The Linnet's Wings | Page 106

WINTER ' FOURTEEN “I don’t talk so good with my teeth gone. Seems like only you, Lonnie, and Andy understand me anymore. Paulie and Molly either can’t or won’t understand me. Where was we on the story telling?” “That nice rich lady just took you to the circus.” “Oh yes... I had waited my whole life to go to the circus and I was so excited. I wanted to see the bearded lady, the fat lady, the pretzel man, the tiny people, the sword swallower, the fire-eater, the trapeze artists, the clowns, the tigers, and the elephants. I wanted to see everything. I wanted to do everything but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t go up to the ticket window and buy a ticket with everybody watching. I was so scared all I could do was walk and get bumped around by all the folks rushing here and there. Finally, I bought some pink cotton candy and I didn’t like it.” “You don’t like cotton candy? I seen it in the picture show and it looks good.” “Too sweet for me. Reminded me of the desert we got in the girl’s home: lots of sugar to cover up the nasty stuff underneath. Anyways I kept walking, just letting the crowd push me along and I ended up in the section where you could play games for prizes. You know, throw baseballs at wooden milk bottle-like things and knock ‘em over. Stuff like that.” “I seen that in the picture show. I seen the circus there too.” “You kids nowadays are too smart ‘cause ya seen it all in the picture show. Without the movies you wouldn’t know nothing.” “What’d you play, Grandma?” “I didn’t play nothing, at least for awhile. I just watched and walked around to see all the games. There was this one game that was crowded and lots of hootin’ and hollarin’ going on. I walked over there and the purtiest man I ever saw was in the stall running the game.” Archie picks his head up and looks Grandma in the eye with a big smile on his face. “I knowed it.” Grandma pushes his head back down. “Hush. It ain’t what ya think. This man was not only handsome but he had a way about him that had everybody wantin' to listen to him. And he talked. Oh how he talked. He talked a mile a minute, calling out to folks that was hanging back, telling them to come over and throw a ring around some purty little doll. He even give away free throws just to get ‘em started.” Grandma looks at the ceiling with tears in her eyes and a far away look on her face. “Then he said sumthin’ I will never forget. He said, if any of you young bucks are feeling frisky come out back with me after I finish here. I’ll give any man that can whip me in the boxing ring twenty dollars. Hell, you don’t have to whip me. I’ll give twenty dollars to the man that can last three rounds with me.” Grandma uses a hanky to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. “I looked around and none of the fellers looked like they wanted to go for the money. There was two big men standing next to me. One of ‘em told the other, Don’t tangle with him; he’s a pro. I didn’t know what that meant but I figgered it was sumthin’ mighty powerful because they was bigger than him.” “Then that circus man turned and looked right at me. He pointed his finger and said, That pretty little lady right there. Come on up here and try your hand at winning a prize. Don’t be shy. I’ll let you play for free until you get the hang of it.” “Nobody called me pretty before. I tried to get away but the crowd pushed me right up front. I was shaking so bad that I couldn’t come close to those dolls. He took hold of me and I quit shaking. I throwed a few and I was comin’ close so he started charging me. I used all my money up and didn’t win nothing. He said, I can’t let this pretty little lady go away empty handed. Choose a doll, any doll on the shelf. I The Linnet's Wings