Spiders and Butterflies

The Fair

She hadn’t been out of the house in days aside from work and she was bored out of her mind. The county fair was in town and she really wanted to go. She had the money but no ride. Ugh. Who could she call?

She flipped through the tv channels aimlessly, not even registering most of what she was seeing before moving on to the next, running over the list in her head.

Donavan had to work late so she would miss half the day. Ashley drove like she was escaping a serial killer and that was never pleasant. Jon would do it for sure but he always asked for extra gas money and food and would probably guilt her into buying his tickets too and she was on a budget.

With an audible sigh she settled on the one person she knew would jump at the opportunity. Aaron was her ex boyfriend. Nothing serious-on again off again for the last two years. He was a great guy but extremely immature and she would grow annoyed and bored of him easily but he had eyes for her and would no doubt rob a bank if she asked. She pushed her annoyed thoughts aside and reached for the phone to dial his number. He answered quickly.

‘Hey Aaron it’s Renee. I was wondering if you’re going to the fair this weekend.’

He was really nice but the chirpiness in his voice annoyed her.

‘Yeah of course! Why do you wanna go? I’m going to go tomorrow and get there when they open the gates at 11. It won’t get crowded for a while but that will give me a chance to walk around and see what all they have before deciding what to do. Why? Do you wanna go? I can pick you up-I got the keys to the Camaro and as long as I fill up the gas tank I can take it wherever. I think I just have to drop my little sister off at her music lesson first but that’s ok. I can buy your tickets too-‘ he rambled on so fast she couldn’t get a word in edgewise-‘it’s going to be warm but I can grab an extra jacket to keep in the car if you want in case it gets colder later. Do you wanna go grab lunch first or do you want to eat there? Do you know who all is going?’

She found a moment when he took a breath to chime in.

That all sounds great. We will work out the details when you get here. See you tomorrow at 11?’

‘Sure thing’ he said. ‘See you then’

She hung up before he could say anything else.

She wasn’t overly excited about it but in the end, she really wanted to go. She wondered who all was going to be there. She thought about making some more calls but decided against it. She had absolutely no idea that in less than 24 hours her entire world would be flipped upside down in the most amazing, unexpected way.

In his predictable way, Aaron knocked on her door at exactly 11 am. She often wondered if he stood outside eyeing his watch for the exact minute of his expected arrival.

She had been ready for twenty minutes and jumped up as soon as she heard him. She flung the door open and barely made eye contact before stepping out and closing it behind her.

‘Let’s go’ she said, heading straight for the car. He trailed behind her attempting to reach the passenger side to open the door for her but her pace was steady and she made it first. He barely reached to touch the frame as she bounced into the seat and let him close it for her.

She buckled the belt and pretended to inventory the contents of her purse as he slid into the drivers seat and routinely checked all his mirrors before putting in his seatbelt and turning the key in the ignition.

She honestly didn’t know why he hugged her so much. He was funny and nice. He was a good looking guy too-a head taller than her and slender but toned. His wide smile was charming and his eyes were a glossy shade of blue with eyelashes so naturally dark and thick, most girls were jealous as they spent a lot of money in an attempt to achieve the same look.

His dirty blond hair was just thick and long enough to run your fingers through and for a split second she recalled more than one occasion of doing just that as they sat curled on the couch watching one random movie or another.

She blinked away the thought and reached for the radio, grateful the song that came on was lively and the volume already set high enough to eliminate conversation during the short ride to the fairgrounds.

They arrived to a primarily empty lot so they were able to get a spot close to the gate, which she was thankful for. They locked up, got to the gate and she stood just behind him, silent, while he paid for both their entry. They made their way to the line of booths on the side nearest the gate and made their way though the large circular setup of games and food vendors and on around to the rides. Some blasted music and some blared lights and sounds while others simply had an attendant shouting to passersby to stop in. Aaron had a comment for everything he saw and had mapped and remapped his plan of adventures a dozen times when they ran into Jon.

‘Hey!’ She said, excited to see another familiar face.

Jon and Aaron struck up a conversation that she was uninterested in but looked on, smiling as if she was.

The guys continued chatting as they started walking - around and around that giant loop - as more and more people started to arrive. Before she realized it, two hours had passed and their group had grown to twenty or so. Everyone seemed to know someone but she didn’t know most of them.

She wasn’t a fan of heights which, unfortunately, eliminated a majority of the rides for her list but she rode the Venture three times. Basically it was a train that spun around a small oval track that weaved up and down with tiny hills then would stop and go backwards while blasting rock music so loud you couldn’t hear yourself scream. She nimbly watched the guys on competition at the gaming booths-throwing darts to pop balloons, tossing a basketball into an impossible hoop and shooting bb’s at a paper target. Each time Aaron won some stuffed animal or squeaky toy, he beamed as he handed it to her.

They swung around back towards the center where the food stands were located and he bought her a corn dog and soda which she thanked him for and ate quickly.

As much as she wanted to be there, she realized she really just wanted to go home and considered taking a stomachache to accomplish it.

Every time she thought to open her mouth to say so, for some reason no words came out. She didn’t understand why but she NEEDED to be there.

The group had somehow fused with another and another until she looked around and realized she was amid a crowd of about 60 teenagers, most of which she didn’t recognize. She looked around at the faces, not sure who she was looking for until she locked eyes with him from 30 feet away. She gasped and felt her heart twitch in her chest. Who was this guy?