'Round & 'Round We Go...

Grease stained one side of his favorite t-shirt from a drippy ride while ketchup, mustard and relish from a kids hastily tossed dog graced the other.  Nick spied at least five different stains on his well worn jeans and one boot suffered a manure bath when he’d been forced to gather plastic cups off the cow chip board.

What made matters worse was that his “partner” on the mop and bucket patrol, soon to be dead Arnold, was spotless.

“Do you think Gil will let us enjoy any of the fair this year?”  Arnold whined.

“Shut up.”  Nick glared at the rangy bull.  How could he not be getting messy?  Did every nasty thing avoid
Arnold and find its way to him?

“Come on, man, talk to me.  You’ve avoided speaking to me all week long even though this stupid punishment pushed us together.”

“Shut up, you rank, manure sniffing son of a beast.  Better?”

This punishment was so grossly unfair Nick couldn’t believe Gil had held firm on his threat.  This bull had the nerve to suggest –in writing- that Nick’s mate should dress in almost nothing to play football so the other males in town could ogle and spank off.  Nick should be given the right to kill Arnold not have to work garbage patrol with him at this… fair.

This awful, distasteful, waste of funds fair.  He’d wanted to like this thing, spend time with Z kicking a few back and getting naked in the funhouse at the adults only time at the fair, but no, he was filthy and would still be on duty.

Nick hated the fair.

“You know the sooner we work out our differences in a peaceful manner, the sooner we’ll be done.  That’s what Gil said.”

“Suck it, Arne.  The fair will end soon and then I’m going to kill you.”

“Whatever happened to love your neighbor?”

Was this guy for real?  “Revenge is bloody, Arnold.  So says the Lupa.”

 “Harsh…”

Nick shook his head and longed for the moment he could leave this place in the dust.  He wanted to go home, strip down, burn his clothes and shower until the fair stink was nothing but a nightmare past.  An added benefit to the night would be finding his mate and fucking her to exhaustion.

“You know, man, you didn’t have to stay with me this whole week.”  Arnold scratched at the ground with one clean boot, recharging Nick’s frustration.  “You could chow Gil down in one swallow if you wanted, yet you stayed and did your job.  Why is that?”

Hell, right then, as Nick looked back at the young, lupa, so young bull his friend’s words filled his head.  He’s just so young, Nick, and angry.  His brothers and I have been trying to take on the roll our father should have but couldn’t, but we’re at a loss as to what to do with him.  Zarak looked away, pain evident in his smooth, wrinkle-free face.  His old soul, however, gleamed in his eyes and told a story of loss.

“It’s called honor, Arne, and respect.”  Nick sighed, knowing the bull still didn’t get it. “We destroyed parts of this fucking fair; we owed Gil and the town reparation.”  He could see the next question clearly on the boy’s face before he even spoke.  “And no, money holds no repayment here.  A man does right when he’s done wrong to begin with.”

“Okay.”

Nick looked at Arne, hoping he wasn’t a lost cause because that would kill his friend, Zarak.  In the distance, Ziva made her way towards him which got him moving in her direction.

“Watch out for the…”

Squish.  Nick raised his boot and pulled along with it a sticky, stringy mess.

 “Bubble gum.”

A sniff to his right brought him around to the sweetest little girl he knew.  Miss Rosie.  Human, but more.

“Mister Nick, I’m lost.  My mommy was scolding my brothers and then all kinds of big people moved in front of me and I couldn’t see her anymore.  You’re tall, so could you pick me up so I can look or my mommy?”

Nick lifted the slight little peanut into his arms.  How could he not.  At the same time, Ziva sidled into his other side and grumbled about boudoir pictures and this town full of something he missed, but would find out later.  “Kiss and animal booth is closed.”  Ziva ran her finger tips down the little girls cheek and asked her gently, “Miss Rosie, are you taking good care of Nicky here?”

“Yep.”  The little beauty laughed. “But he gots dirty before I found him.”

“Typical, nothing like lean, mean and clean over there.”  Both ladies laughed, making his heart lighter.

“Speaking of…how in the hell have you stayed so clean, Arne?”  Nick grumped, clutching his mate in one arm and holding little Rosie in the other.

“I’m just lucky that way.”  Arnold preened, turning this way and that just as an unmistakable sound rent the air above.  What seemed like gallons of the foulest, nastiest smelling sewage dropped from the sky only to land smack on top of the once clean bull.  In his hair, down his back, seeping past the neck line of his shirt.  It dripped onto his pants and rolled down into his shoe.  He was covered from head to toe.  Right then, Nick couldn’t have been happier with his food stains, bubble gum foot and manure stink.  At least he wasn’t covered in bile.

The spider-like arms of the right directly above the smelly bull spun wildly, but if Nick wasn’t mistaken it was an aptly named bear who’d done the deed.  Nick owed him one or maybe two movie tickets as Ralph’s love of the cinema was well known.

“Oh gawd, someone puked on me.”  What started as a whine soon turned angry and snorty.  “Someone PUKED on me!”  The bull was getting ready to charge into more trouble unless Nick put a stop to it.

“ARNOLD!”  Nick roared, startling everyone around him, including the bull, but not little Rosie.  She just kissed one cheek and patted the other, filling him with a greater peace.

“Y-yeah?” Arnold responded, somewhat less agitated.

“Go home, clean up, then come back and enjoy the rest of the fair.  I’ll talk to Gil.”

“Are you going to kill me before or after a few beers and rides?”

“Neither, but I am going to work your ass off.”  Nick knew what this boy needed and it wasn’t family guilt.
He needed to respect himself and that started by doing his own thing…namely, a job of his own.  “Monday morning, bright and early, and by that I mean 4am.  Come to the G&B and find me.  There are racks to be filled all over town and I need a strong back to do it.  You’re strong and you’ll be paid.”
Arnold appeared stunned and messy.  “Thanks.”

Nick nodded, and then turned to the little human in his arms.  “Well, Miss Rosie, what’da say we get a big old cotton candy and you and I will ride that awesome carousel over there, while Ziva finds your mama?”

“Yes please!”

“Rosie, how come my roar didn’t scare you, sweetheart?”

“’Cause I’m little red and little reds are not scared of big, bad wolves, silly.”

Nick laughed, and hugged this little human to him.  She was a part of his pack from this day forward, one for being so precocious and two for making him laugh at the fair.  Yeah, maybe the fair wasn’t too bad after all.
~~~

Ha!  So this post got away from me today and went from my goal of 800 words to nearly 1200.  Ah well, hope you enjoy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Serena