Standing in the saloon with a clip board in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other, I made up some story about how Don was going to have to work “80 hours a week from now on because we so short-handed”. Not even thinking about how that sounded to Don, but we were always shorthanded. Don said it would be no problem. He was looking at me hopefully, like he thought I was trying to spend more time with him. I felt a little guilty for saying that. I truly was just making conversation hoping this sexy guy would notice me.
I walked out of the Saloon’s double doors saying, “Too bad they don’t let you guys have over-time.”
Once I was back out on the board walk, it was back to business. I was power walking back up to the front to get more prizes for the shooting gallery in the back. My employees always told me that it didn’t even look like I was stepping, I walked so fast that it looked like I was gliding. I walked past Jon at the kiddie-carts. Kids pedaled, what looked like one car trains, with their hands around a mini rail-road track.
Jon was one of the nicest kids I ever met, but he was super hyper. Always. He told me he had ADHD, but I don’t think that accounts for all the pent up energy.
“POCAHONTAS!!! Where are you going?!” He bellowed.
“Hahaha just grabbing some more prizes.”
He called me Pocahontas because I alternated between cowboy boots and these mahogany brown boots that had fringe down the sides, apparently like the Indian princess. And boy, did he love to shout it from across the park.
I kept speed-walking up to the main building. I always carried my phone with me so the employees could contact me faster if something happened. Today all the girls were texting back and forth about this sexy, sexy guy. One of the pony girls in particular was really riled up, I was reading her text that said, “Give me one of him, an empty room and I could think of lots of things to do with him.” Just as I was chuckling I heard someone call my name in that horrible sing-song, fake voice I hated.
It was the evil granddaughter. “Do you have the schedule figured out for next week yet?”
Of course I do, I only make it two weeks in advance every week. “Yeah it’s posted in the break room.”
“Do you have enough help?” Behind her eyes I could tell she was waiting for me to say no, so that she could run to Daddy and tell him what a horrible job I was doing.
“Do you?!?!” I thought sarcastically.
She was supposed to be managing 5 days a week, while I was in the show, but she was constantly asking me to cover for her so it turned into me working 5 to 6 days a week while she worked 1, 2 if she felt like it. Especially now that she had met George, she was keen on calling in. George was some guy she went to high school with that she re-met at a bar. And now they’re “in love”. I would believe it more if she didn’t still throw herself at every guy in sight.
“Yeah I’m good.” Not actually true, but I’d rather work three stations by myself than let her know that. “Awesome! We should totally hang out sometime!” Over my dead body. “Yeah that would be cool.” I took to answering but never actually making plans, it worked out best.
She went skipping off to lay on the stunt mats in the show arena with my ex, no doubt. She’s the type of person who will be super nice to your face and be wielding an ax to your back when you turn around. The worst part was that she saw nothing wrong with this, and felt like you shouldn’t either. I shuddered. That was one girl who had being two-faced down to a science. She didn’t even skip a beat between grilling me on the schedule and telling me would should hang out, and she did it all with her fake smile and her fake sing-song voice.
About an hour later I ran in Don and sexy Derek in the ice cream parlor. This time Derek asked me for an application, which I got. Now I was getting excited, I might see this guy more often, although I honestly didn’t know why I was excited. I don’t even go for blondes. The ex was an artsy emo type, with dark hair. The ex was about 6’, wore skinny jeans and weighed a whopping 165lbs, still slightly muscular but mostly skinny. Derek, on the other hand, weighed at least 180, was about 5’ 10” and looked like he could break the ex in half, but maybe that was some of his appeal.
I got two days off a week. He happened to start while I was gone, then he was gone when I got back. I had all but forgotten about him when I saw him again. I stuck him on an easy station and at the end of the day I had hardly talked to him, my job was very intense and I was always busy. He was putting his station away which requires closing up the doors of the carnival game. I accidentally walked in on him with his hand in his pants.
I thought this was hilarious. "Couldn't wait til you got home?"
He looked up at me, his face turned a little pink, and he said defensively, "I'm just tucking my shirt in!"
"You need your hand in your pants for that?" and the game went on.
Flash forward to the next day, still hadn't really talked to him, he was putting away a different station and again I caught him with his hand in his pants. Back to our game, it was a riot.
During this time my inseparable guy friend was leaving for college. I went to his going away party, at which he tried to ask me to be his girlfriend. I say tried because I saw it coming from a mile away. He walked me to my car and asked me if he could ask me something. Panic seeped into my veins as I said no.
He was confused and I said I'm sorry I'll miss you while you’re gone while staring intently at the ground with my back to him. I couldn't bear the thought of losing his friendship. I was being selfish, and I knew it. I hopped in my car and shut the door without even looking at him.
I knew inseparable guy friend so well but still I just couldn’t make myself feel that way about him. I tried, I kept thinking I should at least give him a chance, but I just wasn’t attracted to him like that. I have no idea why. I could talk to him for hours, but he was just a friend.
Fighting back tears, I left and we kept in contact by texting never mentioning that night. A couple weeks later, I eventually broke down and told him I just couldn't date him, or anyone for that matter. I said I just felt like I didn’t have anything left to give, which was true, but it wasn’t the entire reason why I didn’t want to date him. I didn't want to hurt him by saying outright that I didn't feel that way about him, but I wish I would have.
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