The Night at the Festival

I got to the festival late. I had to walk around the lake by myself because we got stuck in traffic coming from the city. I heard the carousal music and as I got closer I saw my crowd, some smoking and drinking others in the bushes. Me? Never been kissed. It was 1958.

There were all kinds of booths with stuffed animals, toys, a kissing booth and a weight guessing machine. I went to the closed tent where you could win knives, serious sling shots and sophisticated water pistols. No one under 17, I was 15 and it was time to grow up. I saw him go in. He was throwing balls at a silver knife. “The coolest one in here, I’d do anything to get it.”He said with his eyes still on the shelf bending his head to the left as though he expected me to respond. “Ah.” I answered. “I mean real silver.” My mouth again said, “Ah.”

I was crazy about Eddie, had been since I first saw him when I was ten and he was twelve skidding on his dirt bike past our bungalow. Now five years later we still spent our summer vacations on this small lake in Brewster.

I had waited for some acknowledgement from Eddie since our first summer. I spent my winters in the Bronx dreaming about him and lying about us being ‘steadies’.

The tent was smoky and humid and my body got crazy just standing next to him. Could he tell? I was the only girl there. The men were talking loud and Eddie kept throwing. They were drinking beer, glancing at me and l felt weird. As I turned to go Eddie grabbed my right hand and held it to his hip. He leaned down into my face, “Hey, try it. I want that knife.” His nodded towards the shelves of weaponry.

”Sure. “ I said as our hands brushed exchanging the ball. If Eddie wanted that knife I would get it for him. “No chances left. Just pay Carl and you keep that ball.” He winked. “It’s a lucky ball I touched it.” In a flash he grabbed it back and with his eyes planted on mine he smiled, kissed the ball and laid it gently in my palm.

He was tall with brown eyes and thick and curly brown hair. The guys called him, "curly like a girl", a name you could survive only if you were handsome, strong and popular. I was 5 feet tall with red hair, and, I was told, nice brown eyes. And, I had a body, like the knife was real silver? I had a real Italian body. Yet, until tonight, Eddie hardly ever spoke to me.

I took my time as I adjusted my sweater, played with the earring, changed my stance and slipped one of my flats off for a second. All of this was a ploy to give me time to silently pray. I hadn’t successfully thrown or caught a ball in my life.

“I knew you’d do it!” cried Eddie as he clapped his hands did a jig and simultaneously grabbed the knife from Carl’s hand. “Thanks you’re great see you around?”

“Wait!” I said in a voice I did not recognize. “Wait” I repeated to Eddie’s back. Eddie was suspended, frozen still, like in the movies. He slowly turned to me.

“Yah? I said thanks see you around.”

“Give it back!” I said quietly smiling. “It’s mine.” My heart was pounding! My jaw clenched.

“No! Ah, come on, you’re kidding right? You got it for me, it’s mine!” His head lunged toward me. Though smiling, his dark eyes were meteorites coming at me. Somehow the knife had found its way into his pants pocket.

“Eddie,” I said playfully but with what my grandma would call assassinino in my heart. “I paid for it and you’ve got to earn it.”

The men roared. They were eyeing Eddie and pointed to me with their beer cans. “Hey, give the girl her knife you little twerp.”

Quickly, shoulders high, body doing the jig Eddie smiled broadly.

“Sure, sure.” He said, as he simultaneously waved to them, handed me the knife then grabbed my elbow.

“Come on Sugar. “ He whispered in my ear. “Gonna show you a good time.”

I allowed him to take my hand as we walked down the hill to the lakeshore. Now two girls: grandma’s assassin with a knife in her pocket and a teenager who wanted to be kissed.

“So what’s your favorite school subject” he asked.

“Music.” I answered. But, my aunts and uncles always asked me that! That was a little girl question!

“What’s yours?”

“Ah, you know, being the captain and all. I’m pretty busy: lots to do. You know, my sister has the same sweater as you. Only she doesn’t keep it buttoned.”

“Oh really?” I said with great enthusiasm. “Where did she buy it?” I was a little girl!

Eddie looked at me and I lowered my head. The sky glowed with glorious colors. Fireworks!

Suddenly he had me tight against a tree. “Eddie, what are you doing?” I was confused. Was it a game?

“I’ll be your boyfriend. That’s what you want? Right?” A burst of white stars hit the sky and lit up his face.

I was scared. “What are you doing? No, stop! You’re hurting me!” I tried to break away. “Are you crazy?”

He twisted my left wrist grinding my knuckles into the tree bark. His chest nailed me to the tree.

“Stop, stop!”

“Everybody says so. Just give it to me.” His left hand groped my right side pocket for the knife.

“Get off me you bastard.”I kicked and kicked him, he briefly fell back, came at me again and I launched the blunt end of the knife into his groin.

It’s in my bottom draw with grandma’s lace collar, dad’s wallet and mom’s broach. I polish it every few years. It really was silver...
Copyright © 2011 by m.m.sugar