Chapter Twenty-One
Jesse
Days later, Arthur and Jesse were visiting the Midway Plaisance—a one-mile-long strip of land that ran from Jackson Park, the official site of the World’s Columbian Exposition, to Washington Park.
The Midway’s exhibits ranged from educational to supposedly outlandish, with some of them purported to be utterly bizarre.
It was an extension of the fair, but one that had all sorts of interesting exhibits, only they were the kinds that were thought not to be the “right fit” for the central part of the World’s Columbian Exposition.
Jesse and Arthur had rushed past most of them so that they could reach one in particular that Arthur was especially excited about. And now, they were there.
Standing in front of the ice railway, Jesse stared up the flags that were perched on top of the structure and watched them flutter in the summer breeze. He read the nearby sign that said “Midsummer Sleighing on Beautiful Snow” and shook his head in bewilderment.
“Sleighing?” Jesse spluttered. “Now?!”
“Won’t it be fun?!” Arthur exclaimed.
“I . . .” Jesse’s voice faltered. “I have no words.”
Arthur smacked Jesse’s bicep with the back of his hand. “Follow me.”
Just inside, Arthur and Jesse walked up a flight of stairs.
At the top, there was a large snow-and-ice-coated track, covered by a long canopy.
One by one, sleighs left from the highest point.
Fairgoers sailed to the bottom, clutching tight to each other while laughing gleefully. Even other men were sleighing together.
Despite his penchant for skepticism, Jesse could indeed feel how magical it was.
“Let’s get in line,” Arthur said jovially.
Jesse let out an intentionally weary-sounding sigh to tease him.
“Alright,” he said. “If we must.”
Arthur and Jesse only needed to wait for five minutes before it was their turn.
Once they reached the front of the line, Arthur climbed onto the nearest sleigh, and Jesse sat in front of him.
One of the men working the exhibit took the reins and pulled them to the hill’s edge before then handing them to Jesse.
Arthur snaked his arms around Jesse’s midsection, resting his hands on Jesse’s stomach, and Jesse’s heart stuttered from their being so close in a public space.
“Ready, Mr. O’Connor?” Arthur whispered into Jesse’s ear in a voice that was oh-so-flirtatious.
“Stop it,” Jesse scolded before taking a long breath. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Simultaneously, the two men leaned forward, tipping the front of their sleigh over the track’s high point and sending them flying toward the bottom.
Small chunks of snow were kicked up by their sleigh’s runners, and the snowflakes wet their faces as they rode.
Arthur erupted with laughter. Jesse couldn’t help but laugh, too, his face catching fire from the show of childlike exuberance, even as it was pelted with snow.
Once they reached the bottom, their sleigh slowed and then finally came to a stop several feet from the exit. Arthur squeezed Jesse once before scooting backward to stand.
“Good God, that was incredible,” he said as he climbed off.
“It really was,” Jesse said as he staggered to his feet.
Arthur rocked back on his heels. “It was only ten cents. Shall we try it a few more times before we find something to eat?”
“I’d like that,” Jesse said. “Surprisingly.”
“Isn’t it wonderful, Mr. O’Connor, that the two of us are finally able to play in the snow together after all?” Arthur teased.
Jesse shoved him.
Over the next half hour, Arthur and Jesse rode the sleighs together three more times.
Afterward, they ventured back to the main part of the fair and purchased two more orange ciders from a little booth along the way.
Even though they weren’t as tasty as the ciders that they’d previously purchased from the Illinois Building (it seemed as though the main ingredients of the cider had been swapped for other, cheaper ones, robbing the beverage of its perfectly balanced sweet-yet-tangy flavor), Jesse was still content. Because he and Arthur were together.
Walking with Arthur through the fairgrounds, slowly sipping their ciders while people pushed past and the same music played on a loop from the nearby bandstands was really, truly fun.
Because it wasn’t the specifics of the fair that made it special for Jesse.
Not the fair’s oddities, like the tower of oranges or the chocolate statues.
Not the newly unveiled inventions, like the clasp locker shoe fastener or the kinetoscope.
Not even the picturesque buildings that made up the Court of Honor.
No, what made it special, each and every time, was the simple fact that he was experiencing it with Arthur.
Arthur had made room for Jesse in his life. He had kept his word in that respect. Not even one more time had Arthur made Jesse feel as though he was small. Consequently, Jesse was finally starting to believe that what they had could last.
On their way to the fair’s exit, Arthur asked if they could stop at Machinery Hall, where the printing press exhibits were.
“Are you sure it won’t upset you to see them?” Jesse asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” Arthur said with a smile. “I’d like to see them. And I’d never forgive myself if you missed out on the splendors of Machinery Hall because of me. You’re an engineer, Jesse. Of course I need to bring you there!”
He looked sincere.
Arthur and Jesse walked to the Grand Plaza, where Machinery Hall (or the Palace of Mechanical Arts, as it was officially called) was located.
Out front, Arthur stared up at the huge structure—one of the largest at the fair—with obvious awe.
Jesse could certainly see why Arthur liked it so much.
It was large and beautiful and impressive.
Jesus, no wonder Arthur had wanted to exhibit there.
Jesse touched Arthur’s shoulder.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Arthur sucked in a big breath. “Ready.”
Jesse and Arthur went inside. And the space was incredible.
All around them, there were engineering marvels to be seen, the hall sectioned into smaller spaces, each of them featuring a variety of wonders in competition with each other for greatness.
In one area, there was a huge steam engine, weighing over one hundred thirty thousand pounds, and in another, machines that worked stone, clay, and minerals.
In addition to those, there was also machinery for food production and bookmaking and, holy hell, just about everything else that Jesse could imagine.
Jesse only wished that he had the time to study every single one of the machines to figure out how they worked.
“Arthur, this is fantastic,” he blurted out in wonderment.
Arthur chuckled happily. “I knew you’d love it here!”
Soon, Arthur and Jesse reached one of the printing press exhibits.
Arthur’s previously elated expression faltered a little, and Jesse’s heart sank.
Mustering up every scrap of foolishness and courage that he possessed, he inched his hand toward Arthur’s.
After a pause, Jesse lightly caressed the back of Arthur’s hand with his fingertips to try to comfort him a bit.
How intensely he wished that he could hold it instead.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Jesse caught sight of someone he recognized, and his heart stuttered. He took hold of Arthur’s fingers and pulled once, trying to catch Arthur’s attention.
Arthur looked over at him curiously, and Jesse tipped his head toward the man who was one exhibit over: Arthur’s father. Immediately, the rest of Arthur’s smile vanished.
“Follow me,” Arthur said, turning on his heel.
Both men kept their heads low as they passed him, walking at a brisk pace that was practically a run.
Jesse was having some trouble keeping up as Arthur weaved through the crowd, his long legs taking him far, fast. And then Arthur pulled Jesse through a small corridor into an adjacent room, one that was practically empty.
It took Jesse a second to realize that they were in the boiler room (the largest in the world, or so Arthur had said before).
Impressive but not nearly as popular as the rest of Machinery Hall.
Only two other people were there, both of them far from earshot.
Arthur let out a long breath. “Sorry, Jesse. I really wasn’t in the mood to see him.”
“I thought as much.”
“Our friendship isn’t . . . well, our friendship isn’t something that my father would support.
It’s not that I’m ashamed of you. Or of us.
I sincerely hope you know that’s not the reason why I wanted to run.
But still, my father, he’s . . . well, you know.
And our time here has been positively blissful so far.
No one else I know has even taken notice of us.
And I wanted to continue to revel in our anonymity—in my anonymity—for at least a little while longer. ”
“It’s fine, Arthur. I understand.”
“Thank you. God, I really hate the thought of people talking about us.”
Arthur sighed once more. After a moment, he began rubbing his hands together, as though maybe he was trying to rekindle his earlier excitement like creating a spark in a heap of firewood.
“Since we’re here, maybe we ought to walk around for a bit? Until my father leaves? I mean, I can’t imagine he’ll want to see the boiler room. Oh! And then, I know the perfect thing that we can see next! One more engineering marvel to marvel at before we head home.”
Jesse crooked an eyebrow and shook his head. “Which is what?”
“The Great Wharf Moving Sidewalk!”
***