Chapter 6
Exchanging a five for a pink slip of paper I tossed the parking pass where it could be seen by the lot staff. I cautiously inched my way past people that were trying to get to the fair faster by cutting through the aisle ways completely disregarding the moving vehicles.
"Are people trying to get hit?" I wondered aloud.
Jen gasped as I hit the brakes hard to avoid running into a small child that had darted out into the road. Looking around, it seemed as if she'd wandered away from her family who seemed to be concentrating more on unloading their car then watching their kid. What I took to be the father finally realized they were down by one and hurried over to retrieve her. I raised an eyebrow when he had the nerve to glare at me as they walked off, like it was my fault they were irresponsible.
It took another ten minutes before I could snag a spot that had just been vacated, beating out a bright orange VW Bug by mere feet. A few hand gestures made their feelings quite clear on how they felt about the situation.
Getting out of the truck, I stretched to loosen up from the lengthy drive. It had taken about an hour and a half to get here but I was looking forward to a long day just hanging out and having as much fun as possible with my girlfriend. I still couldn't get used to thinking of Jen like that but I was more then willing for it to take as much time as it wanted. Digging in my pocket for a hair tie, I tied my hair back in a loose ponytail. Reaching back in the cab of the truck, I grabbed the ball cap I had especially chosen for the outing. Pulling my tail through the back I settled the cap snuggly on my head. If there was one thing I absolutely hated, it was a sun burnt head.
"C'mon Franklin lets go, daylights burnin"
Smiling at the expression of eagerness on Jen's face, I shut the truck door and armed the alarm system. About to comment, I watched as her eyes rose towards the top of my head. I smirked at the expression on her face as she took in what it said. It was white with tiny black writing that said and I quote "If you can read this you are WAY to close, now… BACK OFF!!!!"
"You're not going to really wear that are you?" She trailed off into a howl of laughter.
I frowned, knowing full well she couldn't read the playful glint in my eyes since I'd donned dark sunglasses to defend against the bright sunlight. "Sure I am, you got a problem with it?" I just managed to keep myself from bursting out in laughter at the look that came over her face at my comment. She didn't know if she should laugh or get pissed.
I slid the glasses down my nose letting her see the wicked look that I know showed in my eyes. I winced at the punch she landed on my arm at the realization I was just messing with her.
"Smart ass" She shoved me a little as she started laughing.
I kept the comment of better then a dumb ass from automatically exiting my mouth. That was so dead someone needed to just bury the damn thing.
I finally ended her laughter with a quick kiss. Grabbing her hand, I headed for the front gates. The rising music from within them had me itching to join in the fun that was bound to be inside.
Getting in line, I pulled out my wallet from my front jean shorts pocket. Jen's hand covering mine prevented me from opening it.
"Let me get the tickets" She handed me a twenty with a smile.
I wanted to protest but decided there would be plenty of chances to pay for things during the day, why argue about a pair of ten-dollar tickets. "Alright" I handed the woman at the ticket counter the bill and received a pair of torn stubs in return.
"Have a good time," she said. I could tell by the way the corner of her mouth quirked she'd read my hat.
I gave her a bright smile. "Thanks, we will"
I caught Jens hand in mine as we ambled our way into the heart of the fair. My mouth watered at the combinations of smells that drifted in the air. There was nothing quite like the taste of fair food. Even though we'd recently eaten my stomach growled in appreciation.
"Anything you want to hit first?" I watched Jen try to take everything in one look. The smile of delight on her face had this day promising to be memorable for both of us.
"Can we do some games?"
I followed her line of vision to see what had caught her eye. Lights flashed from around a booth nearby. The name Shooting Stars decorated its upper half. "Sure, if you want" I moved closer to the booth with her to see what the game entailed. Small shooting stars were scattered over a white cork background. A nearby sign announced the offer of three darts for four dollars or five for six. I hid a smile, now darts I could do.
Seeing us draw near the man running the booth started his spiel. "Hit the star twice for a small or three times for a medium, six will get you a large" He turned his attention to Jen as she stepped closer to check out the prizes. "Would you like to try your luck ma'am?"
She smiled at him faintly as she moved towards me a little. "No thanks, darts aren't really my best skill"
I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "What caught your attention hon?" I enjoyed the flush that turned her face pink when she heard me call her by an endearment for the first time.
She squeezed my hand. "The fox, he's so cute"
I scanned the hanging animals for a moment before seeing it. I had to admit it was cute. Glass green eyes peeked out of a narrow face, ears that were perked up on its head made it almost seem as if it were watching you. Reddish fur flowed over the narrow body before exploding into a large elegant tail. It was a medium prize, which meant I had to nail a star three times. I dug out a ten and two singles and laid them on the counter. "Give me ten"
The man tucked the bills away and laid ten darts in a row on the counter. "Good luck" He stepped back out of the way as I picked up a dart. I glimpsed a few people coming over to watch, I ignored them as something about the dart in my hand nibbled at my mind. I sighted on a star as I pondered on what was bothering me. The first dart landed between two red stars. The next two where a little closer, the fourth dart landed between the stars arms. The fifth gave me what I needed to solve what was bugging me. The darts were slightly unbalanced which made them start to drop in a throw before they should, it threw anyone's aim off ,even someone who played darts a lot. The next two I wasted figuring out the spin that I'd need to actually hit the stars with.
The man's smile slid off his face as my last three nailed the same star three times. The surrounding people cheered as I pointed to the stuffed fox. "That one please" The look on my face kept him from protesting as he obviously became aware that I knew the game was fixed for sure. I'd always been aware that gamers had things set so the odds were more on their side but I had never ran into one that was so blatant about it. I accepted the stuffed animal and handed it to Jen.
I could feel the blush warming my face as she planted a kiss on my cheek in enthusiastic thanks.
"So want to hit a few more?" I smiled as Jen buried her face in the fox's soft fur. "Maybe some more of the ones that use darts?" I don't know why but I was in the mood to relieve some crooked game runners of whatever fuzzy animals Jen took a liking to.
"You wouldn't mind?" Jen rested her cheek against the fox's head as she fixed excited eyes on my face.
"Naw, I'm willing to do what ever you want to. Just being here with you is making my day, everything else is just frosting" My face was starting to hurt with the unaccustomed smiling that I'd been doing lately.
Jen broke into a huge grin as she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the other booths farther down the line. I followed her willingly; I knew that she was sure to take me up on my offer.
**************
I dusted my hands off as I shut the back door to my truck. Jen had taken me at my word; we'd hit every game that used darts in the whole fair. A white seal, a panda bear and a couple of stuffed cats had joined her fox. I had to finally take them and put them in the truck so we could see the rest of the fair without lugging them around. Walking back to the front gate I exchanged smiles and greeting with people going to and coming from the fair, many with tired children dragging along stuffed animals of their own.
Showing my hand stamp at the ticket window, I made my way over to the food court where Jen said she'd be waiting for me. As I got closer I could see two men pestering her while she sat at a table, my eyes narrowed behind my glasses as I clinched my jaw in anger. I saw her shake her head as one leaned closer and spoke, I tightened my fists in disgust when I noticed none of the people around were trying to assist her at all. Moving up behind them, I caught the look of relief that flashed through Jen's eyes as she finally caught sight of me.
"Excuse me boys, my dates arrived" She rose to her feet and moved to pass them. One of them grabbed her arm as she went by.
"The man's a fool for leaving you by yourself, what's he do for you that I can't do better?" He leaned close as if to press a kiss on her cheek.
My anger flared at the action. Grabbing him I squeezed hard, hitting the nerve cluster by his neck. Strangled howls of pain erupted as he finally let Jen go. She moved to my side and laid a hand on my arm.
"Franklin, let him go"
I reluctantly released my victim. I stiffened as he swung around to glare at me as he rubbed the side of his neck.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" he growled. His buddy had the good sense to just stand there and watch. "I wasn't bothering you"
"Since you're harassing my girlfriend I'd say you certainly were," I countered. "What, a simple no to hard to understand?"
His face twisted as if he suddenly smelled something bad. "You're a pair of dyke's, no wonder she didn't know a real man when he was standing right in front of her" He turned to his buddy that had been watching us with the same expression on this face. "C'mon, there's plenty of other babes out there that know real men when they see em"
I simmered as I watched them stride off. For someone that wasn't a real violent person the thought of decking him was surprisingly attractive. I looked over as a hand slipped into mine.
"Don't let those idiots ruin our date, lets go grab something to eat then hit the rides" Her eyes showed she was determined not to let a pair of intolerant bigots ruin our fun.
I felt the anger die away at her words. "Your right" I gestured to the surrounding venders. "So what sounds good?"
"I was thinking maybe one of those bread bowls," She pointed to a small blue and white building close by. "That should be filling"
I smiled as we crossed the brick walkway towards it. "Chicken or Beef?"
********************
I collapsed on the bench gratefully. Closing my eyes, I struggled not to puke. I knew before I stepped foot on the Gravitron that it was a bad idea. Hell, It was the worst idea I'd had in ages, but I hadn't been able to resist the pleading look that had shown in Jen's eyes.
A cool hand cupped the side of my face. "Franklin, are you alright?"
I opened my eyes to see Jen crouching down in front of me, a worried look on her face. I took in a slow cautious breath as my stomach finally decided to give me another chance. Taking Jen's hand from my face, I pressed a kiss against her palm before holding it in my lap. "I'm fine" I smiled faintly. "I forgot that things like that make me a little dizzy"
"You didn't have to go with me, you know" I could hear the scolding tone she was attempting to hide from me. "You could've told me"
"I thought I'd give it a try" I grinned at her weakly. "Bad idea huh?"
She smiled. "Now that Spinning rides are off the list, how about going on the roller coasters, that sounds like lots of fun" Jen smile slowly dimmed as I shook my head.
"Afraid of heights" I cringed inside at the look of utter disappointment that filled her face. "I'm sorry, I've always been like that" Feeling better, I stood and pulled her with me as I walked toward the midway. "C'mon"
"Wait" she scrambled to keep pace. "Where are we going?"
"You shouldn't miss out just because I'm a wimp" I nudged her to get in line at the first ride we reached. "Go on have fun, I'll wait for you over there" I pointed at a free bench below a large shade tree that happened to be close by.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely, the lines aren't too long, now go" I pushed her gently on the back to get her moving in the right direction.
***************
Only the hum of the tires on the pavement filled the silence of the truck cab. I glanced over at my quiet passenger; she had finally followed my suggestion and tilted her seat back, she had grown sleepier the longer we were on the road. Moving my eyes back to the road ahead of me I smiled, we had stayed at the fair as long as we possibly could before leaving. Neither one of us wanted to go, we were having such fun, but everything eventually has to end.
I glanced at my watch. Almost ten o'clock and we both had to be in early for work tomorrow. I hadn't been in since my "accident" so being there and working with Jen now with the change in our relationship would be interesting. I hoped it didn't change things too much or make it uncomfortable to be around her. Gravel crunched under the tires as I pulled into her driveway.
I clasped Jen's shoulder and gently shook her. "Wake up honey, your home" I smiled fondly as she murmured in protest and tried to settle deeper into the leather seat. "Jen, come on we need to get you inside and into bed"
Dark eyes opened reluctantly. "We're here already?"
"You slept the entire way back home" I unbuckled the seat belt. "Let's get you inside" I got out of the truck and reached into the back. Gathering up all her furry friends I shut the door and moved to the other side of the truck and joined her. Slipping my arm around her, I escorted her to her front door.
Jen leaned against me for a moment. "Come tuck me in?" She murmured softly.
"Absolutely" It warmed my heart that she wanted me to do something like that. I shut the front door behind me and followed her into her bedroom. I set the stuffed toys in the armchair that was beside the bed. I took the opportunity to look around the room as she slipped into her bathroom and changed. Crème colored paint covered the walls, Light blue sheets with a darker blue comforter had been chosen for the large dark oak platform bed. A dresser and end tables in the same wood lined the wall and either side of the bed. Prints of seascapes adorned the walls. It all came together in an air of restfulness. A room one could escape too from the furor of the day.
A sound had me looking towards the bathroom. Jen emerged in a short nightshirt that showed off her toned legs and lower thighs. My eyes widened slightly as a rush of heat hit me at the sight. I watched silently as she crawled into bed with a sigh of relief. I moved over and pulled the sheets up as she smiled at me sleepily.
" I had a great time today" she whispered.
"I did too" I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. I was moving back when her hand slipped behind my head and she pulled me back down. Soft lips met mine as we kissed.
Several minutes had passed before we separated. I ran my fingertips down the side of her face as I moved away. "Get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow"
Jen grabbed my hand as I started to stand. "I love you"
"I love you too" I watched her smile and settle into her pillows before turning the light off. I made sure the front door latched as I left, slipping into the truck I started the engine and sat for a minute as I savored the sense of contentment that filled me. I smiled as I put the truck in reverse and back out. I needed to get what sleep I could myself before morning. My dreams were sure to be pleasant tonight.
Continued...