The County Fair Queen

Chapter Ten

EULAH FELIZ IS A STRONG, VIRILE WOMAN

We made it to the city square twenty minutes later. Though the fair didn't open for another three hours, there were already swarms of people congregating on the courthouse lawn. I wasn't sure if they were actual picnic-goers, or if Brenda/Carole had just kidnapped testy Tallulahns to use as window dressing for the show. Blankets and breakfast picnic baskets dotted the blades of grass like patchwork. Rivers guided us through, dipping and dodging around the other residents, his hand holding mine. In the distance, Brenda- maybe she's this Bernadette person people keep mentioning -Carole and the camera crew were already filming. He led me to a vacant blanket and basket near the crew, his hand pressed against the small of my back as he eased me to the ground. I wasn't sure when I'd become an invalid, or when Rivers Rivera had assumed the role of seeing-eye-human, but I didn't pull away from his touch.

He pulled a smorgasbord from the basket, laying pre-planned breakfast dishes out like an all you can eat buffet. There were scrambled eggs that looked drier than dust, bacon fried so black I feared I may chip a tooth, and an assortment of cut fruits that seemed to be at the last of their lifespan. The centerpiece, however, was a sight for sore eyes. Two takeaway containers sat at the bottom of the bag, and when he set one in front of me, I couldn't have kept the smile off my face if I'd tried. It was an old dietary staple; tried and true. Two waffles smothered in honey, with a healthy dollop of cotton candy in the center.