off the stage with his shoulders pulled back and his head held high.
Jane was so heartbroken and so proud of him at the same time that she forgot they weren’t supposed to leave the viewing area until the last act in their group had performed. She rushed right through the yellow rope and knocked down the stanchions that held it up, ignoring the sound of them clattering on the floor behind her as she ran around to the stage exit and caught up to Caleb, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He was obviously embarrassed, because when she pulled her lips away to look at him, he just looked away sadly. “I forgot it was my birthday.”
“I know,” Jane said. “I forgot it too. I’m sorry. But Caleb, you did so great. I loved it. Everyone loved it. And don’t worry about that stupid bitter-beer-faced judge. She’s probably just upset because you reminded her of some guy who dumped her sorry ass in high school. Let’s get out of here and go celebrate.”
Caleb smiled and nodded, then took her hand as they walked toward the exit.
“You know what I wanna do?” he asked when they were midway across the auditorium. “For my birthday, I mean.”
“We can do anything, sweetie. Anything at all.”
“I wanna go to the water park.”
“The water park?”
“Yeah. My aunt used to take me on my birthday. I think there’s one in New Braunfels that’s supposed to have a six-story slide that you go doubles down.”
Jane squeezed his hand in hers. “You’re just a big adorable kid, aren’t you?”
“Hey,” he said. “I’m twenty-five.”
The thermometer in Jane’s car read 107 degrees when they arrived, and she believed it. After cooling off in the wave pool and making two trips around the lazy lagoon on the kiddie canoe, Jane finally plucked up the courage to tackle the six-story drop from the park’s highest slide, the one that Caleb had been itching to ride. The Black Knight, it was called.
Wearing their gift-shop bathing suits and surrounded by hundreds of laughing and screaming kids, they got in line and slowly climbed the steps.
“It really is high,” Jane said.
“You going chicken on me?” Caleb asked.
“No,” she said, crossing her arms. “I’m not chicken.”
A small boy, who couldn’t have been more than ten, turned around and looked at her with enormous eyes. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, lady,” he said with great authority. “My grandmother even did it.”
Jane’s jaw dropped, but the boy turned back around before she could respond. “Did he just compare me to his grandmother?”
Caleb at least attempted to contain his laughter, which Jane appreciated.
When they reached the platform at the top, Caleb took a two-person inner tube from the pile and led Jane to the launch line, where they stood looking down the mouth of the slide.
“Hold on a minute,” the man said. “Okay, now go.”
Jane panicked and stepped aside.
Caleb waved her back. “Oh, come on, baby. You can do it.”
Jane stood her ground and shook her head. She had alwaysbeen fearful of heights, and six stories up a rickety old waterslide counted as heights to her. She stood there for at least a full minute, refusing Caleb’s pleas to return to the slide, until the children in line grew restless and pressed forward, chanting, “Go, lady, go! Go, lady, go!”
“See,” Caleb said. “Even they want you to go.”
“I’m not taking orders from a bunch of kids,” Jane said.
The man working the slide laughed and shook his head. He’d seen this before. He pointed to a tiny girl anxiously waiting in line and called her forward. “Sweetie, would you show this nice lady how easy it is?”
The little girl grabbed an inner tube, stepped up, and launched herself down the slide without a moment’s pause. All Jane could see were her tiny legs and waving feet disappearing around the corner along with her happy scream.
Two more child demonstrations and a pep talk from Caleb later, and Jane
Jane was so heartbroken and so proud of him at the same time that she forgot they weren’t supposed to leave the viewing area until the last act in their group had performed. She rushed right through the yellow rope and knocked down the stanchions that held it up, ignoring the sound of them clattering on the floor behind her as she ran around to the stage exit and caught up to Caleb, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He was obviously embarrassed, because when she pulled her lips away to look at him, he just looked away sadly. “I forgot it was my birthday.”
“I know,” Jane said. “I forgot it too. I’m sorry. But Caleb, you did so great. I loved it. Everyone loved it. And don’t worry about that stupid bitter-beer-faced judge. She’s probably just upset because you reminded her of some guy who dumped her sorry ass in high school. Let’s get out of here and go celebrate.”
Caleb smiled and nodded, then took her hand as they walked toward the exit.
“You know what I wanna do?” he asked when they were midway across the auditorium. “For my birthday, I mean.”
“We can do anything, sweetie. Anything at all.”
“I wanna go to the water park.”
“The water park?”
“Yeah. My aunt used to take me on my birthday. I think there’s one in New Braunfels that’s supposed to have a six-story slide that you go doubles down.”
Jane squeezed his hand in hers. “You’re just a big adorable kid, aren’t you?”
“Hey,” he said. “I’m twenty-five.”
The thermometer in Jane’s car read 107 degrees when they arrived, and she believed it. After cooling off in the wave pool and making two trips around the lazy lagoon on the kiddie canoe, Jane finally plucked up the courage to tackle the six-story drop from the park’s highest slide, the one that Caleb had been itching to ride. The Black Knight, it was called.
Wearing their gift-shop bathing suits and surrounded by hundreds of laughing and screaming kids, they got in line and slowly climbed the steps.
“It really is high,” Jane said.
“You going chicken on me?” Caleb asked.
“No,” she said, crossing her arms. “I’m not chicken.”
A small boy, who couldn’t have been more than ten, turned around and looked at her with enormous eyes. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, lady,” he said with great authority. “My grandmother even did it.”
Jane’s jaw dropped, but the boy turned back around before she could respond. “Did he just compare me to his grandmother?”
Caleb at least attempted to contain his laughter, which Jane appreciated.
When they reached the platform at the top, Caleb took a two-person inner tube from the pile and led Jane to the launch line, where they stood looking down the mouth of the slide.
“Hold on a minute,” the man said. “Okay, now go.”
Jane panicked and stepped aside.
Caleb waved her back. “Oh, come on, baby. You can do it.”
Jane stood her ground and shook her head. She had alwaysbeen fearful of heights, and six stories up a rickety old waterslide counted as heights to her. She stood there for at least a full minute, refusing Caleb’s pleas to return to the slide, until the children in line grew restless and pressed forward, chanting, “Go, lady, go! Go, lady, go!”
“See,” Caleb said. “Even they want you to go.”
“I’m not taking orders from a bunch of kids,” Jane said.
The man working the slide laughed and shook his head. He’d seen this before. He pointed to a tiny girl anxiously waiting in line and called her forward. “Sweetie, would you show this nice lady how easy it is?”
The little girl grabbed an inner tube, stepped up, and launched herself down the slide without a moment’s pause. All Jane could see were her tiny legs and waving feet disappearing around the corner along with her happy scream.
Two more child demonstrations and a pep talk from Caleb later, and Jane
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