“Well, all right then,” he grins, and the two walk off with her leading the way.
Hank chuckles, “Marv took that yes to mean she paid him a compliment rather than coined him a consolation prize.”
“He understands her then,” Lily says with a watchful eye on her best friend and the willing captive. “That was Sable’s way of telling him she’s interested in him, too. She doesn’t know any other path but sideways.”
“Speaking of prizes, who wants to play a game?” Peter grins, shoving both hands in his pockets. “Lily, have your eye on any?”
While they discuss it, and Hank says hello to Gertie, asking her if she was at the fair last year, May and I step aside and let the others disappear.
“Hello Jerald,” she smiles, hands clasped. “It sure is good to see you again.” She tries to take it back. “What I mean is…”
“I know what you mean, May, and I’d like to be just as candid. I was up all night thinking about you. Had to open the windows to listen to the real cicadas this time on account of their memory couldn’t crack.” She’s gazing at me like she doesn’t know what to say. “Do you like Ferris wheels?”
A beautiful smile shines. “Oh, I love them! It’s the next best thing to flying, don’t you feel?”
“Guess it is. Would you ride with me?”
Does she know she’s staring at my mouth? If she doesn’t quit it, everyone will know how I feel about that. “I’d love to.”
Hank slaps my back. “Jerald, you going on the Ferris wheel? We’ll join you.”
Lily gazes up at the colorful machine. “Oh let’s ride, too, Peter! Games and prizes can wait.”
“All right then, you all stay here and I’ll grab tickets.”
Hank and I dig in our pockets for our coins. Rattling them in a loose fist, Peter kisses Lily‘s cheek before dashing off.
She gasps, touches the spot, and calls after him, “Peter Tuck, of all the nerve!” He laughs, taking one leap while running, and she turns around to face us. “Who does that boy think I am?”
May smirks, “He’s about to find out.”
“I should say so!” Lily looks at me and Hank. “Did you know that I had to steal this girl from underneath her mother’s nose? She’d not have been allowed to come if it weren’t for me.”
Gertie corrects her, “May wasn’t allowed to come, Lily. Her parents think she’s at the hospital.”
My eyebrows rise. “Why would you be at the hospital? Someone sick?”
“No, I…” May looks at Lily and decides not to finish her sentence. “It’s a long story.”
Hank offers, “We were just at the hospital this week. I don’t know if you saw the news, but our Father had a heart attack. Oh, he’s all right now. But it was pretty iffy there for a second. That’s why Jerald is here.”
May’s concern turns to me. “I’m awful sorry.”
“The Navy let you come home for that?“ Lily asks, impressed. “Must be nice to be a Congressman’s son.”
May whispers, “Oh, that’s why it made the news.”
Gertie explains, “May’s father despises politics and they never have it in the house. He rarely watches the news, gets it from his friends.”
“Mother, too,” I nod.
“I wish I were so lucky. My folks, well, it’s all they seem to wanna talk about!”
Hank asks, “You don’t find it interesting, Gertie?”
“I guess you could say I don’t see the appeal. It’s like I’m thinking about things I have no control over all the time.”
“Well, when you get to be eighteen, then you’ll have just as much control as the next person.”
“Not as much as someone in the House,” she reminds him.
“So run for Congress!”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she whispers, eyes on the ground.
“Why not you?”
They look at each other as I see Peter strolling up.
I walk over to meet him halfway. “Just in time. I was about to climb up the wheel and take May with me.”
He chuckles and hands me two tickets. “Want to be alone with her, eh? I know the feeling.”
“Careful there. Lily is going to make you pay for that stolen kiss.”
He frowns, “You mean it?”
“If her word is any good.”
“It is. Okay, thanks for the warning.”
We walk back and he raises his volume to normal. “Here we go! And the line isn’t looking too bad. Say, Hank, why don’t you ride with me! Let Gertie and Lily have their own basket ahead of us. Just us fellas.” Lily gasps and he looks at her. “You alright?”
Speechless, her mouth drops open again, but nothing comes out.
My brother grins, “Be like when we were kids!”
“It’s settled then!”
Gertie is now just as disappointed, anyone could see it. But they don’t want to object. That wouldn’t be the thing to do at all.
We six take our place in line. May is concerned on account of her friends losing their enthusiasm, so I bend to get her attention, and her frown melts away. The line starts moving as I ask, “Do you have any brothers and sisters?”
She shakes her head, blonde curls bouncing. “They tried to have more children, but I guess it wasn’t in God‘s plan. But that’s alright, because I feel like I have sisters in my friends. I never feel lonely. And then there are the kids we look after, they’re always around now. The house is never quiet, if you know what I mean.”
“I do. Ma was just saying last night how much she misses having me around because my brother and I make the place lively. And I can understand that, especially with Pops in the state he’s in.”
“Is he really better?”
“Every day more like himself. Just slower than we’d like.”
May concentrates on my face as we near the beginning of the line, the other four in front of us keeping up a steady conversation all their own. “Jerald, am I to understand that you’ll be gone soon?”
I frown, “Very soon. Monday, in fact.”
“Oh. That is soon.”
“I’d like
