The County Fair Queen

Chapter Five

I SHOULD HAVE DANCED WITH YOU

After a two-hour break from filming, spent mostly in reflective silence, Jordan and I walked across the square, toward the courthouse. Then Brenda/Carole sent Jordan a text instructing us to meet her by the stage. The freshly cut lawn had been pierced and punctured by an endless assortment of festive signs pinpointing where different events would take place. Plastic, globe-sized decorative grapes were hanging from lampposts and the trees lining the town square. As for the square itself, it was busier than I'd seen it since arriving, meaning Jordan and I had to duck and dodge between carnies and volunteers just to make it to the stage.

The camera crew was waiting for us in front of the stage, filming our arrival. On the platform, a man was hanging a Muscadine Madness banner behind the microphone. The closer we got, the more visible the man's affliction of perpetual plumber's crack became. Despite being a loud and proud ass-man, I wasn't ashamed to admit it was not a pretty sight.