AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We pull up to the fire station. I can see the crowd, hear the carnival music, and see the lights and rides peeking out from the large field behind it. Corbin squeezes my hand. I look down. I didn’t even realize I was still holding on to him.
“You ready?” he asks.
I shrug.
Here goes nothing.
We walk into the field, hand in hand. Tons of couples and children are milling around, enjoying themselves. People keep stopping us to speak to Corbin as we make our way deeper into the festivities. He introduces me to each person and explains who they are and how they are related to the firehouse family.
Once we make a full circle and Corbin has greeted everyone, he guides me to the center, where a huge carousel sits.
It’s the source of the music I heard from the parking lot.
“Come on. Let’s ride it,” he says as he leads us into the waiting line.
“Nah.”
I try to pull away.
He doesn’t let me.
“Corbin, I’m a little old to be riding on a carousel horse, don’t you think?”
“No. I don’t think so, and I’m going to be sitting on the unicorn beside you,” he declares.
I giggle at the thought of this large man astride a purple unicorn.
When the current ride stops and the people exit the ride, a thrill shoots through me as the carnie guy opens the tiny gate to load us onto the platform. I go straight to the white pony with the teal mane and the golden saddle. Corbin follows and climbs onto the lavender unicorn with the pink-and-blue hair.
Once the music begins, the carousel slowly starts to turn. I hold on tight as the horse starts to rise up the pole connecting it to the base and back down again.
A light flashes, and I look over to see Corbin with his phone directed at me.
“Did you just take my picture?” I ask.
“Yep.”
“Don’t you dare show that to anyone,” I command.
“I didn’t take it to show anyone. I took it so I could remember how you look at this moment.”
After the ride stops, we make our way to the game booths, passing on riding the sketchy-looking Ferris wheel.
I might be living the nostalgia of what a normal childhood should have been, but I don’t have a death wish.
We meet up with Hilton and Sara-Beth. They join us as we try our hand at several fair games.
The bottle toss, darts, the bell and hammer—we attempt them all but to no avail.
“Those things are rigged to be impossible to win,” Hilton grumbles.
Sara-Beth pats his arm. “It’s okay. All the money is going to the firehouse,” she assures.
He doesn’t seem any less annoyed until she asks if he wants a funnel cake.
Apparently, fried dough is the cure for sore losers because his frown turns to a smile as she leads him off toward the funnel cake truck.
“Do you guys want one?” she asks us over her shoulder.
