The atmosphere suddenly became charged with excitement as the sounds and smells of the circus intensified. Orders were being shouted out down at the arena level where the three rings of the circus held the performances. The children’s growing anticipation was demonstrated by a constant flow of questioning.
“Where will the lions be?”
“Can I ride an elephant?”
“Do clowns always have a happy face?” And more and more questions. Rob and Julia tried answering as many as they could as I detected their excitement growing.
“I’m trust-ty,” Maria muttered to her mother as she sat on her lap.
“Rob will you get the kids something to eat and drink while I stay here with them? Just take some money out of here,” Julia said handing him the small zippered bag in which I was folded.
“Certainly! What does everyone want?” he asked.
A trio of voices excitedly responded, “Soda!”
“Popcorn!”
“Peanuts!”
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Rob said disappearing down the aisle and into the alcove. He walked hurriedly, I assumed because he didn’t want to miss anything going on in the arena. Neither did I!
Arriving at the concession stand he placed his order; then unzipped the change pouch pulling me out with several other bills.
“No! Wait! I don’t want to be here, I’ll miss the circus!” I pleaded to no avail as Rob handed me to the young man behind the counter. Deflated, I was certain I would spend the entire circus in a cash register as I heard Rob take his order and leave to return to his family. Almost immediately, and to my delight however, I was handed to a young woman and her son. She tucked me in her wallet, then gathered her soft drinks and turned to walk toward their seats.
Along the way, her son spotted the vendor selling toys and asked his mother if he could get the stuffed lion. “Well, let’s see how much it is?” his mother suggested as they walked over to the vendor I could hear a small male child crying, as his dad tried to sooth him.
“That will be $11.50,” the vendor told her when she asked about the lion.
Hearing her sigh heavily, she looked at her son and asked, “Would you really like this lion, or do you want to see if you see anything else?”
“The lion! The lion! Please, Mommy. Pleeease!” the little boy pleaded. Quickly, I found myself in the hands of the vendor in exchange for the lion. As I heard the little fellow laugh with delight I was grateful for the opportunity to assist yet again.
The circus, I realized, was becoming a host of opportunities to serve. And just as I expressed this thought to myself, I was handed to an older gentleman who was given change for a monkey puppet.
Grinning at the monkey, he murmured under his breath, “Matty, is going to love you.” as he shoved me in his front pocket. Walking back to his seat I soon discovered Matty was his ten year old granddaughter.
Jumping out of her seat as we approached she shrieked, “Is he for me?! Thank you, Popo. Thank you!” and hugged her grandfather so tightly that I could almost feel her grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m going to call him Bojo,” she announced as she started to play with him in the space between the two rows of seats. “Watch Popo, I can make him walk,” she exclaimed excitedly.
“Yes you can!” said her grandfather…a note of sadness in his voice. “Oh, look Matty, the circus is getting ready to start. Here come the elephants!”
“Where?! Where!?” Matty shouted excitedly.
“Over there in the corner. See them walking out!” he said motioning with his right hand.
Gasping, she said, “I see them!” Then she paused for a moment and said, “I wish mommy and daddy could be here. Daddy likes elephants,” she stated firmly as she leaned forward in her seat to get a better view.
“They are watching Matty-Lynn. You carry them with you everywhere in your heart. Remember?” he said, trying his best to sound positive for his granddaughter.
“I know Popo,” she said bravely, seemingly pacified by his gentle reminder.
“May I have some popcorn, Popo?”
“Well, of course, you can Matty. We’re at the circus!” he exclaimed happy that she had changed the subject of her parents. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to them. However, by the tone of his voice I felt it hadn’t been that long ago; yet, how wonderful of her grandfather to take her to the circus to cheer her up. Even for an afternoon.
****
Finding myself now in the hands of a young lady shouting, “Popcorn! Get your fresh, hot popcorn!” I could hear the music from the arena getting louder, and assumed she was walking down the steps toward the lower level of the stadium as the rhythm of the money pouch I was being carried in was jostling up and down.
Suddenly, I heard the ring master welcoming everyone to a resounding applause from the audience. Anticipation was escalating as the elephants continued to parade around the three rings with various performers riding their backs and doing tricks, to the excited cheers of the crowd.
Oh, how I wanted to be able to see what was going on as the ring master directed everyone’s attention to the flying acrobats. What a complete feeling of freedom it must be to be able to fly through the air without the fear of falling; unlike when I was unexpectedly caught in that strong wind that blew me away from the robber. I was worried that I might be blown into a ditch and forgotten. Yet, I stretched myself out so as to feel the full impact of the air and it landed me on that old pickup truck and that amazing child who placed me in the offering plate. Funny, how we first assume something bad will happen, until we let go of our fear, which then allows something good to happen.
Just then I was handed to a teenage boy who immediately handed me to his father who was intently watching the acrobats perform. Distracted he held me in his hand while he watched the show, allowing me to see the graceful air dance of the male performers as they floated effortlessly through the air. Soon, a tall, blonde woman joined them as they tossed her back and forth between them while she flawlessly executed a series of flips in mid-air. It was incredibly breath-taking.
The gentleman didn’t put me in his billfold until after the act finished. The acrobat show was enthralling, and I was grateful to have witnessed such a graceful performance. His son asked to go to the restroom just then and I was handed to him with several other bills as his dad asked him to bring back a soda. “Okay,” said the boy as he walked slowly up the stairs backwards, so as to not miss any of the show. Held tightly in his hand, I witnessed dozens of clowns coming out of a very small vehicle to the delight of the audience.
There were big clowns and small clowns all dressed in the most brightly colored collection of patterns. They wore stripes and poke-a-dots. They wore stars and plaid. They wore big fuzzy hair in all colors and lengths. One even wore hair striped in an array of colors. I never realized clowns were so festive. One carried a horn, which he tooted at small children in the audience. Another one carried a rubber chicken, while the littlest clown carried a bucket and chased the biggest clown around the car several times.
Laughter from the audience reverberated off the walls as the little clown cornered the bigger clown and threw the contents of the bucket at him. As colored paper rained down on him, children shrieked with delight as the applause grew. Suddenly, we were at the top of the stairs and the young lad headed out the breezeway and into the large corridor, almost empty now as everyone had taken their seats to enjoy the show.
Finding his way to the concession stand he ordered two soft drinks and handed me over to the young girl behind the counter. As he went back to sit with his father I was placed in the cash register. The constant stream of customers had obviously slowed down since the circus started and things were relatively quiet. Overhearing the young cashier tell the older one about something her boyfriend said to her last night, I got the impression she was quite excited about something.
“I didn’t know your birthday was next week Samantha. Happy Birthday! How old ar
e you going to be?” the older cashier asked.
“Twenty-four, and I’m so excited Tommy asked me out to dinner. He said he wants to talk to me about something!” Samantha exclaimed.
“Ohhh girl, do you think he’s going to propose?”
“I sure hope so!” Samantha answered in a dreamy, sing-song tone.
Just then a lady came up to the counter and asked for four hotdogs and four drinks. Gathering her order I could hear Samantha softly humming to herself. She sounded so much in love. I was so happy for her and silently wished her the best.
Making change I was taken out the drawer and handed to the woman. A little disappointed I wouldn’t hear all about Samantha’s boyfriend, however, I was elated to be returning to the circus.
****
Beginning the lion act, the ring master was introducing the lion tamer as the woman I was handed to found her seat. Placed inside her wallet, I could only hear what was going on as the crowd erupted in a roar of applause when the lion tamer entered the ring. Explaining a little about lions and what he was about to do, he asked the audience to be as quite as possible to not scare the lions.
A hush fell over the onlookers as the lion tamer entered the huge cage. Taking up his whip the only sound heard over the soft murmuring of the crowd was the crack of the whip as he made the lions execute their routine. After several leaps through hoops and walking on large balls I heard him bark commands to the lions to take their places as he turned to address the audience.
“I will now attempt to place my head in the mouth of a lion,” he spoke to the simultaneous gasp of the crowd. “Please be as quiet as possible everyone. We don’t want anyone to lose their head,” he said as the crowd chuckled. Then handing his whip to his assistant he walked over to the biggest lion. The crowd stared in silence. As he readied himself to perform the trick the crowd was mesmerized. I so desperately wanted to see what was about to happen.
I heard him order the lion to lie down on its platform. He must have grabbed its jaws as the audience gasped in unison. “I will now pry the jaws of this beast open and place my head inside,” he shouted with a dramatic flair.
As the crowd held its breath young children were climbing on their parents laps; part in fear, part in wanting a better view. As the lion tamer started to lean his face toward the lion’s mouth you could have heard a pin drop. Suddenly, every man, woman and child exhaled as the lion tamer placed his head in the mouth of the ferocious beast. The momentary tension was almost unbearable.
Yet, almost as quickly as he placed his head in the lion’s mouth, he pulled it back out, just as the lion snapped his jaws shut, causing half the crowd to jump in their seats. Gales of nervous laughter and excited cheers filled the arena as amazed onlookers felt a unanimous sigh of relief. Whew! I was relieved no one lost their head.
Apparently, the lion act signaled the end of the show as the woman, her husband and their two children started the slow walk back through the excited crowd who were still talking about the lion act. Stopping long enough to buy a circus program, I remained in the woman’s wallet as she paid with a larger denomination. For how long, I did not know.
CHAPTER 4
Southern Drawl
Several days after the circus as I quietly reminisced about the graceful movements of the acrobats I heard the woman, her name I learned was Barbara, explaining to her husband one night over dinner. “I’m flying to our European headquarters this Thursday for a board meeting at the Paris office. I’ll call Nana to come help with the girls.”
“When will you return,” her husband inquired, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Nana’s coming! Nana’s coming!” one of her daughters chanted skipping down the hall to her sister’s room.
“Tell your sister to get ready, we leave in five minutes!” her father called after her. I was still in Barbara’s wallet, in her purse, lying on the counter in the kitchen where she tosses it every time she walks in the house.
“I’m not sure. Depends on how long the meeting takes. We have to hammer out the details on the take-over of the Tokyo office,” Barbara answered.
“Will you have to go there too?” he asked sounding only half interested.
“Todd can handle that end, so I shouldn’t have to go. But I’ll let you know. If I do, it would be easier to fly on to Tokyo instead of coming back to the states first,” she answered as she moved about clearing breakfast dishes. I wasn’t paying attention anymore as I daydreamed of glimpses of Paris or Tokyo. How I’ve always wanted to travel the world and so hoped I’d stay in her wallet till then.
****
As Barbara rushed through the airport half running toward the gate, my anticipation grew as I jumbled around in her purse. In a few minutes I’d be on the plane flying to Paris and I couldn’t wait to hear the sounds and smell the aromas of European flavor. To my dismay, however, as soon as she reached a news stand she purchased a newspaper and I was handed to a woman with jasmine hand lotion. Briefly, I inhaled the soft sent before she placed me in a register with my peers.
Waiting in the dark I could only imagine to whom I would be handed next, or where I would be going. Actually, the very next customer was an older gentleman with a strong southern drawl who had purchased some chewing gum and a USA Today newspaper. I was given to him with his change and felt his strong, callused hands, smelling slightly of aftershave, tuck me into a leather wallet. He slipped his wallet back into the breast pocket of his leather jacket and strode through the airport on his way to his next gate.
As he walked he made a cell phone call and I learned he was returning from a day trip to procure a new product for his business. I couldn’t quite hear everything he was saying, but I imagined he was wearing a hat and boots because he seemed so authentically Texan as we boarded the plane for his trip home to Houston saying, “Howdy, ma’am” to the stewardess. Apparently, he wasn’t carrying anything other than a briefcase, which he put in the overhead compartment then took his seat.
In the seats behind us a young couple were discussing their plans for the rest of the day once they arrived home, which included picking up the dog (Crackers) from their cousin’s house and going to the grocery store. Crackers is such a fun name for a dog and I imagined it to be a scruffy, little thing with floppy ears and a coat the color of butter. Then again, it could be a huge sheep dog with a squeaky bark. Never knowing for sure, I took the position that it was an adorable, scruffy little ball of fur.
The stewardess began making preflight announcements as he settled in his seat for the final leg of his journey. Never having flown before I was anticipating the takeoff and landing with an enthusiasm I had not realized I possessed because I was flying to Texas.
Being in circulation has its benefits. No longer disappointed about eluding the chance to fly abroad, I decided to nap so as to feel refreshed when we arrived…I believe the pilot said in approximately five hours.
****
As our flight approached the airport I awoke to announcements about the weather in Houston and that we were arriving on time. “Walker, do you need anything before we land? It will be just a few more minutes,” a soft feminine voice asked him as I made a mental note of his name…Walker. Nice, strong name I thought. However, I wasn’t sure if it was his first, or last.
Landing smoothly, I heard the bustling of passengers readying to depart as the plane came to a stop at the gate. Ah, Texas. This was an experience I was looking forward to collecting fond memories of the places and people I was about to meet. One of the first things I noticed was the slower pace and speech patterns of folks working in the airport as Walker exited. The entire atmosphere seemed more relaxed as airport staff called out to him to ‘have a good day.’
Hailing a cab outside the airport the driver asked “Where to partner?” in that slow, southern drawl I was intrigued with hearing.
“Walker Ranch,” he answered as if everyone should know where it was. And apparently the cabbie did because he pulled away from the curb and sped off. Th
e drive through the city was long, as it was peak rush hour traffic and the roads were congested. Traffic thinned out as we left the city limits on our way to the ranch.
Paying the cab driver, I ascertained he must have been on a day trip because there was a lack of luggage as Walker carried himself with huge strides toward his front door. Stepping on the wooden porch a woman burst through the screen door practically shouting, “Mista Walker, so glad you’re home.”
“Well now Millie, I’ve only been gone since sunrise,” he replied warmly as he handed her his briefcase.
“I know, I know. It’s just nice to have ya home,” she said as she departed with his briefcase. “Vittles on the table at seven,”
“It’s dinner Millie, not vittles,” Walker chuckled after her.
“I know, I know,” she sung over her shoulder laughing back at him.
Walker strode through the house, his boots heavy on the wooden floor, as he made his way to his favorite easy chair near the fireplace in the den. The longer he sat I could sense him relax as his breathing became heavier. Thinking he had dozed off I caught the aroma of pot roast coming from the kitchen and my mouth watered. This was what Millie called vittles. It smelled too delicious to be referred to in such a way, although it was home cooking. And if it tasted as good as it smelled she could call it anything she wanted.
Listening to the TV and daydreaming about what a day at the ranch would be like I was shaken out of my daze as Millie gently shook Walker by his shoulder to tell him dinner was ready.
“Vittles are on the table, sir.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Be right there Millie. Jus’ gonna freshen up a bit,” he replied through a sleepy haze. He shook off the nap and rose out of his easy chair. Walking down the hall I noticed he had taken off his boots but his footfalls were still heavy. The effects of a long day I imagined. Washing his hands he then splashed water on his face as he looked in the mirror. “Look at you old man. Still think you’re a young buck,” he said wistfully to himself. “If Jamie were around, she’d tell you to slow down.”