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"Hey Harper. Hey Riley." I say with a smile as I run over.
"Hey Isabella. Are you here with your Nana? We haven't seen you around much."
"Yeah, I am. I brought my friend Nathaniel. Do you want to meet him?" I ask excitedly.
"We didn't even know you were in town," Harper adds with what looks like a sad but sincere smile.
"She's obviously too busy for us now that she has a new friend," Riley adds, looking less friendly than her sister.
"It's not like that. I've just been really busy," I add, panicking a bit. I hate upsetting people. "Maybe we could do something one evening. I'll ask Nana if you can come over for dinner."
"Sounds nice…" Harper begins before her sister physically pulls her away, adding, "We’ll see."
Harper turns around and flashes me another smile, but I can't help but feel guilty.
I search the area quickly and spot Nathaniel near one of the stalls. As I’m walking down the hill towards them, I hear one of the men, probably the husband of one of Nana’s friends, complimenting him.
"I can't believe what a great job you've done, young man. You should be so proud of yourself. If only more kids had manners and a work ethic like yours, this world would run so much more smoothly," he gushes before shaking Nathaniel's hand and passing him some money.
I stand back for a moment and smile. I've seen my pops pull that trick many times. It must be an elderly person’s thing. Nathaniel obviously hasn’t experienced it before because he seems very confused and tries to give the money back. "Sir, you dropped this," he says with a confused look on his face.
"No, son, this is for you. You earned it for your hard work," the man replies before walking away.
"Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Williams," Nathaniel calls out as he runs over to my Nana. "The man over there just gave me this money; here you go."
"No, dear, Arthur gave it to you. I don't want it. Treat yourself," Nana says, reaching out and closing his hand around the bill.
"But I can't. I earned that money for you, didn't I?" Nathaniel sounds confused. "Don't you need it for beer, or smokes, or for the betting shop?"
"No, dear. This isyourmoney. You earned it through hard work. You use it to treatyourself," Nana says a little more forcefully.
"So you really, really don't want it? Not for anything? I get to keep it all for myself? And you won't be mad at me later?" Nathaniel asks, sounding uncertain. I look back and forth between the two of them. Nana looks like she wants to cry, and Nathaniel looks confused, like he's waiting for someone to jump out and scare him at any moment.
I don't fully understand what's going on here, so I just stay silent. Nathaniel walks away nervously, clutching his ten dollars like his life depends on it, and I stay behind to talk to Nana.
"What was that all about?" I whisper.
"Not everyone is as lucky as you, honey," is all she says in response.
A few moments later, Nathaniel returns with a cake for all three of us and a coffee for Nana. "Look what I bought, all by myself," he says proudly, handing them to her.
"Do you want a warm drink, a burger, or something else to eat?" asks Nana, reaching for her purse.
"I'm fine. I have money, remember? It's for me and Bella if we need anything else," Nathaniel says proudly, opening his hands to show Nana the change he has left.
Nana hurries off, saying she's going to powder her nose.I didn't even know she wore powder on her nose.Nate and I continue to eat our cake, and I watch as Nana visits some of her friends.
We’re having a blast playing soccer, throwing water sponges at someone's dad, playing ring toss, and many other games. The best part is that Nathaniel either can't count or this is the cheapest place ever. If they keep this up, they'll never get enough money together to fix the roof because every booth we pass says it's either free, the cash register is broken, or you only have to pay a quarter to play. Even when Nathaniel buys us both a burger, fries, and a soda, it only costs him a dollar for the two of us.
Nana finishes packing up with help from us. As we’re loading the last bag into the car, Nathaniel suddenly gasps. "What time is it, Mrs. Williams?"
I can't help but notice the panic in his face.
"Don't worry, it's only 2 p.m.; you’ll be home soon," she replies in a soothing voice. Which works, as Nathaniel's features instantly relax.
We get into the backseat as Nana drives us towards his house. "So, what do you two crazy kids have planned for tomorrow, then?" Nana asks, looking at us in the rearview mirror.
"Hmm, I don't know. Should we go to your house for a change?" I suggest, already anticipating the answer.
