Page 31 of Jolene's Justice

Something was different with Finch, and it was making her nervous. His strange energy was palpable, leaving her with a mix of curious fascination and uneasy apprehension. She was curious about the good news he had received, but he remained tight-lipped. He seemed to relish the sights, sounds, and smells of the festival without a worry in the world. It had an unsettling effect on her, for some reason.

They had arrived at the Firefly Festival a few hours ago. Sunnyvale loved to pick any random event to throw a party, and the impending appearance of the first fireflies of the year was a good enough reason.

The town went all-out. Most of the stores that lined the main drag had set up a booth to sell their wares. Food trucks formed a circle around the large open-air tent where a few dozen picnic tables were set up. The grandstand was alive with performances by bands, both local and from out of town, creating a festive atmosphere. Kids danced with abandon in the open space, while their parents looked on lovingly from the outskirts.

But the largest portion of the fairgrounds was dedicated to the rides. Everyone, from children to grandparents, found the festival rides to be the best part of the event. And that included Finch. He eagerly stood in line to buy their wristbands for the rides, his excitement ridiculously adorable.

They decided to hit the food trucks first. Finch was like a kid in a candy store as he flitted from truck to truck. Jolene laughed as he debated the merits of each item he wanted to try. He chose three distinct things and declared he would return to sample the remaining options later.

Finch suggested sharing his pork shots with Jolene, who had chosen the deep-fried PB&J sandwich, pointing out that she shouldn’t limit herself to just one dish. They found an empty spot at a table with a bunch of teenagers and dug in. Jolene watched in wonder as Finch ate. The way he savored every bite made it seem like it was his first time eating from a food truck.

She shook her head as he arranged the paper baskets overflowing with food in front of him. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she moaned as the flavors erupted on her tongue.

Finch looked over at her plate, longing in his eyes. “Your reaction to that sandwich is making me wish I’d gotten one, too,” he said as he peered into his chicken and macaroni waffle basket. The dish was huge, and he appeared to be at a loss as to how to begin. A large waffle sat like a boat on the bottom, topped with macaroni and cheese and a spicy fried chicken drumstick. The entire thing was coated in honey, adding sweetness to the spiciness.

“Shut up and eat your own food,” Jolene teased, snatching a pork shot. The hollowed-out center of the smoked sausage wrapped in hickory smoked bacon was filled with creamy mac and cheese, complementing its savory flavor when she bit into it. “Oh my God, this is so good.”

In a swift motion, Finch switched from his drumstick to a pork shot, gobbling it up in one bite. The look of pure joy on his face as he bit into the food was priceless. Sticking with the bacon theme, he next bit into his bacon-wrapped corn on the cob. Little did he know the bacon hid jalapeno peppers underneath. She couldn’t hold back her laughter when his face turned red and his eyes watered as he fumbled for his water.

After downing half the bottle, he gasped, “Warn a man next time.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’m going back to my waffle. Seems safer.”

“Aww. You afraid of a little spice?”

The way he shot her that heated look left no doubt that his interpretation of spicy was much hotter than hers. “Depends on what’s being offered and by whom,” he stated, digging his plastic fork into his mac and cheese waffle. Unsure of how to respond, she stayed silent and focused on finishing the last few bites of her sandwich.

“Hey, man. Where’d you get those bacon sausage things?” One of the nearby teenagers asked. Finch pointed the kid in the truck’s direction and struck up a conversation with the rest of the group at their table.

He asked them about which rides they recommended, and they launched into a litany of the pros and cons of each ride. There were the classics, including the carousel and the Ferris wheel. Then there were the more daring ones like the Fireball and the Ring of Fire.

“I loved the Ring of Fire,” a kid with shaggy brown hair claimed.

“Dude, I ate my fucking knees on that ride.”

“Just because you can’t handle some G-forces doesn’t mean shit,” the kid who asked about the pork shots said as he returned to his seat with a basket of them.

“Fuck off,” the surly kid barked. He looked younger than the others and bore a striking resemblance to the pork shots kid. Jolene figured they must be brothers.

“You should try the Ultra Swings,” stated a cute blond girl. She was so petite Jolene worried she didn’t reach the height requirements for that ride. “It’s so high it’s kind of like being a god. You can see the whole area from up there.”

“If I wanted to be like a god, I’d probably choose immortality or the power to smite rather than the ability to see a whole bunch of stuff from up high,” grumbled the younger brother.

Finch burst out into laughter at the kid’s reasoning.

They talked about the Scrambler, which the same kid warned one shouldn’t ride if you’d eaten in the last year. When talk turned to the Inversion ride, which lifted the riders eighty feet in the air, then tossed them upside down, he complained the ride had no regard for a person’s internal organs.

“Derrik, dude! What is wrong with you?” the older brother bemoaned.

Derrik angrily shoved his ball cap back on his head. “Nothin’. I just don’t like the crazy rides.”

“Maybe you should ride the carousel with all the other babies.”

Jolene felt bad for the kid and wanted to step in to stop the teasing, but Finch beat her to it.

“I’ve never gone on a carousel before,” he told the kids, then turned to Derrik. “Let’s go together. It might be a good palate cleanser since we just ate.”

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