I Can't Love You✔

A Bit Batty {6}

"There's the carnival with a crap ton of rides, games, and food." Ollie starts listing the festival activities and glances up at me, probably waiting to see which one tickles my fancy.

As we weave through people, a large crooked sign catches my eye. "Hay Maze" and "Haunted Hayride" are hand-painted onto it with arrows pointing the way.

"Any of those sound fine, though we might want to do rides before we eat. Unless we are wanting to give people a vomit shower."

Ollie tilts her head in thought. "Tempting, but no. So rides first then?"

"Sure."

That puts an extra pep in her step as she pulls me toward the loud carnival music and the giant Ferris wheel that's poking over the crowd, like a hypnotic disc drawing the crowds into its mindless, fun-filled frolics.

When we get to the ticket booth, I pay for two wristbands. The paths to the rides are paved with vendors and games. Carnies call out to us, daring to try our hands at their rigged games.

"Aww." Ollie stops, tugging me back in the process, and coos at a stuffed bat hanging from one of the stalls. "He's so cute."

Her attention makes the attendant smile, probably thinking he's got us. "You can win it for you're pretty lady. You just have to hit nine rats in a row." He nods to the stand that has "Wack-A-Rat" in bold sickly-green written above it.

"How much for the balls?" My gaze drops to the perfectly stacked scruffed-up black balls sitting on the stand.

"Three for five bucks."

"Fifteen bucks!" I glance up at the massive flying rat with goofy vampire teeth. "I could probably buy that for you downtown for twenty, Ollie."

"Yeah, but you won't." She goes to reach for her wallet.

Damn it. This fucking thing is going to end up costing me a fortune.

I grumble under my breath and jerk my wallet out of my back pocket before digging the money out and slapping it on the stand.

The rats were still making the game look easy, but then the carny pushes a button, and the damn things start popping in and out of their holes.

Great.

I focus on one and get its timing down before hurdling the ball at it, knocking it down. One down, eight to go.

Ball after ball flies, each hitting a rat. With each toss, Ollie grows more and more excited, and the carny more frustrated. I'm determined not to spend more than fifteen on the ugly beast. With the last throw, I secure the win with a ping. The metal rat topples over, and the game stops.

"YES!" Ollie springs into the air and wraps her arms around my shoulders. As a reward for my victory, she plants a sweet kiss on my cheeks before turning her head to beam up at the bat.

Reluctantly, the carny pulls the bat down and hands it over to me. "We have a bigger one you can win in an all or noth-"

"No thank you." I quickly cut him off before Ollie gets the notion that she needs a bigger bat.

I place my hand on the small of Ollie's back to usher her away from the carny and his stand as fast as possible.

Ollie beams down at the giant bat and runs her hands over its black and orange checkered belly.

"I take it, you like it?" Seeing her so excited over a silly bat brings a smile to my face.

"I absolutely love him." Her arms wrap around the bat and squishes the stuffing out of it. Her pearly white smile turns up to me. The look on her face makes the fifteen bucks completely worth it.