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Johnny dreaded going to the funfair that day. He did not want to be seen with
his mother and two sisters going to a funfair like an eight-year-old. He would
rather have stayed back and suffered through one of his mother's favorite soap
operas instead. He brushed his hair back in frustration and kicked some sand
over Jenny's sandals. "Ma!" she shrieked. Mother gave him a five-dollar note
and shooed him away. If only he had known, he would have dumped an entire bucket
over her head and gotten a 50! He did not want to push his luck so he left,
quite elated.
Johnny saw Sunil not too far away and waved wildly, gesturing for him to join
him at the Water Parade. "I managed to get five dollars from my mother," he
announced proudly.
"You're here with family?" Sunil asked, disgusted. Johnny rolled his eyes and
muttered something under his breath. The boys joined the long line of children
waiting to hit one another with balloons that were either filled with water or
gooey jelly.
Johnny could not wait to take a shot at Sunil. He wanted to see how cool he
would look walking home alone, a dripping mess! He smirked at the thought as he
eagerly awaited his turn.
The queue barely moved. Walking to the front, Johnny saw a bunch of giggly
girls, all wet from the game begging the assistant at the counter for another
round. "Please? We'll pay a dollar more," they chorused.
Johnny pushed past a nerdy, bespectacled boy and went straight to who
appeared to be the girls' leader. "It's not like we're some-" he raised his
voice but stopped in mid sentence.
Standing in front of Johnny was Xin Hui, his school's star ballet dancer. Her
long hair was not in its usual bun but lay loose over her shoulders. She was
wearing a pink jacket and a pair of blue jeans. He continued staring at her,
forgetting what he had wanted to say.
"I mean," he started. "Go right ahead and take our turn," he finished. Sunil,
who by now had come to see what was happening, pinched Johnny hard. Johnny did
not seem to feel any pain. "You could join us," offered Xin Hui.
So there was Johnny in the end, stuck with a bunch of ballerinas who took
perfect shots at him. What luck! Most of the balloons were filled with sticky,
chewy jelly. Johnny got a taste of his own medicine. |
