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“Let’s go, daylight is burning!” Sasha cries, startling the few individuals around us.
“It’s not even open yet, you freak.” I mutter. “Also, you’re forgetting your niece and nephew.”
“I’ll smother them with affection when we beat these fuckers to the front of the queues.” She looks at Dillan and coos, “Right, my little man? You can wait, can’t you?”
“Come out!” Dillan squawks, holding his chubby hands up to her.
“Patience, little man.” She skips ahead to the wooden rails that organise the queues. Only two people stand ahead, waiting to buy their tickets and progress to the park. We came at the perfect time. It’s not dead but it’s not so busy that I can’t push my pram through without feeling entirely frustrated.
“We pre-booked,” Sasha tells the lady behind the glass when it’s our turn. She hands over a printed A4 sheet of paper and we’re soon waved through. “It was cheaper to get a family ticket.” She defends herself, purely because I’m glaring at her for paying for us.
Nathan will be sure they receive the money by the end of the day. I can tell already that he is itching to pull out his wallet.
His independence and inability to accept gifts from elsewhere can be frustrating. The few times I’ve spent money on his birthdays, he’s found some way to pay me back which is ridiculous. I spend way more of his money than I do my own. Though I suppose there is no ‘his’ and ‘my’ money. It’s all ‘our’ money now. I let him deal with that side of things. He likes to keep it all organised and I’d only mess it up.
“That looks unsafe,” Nathan says as he stares up at a large, twisting rollercoaster that can be seen over the other attractions in the far distance. If only he knew that once we turn the next corner there are three even larger ones that I cannot wait to try.
“That looks bloody AMAZING!” Sasha yells and throws her hands up in the air. “Can we? Can we? Pleeeease!”
“When we get to it,” Tommy laughs, pinching her nose and shaking his head lovingly. “Let’s go in turn. Okay?”
“Yes, boss.” Then she turns to me. “Speaking of bosses, is yours still a grumpy git?”
“Nah.” I glance at Nathan, hoping the subject of Kerim doesn’t sour his mood. “He’s all right. We have our ups and downs but don’t hold it against each other.”
“Good, more on that later.” She points to the closest fast looking ride with a giant gorilla on the front. The cars that run along the tracks are shaped like bananas. Creative. “Let’s go.”
“We’ll have to take it in turns,” I say, nodding to the kids. “Somebody has to watch the brats.”
“It’s fine; you two go. I’ll feel sick if I start riding those things so soon after a fry up,” Tommy says, looking casual and cool about it all.
“Are you sure?” Sasha asks, worried that he might just be being chivalrous.
“Go,” he insists, kissing her nose. “I’ll stay behind with Nathan. He looks as keen on the idea of riding that thing as a man about to be stabbed.”
He’s definitely right about that. Nathan gives me an apologetic shrug and I make a mental note to drag him onto something later. For now I’m just happy that I get to experience this shit sitting beside my best girlfriend.
“Let’s do this!” Sasha cries like a woman preparing for battle.
We make it on the first ride, though we’re forced to take the second to last seats. I was hoping to get first.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Sasha asks as I wave at the boys below and the sleeping Emily. A metal bar lowers to my middle and we both instinctively give it a push to check it’s secure.
“One second while I read their lips.”
“You can lip read?”
“No, I was being sarcastic.” I’m laughing purely because I’m having to explain sarcasm to the queen of sarcasm herself.
“Oh.” She looks at her hand. “My finger feels naked.”
“Oh my god,” I laugh again, this time at her obsession with marriage. “You’re worse than Nathan.”
“Is he still pushing for marriage?”
I shrug and bite my lip.
“What’s the hold up? You said yes two years ago.”
“I know, I just…” I pull on the fat under my biceps. “I’m not physically perfect enough to marry him. I’ll look awful.”
“Seriously? That’s your reason?”
“It’s not my only reason,” I grumble but soon scream, giddy, when the ride begins to move. The sound of the chains below the car makes me nervous and puts thoughts in my head that I don’t appreciate at this point in time. I can’t deny that they make the ride that much more exhilarating.
“This is it!” Sasha grins and takes my hand. “Hold’em high, bitch!”
We only brave the no hands thing for the first four seconds, then we’re gripping onto the metal bar for dear life, screaming at the top of our lungs. I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones screaming. That’s what happens when small town girls experience new things. We scream.
