Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Suzie strolled through the lively surroundings, her face almost aching with the constant smile as she watched her children's carefree enjoyment. Leaving her worries and responsibilities behind, she took in every precious moment. She observed Tim’s laughter and Abby’s playful antics. The warmth in her heart surpassed any material possession.
In that moment, Suzie couldn't help but reflect on her journey. Life may have presented its challenges, but the happy children before her affirmed that her sacrifices and efforts were worthwhile. They were the embodiment of unconditional love and a testament to her unwavering commitment as a parent and a living reminder of her late husband.
“Mommy, mommy,” Abby called, pulling Suzie from her inner musings. “Can we go to the ring toss? Pleeeeease!” She grabbed Suzie’s hand and tugged. “I want the pink pony with the rainbow-colored mane!”
“Quit nagging.” Tim admonished her. “You don’t think you can win that, do you? You have to get all three rings over the bottle, and they’re barely bigger than the bottle is.”
Abby’s little mouth quivered.
Tim quickly slung his arm around her shoulder. “I didn’t say it to make you sad. I just don’t want you to be disappointed if you don’t get it.”
Abby nodded and rubbed her eyes with her jacket sleeve. “I know,” she mumbled. “But it’s so pretty.”
Suzie lay her hand on her son’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Tim, and your father would have been too!”
Tim stood a bit straighter.
Suzie knelt in front of her daughter. “You both can try, but I can only buy each of you two tickets. I understand you want to win, but I can't keep buying tickets until you do.”
Abby nodded and smiled. She skipped to the booth, radiating joy and happiness again.
Suzie bought four tickets from the young man at the booth and noticed in dismay how little money she had left. It wasn’t easy to raise two fast-growing children on her small salary.
Oh well, the Festival is only once a year and I have some leftover meals in the fridge for the next few days.
Payday was next Friday and November was a three-paycheck month. She was also hoping for a nice bonus at the end of the year. And anyway, the kids wouldn’t remember having to eat leftovers, but they might remember this day. There had been too little to celebrate in their lives lately.
James finished his lunch and headed back to the BlackSmith booth, taking the scenic route through carnival row to pass out cold water bottles to all the volunteer barkers. At the ring toss booth, he paused to watch some domestic drama play out. Two little kids had bellied up to the counter with rings in their hands while their mother watched with a somewhat sad smile. Something about that smile caught James by the heart and he stayed to watch.
The boy, who couldn’t be more than twelve, had at least managed to hit the bottles with his first round of rings, but not land his ring over any of them. He still had one round of tries left, but his little sister had blown through all six of her rings and none of them had hit or come close to the bottles. She was close to tears now.
Very much aware that he was a strange man approaching children, James knelt in front of the girl with plenty of space between them and his hands on his knees. “Why are you so sad, sweetheart?”
To his amusement and approval, her brother stepped a bit closer as if he wanted to protect her. James made eye-contact and gave a comforting chin lift in acknowledgement. Don’t worry, kiddo, I won’t hurt your sister. He gave the mother a crooked smile, acknowledging her understandable caution. I’m a good guy, I swear .
“I w-wanted to win th-the p-pony” the little girl cried.
“I see. By wanting the prize, you forgot to have fun tossing the ring. Why don’t you try it again, just for the fun of playing?”
“But mommy told me I only could try twice,” she whined.
From his haunches, he looked up at the mother.
The mother shifted from foot to foot, although it didn’t seem like her anxiety was directed at him. “We have time, but I… I can’t afford to buy any more tickets.”
“It’s my dime this time, ma’am,” James assured her, reaching for his wallet. “I just want her to leave with a positive experience.”
“In that case, thank you.” The woman smiled tentatively. “Abby, what do we say?”
“Thank you!” Abby chanted.
“Okay, sweetheart, let your brother finish his turn first.” James nodded at the taller boy. The boy turned back to the game and shook out his arm. He took in a deep breath and threw the ring. It hit the bottle and bounced off.
“Don’t aim for the bottle,” James advised. “Hold the rings flat. Pretend you’re tossing a frisbee to a little puppy that you want to catch it. Give your wrist a snap, but not too hard. It’s just a little puppy, remember? Toss it right above his head, very gentle, so it drops straight down.”
The young man did as he was told. He concentrated on the center peg and after a few practice wrist-wiggles, gave it a toss. The ring floated through the air and came down perfectly flat over the neck of the bottle.
They all erupted in cheers and the barker called out, “We have a winner! One out of three rings wins the young man a bottom shelf prize, anything you want from the bottom shelf! You’ve got one ring left, five bucks for three rings. Get a second ring over the bottle and you win a second-shelf prize or two third-shelf prizes!”
“No pressure,” James told the boy. “Just like you did before. Take a deep breath, let it out slow, and give it a toss. Gently.”
“Like a puppy,” the boy murmured seriously, and threw .
Once again, the ring sailed smoothly through the air and dropped down over the neck of a bottle.
“And he did it!” the barker called. “So easy, even a child can do it! Two out of three rings wins one second-shelf prize or two third-shelf prizes. What’ll it be, what’ll it be? Only five dollars for three rings, even one ring over the bottle wins a prize!”
The girl now was bouncing on her feet in excitement. “Please teach me, too, Mister. Please, pretty please!”
“All right, sweetheart, let’s have some fun. In the meantime, your brother can look around and choose his prize.” James gave the brother an approving nod, and the boy smiled a big toothy grin before turning away to study the t-shirts, alien balloons and walking puppets on the second shelf.
“Remember,” James addressed the sister. “The play is the fun. Not a prize you might win, not the next ring you’ll be throwing, but what you’re doing now. It’s important to be relaxed. Remember what I told your brother. Just like you’re tossing a frisbee to a tiny puppy who can’t jump up to catch it.”
She nodded and bit her lip - her expression filled with concentration. James silently crossed his fingers for her. She mimicked her brother’s practice motions with a bit more enthusiasm and then, with a flick of her wrist, the ring soared through the air and bumped the canvas wall behind the bottles.
“Great throw!” he exclaimed before disappointment could flood her eyes. “You really can throw far! You play baseball? No? With that arm, you’re a natural, kid.”
The girl giggled. “I want to try again.”
James nodded and gestured for her to go ahead. This time the ring hit the neck of the bottle, but bounced off.
“Try to look at the bottle you want to hit and don’t look down at your hand,” he advised. “You’ve hit the right speed and angle, now all you have to do is adjust the force,”
The girl pooched out her lip and bent her knees, her little brow furrowed with determination. She waved her arm once, twice, then let it go. The ring flew, bonked the left bottle, flipped over, and landed perfectly over the neck of the middle bottle. The spectators who had gathered around the booth erupted in cheers and applause and some began calling out for tickets.
“That’s another winner!” the barker called. “One out of three gets the little lady a prize from the bottom shelf. Who’s next? Five bucks for three rings, get a ring over the bottle even once and you’re a winner!”
The mother thanked James with tears in her eyes. Giving her a firm nod, he turned to the boy. “Do you know which prize you want yet?”
The boy hesitated, then turned to the barker. “Can I add my two to her one and get the pony from the top row? The one with the rainbow tail?”
The barker, surrounded by spectators, was no fool. “You bet,” he said and passed the plushie down to the squealing little girl.
James watched them leave. The little cutie hugged the pony to her chest as she skipped at her brother’s side. The mother smiled back over her shoulder at James, her eyes shining with happiness and pride.
Warmth filled his chest. James had had more fun teaching that little girl than he’d imagined. Maybe it was his Dom nature? There was also something about the eyes of the mother that sparked his interest. He was certain he didn’t know her, and he didn’t think he was attracted to her, but there was something about her that sparked his interest. Maybe not so much her as something about her that reminded him of someone else?
As prospective players gathered around the ring toss, James got out of the way. Time to unload the rest of these drinks and return to his own booth. Chris would be happy to take a break.