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“Sarah, where are you taking me anyway? You don’t need to be secretive anymore since it’s actually happening.”
“‘Well. I suppose that’s true… fine. We’re going to the fair on twenty-third and Armstrong.”
“... Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t mean to ruin your plans, but that’s a bad area of town, and neither of us is really up for a fight with some backwater gangster-”
“Tess. It’s still uptown. There’s an entrance fee, there won’t be any “Backwater gangsters” there. It’ll mostly just be people like us- the Freshmen really love it.”
“Ugh. Freshmen.”
“I know, but at least you know they couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Shouldn’t we be studying? I mean, we could be using this time to work on improving your arm, or we could-”
“Shush. You’ve been working almost nonstop between my arm and your classwork. You deserve a break, and if you’re going to refuse to sleep at a decent time, you’re having some fun.”
Tess sighed, and hugged Sarah around the waist without slowing her gait. They walked like that for a few seconds, before Tess resumed walking naturally, but with a firm grip on Sarah’s hand, wrist, and forearm.
At the fairgrounds, Sarah presents the foreman with a pair of tickets stamped with gold stars, and he gives them paper bracelets. Tess examines it suspiciously, but before she can finish, Sarah gently pulls her past a rotating bar. The grounds are sparsely populated by fairgoers, would-be drunks passed out behind tents, real drunks passed out behind tents, and irritatingly pushy sugar vendors and con artists. Tess holds onto Sarah’s arm tighter as they venture into the fair.
Feeling the tension, Sarah asks,
“Are you hungry?”
“For carnival food? No. Thank you.”
“Oh come on, not everything here is that bad.”
“I’ll agree to that if you find me something that is not immediately going to make me gain more than three pounds.”
“Well, that might be tricky. But I’ll make it happen for you.”
Sarah explores every booth to see if they have anything that might be of interest- nothing strikes her as particularly healthy, although she does notice a weight on her arm as she tries to move on from one particular booth. She looks down at Tess, who has stopped. Tess looks at Sarah, then looks back at the booth in question, then tries to move on.
Sarah stops her with a hand on the shoulder.
“Do you want a pretzel?”
“No, I mean, no, I shouldn’t, Jade told me I should be trying to lose some weight so that I can be more effectiv-”
“Jade isn’t here right now.”
“Jade has eyes in the walls.”
“Well then I’ll take the rap for this if grandma buzzkill finds out. Get yourself a pretzel.”
“... Can I get the extra cheese too?”
“Of course you can. Eat whatever you like.”
“Yaay! Thank you, thank you!” Tess hugged Sarah’s midsection. Both came up to the counter, to meet a teenager who appeared as if he had failed the twenty-minute hygiene instructional course, who had been allowed to man a station anyway because of lack of recruits who could do better. Thankfully, he was using tongs to distribute pretzels in ornamental wrapping paper reminiscent of the east. Tess asked, very carefully, as if she had taken the frightened teenager by the collar, “Turn this pretzel into the messiah of all gods of cheese. Do you understand?”
“... Not really, but I’ll try my best.”
“Good.”
A few minutes later, Sarah was walking with a rabid wolverine devouring a bubble of cheese with a pretzel at the center of it. Sarah attempted to communicate with it, asking, laughing,
“Do you like it?”
Tess took a moment to chew and swallow her food, before replying, “This is the best night I’ve had in weeks, maybe months.”
“Just for a pretzel?”
“Well. Every night I’m with you is extra special, and the pretzel adds extra specialty onto that. It just seems like.. Well. I’m having a lot of fun. I was scared to come out here, but it’s hard to deny it was a great idea.”
Sarah put her arm around Tess, and hugged her close, even as Tess dove back into her pretzel. They walked forward down a path of lights, before seeing someone on a stool playing a guitar. They were playing a song that was popular at the time, something about beating drug addiction, and Sarah stopped to listen, leaning on a pole supporting a game tent. Tess sat down next to Sarah, and laid her head on a leg. She continued eating while the guitarist continued playing. Sarah stood and nodded her head along with the beat of the music. As soon as the musician was finished, Sarah put a five piece coin in his tin, and inquired, “It’s unusual to wear sunglasses at night. Are you blind?”
“Yeah. I have a weird rare disorder… my eyes didn’t really grow in right, so the doctors had to take them out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but, I understand not being able to have something everybody else takes for granted. Here, feel this.”
Sarah guides the blind man’s arm to her left hand, and directs him to tap it.
There is a loud clanging sound, and one of the fingers is bent out of position just slightly.
“Fucking cheap aluminium... “
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt it-”
“No, you’re fine, it was my stylistic choice. My point is, I understand how it feels, and I want to give you something. Call this number and we’ll see if they have an open docket for a prosthetic eye program. I... uh.. Don’t have it in braille, sorry. Do you have someone who can read it?”
The man took the piece of paper, then turned his head toward Sarah, responding, “Yes, thank you, but- you design prosthetics?”
“Working prosthetics. Admittedly a light receptor might be difficult, but I’m certainly willing to try.”
“You know. I don’t often meet people like you. Thank you for reaching out like this.”
“No problem. Thank you for being strong enough to put music into the world even while you’re hurting.”
By this time, Tess had finished her pretzel, and pridefully exclaimed with cheese at the corners of her mouth, “We thought it would be hard to create a nerve uplink good enough to give you a working arm, but we did that too! A light receptor will be a piece of cake!”
Sarah chuckled, and told the guitarist in a whisper, “She gets really excited about projects like this. If you lose your number, I’m Sarah Hansen from Heartland University.”
“Hansen… you’re a northerner?”
“Yup.”
“And you’re helping someone like me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“... I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, thank you so much for this. If I could see, I could try writing music again- it gets so agitating when you can’t see anything. I gave up before I really tried.”
“I’d be glad to hear whatever you write.”
After Sarah bid the musician adieu, Tess felt a little more open, and looked at every food stand with a glazed love. As she was eating a cinnamon bun Sarah bought her, she caught sight of a scene in front of them. A carnie running a stand was berating a crying little girl, telling her to scram.
Naturally, Tess shoved the girl out of the way to get in the face of the carnie, still with cinnamon bun in her mouth, pieces of which hit the carnie in the face when she yelled, “Hey, leave the kid alone you asshole! Whatever she did to you, I’m sure she didn’t mean it! Where do you get off telling a kid off? Especially one that’s not even your own!”
Sarah came up behind Tess and put a hand on her shoulder, and said, “Don’t forget to chew and swallow. If you keep this up, you’ll choke.”
As Tess followed orders to chew and swallow her food, the carnie asked Sarah, “Hey, why don’t you try controlling your daughter for a split second between the wine coolers lady?”
“She’s not my daught-”
“DID YOU JUST CALL ME HER DAUGHTER?”
“Oh dear..”
“I AM A FULLY GROWN ADULT AND A GRADUATE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY, I’D LIKE TO SEE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA IF YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK TO HER LIKE THAT, OR TO ME LIKE A CHILD!”
“Whoa, cool it pipsqueak.”
“... What game are you running.. Assburger?”
The little girl is still present, possibly out of shock, and Tess is trying her best to restrain her language.
“Ring toss. Why?”
Tess ignores the question, and asks the girl, “Were you trying to win a prize, sweetie?”
“Yeah! I wanted that big Penguin on the top shelf! He’s really hard to get though.. My big brother doesn’t have much to give me for these games, so I can’t really try anymore.”
“Wait here for a second.”
Tess turned back to the carnie, and asked, “How much to play?”
“It’s five piece for three rings.”
Tess looked at Sarah with eyes bigger than the rest of her head, and Sarah smiled and rolled her eyes before giving Tess two five piece coins. Tess put one on the table, and asked, “Three rings please.”
The carnie pulled three multicolored but battered rings out of a bin, and smacked them on the table, taking the coin and letting it disappear somewhere. Tess looked at the rings, took aim, and missed one in the far back. She did a second time, and took her third, jumping over the counter.
“Hey, you can’t be back here! This is for emp-”
Tess laid her last ring flat on the top prize ring hook, and looked at the carnie, whose face may have dropped to the floor in that moment. Tess produced a badge from her pocket, and she remarked, “I think that my fellow officers would be interested to hear about fraud at this carnival, don’t you think?”
“Now wait here, we can work this out, please-”
“Yeah, we can. First of all, you’re going to give back every piece you stole from that little girl.”
“I could expect that.”
“Second, you’re going to give her every prize she wants.”
“... Fine.”
“Third. You’re going to restructure this booth so that it’s possible to win this game, or I’m going to come back with friends, and you’re going to face charges that will result in prison time. And if you have a tight ass now, you’re going to be carefree and happy by the end of that sentence.”
“I’ll restructure the damn game, just don’t turn me in! I can’t afford to go to prison, I already have a record!”
“You’re lucky I’m nice, dipshit.”
Tess hopped back over the counter, and leaned down on her haunches, telling the little girl, “Guess what? You’re getting all your big brother’s money back!”
“Yay! Thank you miss!”
“Oh that’s not all! You also get to pick out as many prizes as you want, they’re all yours! Except one.”
Tess stood up, and turned away from the girl whose eyes had turned into massive sparkles of happiness. She told the carnie, “I want one thing for myself for figuring out your stupid little game.”
“What?”
“I want that medium-sized Armadillo. On the middle shelf.”
“This?”
“Yes, that.”
“Here. Take it.”
The carnie threw the toy to Tess rather roughly, and Tess caught it in two hands. She looked down at its beady little sewn eyes, and held it out Sarah, saying, “I know it was your money, but.. I thought you might like this.”
Sarah stood still, and didn’t say anything. For a moment, Tess was worried she had messed up, but she had remembered Sarah saying something about how much she loved desert animals, surviving even in the most harsh conditions, because it reminded her of the reason she had the will to live after her accident. Tess let her arms fall in a little bit, thinking she may have accidentally brought memories of a bad time back, before looking up at Sarah, ready to apologize. She realized then, however, that the reason that Sarah wasn’t responding was because she was holding back tears. She picked Tess in a hug, complete with the armadillo, and didn’t let her down for a long time. She let her tears come out eventually, and she hugged Tess even tighter when she did. Eventually, when Tess mentioned that she was in a little bit of pain, Sarah let her feet touch the ground, but kept her in a hug. While the little girl was picking toys in the background, Sarah was crying deeply into Tess’s hair. Eventually, she stopped at the approach of a burly stranger who put his hand on the excited girl’s shoulder. She tried to dry up her tears, but failed as Tess handed her the plush toy.
Tess approached the stranger, introduced herself, and told him what had happened. He gave a dirty glare to the carnie, but thanked Tess profusely.
“I don’t get money like this that we can spend indiscriminately often, so it’s nice to know there are still cops around like you who will take down evil fraudsters for the common man.”
“My job doesn’t stop, whether I’m in uniform or out of it.”
“Our community is lucky to have you, officer…”
“Jackie Glenn.”
“Officer Glenn. Thank you. Is there anything I can do to thank you properly?”
“Make sure your sister has the best time possible tonight. Beyond that, look after her. I know you’ll do a great job of it.”
The older brother saluted Tess, and she grabbed Sarah’s hand and walked on. When she had composed herself and gained some distance, Sarah asked, “Wait.. did you tell him your name was Jackie Glenn?”
“Yup, sure did.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s what it says on my fake badge.”
“... Please be careful with things like that. I don’t want you getting in trouble. I don’t know where I’d be without you here with me… where did you get that thing anyway?”
“Reba’s friend Olivia carries basically every forged document you could need.”
Sarah sighed, and hugged Tess, before saying, “I should have known it was Reba. That girl is a walking engine of chaos.”
“She’s a hyper-intelligent engine of chaos though.”
“That’s true. Life wouldn’t be the same without having met her either.”
Tess laughed and pushed her head into Sarah’s shoulder, hanging onto Sarah’s arm and walking forward.
Eventually, someone announced over a decrepit loudspeaker that a fireworks show would start in ten minutes- it was advised that all fairgoers proceed directly to the viewing grounds, and that any drunken collapsed patrons be dragged there to be woken up harshly and hilariously. At that moment, Tess yawned into the wind, and asked Sarah,
“Are you ready to go home? These shows can take a while sometimes.”
“That’s true.. They’re pretty loud and bombastic too. Come on. Let’s go back to my dorm, so your roommate doesn’t bother us.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better suggestion.”
The two proceeded off the grounds, fighting the traffic that was flowing in to see the fireworks. Eventually, the fair was behind them, as was the sound and smells of gunpowder and blinding light. Some of it came to Sarah, making her cringe with every blast. The cringing was only a small jerk initially, but Tess noticed it anyway- she didn’t say anything, but hugged Sarah’s arm tighter. One particularly strong burst brought Sarah to her knees, yelling, covering her ears, crying. She had let go of her toy, letting it collect asphalt dust in the road. Tess made it her first priority to grab the animal, and hugged Sarah with it between them. Eventually, Sarah took one hand off her ear, and put it on Tess. Her tears had stopped, but she still sighed, apologizing,
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You can’t control an anxiety attack, especially one that results from post-traumatic stress.”
“Something stupid like that just means we’re going to have to be out later.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s a natural reaction.”
“Natural reactions are stupid.”
“That may be true, but you also can’t control them, so quit acting like you’re a criminal. You’re a patient. We’ll see if we can’t work on fixing that reaction as much as we can fix your arm.”
“Theresa… I really can’t understate how much you’ve changed my life. Not just medically, or socially, there’s something weird I can’t describe. It has never happened to me before.”
“Well. I’m not an expert, but if I’m not mistaken, I’m feeling the same thing. It’s love, Sarah.”
“... Really? It’s not what I expected.”
“Every love is different. It’s tailored to the people involved. I had a tough time recognizing that this was a love since, you know. You’re nothing like Jacob was. You’re someone I love in the same way, but a different way. Am I making any sense?”
“Not really, but it’s okay. I think I understand the feeling you’re trying to communicate.”
“Good.”
The pair walked in silence for a while- the fireworks had ended.