Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

Bowery.
    They walked the short distance up 12th Street, passing the huge two-hundred foot Wonder Wheel. People giggled and screamed from their tiny, swaying cars on the Ferris wheel. Elizabeth barely noticed. The side show carnies and their nickel games of chance lined the sidewalk: age old scams waiting for the next sucker. Hucksters and conmen were all too familiar to her. A little three card Monty, a shill game; the fix was always in. Her daddy always believed that one good hand, one good roll of the dice was only around the corner. And it might have been, if the cards weren’t marked and the dice weren’t weighted. Even up until the end, he never lost sight of the brass ring, always just beyond his reach. Now it all felt like an illusion. A dream stripped away to the cold, bleached bones of reality.
    “We have a winner!” The stall owner handed a man a kewpie doll. The woman with him threw her arms around his neck and squealed in delight. The happy couple walked away arm in arm.
    Simon grew increasingly distressed by Elizabeth’s silence. More than once, he’d wished she would curb her enthusiasm, but now he found he missed it. Her smile that had warmed him during the day had faded with the afternoon light. He wanted to reassure her, but false comforts weren’t his nature. He knew it was absurd, but he felt compelled to see her smile again. He noticed the byplay of the couple and had an idea.
    “This way,” he said and led her toward one of the ring toss stalls.
    “Nickel for three tries,” said the carny. “Win something for the pretty lady?”
    “What would you like?” Simon said confidently. How hard could it be?
    Elizabeth laughed, but it was still lifeless. “It’s okay.”
    Simon surveyed the prizes. The kewpie dolls were grotesque. He looked over at Elizabeth and saw her eyes lingering on a small stuffed animal on the top shelf. “What do I have to do for the tiger? That one in the back?”
    The carny’s lips curled in pleasure. “Just gotta get one ring on the blue bottle and it’s yours.”
    Simon took off his coat and handed it to Elizabeth. She smiled, a bit of the spark he so loved lighting her eyes. Shouldn’t be difficult really—one ring out of three.
    Ten minutes and three dollars later, he still hadn’t hit a sodding thing. He slammed another quarter down on the wooden ledge.
    “Really, it’s okay,” she said, biting her lip in an obvious effort to keep from laughing.
    “No, it’s not,” he said.
    He tossed the ring, and it clattered off to the side. The second rimmed off the blue-necked bottle. Finally, the third hit its mark. It looped around the bottle and settled in place.
    Simon grunted in triumph. “About bloody time.”
    Elizabeth laughed and gave him a round of applause. He suddenly felt embarrassed. He wasn’t one for overt, or covert for that matter, shows of testosterone. But the way she looked at him, almost adoringly, it was enough to turn lead into gold.
    The carny used his long pole to retrieve the stuffed tiger and handed it to Simon. Elizabeth positively beamed when he turned back to her. Whatever the cost, it had been well worth it.
    Feeling the carny’s eyes on them, Simon led Elizabeth to a secluded spot near a darkened stall for more privacy. He looked down at the tiger. It was ridiculous really, poorly made and covered with a layer of dust. The stitches were loose and haphazard, ready to split apart at the slightest provocation.
    He turned it over in his hands, feeling suddenly foolish. Such a paltry thing for all the money he’d spent. Money they didn’t have to spare. He took a deep breath. “I think he belongs to you,” he said softly and handed her the tiger.
    Elizabeth brushed the soft fur and played with one of the ears. “I love him,” she whispered. She steadied herself on his shoulder and leaned up to kiss him. Just the barest caress on the corner of his mouth, but the feeling was electric. She pulled away just far enough for him to see her face—surprised, questioning, and desiring. A breathless moment hovered between them.
    A voice inside Simon’s head screamed at him to step away, to stop this before it went too far. She moved closer again, her lips brushing against his. And the voice fell silent. Everything Simon knew, every good reason, every second thought, disappeared in that instant. The only thing that mattered was the feeling.
    Her lips, tentative and soft, pressed against his. His hands moved without thought and