Surprisingly, it didn't take much to convince Jessie to go out. I told her it would be a good idea to go out and do something to keep her mind off of last night and she eagerly agreed. That eagerness to get back into some sort of normalcy showed just how much it had all really effected her. My plan was take her to an amusement park fair I'd heard about not far from campus, which had more than enough distractions. Or at least I hoped it did. We took some time to shower and change and by the time we were ready to go, Jeremy and Samara had decided to go with us. Neither one of them brought up what happened last night and I was extremely grateful.
“What's the point of an amusement park having a fair?” Samara asked from the back seat of my car. “They already have games and stuff.”
“It's a celebrational fair,” Jeremy answered. “I think this year makes twenty five years of them being in business.”
“I can get why they would want to celebrate something like that,” she replied back. “Especially in today's economy. I just think it's a bit redundant to have a fair in an amusement park. They can't possibly have more variety games.”
“No, but they could have more of the same game in different areas,” Jessie said. “Which would give more people an opportunity to play them, not to mention shorter lines.”
“Valid point,” I said.
“Valid point,” Samara imitated. “Seriously, is there anything you two don't agree on?”
“We didn't agree on letting you in the car without tape on your mouth,” Jessie answered with a straight face.
“For clarification, I voted for the tape,” I smiled, amused by Samara's glare.
“Ha, cute,” she said sarcastically.
“You asked,” Jeremy laughed. “You can't be mad at them for answering.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Samara waved off his words. “Are we almost there yet?” I turned into the parking lot and looked for a spot. Two minutes later I found an opening and parked.
“We're here,” I answered.
“Thank God,” Samara sighed and got out of the car. Jessie, Jeremy and I all exchanged a look and shook our heads. Even if I hadn't decided on going to the amusement park, Samara alone could distract Jessie.
* * * * *
Three hours later we had gotten on most of the roller coasters Jessie wanted to, played a few games and somewhere along the way lost Jeremy and Samara. Neither one of us thought about them though and chose to enjoy the alone time it gave us, even if we were in a crowded setting. So far, Jessie didn't seem to lapse into any dark moments and as much as I glanced at her I was sure I would notice. Wanting to keep her in that good mood, I kept us on the constant move from one place to another. We were on our way to the ferris wheel when she suddenly gasped next to me, pulling me to a stop and pointing.
“Carlos, look,” she said eagerly. My first instinct was that it was Michael, but her eager tone didn't match up with that conclusion. When I looked curiously in the direction she pointed, I saw she was looking at one of the game stations.
“What?” I asked.
“Look at the prizes,” she said. “They have a Pikachu!” I looked at the wall behind the game moderator that held some of the prize options. Sure enough, there at the top was a medium sized Pikachu doll. I looked back at Jessie, seeing the longing on her face as she eyes the doll. I suddenly remembered that day last year when I had gotten into a fight with Jared at school, leaving Jessie to watch Cassie. I had gone to her house to get Cassie but ended up staying to watch her Pokémon movie.
“If Pokémon were real, I would want Mew,” Cassie said. “Who would you want Carlos?”
“Hm, probably Charmander,” I answered. “He roars just like I do.” I tickled Cassie and she giggled. “How about you Jessie? Who would you choose?”
“Pikachu without a doubt,” Jessie answered. “He's always been my favorite.”
Watching her now, it was clear that was still true. I smiled and took her hand, pulling her towards the game. “Come on,” I said. When we got there, the player before us walked off disappointedly and I wasn't sure if his loss was an indicator of his skill or the difficulty of the game. “How much is it to play?” I asked the moderator.
“Three dollars for one game and five for two,” she answered. “I suggest you go for the two games though. No one has won anything with just one game.”
“Okay,” I said, pulling a five from my pocket. “What do I have to do to win that Pikachu?”
The moderator looked at the wall behind her and then back at me. “That's in the three goal zone,” she said. “To win that, you have to accomplish three of the four challenges.”
“And what are the challenges?” I asked, looking at the set up.
“Throw a Frisbee through a basketball hoop, a basketball through the hula hoop without toughing the sides,” she said. “Knock down those cans in the pyramid with a golf ball and hit that red mark over there with the tip of the football.” She paused to smile. “And it has to be done within forty- five seconds. I personally think its a little much, but its my job to do what the bosses tell me, so.”
“Okay then,” I said. “Just give me a little to think of a strategy.” When I thought about it, I should have realized that there was a reason this station seemed so empty. The basketball and foot ball challenges seemed easy enough. It was the Frisbee and golf ball ones, plus getting it done under forty- five seconds, that made me think. I didn't doubt those challenges could be done; it was just a matter of how many tries and how long it would take. I decided to play it safe and do those last. “Okay, ready.”
The moderator smiled, confident that I wasn't going to be able to do it probably, and readied her stopwatch as I picked up the football. I figured it was best to start with something I felt confident in. unfortunately, my confidence didn't seem to help me much. On the first try, the basketball and football challenges went fine and though the golf ball didn't knock down all the cans I had managed to get the Frisbee through the hoop. Unfortunately, that took more than one try and by the time I got it through I was one second over time. In the second game, I didn't make it to the Frisbee challenge because the wind blew the hula hoop when I threw the basketball and ended up grazing it. “Come on, the wind messed that one up,” I said. “That can't count.”
“Sorry, but it does,” the moderator shrugged. “Not my rules but I have to follow them. You can try again if you want.” I huffed in frustration as I dug in my pocket for more money, but Jessie put her hand on my arm.
“It's okay, you don't have to,” she said. “Let's just go on the ferris wheel.” She didn't seem upset but when I looked at her I could see a hint of disappointment and I didn't like it. To me, that was too close to the fear and betrayal on her face from this morning.
“We will,” I smiled. “After I win that Pikachu.” I gave the moderator another three dollars and she shook her head at me.
“It's your money,” she said. I picked up the football and she started the stopwatch. And despite the wind that tried to work against me, I won in under the forty- five seconds. “Wow, don't I feel dumb,” the moderator said while taking down the Pikachu and handing it to me. “Well, here you go. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I said to her before turning to Jessie. “Told you I would win it.” Jessie smiled brightly at the doll before looking at me.
“Have I told you today that you're the best boyfriend ever?” she asked.
“Hm, not that I'm aware of,” I said. “I'm pretty sure I would remember that.”
“Well you are,” she laughed. “Even before you won me that doll.”
“For you?” I scoffed jokingly. “Who said it was for you?”
“What?” Jessie said and I shrugged before walking away from the station. “Carlos!” I turned back to Jessie a few feet away and I tried to hold a straight face.
“What?” I asked. “I thought we were going on the ferris wheel.”
“What are you going to do with Pikachu?” she asked, ignoring my comment.
“No idea,” I shrugged. “Why? Do you have an idea for me?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “You could give him to me.”
“Well that hardly seems fair,” I said, unable to hold back my smile. 'I worked hard to win him.”
“Fine,” Jessie said. “How about shared custody?”
“What?”
“Shared custody,” she repeated with a smile of her own. “He can be both of ours.”
“And when do I get him?” I asked, pretending to consider it. As far as I was concerned, he was completely hers. I just liked teasing her a little like he wasn't; something told me she knew that too. She was just going along with the game.
“Whenever you want him,” she answered.
“Well... sounds fair to me,” I said with a shrug and held him out to her. She moved forward to grab him but I pulled him away last second. “Shouldn't I get a prize for winning you one?” At first Jessie looked confused, but then she caught on and laughed.
“Of course, how could I forget,” she said. She moved closer, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
“He's yours now,” I smiled and she laughed, continuing to hold on to me.
“You guys are aware there are children here, right?” Samara's voice came from behind me before she walked around into my view. “Though that would be a cute picture. Don't move.” We didn't move as Samara dug into her bag, though for our own preferences and not her.
“Why can't you just leave them alone?” Jeremy asked, coming up next to her and shaking his head.
“Why can't you stop being a kill- joy?” Samara responded finally pulling out her phone. “Okay, you two keep still.” She took her picture, looked it over and gave her nod of approval. “I'll send you guys it now. By the way, I think there's this booth you guys should go look at now.”
“We were going to go to the ferris wheel,” I replied.
'The ferris wheel will still be there when you're done,” Samara said. “The girl at the booth probably won't be. She said she was going to be closing up soon. So you guys should go now. Trust me, it's perfect for you two.”
“Why do you say that?” Jessie asked.
“Because it is,” Samara answered. “Just trust me.”
“Normally I would try to disagree with her,” Jeremy said. “But she might have a point on this one.” Jessie and I looked at each other curiously before turning back to them.
“What is it?” Jessie asked.
“A booth called Couplets,” Jeremy said.
“I know, I know it sounds corny,” Samara said quickly. “But when we went up to it, I swear it reminded me of you guys. And I mean that in a good way.”
“Okay Samara, just tell us where it is,” I said impatiently.
“Right,”she said pointing. “Go straight down that way. It'll be between the water fountain and the ice cream cart.”
“And now you know why she noticed it,” Jeremy said with a smile. Jessie and I laughed.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Samara said with a glare.
“We're going to go now,” Jessie said quickly, dropping her arms from my neck and taking hold of my hand. “We don't want them to close up before we get there.” Jessie started pulling me in the direction Samara pointed and as we walked, I handled her the doll. She hugged it to her with one arm and smiled at me.
A few minutes later, we got to the booth Jeremy and Samara were talking about. The worker looked bored in her seat as she checked the time on her watch. She realized we were standing in front of her table looking at the bracelets and she quickly got up. “Hi, my name is Abby,” she said, trying to sound friendly. “Are you interested in couplets?”
“What exactly are they?” Jessie asked. So far from what I saw they just looked like a bunch of name bracelets with charms. I couldn't understand why Jeremy and Samara insisted it would be perfect for us.
“Well, are you guys dating?” Abby asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Okay,” she said. “So, obviously these are bracelets, but they're specifically for couples. Hence the name couplets. Basically, each of you wears a bracelet but with your partners initial on it.” She picked up two bracelets and showed us the back. Each one had half a heart of it. “These on the back will have both of your names on it. While you're wearing the bracelets you'll each only have half the name, kind of like those best friend forever necklaces you have in elementary school. The idea is, you both wear the bracelets to have something of the other person at all times. They serve as a reminder that no matter what, you always have someone who cares about you. And, this is what I've been told anyway, its supposed to be a test of true love. If the love of the wearers is true, than nothing can keep them apart and like the magnets in the heart they will always come back together.” As if to emphasize her point the two halves of the heart clipped together. “So are you guys interested?”
I looked at the bracelets in her hand and thought about it. As far as I was concerned, the love Jessie and I had was true; I didn't need a bracelet to tell me that. But even if I didn't need it for that, I didn't see any harm in having something that represented Jessie on my wrist. In the end, it was the look on Jessie's face that made me decide. She was staring at the bracelets in Abby's hands like they held the solution to all of her problems. She must have sensed I was looking at her because she turned to me and smiled, trying to hide what she was thinking. I smiled back before turning to Abby and telling her we were.
Jessie and I picked out two black and blue bracelets before giving Abby our names. We waited as she pressed some buttons on the engraving machine and when she was done I gave her the fifteen dollars for it. I took the bracelets and walked Jessie over to a bench where we sat and I put the bracelet on. “Jess,” I said, waiting for her to look at me before continuing. “You know that even without this bracelet, I'm always here for you right? Nothings ever going to keep me away.”
“I know,” she said, smiling softly. “Why would you ask me that?”
“I just want to make sure,” I replied. “I know that dream you had felt real but I don't want you to doubt me. No matter what, I love you and won't just leave you like that.”
Her breath caught at the mention of the dream and then she breathed out heavily. “I love you too,” she said. “And I know I freaked you out this morning with how I acted and I'm sorry. I have absolutely no reason to ever doubt you, it was just the dream seemed so real and it hurt me and I got confused. But I know it was a dream and that you would never leave me like that. I don't need this bracelet to tell me that you're always going to be there, it's just... Well, I guess it just gives me hope that things will only get better because you're always there for me. You probably think it's a stupid reason, but it comforts me.” She looked down and started tracing the edge of her half of the heart. I turned her face to look back at me.
“I don't think it's a stupid reason,” I said honestly. “Nothing you can say to me is ever stupid.” She smiled more fully this time and I smiled back. “Can you put mine on?” She nodded, took it from my hand and put it on. She put her wrist next to mine, the two heart halves coming together, and she smiled even brighter.
“Promise to never take it off?” she asked, turning back to look at me.
“I do if you do,” I answered.
“Good,” she said. “Because I do.” She leaned in to kiss me and for the first time all day, I was sure that she wasn't worried about that dream or Michael anymore.