"You don't have to do that, I have money," the stripper protested, reaching into her pocket.

"You got the beer. Let me get this game, okay?"

Crystal hesitated for a moment before nodding and sitting on the nearest stool. Laura smiled and after brushing the seat off with her hand, sat down on the stool next to her, holding the money out for the attendant. The teenaged girl took the money and pressed something behind the stand with her foot.

"Shoot only at the targets. No leaning. First one to the top gets choice of the bottom row. Upgrades allowed only with prizes won at this game." The girl said the words over and over as she moved down the row collecting money. "When the bell sounds, aim for the center of the clown's mouth. Good luck."

Brrringgg. Laura managed to get an early jump as Crystal took precious seconds getting her aim corrected. The cars moved up the poles, the blue one ahead of the red. Higher and higher they went until the bell sounded again. The numbered globe above Laura's car flashed rapidly, announcing her as the winner.

"Congrats," Crystal said as she put her water gun back in its holster. The teen walked down and stood in front of Laura. "Anything on the bottom shelf."

The bottom shelf consisted of small plastic trolls with a rainbow of hair colors. "The green one," she decided. Taking her prize and stuffing it into her fanny pack, Laura walked away from the game, Crystal right beside her. "Now what would you like you do?" she asked, stopping to finish the beer that was getting decidedly warmer as time passed.

"Have you ever been on the Pirate Ship ride?" she asked, pointing at the longboat shaped ride swinging like a pendulum. "No."

"You want to try it?"

"I dunno." Crystal gave a familiar shrug and looked at the ticket booth. "What does it cost to go on a ride?"

Laura reached over and hooked her finger under the green plastic wristband on the younger woman's arm. "Nothing. All the rides are free with the bracelets."

"Oh." Crystal stared at the large ride for a moment. "Have you been on it before?"

"Years ago. Jenny and I used to sit as close to the end of the boat as we could. It's more fun that way. Look, the line isn't that long."

"I haven't been on any of these kind of things since I was in the fifth grade and went on a school field trip." She continued to look at the ride, listening to the happy screams of the participants as the longboat rocked back and forth, going almost vertical before going one hundred eighty degrees in the other direction.

"It's really very safe. And fun," Laura added. "I'll tell you what. Go on the Pirate Ship with me and I promise to go on any ride you want." "Can we sit towards the middle? It doesn't go up as high."

"If that's what it takes to get you to go on it with me." The ship ride continued to swing, although it was slower now and not going as high, signaling the end of the ride. Looking at the line, the writer realized if they hurried they might even make it with the next load of riders. She reached out and grabbed Crystal's wrist. "Come on, it'll be fun." I'll get you to sit at one of the ends next time, she thought to herself as they stood at the end of the line.

They were too far back to get on the ride this time but being close to the front of the line still had its advantages. At this closeness, the sound of the motors and the screams of the riders were all encompassing, making conversation almost impossible. Deciding the rail was much too filthy to lean against, Laura stood and divided her time between watching the ride and watching Crystal watch the ride. She found it hard to reconcile the pot smoking, beer guzzling, tough-as-nails person with the woman staring a bit fearfully at the thrill ride. Then it hit her. She hasn't been to a place like this since she was in fifth grade. That'd make her what, about ten or so? She probably couldn't even go on something like this back then. No wonder she's scared. Maybe we should start out on something easier, like the tilt-a-whirl. She gently nudged Crystal's shoulder. "If you want to go do something else and come back to this later, it's okay."

"No, we're going to be on the next ride. As long as you don't make me sit on the ends, I think I'll be okay." Despite her bravado, Crystal's words still came out sounding nervous. Without thought Laura reached over and lightly patted her roommate's back.

"I'll be right there next to you. I promise it'll be fun."

The ride came to a stop and the people exited. After a quick cursory inspection of the seats and restraint bars, the greasy haired attendant threw his cigarette on the ground and opened the entrance gate. "Secure any loose items. Keep your hands and legs inside the ride at all times." The line moved forward and up the steps to the loading level. Laura followed Crystal to the seat closest to the center of the ship, jostled by teenagers trying to get to the coveted back seats. Crystal slid in first, moving across the padded bench seat to make room for Laura.

"There's no seat belts," the nervous blonde pointed out.

"No need." She pointed at the metal bar currently in the raised position. "Before the ride starts they'll lower the bar. That'll be enough to keep us in our seats."

Crystal reached out and touched the thick black pad surrounding the safety bar. "I don't know about this."

Laura scooted closer, their hips almost touching. "Trust me, this will be fun."

"I'm not a wimp," she said, fastening the button on her shirt pocket to keep her cigarettes in place. "When I was little I went on the scrambler and the kiddy roller coasters. They were fun."

"Well now just think how much fun it will be on the bigger rides," the writer countered. A resounding series of clicks were heard as the safety bars were lowered into place. "Ah, here we go. It's almost time."

"Hey, I can still move around behind this bar," Crystal said. "It doesn't hold me tight."

"It's not supposed to." Laura reached over and patted the hand gripped tightly around the padded bar. "Please Crystal. Trust me on this, okay?" "I do trust you. I just don't trust this ride."

But it was too late for protests as the ship started moving. "Here we go," Laura said, casually resting her wrists on the safety bar. The longboat was suspended by support beams on each end connected to an axis thirty feet in air above the center of the ride. An engine hidden beneath the ride powered a rotating tire that moved along the bottom of the ship to give the ride its momentum.

"Oh God," Crystal said as the ride gained speed, moving back and forth raising up in a gradually increasing arc. The wind blew her hair back and forth, momentarily blocking Laura's view of her friend's face.

"Hang on, it's going to go higher," she said with a smile. On the next swing, the longboat shaped ride went even higher, causing their stomachs to flip-flop. Crystal giggled at the unusual feeling, a smile coming to her face.

"That feels funny."

"Yeah," Laura agreed. "Let's raise our arms next time as it's going down."

"Not on your life," the younger woman said firmly, strengthening her grip on the safety bar.

"Wuss." The writer raised her arms as did many others on the ride. "Whee," she yelled as they descended, lowering them only on the upswing. "Come on, it's fun."

"Uh huh," Crystal said dubiously, refusing to release her grip. Still the smile remained on her face as they swung back and forth. The ride swung to an almost vertical position before coming back down.

"Whee," they said in unison. One of the teenagers who fought so hard to get to the back seats apparently failed to follow the attendants instructions to keep everything secured. His blue baseball cap sailed off, fluttering to the ground below. Crystal laughed at both his frantic attempt to catch it and the thrill of the speeding ride. Far too soon for Laura, the ride slowed, the arc lessened, and soon they found themselves sitting still waiting for the safety bar to be raised. The roommates became separated as they exited the ride, meeting up moments later on the ground. The first words out of Crystal's mouth was "That was fun. Can we do it again?"

Laura couldn't help but laugh. "I told you you'd enjoy it once you got on it."

"Oh man, I can't believe how fast that thing goes," Crystal said, using her fingers to hook her hair behind her ear. "It's a good thing we haven't eaten yet."

"The pirate ship is murder on the stomach," Laura agreed, similarly moving her shorter hair back into place. "But it is so much fun." "Oh yeah. Let's do it again."

The initial hesitation in the twenty-five year old was gone, replaced by an enthusiasm associated more with people half her age. They went on the ride again, this time Laura convincing her to sit a couple of seats back from the center. Crystal still kept her hands on the safety bar but it did nothing to dampen her enjoyment of the ride. After that they decided to spend some time on the ground, walking along the Midway checking out the various games of skill and chance.

"That looks pretty easy," Crystal said. "All you have to do is knock the bottles off with a baseball."

"The trick is you have to knock them completely off the stand in order to win." Still, it does look pretty easy, Laura thought to herself. One dollar per throw. Well, I suppose it won't hurt to try. "You want to take a shot at it?"

"Me? Hell no," the younger woman scoffed. "I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from ten feet away. You're the outfielder."

Laura was already unzipping her fanny pack in search of some singles. She stepped up and handed a bill to the attendant. One bottle was stacked on top of two others and a ball was handed to her. She nodded at the instructions and hefted the ball in her left hand. Her first throw was high, knocking off the top bottle but leaving the bottom two standing. Immediately she pulled out another bill. I can do this. The bottles were reset.