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I nod in understanding. I do. In so many ways.
Then the line hit me from one of our online conversations, “No one is her chain…”
She stays quiet for a moment before she lifts her gaze from the waters, looks at me, and hums the next line. She giggles to herself.
Something tells me it’s not fine but instead of picking at it, I’d much rather distract her from it.
I avert my gaze to a group of adults that are playing beach volleyball.
“Want to give that a try?” I point at them. “I bet they will let us in if we’ll bribe them with those milkshakes.”
She laughs, “It looks like they’re having fun.”
“Come on,” I grab her hand, our fingers graze as I pull her gently toward them, “We can have fun as well.”
I’m well aware, she’s watching me ripping that fabric off of me. I mean business and it’s damn hot.
Lenny is positioned in front of me and those pink locks are making it hard to focus on anything else but her. Yet I did tell them we’re former champions, so I got to deliver.
The ball starts to jump from one side of the net to the other. Jokes, curses, screams, and laughter pass as well as the game progresses.
They let us play a few games before they have a privet one with additional friends who just arrived.
“That was incredible! I’m so pumped!” She claps to herself. “Let’s grab lunch and try to sneak into another game.”
The hours gallop beside us and the sun slowly wanes. The Pacific Park is swarming with people yet the line ahead of us dwindles, I follow her pink Converse crossing the pier docks to our seat.
“If I puke, blame the cotton candy.” She injects another bite, “It’s on her.”
I can’t shake the laughter as it bursts out of me, it’s the best day I’ve had in a while.
I give her a side-eye look, “In that case, is the Ferris wheel a good idea?”
“Oh yeah, we’re doing this Dean, there’s no going back.” She waves the pink cotton candy in her hand, “I want to inhale higher oxygen levels.”
This girl is a Mustang, I lost my footing trying to catch up to her. We share the same traits but I’m deciding whether it’s a good idea or a mistake. I know it was my idea to come here, and being around her, experiencing this… it might be too much.
Too much to resist.
The Ferris wheel operator checks the red gate of our gondola.
The cool breeze caresses her face. Her hair is secure in a bun. And those ocean eyes assess our surroundings, scouring for our next adventure.
“As a kid, I always feared someone’s hand might get caught in the cotton candy machine.” The casual way she says it like it’s not a morbid thought.
I dump another morsel of cotton candy on my tongue. “That’s disturbing.”
“Rational thought.” She comments nonchalantly. Her unfiltered brain keeps vocalizing her every thought and granting me the privilege of diving into her mind, being the harbor of her notions.
The wheel loads and unloads passengers as we make it to the middle. High in the air, the skies are painted magenta, ruby, and golden shades.
Yellow quivering-strokes shimmer along the water. The ocean crashes into the coastal line while the tidal drifts and the waves breaking sound echo in the distance.
The red and pink neon lights that are projected from the wheel cast radiance on the people roaming the pier, chatting with their families and friends, and bathing in the waters.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Her soft endearing voice embraces me. “I needed a getaway.”
“My pleasure, bunny.”
