Photo by Nat Lam
The Ferris Wheel
10-Word Challenge Winner 2020
We met at the local fireman’s carnival seven years ago. I was sitting on a bench eating funnel cake, sharing a few pieces with a squirrel hovering nearby. You were at the dunk tank trying to knock some arrogant kid in. One of the balls bounced off of the target and rolled over towards me. You came over to retrieve it and smiled at me with a lopsided smile.
“Do you want to try?” you asked, holding the ball out to me.
I shook my head. “I don’t really have a good pitching arm,” I said. You smiled again and walked back to the dunk tank. This time, your aim was dead on and the kid who was taunting you was knocked in. Everyone cheered as the carny handed you a stuffed purple teddy bear. You walked back over and offered it to me.
“Thank you,” I said in surprise.
You asked if I’d like to go on the Ferris wheel. I said yes, even though I’m afraid of heights, your smile giving me amnesia. We talked as we rode around. You went to the town’s other high school and hoped to become a microbiologist when you grew up. I was on the student council and wanted to be a teacher. At the end of the night, we took a picture in front of the Ferris wheel and you asked for my phone number. You didn’t need to persuade me to give it to you. I had been hoping all night you’d ask.
We spent just about every day of the summer together and talked for hours on the phone on the days we didn’t. By the time our senior year started, we were in love.
The fall semester seemed to fly by as we took our SATs and applied to college. You were hoping to get into our state’s top research university, and I applied to the teaching program at the college the next town over. When I received my acceptance letter, you came over to decorate my room. When you received yours, I baked you a cake. We talked about our future and how we would only be 12 miles from one another. We had it all planned.
Soon, the fall turned to spring and our parents were taking pictures of us before prom. You decided to wear a black, pinstripe suit and silk tie while I wore a gold, strapless gown. You told me I looked beautiful as you put on my corsage and I thanked you with a kiss. We spent the night laughing and dancing in each other’s arms.
Before we knew it, we graduated and moved to our respective colleges. But college kept us busier than we expected. You had to spend most of your time in the lab and I needed to do classroom observations.
“I’ll call you tomorrow when things are calmer,” you’d text, but things never became calmer and soon we ended up drifting apart.
Years have passed, but I never forgot about you. Now, I am at that same fireman’s carnival sharing a funnel cake with my little cousin. We hear a cheer and I look up and see someone has fallen in the dunk tank. The winner collects his prize and turns around. I am startled to see that it is you. You meet my eye and walk over toward us and offer that same purple teddy bear to her. She jumps in excitement, thanks you, and runs over to show her mom.
We look at each other for a moment.
“Would you like to ride the Ferris wheel?” I ask.
You give me that lopsided smile and tell me you’d love to.
After the ride is over, you ask if I’d like to take a picture in front of it.
You move close to me, putting your left arm around me as you reach your phone out with your right arm to take the picture. I watch as you crop out the people on either side so it is just us and the Ferris wheel. You pull up my name on your phone and text me the picture. I would say I am surprised that you still have my number, but I still have yours as well which you notice immediately.
“Can I call you tomorrow?” you ask.
“I would love that,” I say.
We smile at each other and look up at the Ferris wheel, silently thanking it for giving us a second chance.
The Author
A Jersey girl born and raised, Kathleen Kempert left the Garden State to attend college in Maryland and never looked back. She holds a Master of Science degree in Professional Writing from Towson University and currently teaches college English. When she isn't doing "teacher stuff," she likes to spend her time reading, writing, hiking, and spending time with her family. She has been published in The Dewdrop, Unlimited Literature, Lockdown BabyBabble, The Writers Club, Literary Yard, and Down in the Dirt.
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