Our day at the fair

We awaken that morning giddy with excitement. The day has come, it has been a whole year since we had a day like this, and it is always worth the wait.
We are going to the fair.

I stand by my closet carefully choosing my clothes, you would think that I would be ready but no, I am not like you my love, you always know what to wear, you are always prepared and always so lovely. I finally choose a nice pair of blue pants, you always say I look good in blue, and your right. I put on a white and blue summer shirt, the material is lighter and cooler. I put on my belt and fill my pockets. I put on my gold watch as I head down the stairs to breakfast.
We have a special breakfast. We eat the same food and drink the same coffee as we usually do, but today is special so it becomes a special breakfast.
We finish eating and clean up the kitchen, we are in no hurry, the fair doesn’t open for another hour. I head to the closet and put on my jacket, it is not cold, but it will be before we get home. You, as always, are prepared.

We walk slowly down the lane as we head for the park between our house and the fair. We smell the flowers, the lilies as always are your favourite and they are in full bloom. They look beautiful, but not as beautiful as you. We sit at several benches, it is a long walk, but an enjoyable walk, but then again everything is enjoyable when I am with you.

We finally get to the fair. I present my tickets to the cashier and he gives me a strange look, I brush it off, today it is of no consequence what people think, this is our day.

We enter the park and I get a soda, it tickles ones throat as the bubbles go down. We look at the rides deciding which to go on. There are many new ones but we were never ones to try the fast rides.
We choose a merry-go-round, there is no line, everyone seems to want the faster rides. But that doesn’t matter, more fun for us I say. I purchase two tickets, another strange look from the tattooed and pierced freshman kid running the ride. We get on the merry-go-round, I get on a large rhinoceros with great blue reigns with red bells. I hold on tightly to the golden pole atop the beast laughing as we ride, I had forgotten what fun it is, you enjoy yourself, this was always one of your most favorite rides.

The ride ends and we get off, still a little dizzy we go and buy some cotton candy and sit at a bench. A strange man tries to sit next to us but he soon sees this is our bench and he walks off. We sit and watch the people walk by as we eat our cotton candy. There are many little kids this year, more than last year and their fashions are different.

When we are done we walk through the games. We have fun as I try and win you a teddy bear, I am no good at these carnival games but you love watching me try as I flail the balls at the stacked milk bottles trying to win your heart as I did the very first time we came to the fair. I have never won you that bear, but we wouldn’t know what to do with it if we ever did win it. I try shooting the ducks on the rifle range but you know how terrible a shot I am. We waste the day this way, your presence makes it that much more fun.
We sit and have a corndog together, not too much mustard, I know you don’t like a lot.

We have fun sitting next to one another enjoying our time together.
We ride some more rides, some rides I am reluctant to go on, but you drag me along and I end up having so much fun, you know me so well my love.
We enter the house of mirrors to yet more strange looks and quiet murmurs from the strange pimply faced kid and his buddy with the long black hair. We look at ourselves in the mirrors joking about the shapes we take in them. We loose ourselves in the mirrors, but we are always together and so I am truly never lost. You always know the way.

Tired we sit down with another soda on a nearby bench looking at the people on the funhouse. We agree we don’t want to go in, we rarely do want to go in actually, but we like to watch people as they go through it laughing and playing.

The day grows long and the light grows faint. I am glad I brought my jacket for it is beginning to cool, together we stay warm as we begin to walk through the rest of the park. We finally reach it, our favorite ride. The very first ride we both went on together in fact.
Some say it is the most romantic ride, I agree with them.
It is of course the fariswheel, strings of lights hang off the frame giving it an almost magical glow as it slowly turns. There is a long line but we can wait, we always save this for the end of our day the fair, we almost don’t want to go on because it will mean an end to this perfect day.
We stand in line silently, we don’t need to say a word. We finally get to the front of the line just as the fireworks begin over the water. The loud booms and cracks of the fireworks shake the air and make the day just that much more exciting. The whole park lights up as the fireworks go off, red, blue, purple, green, yellow, and all the colours of the rainbow.
I get into a tiff with the ride operator, he says we must have some more people with us in the cart, I say it is just us. He calls me a crazy old fool and the people behind give us strange looks but I slip him some money and purchase our tickets as those behind us start to whisper. We ignore them as we get on the ride, this ride is too special, this day too important for us to care what they think.

We finally reach the top of the ride, the view is gorgeous, made ever more breathtaking with you. Each time we sit together on this ride overlooking the fair I feel like a schoolboy once again looking upon an angel. I blush and suck in my gut, I don’t know I do it and it always makes you laugh, you say you love me because after all these years I still try so hard to impress you. You always know what to say.
It is at the top that I reach into my shirt pocket and pull out a photograph with a lovely silver frame.
I look at the person in the picture, she looks as beautiful as the day I met her so many years ago. I love you. And I wish you were here. I suddenly find myself alone again, the magic of the perfect night broken.
How I wished I had not outlived you, each day my heart breaks. Each day I miss you more, but I am comforted by the knowledge that someday we will be together again.
I tenderly put the picture back in my pocket, my arthritis doesn’t let me hold it for long.
The ride begins to descend once again.
I look at my retirement watch to see the time, the watch is broken after twenty years it had finally stopped.
Perhaps it is a sign.
Perhaps it is just age.

I exit the ride, my back is sore from the seat. I walk to the exit weaving my way through crowds of young couples still knew to each other. I wish them well, I wish them a love as good as ours was, is.

I walk home slowly through the park. Many of the lights are burnt out or broken, this old park has fallen into disrepair over the years, it is sad.

I near my home and stand in the driveway a tear in my eye. You grab my hand and give it a squeeze. You always know the right thing to do to cheer me up.