Title: A Fairly Interesting Day
“How long have we got left here?”
“You promised me five hours, Joshua.”
“I know. I’m asking how long we’ve got left.” Josh replied.
Donna sent him a dry look before answering. “Four hours and 25 minutes.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Donna took his arm and pulled him toward the grandstand. “We have to hurry or
we’ll miss the pig races.”
“That would be a shame.” Josh responded sarcastically.
“The pig races are fun, Josh, hurry up.” He followed along obediently. He might have
been a newly engaged man but having the benefit of almost a decade of “Donna
experience” he knew that if they missed the pig races there would be punishment…and
he did promise her.
He wouldn’t admit it to Donna but the pig races were fun; or at least funny. He tried so
many different foods on a stick his stomach felt queasy; which was how he got out of all of
the rides except the carousel. The cream puff eating contest was hilarious and gave
Josh ideas about another activity involving whipping cream. When he suggested it to
Donna, her face turned pink.
She led him from one booth to another ‘oohing and ahhing’ over this food or that product
while she brought him up to speed on each of the five times the State Fair had been
cancelled.
“So if I can get President Santos to declare war, we could get out of here?”
“Not a chance.” Donna quipped. “Besides, you won’t want to miss our culminating activity.”
Soon his arms were laden with packages of ‘must have’ products Donna had purchased
by the vendors they passed by. His time in purgatory was nearly at an end when he
looked up to see Donna handing her camera to a stranger and asking him to take their
picture…with a cardboard cutout of President Santos at the Democratic booth.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He whispered urgently.
“It will be fun.”
“It will be stupid.” He rolled his eyes when her mouth went into a full pout. “We can have
our picture taken with the real thing any time we…In fact, we get our picture taken with
the real thing even when we don’t want to!” He whisper shouted. Donna just pulled him
into place next to the cardboard President.
“Say ‘cheese’.” She prompted as the stranger took their picture.
“Cheese is appropriate given our current location.”
“Thank you so much.” She said as she took the camera back. “Just wait until I show that
to Helen! And quit complaining about the cheese curds. You ate more than your share.”
“I needed something in my stomach that wasn’t connected to a stick. And you are NOT
showing that to Helen.”
“Yes, I am.” She disputed with her chin out.
“You can’t! She’ll show it to the President.”
“Probably.”
“Then he’ll show it around to everyone else and tease me mercilessly.”
“Probably.” Donna admitted smiling.
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Definitely.” She laughed while he pretended to take umbrage. “Don’t get all feisty
Joshua. We only have 15 minutes left. Come on, I’ll buy us a couple tickets for the Ferris
wheel.”
“I don’t think I can handle the Ferris wheel, Donna.”
“Oh, but it’s a tradition.” Donna explained. “It’s always the last place my date and I go at
the fair. Then when we get to the top…we make out.” She leered at her fiancée.
“Oh…well that’s completely different then.” Josh chuckled, leering back. “Wait! Just how
many times have you ‘gone parking’ with someone on the Ferris wheel?”
“Joshua…that’s not important. What’s important is that from now on, you’re the only
person I’ll EVER ‘park with’ on the Ferris wheel.” Josh thought about that for half a minute
and decided she was probably right.
Kissing Josh in the twilight of the evening at the top of the Ferris wheel was the highlight
of the day for Donna; although she’d enjoyed it all. As they were getting off she asked
him about his impression of the day.
“It was fairly interesting, but I’m glad I get you to myself for the rest of our time in
Wisconsin.”
Donna decided not to mention the family breakfast tomorrow that she’d agreed to without
consulting him. Why wreck a perfectly lovely evening at the fair?