[cl] 58. Ferris Wheel picture
[Set in whatyou_wanted. verydistinctive is used with permission and love. Jonathan is an NPC who needs to stop eating my brain.]
“This is a bad idea.”
“It’s just a local carnival,” she said softly as she leaned into Eliot’s arm around her shoulders. “How much trouble can he get into?”
Jonathan was jogging ahead of them along the fence of the parking lot, occasionally hopping up to look at the rides over the top of the fence. He was only eight, but he still had managed a knack for winding up in the emergency room more often than not. No broken bones, which in some instances was a miracle, but enough stitches that Bela knew on some level she had to be worried that people were going to start making assumptions they shouldn’t be making, but anyone that knew them knew that Jonathan had a knack for getting into trouble more often than not and it didn’t come at his parent’s hands.
That didn’t make it any easier, though.
“It’s not the trouble I’m worried about,” Eliot sighed as he pulled her closer. “It’s the sugar.”
She smirked. “He’ll be with his den leader, and he knows about Jonathan and sugar. He’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, sure. He’ll just be eating all the other carnival crap instead.” Bela was about to make a comment about how he couldn’t keep his son from eating crap forever, when Jonathan gave up on climbing the fence for a moment and bounded back towards them.
“Mom-can I get one of those bracelet things so that I can ride all the rides?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Awesome.” A pause. “And can I get a little extra spending money for like, games and stuff?”
“Only if you promise you won’t spend it on sugar.”
There was a pause. His eyes darted to the side for a moment, before up as he considered the possibilities with that statement before nodding. “’Kay.” Then he was darting ahead of them to the gate again.
“How much trouble is that going to start.” Eliot grumbled from where he was standing next to her, and she looked over with an eye roll.
“He’s only eight once. He has to learn to make his own mistakes sometime.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Half-hour later, Jonathan was shipped off with his den leader, a ride bracelet, and ten bucks for games and everything else, while his parents were left to wander the grounds on their own. It didn’t take long for Bela to talk Eliot up onto the Ferris wheel with her, just as the sun was starting to go down. The ride came to a stop just after cresting the top, and Bela curled in closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder as they waited for it to start moving again.
“I miss things like this.”
“Ferris wheels?”
“Well, not Ferris wheels specifically, just … having nothing to worry about. Being able to eat tons of crappy food and not having a care in the world.” Not that she ever really had that in her life. Her childhood could barely even call itself that, but there were a few brief moments where everything melted away and she could honestly say she was happy. And those where the things that she truly missed.
“Yeah, there is something about being a kid, isn’t there?” His arm tightened around her as he spoke. “Then you grow up.”
She hummed a bit as she nodded against his shoulder. “Growing up isn’t so bad, though.”
“No, it’s not,” he smirked leaning in for a quick kiss as the ride started to move again. They swept down and Bela glanced over and saw a small boy bouncing up and down on the barrier. She blinked, staring at him for a moment before glancing over at Eliot.
“Was that Jonathan?”
Eliot followed her eyes back to where she was looking, and it only took him a moment to confirm what she was thinking. “Oh no.”
By the time they got off the ride, Jonathan was still bouncing against the railing, using the metal gate for leverage as he did. “Dad! Dad! Dad! Mrs. Hamilton bought me cotton candy!” Even after he said it, he didn’t stop moving, just bouncing up and down as he waited for them to respond. “I mean, I had to split it with Jimmy, but I still got some.”
Eliot just stared at his son for a long moment. “We told you you weren’t allowed to buy sugar.”
“Actually you said I couldn’t buy it. You didn’t say anything about people buying it for me.”
Eliot glared a bit before shaking his head and starting to walk away. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
Bela just laughed, burying her face in her hand. “Oh, I think we’ll live.”
782 words
“This is a bad idea.”
“It’s just a local carnival,” she said softly as she leaned into Eliot’s arm around her shoulders. “How much trouble can he get into?”
Jonathan was jogging ahead of them along the fence of the parking lot, occasionally hopping up to look at the rides over the top of the fence. He was only eight, but he still had managed a knack for winding up in the emergency room more often than not. No broken bones, which in some instances was a miracle, but enough stitches that Bela knew on some level she had to be worried that people were going to start making assumptions they shouldn’t be making, but anyone that knew them knew that Jonathan had a knack for getting into trouble more often than not and it didn’t come at his parent’s hands.
That didn’t make it any easier, though.
“It’s not the trouble I’m worried about,” Eliot sighed as he pulled her closer. “It’s the sugar.”
She smirked. “He’ll be with his den leader, and he knows about Jonathan and sugar. He’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, sure. He’ll just be eating all the other carnival crap instead.” Bela was about to make a comment about how he couldn’t keep his son from eating crap forever, when Jonathan gave up on climbing the fence for a moment and bounded back towards them.
“Mom-can I get one of those bracelet things so that I can ride all the rides?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Awesome.” A pause. “And can I get a little extra spending money for like, games and stuff?”
“Only if you promise you won’t spend it on sugar.”
There was a pause. His eyes darted to the side for a moment, before up as he considered the possibilities with that statement before nodding. “’Kay.” Then he was darting ahead of them to the gate again.
“How much trouble is that going to start.” Eliot grumbled from where he was standing next to her, and she looked over with an eye roll.
“He’s only eight once. He has to learn to make his own mistakes sometime.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Half-hour later, Jonathan was shipped off with his den leader, a ride bracelet, and ten bucks for games and everything else, while his parents were left to wander the grounds on their own. It didn’t take long for Bela to talk Eliot up onto the Ferris wheel with her, just as the sun was starting to go down. The ride came to a stop just after cresting the top, and Bela curled in closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder as they waited for it to start moving again.
“I miss things like this.”
“Ferris wheels?”
“Well, not Ferris wheels specifically, just … having nothing to worry about. Being able to eat tons of crappy food and not having a care in the world.” Not that she ever really had that in her life. Her childhood could barely even call itself that, but there were a few brief moments where everything melted away and she could honestly say she was happy. And those where the things that she truly missed.
“Yeah, there is something about being a kid, isn’t there?” His arm tightened around her as he spoke. “Then you grow up.”
She hummed a bit as she nodded against his shoulder. “Growing up isn’t so bad, though.”
“No, it’s not,” he smirked leaning in for a quick kiss as the ride started to move again. They swept down and Bela glanced over and saw a small boy bouncing up and down on the barrier. She blinked, staring at him for a moment before glancing over at Eliot.
“Was that Jonathan?”
Eliot followed her eyes back to where she was looking, and it only took him a moment to confirm what she was thinking. “Oh no.”
By the time they got off the ride, Jonathan was still bouncing against the railing, using the metal gate for leverage as he did. “Dad! Dad! Dad! Mrs. Hamilton bought me cotton candy!” Even after he said it, he didn’t stop moving, just bouncing up and down as he waited for them to respond. “I mean, I had to split it with Jimmy, but I still got some.”
Eliot just stared at his son for a long moment. “We told you you weren’t allowed to buy sugar.”
“Actually you said I couldn’t buy it. You didn’t say anything about people buying it for me.”
Eliot glared a bit before shaking his head and starting to walk away. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
Bela just laughed, burying her face in her hand. “Oh, I think we’ll live.”
782 words