to set my throat alight.

“Boy, is that what I think it is, or do my eyes deceive me!? Looks like we have a new challenger!”

I twirled around to see an announcer wearing a gaudy suit. “Step right up, miss!” he declared to Maple. “You are officially next in line to attempt the Flamin’ Death Dog challenge! You’ll have thirty seconds to finish eating before time runs out! If you succeed, you’ll win $50 dollars! So, come on, people, let’s cheer her on!”

Something about him was unsettling me. Fearing for Maple, I confronted him directly. “Look, mister, she never agre—”

“I accept!” Maple shouted. “That fifty is as good as mine!”

“But, Maple! You can’t trust him; he’s a carny! What if he pulls a trick and ridicules you in front of everyone?”

Laughing like normal, Maple rejected my plea. “Paige, you’re worrying too much! And besides, don’t you think it’s mean to dismiss someone just because of their job?”

“I—I—”

She had me there. With no solid argument, all I could do was cheer her on. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even do that as a surge of people had arrived to spectate, drowning my voice in the process.

After having Maple sign a waiver, the announcer pulled out his stopwatch. “Ready? On your mark… get set… go!”

My heart raced with nerves with each passing second.

One, two, three, four…

“Fifteen seconds left!”

Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…

“Andddd—time!”

For a moment, everything had gone silent as if the world was in slow motion. But then…

“We have a winner!”

The crowd roared into life with a thunderous applause. Stretching Maple’s arm high into the air, the announcer sang her praises and handed the money. “Give it up to the fantastic, Maple!”

“Maple! Maple! Maple!” chanted the crowd.

Glory achieved, she joined me in buying some well-earned lemonade. It was the right blend of juice, sugar, and ice, perfect for quenching my thirst between bites of my corn dog. As I ate, Maple watched me closely, seemingly wanting to try it, so I offered her a piece. But as I went to tear one off, I noticed a smidge of food across the corner of her lips.

“Hold still,” I said as I wiped it off with a napkin. “Better?”

She stared as if she were witnessing an alien abduction. “Paige, you’ve grown more bold and direct, haven’t you?”

“What do you mean? I only cleaned your mouth because it was bugging me.”

“Oh? Do you really think ‘past you’ would have been able to do that? To get this close to me, like how we are now, sitting on a bench together?” Inching even closer, Maple leaned down and placed her head on my lap. “Stroke and pat my hair.”

“Uh, what do you mean!?”

“You heard me. Come on, Paigeeeeeeee, I know you can do it,” she said, closing her eyes.

“S—Sure…”

I couldn’t fathom why I was so reluctant. We’ve hugged before, so it shouldn’t have been anything different, and yet, it was? Putting aside my thoughts, I brushed my hand through her hair as requested. With each stroke and pat, Maple let out a noise, almost as if she were a purring cat.

“Feed me too.”

“Alright, here…” I said as I plopped bite-sized pieces of corn dog into her mouth.

While she rested, I noticed a small scar on her left cheek from where my fingernails had grazed her. I reached out to poke it ever so slightly, only for Maple to grab my hand, bringing it to her chest. We continued as such for a while, smiling together the entire time.

“Mmm, Paige, there’s a firework show tonight at 8 pm. Would you like to end the day with that?” Maple murmured.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Great, then let’s enjoy the rest of the day until then!”

Recharged, Maple sat back up and headed for the game booths, dragging me by the hand. I couldn’t help but share in her enthusiasm.

What a wonderful day it was going to be!