Wilson inhaled deeply into his aged lungs, the scent of cotton candy mingling with that of hot dogs, and it was beautiful. The air was thick with noise- kids yelling in delight, the mechanical rattle of the rides, the bells and ringers of the games, and even live music, provided courtesy of the Town Volunteer Musician Corps. He looked around, his eyes sponges, soaking in everything. Not a detail went unnoticed, and the old man filed it all away in his memory.
He took his rugged derby hat in his hands, for a moment, pausing in the tumultuous crowd of bodies. They flowed around him as he watched and ran a hand through his thinning grey hair. He replaced his hat, and then put his hands in the pockets of his sports jacket, wanted to shelter them from the oncoming chill of night. It was summer, but it seemed that when the sun went down, it got cold no matter what season it was. Or, maybe, he was just getting old.
He didn't like it, but he knew it was probably true. But he could deal with a little cold, though, people had for thousands of years. Additionally, he decided, he would have the aid of a hot chocolate. He ambled over to the drink stand, avoiding the running, yelling children. He stood in line, watching the Ferris wheel spin as he waited to step forward. The Ferris wheel halted; its riders disembarking in pairs. He gazed at the young couples, happily staring into each others eyes, dazed in love, and smiled. He remembered when he was the same way, and how much fun it was. For a moment, he wondered if he should be jealous, or nostalgic, if he should desire to be young like that again. He decided he didn't miss it.
However, he did miss the closeness it entailed. Not the intimacy of relationships, just the closeness of human contact. He'd noticed that as he got older, especially since his retirement, he felt increasingly isolated from the world. He didn't have anything to do anymore, and he didn't have much family to begin with, and presently he wasn't sure he had anyone left.

A gentle nudge at his back let him know it was time to take another step, so he did. The mass of people in front of him had apparently been a single group, and as such, he found himself at the front of the line. "A hot chocolate, please." Wilson recognized the attendant as Steve Jaeger's son, but he wasn't sure if the recognition was mutual. He riffled through his wallet for the right change, irritated that he had to squint to tell the bills apart, and when Jaeger's boy came back, he held it out to him.
"Nah, keep it. It's on the house, old man." Wilson paused, then smiled and nodded in thanks. He would have shown more appreciation, but he still wasn't sure if the boy recognized him; and if he hadn't, that meant he'd given him a free drink out of pity, and that irritated Wilson. He slowly brought the cup to his lips, checking the temperature with the tip of his tongue. It was on the hot side, but not scalding, so he drank deeply. It warmed him from his core to his numbing extremities, and he smiled.
Wilson walked over by the carousel, music floating through the air. He placed his paper cup on the ground and withdrew a cigar and match from his inner coat pocket. He bit off the end of the cigar and held it in his lips. He slowly bent over, back stiff, and picked up the hot chocolate with his left hand. He ignited the match in his right with his thumb, holding it to the end of the cigar. Again, he breathed deeply, relishing the flavor. He watched a young little boy on the merry-go round stare longingly at a girl nearby. It was a stare that a boy at his age only made when sure they were unobserved; for at that age, cooties were still rampant. He blew out a puff of smoke, amusedly watching it hang on the cool night air. A violent coughing fit interrupted his contentment, the cigar falling from his lips as he doubled over, attempting to catch his breath.
Shaking his head, he sighed, ground out the cigar with his heel, picked it up, dusted it off, and then placed it back in his pocket. A bell rung loudly behind him as someone hit the jackpot on a hammer-based strength test.