Lois returned to her seat, looking as if she’d lost her best friend. “That little boy a couple of lanes over bowls better than I do.”
Joe patted her on the shoulder. “It’s only a game, and you’re doing your best.”
She shrugged. “My best doesn’t seem to be good enough.”
“You know what they say about practice.”
“I don’t bowl often enough to get in much practice.”
“Guess we’ll have to remedy that.”
She tipped her head to one side, and her blue eyes sparkled in the light. “Is that your way of asking me out again?”
He grinned. “Sure—if you’re interested in dating a goofy guy like me.”
Lois giggled and poked him on the arm. “You did look pretty silly awhile ago when you were trying to bowl with your back to the alley.”
He tweaked her nose. “Don’t slam the technique. I knocked four pins down that time.”
“Next I suppose you’ll try to juggle three bowling balls at the same time.”
“I think they might be a bit heavy,” he answered with a smile. “I could see about juggling three or four pins though.”
She jabbed his arm again. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
Joe stood up, retrieved his ball from the return rack then turned back to face Lois. “Hang around me long enough, and you’ll be surprised at what I can do.”
After bowling three games, they walked over to the snack bar for hamburgers and French fries. Joe ordered a cherry soda and Lois a glass of lemonade before finding an empty booth.
Lois eyed Joe curiously as he poured ketchup on his fries. He looked like a little boy in a man’s body, with eyes that twinkled like stars, a mouth turned up, and freckles spattered across the bridge of his nose.
He glanced up then. “A nickel for your thoughts,” he said, smiling.
She could feel her cheeks grow warm. “Oh, uh, well, I was just wondering about something.”
“What is it?”
“Well, I realized I don’t know much about you. I know you’re a gospel clown and you live in Olympia, but that’s about all.”
Joe shrugged. “There’s not much to tell.”
“What about your family?”
“What about them?”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Just a brother who’s a few years younger than I am.”
“Where do your folks live?” she asked.
Joe stared at the table. “They’re both dead.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?”
“I’d rather not talk about it right now, if that’s okay,” he said, looking down at the table.
“Sure,” Lois said, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction their conversation had taken. She hesitated before speaking, hoping she could find a better topic to discuss. “Do you work at any other job besides clowning?”
“I went to trade school right out of high school and learned how to be a mechanic,” he answered. “I worked at a garage not far from home for awhile, but after I started clowning, the job turned to part-time; finally I quit altogether.”
“You mean you make enough money clowning to support yourself?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I’ll never be rich. Besides crusades, Bible camps, and other church-related functions, I do birthday parties for kids of all ages. I’ve also entertained at some senior centers and have even landed a couple of summer jobs at the Enchanted Village near Seattle.”
She nodded. “I know where that is. My dad used to take me there when I was a kid.”
“What about your sister? Didn’t she go too?”
Lois swallowed hard. How could she tell Joe about her childhood and Tabby’s without making him think she was a spoiled brat? The truth was that until she trusted the Lord with her life, she’d been exactly that. “Let’s just say Tabby was afraid of most of the rides there, and our dad had no patience with her fears.”
Joe shook his head slowly. “She sure doesn’t seem afraid of much now. In fact, I’ve seen her do some routines that would rival anything the big-time ventriloquists have done. And she didn’t act one bit nervous either.”
“Tabby has come a long way in the past few years. All she needed was to gain some confidence, and now she’s using her talents to tell others about the Lord.” Lois paused. “In the past we weren’t very close. I was often critical of her. Things are much better between us now, and I can honestly say I love my sister to pieces. I owe that to the Lord.”
Joe leaned across the table and took Lois’s hand. A jolt of electricity shot up her arm. “I’m not trying to change the subject, but I’ve tried calling you a couple of times during the day, and I always get your answering machine. Do you work or go to school someplace in Tacoma?”
“For the past couple of weeks I’ve been working as the secretary at Bayview Christian Church in the north end of Tacoma,” she said.
“And before that?”
“I was a lawyer’s secretary.”
Joe whistled and released her hand. “Wow! You must have been making some big bucks! What prompted you to give up such a job and take on a church secretary’s position, which I’m sure doesn’t pay half as much?”
Lois paused. Should she tell Joe about Michael and their broken engagement? It was part of the reason she’d decided to leave her job. The junior partner at the firm was a friend of Michael’s, and Lois knew he kept her ex-fiancé updated on her comings and goings. Michael had said as much when they’d run into each other at the mall the other day.
“You’re right,” she replied. “My job at the church isn’t very lucrative, but it does pay the bills, and I consider it to be a ministry of sorts.”
His eyebrows lifted. “How so?”
“Many folks call or drop by the church, needing help with food, clothing, or spiritual matters. I’m not a trained counselor so I always send people with serious problems to one of the pastors, but I do pray for those who have a need.”
“How long have you been a Christian?” he asked.
“Almost two years. Tabby and I went to church when we were kids, but I never took it seriously until shortly after she and Seth got married. I think seeing how my sister changed when she started using her talents to tell others about the Lord helped me see the emptiness in my own life.” Lois lowered her gaze. “I wasn’t a very nice person before I became a Christian. The truth is I was spoiled and self-centered and mean to my sister most of the time.”
“But, as you said earlier, you and Tabby get along now, right?”
She nodded. “We’re as close as any two siblings could be.”
A strange look crossed Joe’s face, and Lois wondered what he was thinking. Before she could voice the question, Joe said, “When I was eight years old, I went to Bible school. That’s where I realized I had sinned and asked God to forgive me.” He smiled. “Ever since then I’ve wanted to serve Him through some form of special ministry.”
“Do you enjoy clowning?”
He chuckled. “Yep. I guess it’s in my nature to make people laugh. I feel happier when I’m clowning around.”
Lois was about to respond when Joe grabbed two straws from the plastic container sitting on their table and stuck one in each ear. “You think I could patent this?” he said in a teasing voice. “Hearing aids with no need for batteries.” He shook his head from side to side, and the straws bounced up and down.
Lois stifled a giggle behind her hand. With his eyes crossed and two blue straws dangling from each ear, Joe looked hilarious. She was glad for those few minutes of finding out a little more about him. But she wondered if he ever stayed serious for long, and if so, would she find that side of him more appealing?
❧
Joe tilted his head to one side and mentally replayed the questions she’d asked. She was not only beautiful but smart, and she’d laughed at his corny jokes and goofy antics. The only uncomfortable moment had come when she questioned him about his family.
He watched
Lois drinking her lemonade. Her lips were pursed around the tip of the straw, and she drank in slow, deli-cate sips. Wonder what it would feel like to kiss those rosy lips. He gave his ear a sharp pull, hoping the gesture would get him thinking straight again. This was only their first date. He shouldn’t be thinking about kissing Lois.
“You’re staring at me.”
He blinked then smiled. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Do I have ketchup on my chin or something?’
“Nope. I was just thinking I’d like to get to know you better.”
Lois nodded. “I’d like to know you better too.”
“How about coming to one of my programs?” Joe asked. “I’ll be part of a revival service at one of the largest churches in Puyallup next Friday night. We’ll have performers from all over the Pacific Northwest.” He smiled at her. “After the program, maybe we can go out for pie and coffee.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“So will you come?”
“I’d love to.”
Joe smiled again, feeling as if he’d been handed a birthday present when it wasn’t even his birthday.
Seven
Lois sat spellbound as the gospel illusionist on stage at Puyallup Christian Church performed a disappearing dove trick. “After the flood, Noah sent out first a raven, then a dove, in search of dry land,” he told everyone. He placed a live dove inside a silver pan, covered it with a lid, and opened it again. The bird was gone. A few minutes later, it reappeared inside the illusionist’s coat.
Lois applauded with the rest of the audience.
After that, she watched two clowns perform using mime. Neither of them held her interest the way Joe did, though. They were more sophisticated in their approach, and through-out their routine they never uttered a word, as was the custom with mimes.
A group of puppeteers followed the clowns, and an artist did a beautiful chalk drawing of the resurrection of Christ. Lois thought of Tabby’s friend, Donna, who also did chalk art. She knew Donna hadn’t gone on tour with Tabby and Seth, since she had the day care to run, but she’d expected to see her here tonight. She thought Donna’s drawings were every bit as good as the one being done now.
When she heard Slow-Joe the Clown being announced, Lois smiled. He was the main reason she’d come tonight.
❧
Joe was comfortable in the costume he’d chosen—a cowboy clown suit, complete with ten-gallon hat, chaps, and bright-red leather boots. His red-and-white striped shirt offset his baggy white pants with red fringe sewn to the pockets and side seams. He wore his usual white face paint and red rubber nose, but he’d added a fake mustache to give him a rugged, cowboy look.
As Joe stepped onto the stage, he swung a rope over his head and hollered, “Yahoo! Ride ’em, cowboy!” Everyone cheered and clapped.
Joe threw the rope into the air, spun around as it fell to the ground, and shouted, “Now wait a minute! Where did that silly rope go? I had it in my hands a minute ago, and now it’s disappeared.”
When the laughter died down, Joe pivoted on his heels and tripped over the rope, which was lying a few inches in front of him. Next, he grabbed two folding chairs, draped the rope across the back of each one, then tied both ends in a knot. “Before I came out here, someone dared me to do this, so now I’m gonna walk the tightrope.”
“Don’t do it!” a child’s voice shouted.
“Would you like to do it instead?” Joe called back.
“No, it’s not safe!”
Joe eyed the rope. Then, slowly, deliberately, he lifted one foot, paused, and set his foot back down. “Anyone have an umbrella? I might need it for balance,” he said to the audience.
“It’s not safe!” the child yelled again.
Joe looked at the rope, tipped his head slightly, then bent to examine it more closely. “The rope looks strong, but the chairs might not hold my weight. Maybe I should do this the cautious way.” With that, Joe quickly undid the rope, snapped it over his head, did a few fancy twirls, then flopped the rope onto the floor in a straight line. “Now it’s safe!”
With exaggerated movements he stepped onto the rope, placing one boot in front of the other, and walked the tight-rope. When he came to the end, he turned to the audience and bowed. He heard several snickers, but nobody clapped. Frowning, he tugged gently on his mustache. “You didn’t think that trick was impressive?” he asked the audience, turning his hands palm up. A few more snickers filtered through the room.
“I’ll tell you what’s impressive,” Joe continued. “Doing what you know is right, even when others try to get you to do something that could be bad for you. Someone dared me to walk this tightrope while it was connected to two chairs. If I’d taken that dare, it would have been pretty stupid.
“God gave each of us the ability to discern what’s right and wrong,” Joe continued. “Even if you want to be liked and think taking a dare is cool, you need to use your brain and decide what’s best for you in any situation.” He pointed to the rope at his feet. “I don’t have an umbrella for balance, the folding chairs aren’t very sturdy, and I’ve never walked a tightrope in my life, so I decided to do the sensible thing.” He turned and went back across the rope. “I walked a tightrope that was lying safely on the ground.”
Everyone clapped, and Joe reached into his pocket to retrieve a balloon. “I’m going to create my favorite balloon critter now—Buzzy the Bee.”
He inflated the balloon to make the insect’s body, twisted one-third of it off for the head, then withdrew and blew up a second balloon. After he’d tied a knot, he formed a circle with the balloon. He twisted it in half to make two smaller circles, which would become the bee’s wings. These were attached to the body with another twist. Using a black marking pen, Joe drew a face on the bee and rings around its middle.
“Whenever I see a bee, I’m reminded that God wants me to bee a good witness, bee kind to others, and bee faithful about going to church,” he said, holding up the balloon. Joe stepped off the stage and handed the bee to the child who had warned him about the unsafe tightrope.
He ended his routine by spinning the rope over his head and telling the audience each of them had talents they could use to serve the Lord in some way.
❧
Later that evening, at the restaurant where she and Joe had gone for dessert, Lois found herself once again enthralled with Slow-Joe the Clown’s wit and goofy smile. “I could tell you were having fun during your performance tonight,” she said.
“I always have fun when I’m on stage.” Joe leaned across the table. “Speaking of fun, and changing the subject, I was at the mall the other day and stopped in to use the men’s room.”
Lois covered her ears with her hands. “Is this something I need to hear?”
Joe grinned. “When I was in the men’s room, I noticed a sign on the wall, above a padded shelf. It read: ‘Baby Changing Station.’ ” Joe shook his head slowly. “Can you imagine anyone wanting to leave their kid there, hoping it’ll be changed when it comes out?” He chuckled and gave her a quick wink.
Lois groaned. “Don’t you ever get tired of cracking jokes?”
“Nope.” Joe reached for his cup of coffee. “So what do you do when you’re not working?” he asked, changing the subject again.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I teach a first-grade Sunday school class, drive to Olympia to visit my folks a couple times a month, and read a lot.”
“Nothing just for fun?”
“Reading a good book can be fun.” Lois stared into her cup of tea for a moment, then glanced up and saw Joe dangling his spoon with two fingers, directly in front of her face.
“Very funny,” she murmured.
Joe dropped the spoon and reached for her hand, and at once Lois felt her face flame. Was Joe flirting with her? The way he kidded around all the time she couldn’t be sure if he was serious or teasing.
“The Puyallup Fair starts next weekend,” Joe said. “Would you be interested in tagging along w
ith me, maybe sometime Saturday afternoon?”
Lois nodded and smiled. They could find lots of fun things to do at the fair, and it would give her another opportunity to get to know Joe better.
“Great! I have to warn you, though—I get a little carried away when I ride the roller coaster, especially after I’ve inhaled a couple of cotton candies.”
She gulped. The roller coaster? Surely Joe didn’t expect her to ride that horrible contraption!
Eight
As Lois and Joe headed to the Puyallup Fair in his blue pickup truck, a surge of excitement coursed through her.
“Here we are,” Joe announced when they pulled into the parking lot near the fairgrounds.
Lois focused on her surroundings. She saw people everywhere, which was nothing unusual for a fair this size. Today it seemed worse than any other time she could remember, though. Maybe it was because of the unseasonably warm weather they’d been having in the Pacific Northwest. Sunshine brought people out by the droves, and something as entertaining as the fair had a lot of appeal.
Joe turned and grinned at Lois after he’d placed his parking stub on the dash. “Ready for an awesome day?”
She smiled in return. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Hand in hand, they made their way to the entrance gates. Joe bought two admission tickets, and they pushed through the revolving gate.
“Where would you like to start?” Joe asked as he grabbed a map of the fairgrounds from a nearby stand.
Lois shrugged. The crisp aroma of early fall mingled with cotton candy, corn dogs, and curly fries, teasing her senses. “I don’t know—there’s so much to see.”
“And do,” Joe added. “Why don’t we start with the rides? That way we won’t be tilting, whirling, and somersaulting on full stomachs or with our arms loaded with stuffed animals.”
“Stuffed animals?”
Clowning Around Page 4