One Step At A Time

by Brenda Adcock

  “Ya got a place to stay?” Buck asked as he brought his dirty dishes to be cleaned.

  “I’ll find a place. There’s an old shack over in the next field,” she answered with a shrug.

  “Ya can stay with me if ya want. I’m not around much and can use a little help from time to time.”

  “I don’t mind workin, but I ain’t wipin’ your ass.”

  “I can still handle that myself,” Buck said with a laugh. “But my ramp quits workin’ the way it’s s’posed to ever’ now and then. Stuff like that.”

  “How much?”

  “Nothin’.” Buck shrugged. “It’s only for a coupla weeks.”

  Chapter Four

  MADDIE SPENT THE next couple of days setting up rides, repairing small problems that came up, and helping set up Midway booths. It was peaceful, uncomplicated work and she enjoyed it, for the most part. She liked walking down the Midway at night and seeing the thousands of bright lights that would draw customers to the booths to spend a few hard-earned bucks to win a cheap-ass, imported-from-Taiwan stuffed animal not worth a fucking quarter. Every carnie knew the tricks to winning the games, but, of course, they never divulged them to the customers.

  Maddie didn’t really trust adults who stopped at a booth she was working, but found an unexpected soft spot for young kids. The look of wonder on their faces when she handed them a prize made her smile. The winners spent three bucks and the booth operator lost fifty cents. It seemed like a fair trade.

  The first Friday night the carnival was open, Maddie stopped to purchase a bottle of water. She gulped down half the bottle before leaning against the side of the drink stand to light a cigarette. A small boy trotted up to her and tugged on the hem of her T-shirt to get her attention. She smiled down at him as she exhaled a thin line of smoke before squatting down in front of him.

  “What’s up, Teddy?” she asked. “Wanna drink?” Teddy was the grandson of the carnie workers who offered pony rides for kids and was a familiar sight around the grounds. But he wasn’t much of a talker.

  Teddy shook his head and turned to point across the Midway toward the booths. She saw Alice wave in her direction and grinned. Maddie knew what he wanted, but enjoyed making a game of it with the boy.

  “Does Gus need me?” she asked.

  Teddy shook his head again and Maddie asked, “Larry?”

  He grabbed her hand and began pulling her where she was needed. Halfway to Alice’s booth, Maddie picked Teddy up and slung him in a circle around her shoulders, eliciting a giggle. When she set him down, she handed him a quarter and looked up at Alice. “You needed me?” Maddie asked, watching Teddy scamper away toward the sno-cone wagon.

  “Yeah,” Alice answered. “Can you take over my booth so I can go cook dinner for you and Buck before it gets too late?”

  “Hot date later?” Maddie asked with a grin.

  “There’s always a chance that it’ll get hot,” Alice laughed. “Close down in another hour or so to come get your dinner.”

  “No problem,” Maddie said, stepping behind the booth counter. Alice’s booth was the simplest game on the Midway and even small kids, like Teddy, had a better than even chance of winning something. Throw the dart, break a balloon, win a cheesy prize. What could be easier?

  Maddie leaned on the booth counter for a few minutes, then decided to replace several missing balloons. When she was attaching the last balloon to the backboard, a loud, belligerent voice behind her barked, “Hey, shithead! Gimme six damn darts!”

  Maddie turned to find a tall, muscular boy, who appeared to be high school age. Next to him stood a blushing blonde girl. “What the fuck do you want, Brandi?” the boy said thickly, blinking incessantly.

  She pointed to the largest panda in the booth. The young man scooped up a handful of darts, more than he’d paid for.

  Maddie grabbed his forearm and said, “It’s three for three dollars, buddy.”

  “What are they, fuckin’ gold-plated?” the boy snapped, jerking his arm away. Maddie could smell the pungent odor of beer on his breath.

  “No trouble, dude. I’ll let you have four for three bucks since it looks like you’re tryin’ to impress your lady. Break four balloons and the bear’s hers.” Maddie winked at the girl.

  Maddie stepped back, continuing to smile as she watched the boy wind up like Whitey Ford to throw his first dart. It slipped between two balloons and stuck into the board backing.

  “Break three and you’ll still win...just a smaller bear,” Maddie said.

  “Your sign says break three for the prize of your choice,” the teen argued.

  “Not when you start with four darts, pal,” Maddie snarled.

  “You offered me four damn darts. Now you’re tryin’ to screw me, you stupid bitch,” he snapped.

  “Look. I think you should leave,” Maddie said, motioning to another carnie across the walkway. “You’ve apparently had too many drinks or are high on somethin’. Walk away, I’ll give your three bucks back, and we’ll call it even.” She handed his money to him and he slapped her hand away.

  The girl beside him grabbed his arm. “Let’s come back later, Bobby Joe, when you feel better.”

  He jerked his arm back and it struck her in the face. “Leave me alone, Brandi!” he shouted as she cradled her cheek.

  Maddie reached out and slapped the darts from his hand, pushing him backwards. “Go take care of your girlfriend,” she yelled back, “before I call security.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend! She’s just a sure thing,” he grumbled. He turned to leave, but spun around and shoved Maddie into the backboard holding the balloons. That pissed her off. She vaulted over the counter, grabbed his arm, ducked to avoid being punched as he swung his fist toward her, and landed a crushing blow to his chin that dropped him to the ground.

  There were plenty of witnesses to the entire altercation who verified Maddie’s version of events when two security guards arrived on the scene. A medic checked him out before he was escorted off the carnival grounds. Maddie figured it was a safe bet he probably wouldn’t get laid that night. She closed Alice’s booth and strolled toward Alice’s trailer for dinner.

  Over dinner, Maddie told Alice and Buck about the altercation she’d had with the drunken teenager, even though she didn’t consider it a big deal.

  THE GATES CLOSED after a successful opening night and workers were picking up trash as Maddie accompanied Alice and Buck back toward the Midway to make sure all the booths and rides were secured. Alice and Buck would replace prizes that were won while Maddie wandered off to check out the safety bars that held passengers in their seats on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Buck had heard that there were a couple that weren’t locking correctly in place and empty seats meant less money.

  She had just discovered a large plug of caramel some wise-ass had stuck in the first safety lock and removed it when she heard a noise behind her. As she turned her head, her arms were grabbed and pulled behind her by a huge teenaged boy. A second boy clamped his hand over her mouth as they dragged her off the ride platform. She fought to get away, as her memory of the shower room at Sand Ridge flooded her mind. At five-eleven, Maddie was bigger than the average woman, as well as stronger, but when she saw the teen she’d decked earlier, she knew she was outnumbered and in trouble. They wrestled her behind the ride while she kicked at them and twisted her head from side to side.

  “I’ll teach you to fuck with me, bitch,” Bobby Joe said.

  She managed to bite the hand covering her mouth and the boy jerked his hand quickly away.

  “Guessin’ you didn’t get laid, huh, partner,” she said with a grin.

  The arms securing hers tightened. The boy holding her said, “Nope, but this might be more fun.”

  Bobby Joe drew his fist back and slammed it into the side of her face. “Damn, that felt good,” he breathed as Maddie slumped slightly. “Next,” he said and moved behind her to replace the large boy.

  He
stepped in front of Maddie and hit her solidly in the abdomen. Her head jerked back before falling onto her chest. The teen holding her released her and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees, gasping for breath.

  “Your turn, man,” one of them said to the third teen. “Don’t chicken out. This bitch needs to learn she can’t steal our money and get away with it. She’s just another piece of carnie trash,” he sneered. A hand grabbed her hair, lifting her head to meet another blow that knocked her flat. She tried to push herself up on wobbly arms, but a boot smashed into her side, followed by a flurry of other hits as they kicked her. She forced her arms up to protect her head and curled into a fetal position to wait for the beating to end.

  “Back off!” a voice shouted from what seemed to be far away. She heard laughter and was barely able to make out someone coming toward her, in a wheelchair. Buck! she thought through a haze, struggling to remain conscious. “Find a deputy, Alice,” Buck said. “And you boys just stand right where you are,” he added. A second later, a gunshot split the air. “I told ya to stay right there, ya little pissants,” Buck spat. “The next shot will kill any hope ya have of reproducin’. Now sit your fuckin’ asses down!”

  Maddie uncurled her body and managed to push herself up. Never let ’em know they whupped ya, she heard Aggie say through the haze in her mind. She staggered toward the three teens, blocking Buck’s line of sight. The boy she’d hit at Alice’s booth stood up and balled his fingers into tight fists. Despite the fact that her right eye was half closed due to swelling, Maddie grinned and brought her hands up to invite the bully to hit her again. “Just you and me, kid,” she rasped. “This is your chance to show your buddies what a big man you are.” It hurt to speak, but she was mad enough to ignore it temporarily.

  The volume of her voice rose with each sentence. “You hit like a fuckin’ girl, Bobby Joe! You’re a fuckin’ pussy who can’t even get laid without payin’ for it!” She could feel the rage rolling off the boy’s body.

  He looked at his friends as if trying to reassure himself they would back him up. He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet and Maddie watched the muscles coil along his arms. A second before he moved his arm to hit Maddie again, she swung her right arm up and smashed her fist solidly into his face, watching him fall at his friends’ feet, unconscious.

  “Next,” Maddie croaked, but neither boy moved and just stared at the ground. “Good deci—,” Maddie started before her knees buckled and she fell forward onto her stomach.

  Less than a minute later, Alice returned with a sheriff’s deputy and Apollo. They carefully rolled Maddie onto her back. The deputy pressed the button on the microphone attached to his shoulder and said, “Send a paramedic to the grounds behind the Tilt-A-Whirl.” Then he turned to the boys and asked, “Who wants to be the first one to tell me what happened here? After your coach and I have a little talk, my guess is you three have played your last game. And considerin’ how bad you played tonight, that’s prob’ly a fine idea.”

  Apollo helped Maddie stand shakily and began washing the blood from her face while Maddie wrapped her arm around her ribs. “Looks like you gonna need a few stitches,” he said. “And a few days off.”

  “No,” Maddie rasped as she tried to breathe without hurting her ribs. “Need the money.”

  When the paramedic arrived, he advised Maddie to go to the hospital for stitches and an X-ray, but she refused, telling him to do what he could. He Steri-stripped a couple of bloody gashes on her forehead and cheek before wrapping her ribs with Ace bandages, cautioning her that while he thought her ribs were only bruised and not broken, it might take several weeks for the bruises to heal and she would be able to move normally again. Since she wouldn’t have stitches, the cuts on her face would probably leave some degree of scarring once they healed.

  On her way out of the back of the ambulance, the deputy stopped her to tell her she’d need to come in to file her statement. She shook her head. “Not pressin’ charges,” she said. “Tripped over somethin’ and fell on some equipment. That’s my statement.”

  “That’s a damn lie!” Buck argued. “I saw them whalin’ on ya, girl.”

  She tried to grin, but her jaw hurt too much to pull it off. “I’ve done worse to get laid myself, old man,” she managed. “Let it go.”

  Maddie hobbled away, ready to swallow a handful of aspirin and get some rest. The two boys stood up and helped Bobby Joe, prepared to split, when the deputy stopped them. “I can’t let you get away with bein’ three cowards beatin’ on a woman to prove you’re real men, so for the remainder of this carnival’s stay, you three will show up every night after closin’ and pick up every fuckin’ piece of trash on the grounds. Got it? Or I can let your coach know what you did so he can punish you. Any comments or questions, gentlemen? Now get on home and sober up,” he ordered. “I’ll be here every night to make sure you do what you’re supposed to be doin’,” he called out as they walked away.

  SATURDAY MORNING, MADDIE woke up feeling as if she’d been run over by a tractor-trailer that then stopped and backed over her. She eventually was able to force herself up to use the bathroom—and she hesitated when she saw her face in the mirror. Her two black eyes vaguely reminded her of an uglier Alice Cooper. The cuts on her face had seeped during the night and made the skin around the cuts feel tight. Added to the bruise on her jaw, they gave her a somewhat Frankenstein-ish appearance. Alice Cooper would be proud, she thought, then covered her throbbing jaw that strongly rebelled against any attempt to grin. “Fuck,” she muttered.

  Buck brought her scrambled eggs for breakfast, but she couldn’t chew normally and wound up simply swallowing them. She felt better when she swished hot coffee around in her sore mouth. It loosened her jaw muscles enough to allow her to talk softly to Buck. He only gave her light assignments for the morning and no lifting. Alice used warm, wet compresses to remove the original Steri-strips and replace them with antibiotic ointment and fresh strips.

  By the afternoon, following a couple of prescription pain-killers Buck gave her, Maddie felt a little better. Good enough to relieve Alice at her booth for a while and get some fresh air. Food didn’t appeal to her, but she was able to semi-suck a Slushie. Periodically, she gently pressed the frosty cup against her jaw to stop the swelling from getting any worse. As she rested her forearms on the booth counter to help her breathe a little easier, she spotted a familiar face wandering slowly down the Midway, accompanied by an attractive brunette. It was Jan, the waitress from the diner she’d stopped at the night she was released from Sand Ridge. When Jan looked toward Alice’s booth, Maddie forced a half smile and raised an arm to cast her a wave. Jan frowned slightly and said something to the woman with her, hesitating before wandering toward the booth.

  “Take a chance and win a prize,” Maddie said, moving her jaw as little as possible.

  “What the hell happened to you?” Jan asked. “Looks painful.”

  “Unhappy customer. Only hurts if I laugh, so don’t tell me any jokes,” Maddie said.

  “Looks like he won that tussle,” Jan observed as she lightly touched the strips on Maddie’s face with her fingertips. “You do know you look like a raccoon, doncha, ya poor baby.”

  “I was kinda hoping ya wouldn’t notice. Maybe if ya kissed ’em with them sweet lips, my boo-boos would go away. I have a few others further down, too, if you’re interested,” Maddie grinned crookedly. She glanced over Jan’s shoulder at her friend and attempted a half-assed wink. She looked familiar and was studying Maddie like she was someone she should remember, but didn’t. “Who’s the shadow?” Maddie asked, returning her attention to Jan.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. This is my friend, Dani. We went to high school together and she’s visitin’ me for the weekend.”

  “Cool,” Maddie said, her eyes blatantly scanning the body of Jan’s friend. “I’m not really into threesomes, but I’ll try anythin’ once,” she continued, wincing as she forced a lascivious smile.
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  “Doesn’t it hurt to smile?” Jan asked.

  “Truthfully, it’s a bitch, honey,” Maddie answered. “Three high school punks beat the shit outta me last night, but I’ll recover. Maybe after I do we can hook up and find a way to have a little fun,” she added, waggling her eyebrows the best she could.

  Out of nowhere, Alice stepped into the booth and chuckled. “Don’t let Maddie kid ya, honey. Right now she can’t even chew food, so fun’s only a blip on the distant horizon.”

  Maddie noticed Dani’s face pale suddenly as she glanced around as if she was looking for a hole to crawl into. “Your friend looks kinda sick. Maybe y’all should find some shade,” Maddie said.

  “I’m fine,” Dani muttered. “Just a little tired.”

  “Stayed up too late last night yakkin’,” Jan explained with a wink.

  “Yeah, too much talkin’ can wear ya out,” Maddie said, looking at Dani. Turning her attention back to Jan, she said, “Personally, I prefer a little more action and a lot less talkin’, know what I mean?”

  “Absolutely, sweetie,” Jan responded, running a finger over Maddie’s forearm slowly. “Catch ya later,” she added softly before walking away with Dani.

  Alice slapped Maddie on the arm playfully. “What’re ya gonna do if that gal shows up later expectin’ ‘a little action’?” she chuckled.

  Maddie pivoted her head toward Alice. “I’ll think of somethin’,” she said with a crooked smile.

  THE NEXT MORNING, Maddie was awakened by tapping on the trailer’s aluminum door. She swung her legs over the side of her bunk and stood up, semi-straightening her tank top and boxers. It seemed too early for Buck to be bringing her lunch, but she was a little hungry. She took a cigarette from her pack and put it between her lips without lighting it. Then she pushed the trailer door open and returned to her bunk. She lit her cigarette and exhaled a cloud of blue smoke. “Just put it down on the table,” she said. “I’ll get it in a minute. Tell Alice I said thanks.”