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.