Albie

They lovingly sauntered down the midway, soaking in the atmosphere. And they did so, locked hand-in-hand, as they had done so many times before. The lights and sounds from the carnival games glowed in Albert’s eyes which made Elaine’s heart flutter as she gazed into them. He was wearing his favorite navy blue sportscoat with brown elbow patches and she was wearing her beloved pink dress that swayed with every step. The smell of popcorn lingered in the air, reminding Elaine of their first outing, the movie theater, the first time they could be alone. That felt like so long ago. By now, they were both enthralled with each other and spent most of their time together, happily hand-in-hand.

The humid air of the late summer wrapped them in a comforting warmth which rivalled the emotions inside of Elaine. She had been excited to go to the fair since she found out she was going earlier in the week with Albert. Elaine had planned out their day, what foods she wanted to eat or not to eat, the rides she wanted to go on and what carnival games she wanted to play. She had most of the evening plotted except for the Ferris wheel. She had seen in movies and TV what happened atop the Ferris wheel and she wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for any of that yet. Or if Albert even liked her that way. So, when the day came, she had to fight off some lasting nerves just to enjoy herself. She hoped Albert wouldn’t feel her tension. That’d spoil the night even before it started.

“Oh, funnel cakes!” She pointed at a brightly lit white cart that sat under the roller coaster. “Can we get one, Albie?” She knew he wasn’t fond of the nickname she’d given him, but Elaine found it cute and found him even cuter when she felt he wanted to get mad about it.

They sat on a bench near the end of the haunted house ride and shared one of the deep-fried treats. Elaine fed a few bites to Albert who got more on him than in him. She laughed at the powdered mess on his face as they watched buggies full of people exit the doorway to flashing lights and fog in screams of terror. Albert loved being scared, Elaine, not so much. But being with Albert helped.

“Maybe later,” she said to Albert, “Maybe we can try the haunted house ride. I need to hype myself up for that.” She held Albert tighter. “Will you keep me safe, Albie?”

The smile on his face hardly hid his attempt at lying.

They stood up and Elaine ushered them towards the petting zoo.

“Joke all you want, but I know you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.” Skipping joyously as she made her statement, knowing she was right. Albert followed, keeping pace with her jaunt, letting her have her fun.

The smell of barn animals wasn’t too appealing to Elaine, but the idea of seeing a pony up close was. She had long since been fond of horses since watching Black Beauty years ago but the city didn’t give her many opportunities to experience one up close. Albert stood beside her as the trainer allowed Elaine to feed one of the ponies some hay. The dark horse’s mouth curled around Elaines tiny hands as it inhaled its treat. She laughed. “That’s tickles,” she stammered between chuckles, her smile lighting up Alberts face. The man even let her pet the gorgeous animal.

“His name is Blackjack,” said the trainer. “And he’s all aces.” He smirked at the joke he’d made a thousand times. Elaine, however, didn’t hear him, she was already stroking the bridge of the horse’s long nose contently. It sneezed and she winced. But it didn’t take away from her enjoyment.

Elaine’s nerves were a distant memory.

“Would you like to ride him?” Elaine looked at the handler in nearly the same way she looked at Albert. It was a question she had been hoping for but didn’t expect to get.

She turned to lock eyes with Albert who was huddled at her side. “Can I?” He didn’t need to say anything. Who was he to tell her no?

She left Albert leaning against the wooden pole that lined the circumference of the pen, silent as usual. She stepped into the arena, her kitten heels sinking into the dirt below, and walked towards the trainer. The man bent down and grabbed her at the waist. “Are you ready?” She smiled and nodded. In an instant, she was atop the leather saddle looking down on the trainer and over at Albert who couldn’t stop staring at her. The large animal’s muscular frame flexed beneath her legs as the man guided the horse around the grounds’, Elaine swayed rhythmically with every trot. She was living her fantasy.

Just as quickly as he placed her on, the trainer helped her off the saddle. Elaine nearly collapsed with excitement. She rushed over to Albert to share her enthusiasm. “Didja see, didja? I was on a horse! And Blackjack loved me!” She grabbed Albert and hugged him. “Oh, Albie, this is such a wonderful night!” She felt the warmth from his embrace as his hands were wrapped around her neck. It really was a perfect night.

They made their way back to the midway. Elaine walked with a gait pretending she was a cowgirl while she pulled out the bandana from Albert’s suit pocket, tied it around his face and tussled his hair like an outlaw. She pretended to have a gun and added a rasp to her voice. “This issa warn’n’, Berttie the Kid, if you don’ stop robbing trains, ‘ere’ll be heck to pay.” Albert stood defiant. “That does it!” Elaine made gun shot noises with her mouth and snapped her thumb to her palm as Albert jolted back with every shot. He lay motionless on the ground and she fell next to him, laughing. They both looked up to see the stars, another view they rarely got in the city.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Elaine said, turning her head to Albert who was still stargazing. “Hey! I have an idea! twisting her whole body to Albert and putting her hand on his chest, jerking him out of contemplation. “Let’s go to the Ferris wheel, I bet the stars look great from up there,” she nervously said, pointing to the giant circular beacon that lit up the skyline of the carnival.

They eagerly approached the gate and the tall operator in the customary striped uniform took their tickets and let them in. They both sat down on the seat and buckled themselves in. “Please do not rock at any point during the ride.” The man told the duo in a monotonous tone.

Elaine, oblivious to the instructions, questioned “can you stop it at the top?”

The carnie, being asked that several times a day, rolled his eyes, “of course.” He closed the hatch, locked them in and ensured they were fully safe before walking back to the controls.

Already high on adrenaline, Elaine couldn’t contain her excitement and every appendage on her body jittered with glee. Albert, on the other hand, had one fear: heights. He remained calm and barely moved as the ground quickly fell from beneath them. But he was there for Elaine.

“I can see our car from here!” Elaine said as the ride lifted them into the air. “And look,” she pointed to a tent in the distance, “there’s Blackjack!” Albert tilted his head cautiously, his smile jagged on his face, the color leaving his facade as the lights from the amusements retreated from their surroundings.

The seat stopped with a sudden creak. It shifted briefly as the momentum caught up to the abrupt breaking. Elaine sat back and looked at the horizon. The multicolored celebration hung just below her line of sight while the dotted skyline lit up her main vision. A cosmic blend of joy and nature. She was at peace. She had finally made it to the top of the Ferris wheel. Even Albert appeared to be warming up to the situation.

Elaine was awestruck, “Isn’t it stunning?”

She shifted to look at him. The glimmer from the stars made his eyes glisten as they stared at each other. Her heart quivered and he was speechless. She shifted the seat casually as she leaned into him, their eyes never losing focus. Mirroring her motions, he began to scoot nearer to her, inching closer and closer. She reached for him, pulling him that much closer to her puckered lips, when he slipped.

Elaine gasped and her body convulsed in shock. She tried leaning forward to reach for Albert as he fell, rocking the cart. The operator quickly yelled from below. “Sit back! I’ll get you down soon!” Each thud of the bars stabbed her heart as she imagined what Albert was going through. As the cart began to move, she cried.

Once again, the cart stopped, this time at ground level and the man quickly let Elaine off of the ride. She frantically unhooked the belt and looked around for Albert. He was laying just under the Ferris wheel but before she could dive down to get him, the man grabbed her by the waist. “I can’t let you go down there.” He wrestled her towards the exit. “Wait there, I’ll get him for you.” Elaine closed the exit gate; her tears had evolved into wails and she couldn’t contain herself. She watched through hazy eyes as the man grabbed Albert from under his arms and brought him up to the platform. Elaine could see he was dirty and his clothes were ripped, but not much else.

She held him in her arms and laid him down on the grass near the end of the walkway, showering him with tears. It appeared as though his limbs had been broken by the fall and half of his face mangled as it was dragged under one of the empty carts. He was silent. She was far from it.

Just then a few hands grabbed her shoulder. “Honey, are you okay?” She recognized the voice. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

She caught her breath just long enough between tears to respond. “It’s Albie, mommy, I think he’s dead.”

“Oh, honey, not Albie.” Her father joined her mother in condolences. He knew how much it meant to her. Without fully thinking, he continued, “Maybe we can get a new doll tomorrow, I can pick one up from my way home from work.”

Elaine cried even louder.

“Damnit, John.” Elaine’s mother hit her father on the shoulder as he shrugged, not sure of what he’d said wrong.

Elaine lovingly stared into Albert’s undamaged eye. The stars gleamed in it and back at her. Although dreadful, it brought some peace to her broken heart as she caressed him in their final moments together, hand-in-hand.