This month's story resumes where I left off from my first draft in progress of Growing Older with Phil—in Fair Day you get a glimpse into how our relationship progressed after everything that happened when we took Josh to the zoo.
If you haven't read First Date yet, I suggest you read it first, since it will provide some context for Second Phone Call. You can find it here:
Book Announcement and Story: First Date — Nancy Golden
If you haven’t read Second Phone Call, read that next: Second Phone Call — Nancy Golden
And if you haven’t read If I Had my Druthers and Let Him Be a Boy, which is the last story I shared, then read that next: If I Had my Druthers and Let Him Be a Boy— Nancy Golden
While not strictly necessary, if you have read those in order, you will have the broader context for this month’s story—Enjoy!
Fair Day
So, you must be wondering what happened after Phil said, “If I had my druthers, I’d scoop you up and take you to the JP right now” on our way to the zoo. Seemed awfully sudden, especially after the fiasco of our first date and subsequent letter. The thing is, Phil just knew. I didn’t, but Phil did.
State Fair of Texas, Big Tex; courtesy RJ1988 / pixabay.com
So he proceeded to “court” me. Our next date was to the State Fair of Texas. This time, I took a day off and brought Josh to daycare, so we could spend the day getting to know each other. We walked around the fair grounds holding hands, taking in all of the sights. We went to the car show and admired the old cars on display. Phil bought Josh a bright red toy truck with big tires. Josh still has that truck.
clown carnival; courtesy jadefalcon3 / pixabay.com
After eating our corn dogs, we walked down the midway to the game area, pausing at one that looked like fun; you held a water gun and aimed it at the hole in the center of a target. Above your target was a clown which would move up a pole in response to the water being squirted in the hole. The more accurate you were, the faster the clown would travel until it reached the top.
Unfortunately, I have a very competitive nature. This is not a good thing when dating—it can be rather hard on the male ego. A flashback of when I was a teenager came to mind. We were at Six Flags and my date wanted to win me a stuffed animal. The giant St. Bernard was sitting on a square block. The object of the game was to throw a hula hoop over the St. Bernard, and have it land flat around the block so that the entire hula hoop lay on the ground around the square. It was 50 cents a throw or 3 for a dollar.
My poor date was determined and spent $10 trying to win that dog for me. That was a lot of money in the ‘70s! Sadly, he was unsuccessful. As he turned to go, I dug in my pocket and pulled out a quarter.
“Do you have a quarter,” I asked, batting my eyelashes.
My date gave me a smile and a look that told me he in no way believed I could do it as he handed me a quarter. I paid the waiting game attendant. He handed me a hula hoop, and I stood squarely in front of the St. Bernard, calculating how I wanted to throw it. Finally, I took a breath, let it out, and gently tossed the hula hoop into the air.
The actual St. Bernard / author photo
At this point, you can probably guess what happened, but it’s even worse than you are imagining. That hula hoop landed flawlessly over the St. Bernard and settled onto the ground perfectly encircling that square wooden block. My poor date’s ego was not just bruised from this humiliation in front of the game attendant, it was battered all day with the reminder of my win, since he had to lug that giant dog around the rest of the day for me. A teenage boy is still trying to figure out who he is and wants to win the prize for the girl. He was a very nice guy, but our relationship did not survive the carnage.
Teddy bear / author photo
But I digress… so you can assume that I learned my lesson, but I am sad to report that I am a very slow learner. Phil and I stood side by side holding those water guns as the sun beat down on us. I stayed laser-focused, pulling that trigger and directing that stream with all the skill I could muster. Phil, being a West Texas country boy, knew his way around firearms and I felt certain he had the advantage, but I was determined to give him a run for it. Our clowns moved skyward side by side, and then in a glorious moment, mine inched higher, reaching the top just ahead of Phil’s. Victorious, I claimed my prize, a teddy bear with a heart. I never could get Phil to admit he let me win, and our relationship remained intact despite my victory. That’s another thing I love about Phil—he has good self-esteem and doesn’t mind being beaten by a girl...
After walking around the fairgrounds some more and talking about our dreams for the future, we drove back to Carrollton, picked Josh up from daycare, and headed home. Josh loved his red truck, and I got my first kiss at the door as Phil was leaving. My new teddy bear found a home on my couch. All in all, it was a very good day.