“Yeah well, I am. Surely, there’s a children’s ride around heresomewhere?”
Ashley laughed, doubled over. “I got you. I know the perfect ride.”
Swinging like the pendulum of a clock in the distance was Luna 360. Ashley pulled Megan towards the ride; the short length of the queue didn’t easeher nerves.
“See, nobody wants to go on this one. Iwonder why?”
Ashley rolled her eyes and pulled Meganby the hand.
“You’ll love it.”
They were strapped into the large red contraption in seconds. The music started, followed by the gliding back and forth, capturing the G-force it required to send the ride dual swinging into the atmosphere. The fluid spinning motion filled the air with screams of joy. She heard Megan’s above all, causing the outburst of laughter that erupted from her core.
“I hate you.”
“Why?” Ashley laughed.
“That was horrific.”
“Oh, come on. Didn’t you enjoy it just a little bit?” Megan linked her arm through Ashley’s—seemingly for convenience, but she welcomed the touch.
“No. My legs feel like jelly. I don’t remember rides being thistraumatic.”
“When was the last time you came to atheme park?”
“I honestly can’t remember. Maybe eightyears ago.”
“Seriously?”
“They scare me.”
“Why?”
“They’re just unpredictable, aren’t they?”
Ashley couldn’t comprehend the fear of theme parks, she’d always been an adrenaline junky when the opportunity presented itself. The chance to jump out of a plane had been taken three years ago, since then a theme park seemed nothing incomparison.
“You’ve got more chance of Donald Trump becoming president than you having an accident on one of these rides.”
“I don’t like those odds.” Ashley looked down to watch Megan’s left hand link with hers, the other cradling her upper arm. The touch sent a shiver down Ashley’s spine.
“You ready for the next one?”
“Sure, it can’t be any worsethan that.”
They rode the Brooklyn Flyer, followed by Steeplechase—much to Megan’s dismay—and finally, The Cyclone, before stopping for some sorbet at Coney’s Cones. The weather permitted an hour on the beach. Neither had prepared for the sun beating down; no sunblock meant no longer than an hour, neither wanted to resemble a ripe tomato. They found a comfortable spot on the sand, watching theworld go by.
Ashley felt sadness knowing that it would not be a regular occurrence, there would be no coffee dates or walks through Central Park with Megan. They spoke about her plans once she returned to England, the excitement she felt at playing competitive basketball again, the chance to spend time with her friends and her parents. The positives far outweighed the negatives, but she would miss New York and California—both had been extremely good to her over the years. The intention was to always return. The WNBA was the league she desired to play in, the work ethic she would need to adapt in order to achieve such a goal was immense, but she expressed the desire to do whatever it took.
Ashley asked about Megan’s parents, Michael and Amanda—she spoke so fondly of them, their admirable careers and role model marriage. Ashley couldn’t say the same about her parents. Whenever the subject arose, she quickly moved on. She knew she’d have to visit her mom at some point over the Fourth of July weekend—that was not the problem. The inability to quit talking about her father and all his wrongdoings was what bothered her, even after four years of separation she hadn’t found it in herself to move forward and that frustrated Ashley.
The sun began to set on the horizon, and there was just one last thing Ashley wanted to experience. “It shuts soon, so we need to hurry.”
“What does? Please don’t say it’s another rollercoaster.”
Ashley grinned. “No, it’s not quite as thrill-seeking, but it’s fun.”
The large multi-coloured wheel could be seen from anywhere on Coney Island, lit up in red fluorescent lights spelling out the iconic title ‘Wonder Wheel’. As they got closer, Megan’s panic-stricken face relaxed.
