Joey

He pulled the motorcycle into the parking lot, circled it once, and then came to a stop in a spot designated for motorcycles.

With my eyes fixed on the rollercoaster, I climbed off and removed my helmet. “Are we going to ride it? The rollercoaster?”

“Rumor has it you can see the horizon from the top of it,” he said. “Sun’s going to set in a bit. Thought it might be cool to see it from up there.”

I gazed at the massive structure. The string of cars crept to the top of the first hill. The riders anticipated what was next, proven by the sight of their hands shooting up into the air. After reaching the crest, the cars shot down the other side.

The evening air filled with their screams.

“It’d be awesome,” I said.

He stepped to my right and extended his left elbow. “Come on.”

I slipped my arm through his and walked at his side as I took in the sights. A boardwalk separated the beach from the amusement park. Other than the rollercoaster, old-school rides like bumper cars, a tilt-a-whirl, and a carousel were within my view, and a several other rides were positioned at the other end of the park.

The excitement of riding a rollercoaster with Percy filled me. It seemed like an odd choice for a first date with a biker, but I loved the idea. The thought of it turned my legs to rubber.

We stepped onto the platform, behind several others in line waiting for the ride. I counted the people, then counted the cars as they crept up the last hill. I grinned at the thought of us getting on the next ride.

When the ride stopped, my heart began to race.

“Have you ever been one of these?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“Me neither. We’re both virgins, I guess.”

“I suppose so.”

The people were smiling and laughing as they got off the ride, all seemingly happy with what the rollercoaster offered them. Then, the cars inched forward, coming to a stop directly in front of us.

Percy paid, and we climbed into one of the small cars. After securing ourselves inside, I held my breath and waited.

The cars crept forward.

I glanced at Percy, and then at the upcoming hill. Slowly, we climbed, inch by inch, until we were near the top of the first hill.

He raised his hands in the air. “Come on.”

I did the same.

We reached the top, paused, and then shot down the hill like a rocket.

With our hands over our heads, we both screamed. Before I could catch my breath, we’d reached the next hill.

Down we went. My heart rose into my throat. A joyous shout escaped me, but was promptly swallowed as we cascaded down the next hill.

The cars shot to the left, tossing us into one another. As it crept up another long hill, we shared a look.

He leaned forward and kissed me softly. It wasn’t a long kiss. It was simply a peck on the lips. At that moment, however, it took my breath away.

The car careened down the hill, and we eventually came to a stop right back where we started.

“Holy cow,” I said. “That was a blast.”

“Want to go again?”

“Can we?”

“Let’s go until the sun sets.”

I pumped my fist. “Yes!”

We rode the rollercoaster until sunset, catching bits and pieces of the orange sky as we were able. After a dozen rides, the colorful horizon melted into the sea of blue beneath.

And then, when it grew dark, we got off what would be our last ride of the night.

“Jesus fuck,” Percy said. “I’ve never had so much fucking fun in my life.”

“Me neither,” I said.

With his hands pressed to his knees, he heaved to catch his breath. “That was fun.”

“The most fun, ever.”

“Do you like ice cream?”

I scrunched my nose. “Who doesn’t like ice cream? Heck yes, I like ice cream.”

He peered toward the shops that lined the boardwalk. “Come on.”

With my arm wrapped around his, we walked side by side to a building with the name Sweet Shoppe carved into a wooden sign.

“This must be the place,” he said.

I gazed through the glass at the display of candies, fudge, and ice cream. “Ever been here before?”

“Nope.”

“Ice cream virgin, too. Huh?”

“I’ve had it before,” he said with a laugh. “Just been a long time.”

I tried to think of the last time I had ice cream, and came up with nothing. “Yeah. A long time for me, too.”

We each ordered a two-scoop cone, and when they came, we gasped. The waffle cones were monstrous, and the dips of ice cream were so big I doubted we could ever finish them.

“Holy cow,” I said when he handed me mine. “That’s massive.”

He chose mint chocolate chip and chocolate, and I picked butter pecan and pralines and cream. I took my first bite as we walked outside.

It was unlike anything I’d eaten. Ever.

“Holy crap.” I held my cone at arm’s length. “You’ve got to taste this.”

He took a step back and smiled. “Are you offering me your ice cream?”

I giggled. “It’s really good.”

He took a bite and then smiled. Ice cream covered his lips, but instead of licking them, he kissed me.

That moment was like a dream come true. Truthfully, the date was like a dream come true. At least so far. I’d always wanted to have a relationship with someone who was able to accept me for who I was. Percy did that, and in doing so, he wasn’t afraid to act like himself, either.

He may have been a big badass biker, but at that moment, he was nothing more than a man covered in ice cream, giving his date a kiss.

He held out his cone. “Here. Try this.”

I reached for it, pulled the entire scoop of mint off the top, and took a bite out of the chocolate scoop that was beneath it.

As he stared at me with an open mouth, I plopped the scoop of mint back on top and licked my lips. “I don’t like mint ice cream. That chocolate is good as heck, though.”

His eyes searched my face. When he was done, he smiled. “I can’t believe you lived next door to me for as long as you have, and that it took me this long to figure out who you are. You’re perfect.”

I chuckled. “I would take me a lifetime to figure you out.”

“Are you willing?” he asked. “That’s the question.”

I made a fist and held it between us.

He locked eyes with me, and then pressed his knuckles against mine. “This could be one hell of a ride.”

“It better be,” I said. “But I think we’ll both enjoy every minute of it.”

“I think you’re right.”

We shared a look, and then ate our ice cream. After we rode the rollercoaster again, he motioned toward the beach.

“Go for a walk?”

I wanted to take a barefoot stroll in the sand, but was afraid to ask. He must have sensed it, because as we approached his motorcycle, he stopped and took off his boots.

“Are you self-conscious about your foot?”

“When it happened, I was pretty upset. Scouts were already looking at me for a baseball scholarship. Most felt that I’d go pro. That accident knocked me out of sports altogether. I couldn’t change it, so all that was left was to accept it.”

“Do you think you’ve done that?”

“Accept it? Sure. I don’t have a choice.”

“Are you self-conscious about your leg?” he asked.

“Very. I can’t accept or change it. All I can do is hide it.”

“It’s part of who you are. Embrace it.”

I wished it was that easy, but it wasn’t. I kicked off my shoes, put them in the saddlebag, and shrugged. “Easier said than done.”

“We’ll work on it together,” he said.

Since the accident, my life had been one series of complications after another. I had my doubts that it would ever get measurably better.

But on that night, thanks to Percy, a common girl evolved into someone special.

She became a princess.

And, when she did, everything changed.