Page 64 of The County Fair Queen

As soon as he was gone, Preston approached and took the seat Rivers had been filling.

"I'm sorry you're hurting, Phillip."

"Dad…"And then the dam broke. I shattered, coming apart at the end. And when I could no longer hold myself together, my father wrapped an arm around me, and he held me through it.

"I know," he said. "I know, kid."

***

There were three men and three women standing on either side of Rivers and Minnie Sinclair. Rivers was standing at the microphone, having somehow fixed a smile on his face. As he gave his customary speech before the crowning, I clung to his every word. Funnily enough, as soon as the words were out, I couldn't recall a single thing he'd said. It was just an endless chorus of Rivers Rivera.

Minnie's smile was just as wide as Rivers had been when she approached the microphone. There was a small, purple envelope in her hand, and as she drank in the sight of the city, her hot-pink fingernails scratched at the paper. A chant of "Minnie, Minnie, Minnie," echoed out from the onlookers, and she reached for her face, wiping away a tear.

"I've been announcing these winners for dang-near thirty years, and Muscadine Madness still gets the better of me." She scrunched her eyes into slits as she searched the audience. "Phillip, sugar? Are you out there?"

I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. With no crack or crevice for me to fall into, I knelt behind Jordy's miniature frame, praying to remain unseen.

"As you all know, last year's winners, Debbie Kirk and Malcolm Bradley, passed away in a car accident this past spring. In their absence, we've secured another Muscadine Queen to crown this year's winners. Please help me in giving a round of applause for 2001's Muscadine Queen, Phillip Firecracker."

An eruption of applause spread through the crowd, but I remained strong, refusing to budge. Jordan, the anarchist, attempted to move, taking with him my only means of remaining incognito.

He was going to be so fucking fired when this was over.

Thankfully, the grip I had on his hips held tightly, rendering him immobile. Good. I had this. So long as he didn't budge, I was fine.

"Excuse me," Jordan called out, waving his hand in the air like a lunatic. "Miss Minnie? He's over here."

For the second time in my life, through no fault of my own, I channeled my inner Moses, splitting the crowd into two as if I was splitting the sea itself. Resigned to my fate, I rose from the proverbial ashes, holding my hand in the air and giving the crowd a wave. On stage, Rivers chuckled softly. It seemed like a bit of that ice around his heart was finally thawing.

On stage, I moved cautiously, worried one misstep may result in a disastrous round of deja-vu. The last time I was on up there, I'd almost lost my teeth. I didn't care if I had to crawl across, I was leaving that stage with my dignity intact.

"This year, we had a record voting turnout," Minnie said, reading from the slip of paper she pulled from the envelope while I occupied the empty space beside Rivers. Be it instinct or urge, I reached for his hand. He must have seen me coming, because he brought his hands behind his back, out of the line of fire. "Over nine-hundred votes." As usual, Minnie had her thumbs covering the names of the new king and queen, like she wanted to save the surprise for herself. "And it seems we have a landslide election this year. With over seven-hundred and fifty votes, our Muscadine King is…" She lifted her left thumb, and a smile curled up in the corners of her mouth. "Phillip Firecracker."

The crowd went silent.

In the front row, someone dropped a fork, and the sound it made could have been heard from miles away. As I tried to catch my breath, Rivers' hand rested against the small of my back, and he guided me toward the microphone. The only thing goingthrough my head was the revelation that I would be murdering Brenda/Carole when this was over. I didn't know how she did it, but I knew for a fact she was behind this.

"Did you do this?" I barked into the microphone, glaring at her. "I'm not stealing someone's crown for this damn show, Brenda." I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, everyone. We're going to need a minute to recount the votes. Hopefully, my producer hasn't already shredded them."

Brenda/Carole scoffed, dismissing me with the flick of her wrist as she took another hit off her vape. The crowd folded into confusing clusters as they whispered amongst themselves.

"Is he saying they rigged the election?" Eulah Smith asked, less than three feet from the stage. The whispers grew louder. Minnie pushed past me, toward the microphone

"Excuse me," Minnie said, tapping the tip of the microphone. And then, louder. "Excuse me!" The crowd went silent, and the sea of citizens turned their attention to her. "Bernadette, is this your doing?"

Again with this Bernadette person? Who the hell was this mysterious woman?

Brenda/Carole shook her head emphatically, cupping her hands to her mouth and shouting, "I'm ashamed to admit that the thought didn't even cross my mind. It's a damn good idea, though."

"Well, if it wasn't you, then who?" I asked.

"Alright," Minnie said. "Let's try this. Who here voted for Phillip?" In shock, I watched most of the crowd raise their hands. When I turned toward Rivers, my heart cracked in my chest. His was held higher than everyone.. "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a winner. Alright, sugar, get back over here and make your speech."

I stumbled forward, almost tripping on my feet. I won? I actually won?

At the microphone, I stared out at the city, dazed. "I guess a 'thank you' is in order. I'm sorry, I didn't really have anything prepared." My eyes flickered person to person, soaking in the sight of my city. Their expressions weren't hateful like last time I'd won. There were no jeers or hushed laughs. Just a sea of smiling faces. Rivers approached and squeezed my wrist in support.

"When my assistant came to me with the show offer, I told him to turn them down. After last time, I didn't think I'd be able to show my face again," I admitted. Aunt Lurlene and Beau were standing side by side, holding hands. In the distance, Evelyn Foote was glaring at me, but there was the briefest hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth. Hell, even Siobhan Donahue was giving me an appreciative nod. "Twenty years ago, you let me down. It's taken a long time for me to put that night behind me, and even still, there's this little part of me that's always waiting for the other shoe to drop—like someone's going to come along and rip the rug out from under me." Rivers' hand gripped me even tighter, his nails digging into my skin. "When our plane first landed, I was terrified you were all going to shun me, but that didn't happen. Instead, you scooped me up in your arms, and you reminded me of who I am. Of where I come from. Thank you all for reminding me. I needed it."

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