Free Fluke by David Elliott, Bart Hopkins Page B

us.
    “Want a soda, Adam?” she’d ask me.
    “Sure,” I’d respond.
    “And how about you, Flukey ?”
    It was silly, and it was fun.   Most of the rides had stopped running, and only a small fraction of the flashing lights were still flashing by the time we left.   When we got into her car, she actually buckled the teddy bear in the back seat.
    “Don’t want Flukey to get hurt,” she laughed.   I couldn’t help it when I was with her, I laughed raucously, not unlike a hyena.   We left the carnival with Sara driving, me riding shotgun, and Flukey chilling in the back seat.
    “Maybe I should get him a car seat?” Sara wondered aloud as we left the carnival.
    The moon was bright that night, a big shiny disc in the sky, with its companion reflection wrinkled and shimmering on the water’s surface.   We stopped about fifteen feet from the edge of the water, and I closed my eyes.
    “This is what makes life worth living, Sara,” I told her, tilting my head back, sucking the salty air in through my nose, filling my lungs.   I wiggled my toes in the sand, trying to cover my feet with the cool, slightly moist grains, listening to the slight grinding sound as my feet dug in.
    “It’s so beautiful,” she commented, and her hand tightened its grip on mine.   I had found the perfect person to take to the beach with me at night, during the day, anytime.
    We sat down, and she leaned against my side, my left arm wrapped around her.   We felt like a perfect fit, sitting like this, and I felt like I wanted to say something thoughtful.   I wanted to commemorate the moment, but the words jumbled in my head, and I ended up saying nothing.
    Neither one of us said anything for several minutes.   We just sat quietly, occasionally adjusting our positions in order to get closer.   The song “Enjoy the Silence” started playing faintly in my head.
    As if reading my mind, Sara sang quietly, “All I ever wanted…all I ever needed…is here, in my arms,” and this woman once again blew me away.  
    I added the next line from the song, in my warbled baritone, “Words are very un-necessary.” She looked up from my shoulder and smiled, and the connection between us grew tighter and more unreal that very second.
    She moved in front of me and sat with her back to my chest, her legs lying over mine, spread in the sand.   I wrapped my arms around her waist, my biceps resting against the side of her breasts, and she spoke.
    “You know, that girl at the fair likes you.” She said it nonchalantly, and I fought to not tense up.
    “You mean, uh, Heather,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant myself.   I had an inexplicable feeling of guilt creeping up in me, though I had done nothing wrong.
    “You know what I’m talking about, Adam.   Did you see the way she looked at you when I touched you?”
    “I didn’t really notice,” I fibbed.   “What makes you think she likes me?”
    “I told you earlier tonight.   I’m a woman,” she said, turning her head up to face me.   She smiled and elaborated, “We can change our mind when we want, and we can see right through other women.”
    “Well, I guess I’m just a dumb guy, because I didn’t get that feeling at all,” I said.   I hoped I wasn’t digging some kind of hole for myself.
    “Whatever.   She was jealous of me, trust me.   She wanted to be the one that grabbed that cotton candy off of your face,” she said, and I didn’t respond.   The sound of small waves breaking filled the silence.
    After a few moments she spoke again.   “Do you think she’s pretty?” she asked.
    As soon as the question ended, I felt my guts tighten up.   Oh, man, how do I answer this?
    By being honest, Adam-boy.   That’s how you answer this.
    “Yeah, she’s attractive,” I said.   There, it was out.   Time to prepare defenses.
    “I thought so too,” she agreed, and I eased a little bit.   “Would you go out with her if you didn’t have me?”
    “I don’t know,