Page 56 of Four Times Taken

Since he's barely been speaking to me as of late, I obliged him, pairing her outfit with white tennis shoes. He even managed to comb her hair, brushing it back in a low braid, and I had to say, she looked closer to her sixty years now, rather than looking eighty as usual.

"Hey, you're kinda like a gay best friend." I laughed.

He gave me a half smile, reminding me that gender and sexuality had nothing to do with having good taste in clothes and being able to style hair, do makeup, nails, or anything deemed feminine. Then he gave me a look that assured me that while he's dated men, he's still very much bisexual, and I had to spin around from him to hide my blush.

The house was buzzing with activity as I tried to make sure I had everything: extra diapers in case she needed it, thermos bottles filled with cool water if the lines were long, and she's dehydrated. Extra sunscreen to top her up after a few hours, snacks (again if the lines were long), lunch bags packed with her labeled containers of puree food, medications, house keys...wait, where were the house keys?

"Do you have the house keys?" I turned to Eric, who's trying to help me pack but doesn't know where much of anything is, irritating me a little.

"It's right here." He pulled them from his pocket and jingled them before taking me by the shoulders and holding me still. "Relax. Today is supposed to be a fun day, remember?" He smiled. "And we're in no rush. The fair isn't going anywhere. Let me take this..." He reached for the bag, and I launched toward it like he's robbing me or something.

"No! Wait." I grabbed it. "I just... let me just check to make sure I have everything." I muttered to myself again as he left me to it, and I groaned when he walked out the door, making a mental note to apologize to him later.

After checking and rechecking several times, I carried all my bags out. A nurse or caregiver always has bags galore. The guys had already taken my mother and transferred her into the van by the time I got to the door, and I sighed in relief, checking my pockets one last time for my phone.

Damn it, I forgot my phone.

Dropping my bags at the doorway, I ran back into the house to grab it. I tried not to delay any longer, hoping that I'm not leaving anything else. When I got back to the door, I caught Eric carrying all the bags toward the van with ease while I huffed and puffed. I sighed in gratitude, closing the door behind me and when I settled in next to him, I reached for the back of his head and pulled him into me for a kiss.

"What was that for?" he breathed as our lips separated.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch sometimes." I kissed him again, and he groaned.

"You can apologize to me like this anytime." He nuzzled the side of my face.

"Uh, don't forget your mom's in the car," Ethan spoke up from the driver's seat. I looked around to see all of them rigid, and I pulled away a bit abashed.

I could always say, 'No worries, I've seen her do a lot worse,' but that would be uncalled for. We weren't doing anything that vulgar, but I guess it must have been uncomfortable for them. Although Ryan didn't mind watching me a few weeks ago, and they didn't mind hearing about it then.

We sat in that rigid, uncomfortable, awkward silence for the car ride. I thought it was a bad idea to agree to the fair. When we got out of the vehicle, my mood was helped by the possibilities ahead of us. The air buzzed with joy, screaming laughter set the soundtrack for the day, I spotted kids eating pink and blue cotton candy, and my tension eased like that. Clack! The snap of a finger.

As I reached into the vehicle for the bags, Eric rushed over to take them out of my hands. "No, you're going to have fun. Ethan and I will watch over your mother for the next hour, won't we?"

"No, I can't leave you. What if she needs...?" I started.

"What's the worst that can happen in an hour? Besides, I helped pack the bag, I know what meds are for what condition and if there's an emergency, I'll call you, and you can just tell me what to do. Now, go on with Ryan and Matt since he can barely contain himself." He grinned. "Look at him. He's like a little kid."

I looked over at Matt, his eyes wide with wonder.

"What? I'm not," he retorted, his face cracking into a smile too. "Okay, maybe I am. Just a little bit."

"And you and Ryan get on, don't you?" Eric added.

I dropped one brow and struggled to find words to respond. Ryan looked from me to Eric with his eyes wide as if he didn't know what to say either. It's a simple statement, and we're both acting as if we've been caught outright fucking in front of Eric.

"Besides, Ryan's been all grumpy lately. It's like he forgot how to have fun," Eric offered. "Ah, go on, you three." He encouraged when Ryan and I hesitated. Matt was already gone.

Ryan and I looked at each other and with a shrug continued ahead.

Eric

"Come on, Mrs. Thornbread. Let's take in the sights." I strolled with her through the parking lot into the venue, chatting away with Ethan who had a bag over each shoulder. There's another one tucked away underneath Mrs. Thornbread's seat.

The vibrant Ferris wheel that was visible from the road was grander up close. It spun with screaming children as others waited with their parents in line for their turn. There were other fate-testing rides which got even mine and Ethan's adrenaline pumping. Lily overpacked water and snacks; there were so many food options at this state fair that the small town couldn't even put a dent in it.

The air was thick with grease, diabetes, and heart attack foods, like funnel cakes and donuts, turkey legs and burgers, sausages and hot dogs topped with caramelized onions, peppers, and cheese. The songs of live bands playing somewhere in the venue traveled toward us. There's even a one-man band playing a bagpipe. It'It's hard not to smile. Ethan and I were grinning from ear to ear, watching adults tempt death by getting on rides not made to fit them.

"You're never too old to have fun, are you, Mrs. Thornbread?" I teased.

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