Bellies aching with laughter, the two best friends stumbled off their favorite roller coaster. Sammie, the taller of the two, grabbed their shared bag from the cubby, while Piper held open the gate with one hand, attempting to smooth her blonde hair with the other.
There was a rhythm to their movements that came only from years and years of knowing one another. As Sammie passed through the open gate, she linked her arm through Piper’s, the two girls continuing to giggle.
“Again?” Piper asked, knowing full well that Sammie would say yes.
The usual sparkle in Sammie’s amber eyes dimmed slightly, and her smile shortened. “I might actually need a minute.”
Leading Sammie to a nearby bench, Piper took the bag from her best friend’s shoulder and pulled out the water bottle. “Take a sip. You know I don’t handle vomit.”
“I won’t puke. I promise.” Sammie screwed the cap back on and sighed. “We’re gettin’ old, Pipes. I’ve never gotten that dizzy on Time Winder.”
“Have you eaten enough today? Drink more water.”
“You sound like me.”
Still fidgeting with her wind-blown hair, Piper smirked. “You’ve mothered me enough times, I know the drill.”
Together they lapsed into silence as the summer sun kissed their shoulders. Children dashed past, their parents following quickly, shouting at them to slow down. Nearby, the theme park’s train tooted its horn. Sammie covered her ears and grimaced. Piper smiled, amused by Sammie’s intense dislike of trains.
“Maybe it’s time for that frozen lemonade!” Sammie shouted.
Laughing, Piper motioned for Sammie to remove her hands from her ears. Realizing her mistake, Sammie laughed too, and the girls headed farther down the path in search of a frozen lemonade stand.
Whenever they came to their favorite amusement park, they allowed themselves one in-park treat. At Christmas time it was either hot cocoa or wassail. In the summer it was always frozen lemonade. The two best friends had gone once in the fall, and both of them recalled purchasing a different treat. Considering the only argument Sammie and Piper had ever had was when they were five years old, they were not about to break a twenty-year streak.
Over their shared cup of frozen lemonade, the girls continued to discuss their game plan.
“Since Watering Hole still isn’t open,” Piper started, “let’s go back to Wild, Wild because that one–”
“–is a classic. Shouldn’t be dizzying. And if Watering Hole is still broken down, maybe we should brave the line for the new water ride?”
“Can you check the queue time?”
“Oh, right!” Sammie dug in the backpack for her phone. “I’m still not used to the app.”
“Neither am I. Feels like cheating.” Adopting a silly Southern accent, Piper continued, “All this highfalutin tech-know-low-gee.”
Matching the accent, Sammie said, “What is this world a-comin’ to?”
“We sure don’t sound like a-couple-o young whipper snappers, aye Sammie?”
“That’s ‘cause we’s gettin’ old.” The accent faded as Sammie found the latest update on the theme park’s app. “Alrighty, says here that Cave River Falls has a wait time of forty-five minutes. Better than it was.”
Piper handed Sammie the cup of frozen lemonade, signaling she was done. “Let’s ride Wild, Wild again, then get in line for that because maybe it will be even shorter!”
Happy with their agreed-upon plan, the two besties set off for their age-old classic metal roller coaster that never failed to disappoint. With five excellent drops and three delightful loop-de-loops, this bright orange coaster was one that had thrilled them since they were tall enough to ride. Per their roller coaster riding traditions, all coasters required hands in the air, laughter (not screaming), and making funny faces into the camera. They never purchased the ride photo but always enjoyed laughing at the finished product at the photo hut.
After checking out Piper’s duck face plus peace fingers and Sammie’s squinty-eyed, tongue-out grin at the photo hut, they half ran to the queue line for Cave River Falls. The new water ride was new only to the girls. They hadn’t been able to go to the park last summer when the ride opened due to Piper’s debilitating battle with endometriosis. It was too soon after her hysterectomy. Thankfully, they were still able to make the trek out for Christmas time, although at that point Sammie was the one battling her own chronically poor health.
In their twenty-seven years of life and twenty-five years of best friend status, the two girls had been through major life traumas and milestones together. They were well aware of how precious their friendship was and is.
After a thirty-eight-minute wait, Piper and Sammie scrambled aboard the tube ride, giddy with excitement. Six other people were in the tube, all of them facing inward, forcing conversation as the water ride slowly took them up the elevator. The two girls struck up a conversation with two older ladies who looked to be in their mid-sixties. One wore a broad-brimmed straw hat with a chin strap, mousy brown and grey curls framing her weathered cheeks. The other had tortoiseshell sunglasses, complete with a strap at the nape of her neck. A matching clip held her icy white hair back. But their smiles were just as young and excited as Piper and Sam’s.
“Have you been on this ride yet?” Piper asked the two ladies.
“Oh, yes!” exclaimed the one in the straw hat. “It’s one of the few we can both still ride. I’ve got a heart condition, and Beth’s got vertigo.”
Startled, Sammie asked, “Are you sure this ride’s ok with vertigo?”
Beth waved the question away as the elevator continued to slowly crank the tube up towards the sky. “Hasn’t been a problem yet, and we’ll ride as long–”
“–as we’re able,” the two friends finished in unison.
Piper and Sammie exchanged a knowing smile.
Beth continued. “We tried bringing our husbands, but they’re so boring. They don’t like rides.”
“Ours too!” Piper and Sammie said together.
Sammie added, “They’re total duds.”
The friend in the straw hat tapped Beth’s arm excitedly. “Look, I told you we can see the lake from up here!”
Beth craned her neck around the tall back of the seat. “Oh, how lovely.”
And then the tube dipped and splashed into the massive slide! Everyone shouted with glee as the first wave crashed inside the tube, soaking two passengers on the opposite side. Sammie gripped Piper’s hand and shouted over the rushing water, “I hope we’re next!”
Piper laughed in response as the tube bumped against the wall and spun.
Barreling down the slide and sloshing through the rapids, the entire tube of passengers became increasingly soaked as their laughter grew. As the water calmed into a lazy river, other parkgoers stood on a bridge, their coins jingling in their hands as they pressed the quarters into the slots of the water guns. Everyone in the tube ducked, trying to evade the arches of cold water. Piper spluttered as a stream of water landed on top of her head, pushing her hair into her face. Sammie burst out laughing but was cut short. The tube splashed through the final dip sending a massive wave over the side that soaked Sammie and the two older ladies.
Peeling themselves from the slick plastic seats, the passengers disembarked one by one. Piper held out her hand to help the lady in the straw hat, which was soaked and now hung around her face like a drooping flower. Sammie offered her arm to Beth, convinced that Beth was certainly downplaying the severity of her vertigo. Consciously or not, Sammie equated Beth with Piper, and she knew Piper always downplayed the severity of her pain.
Once out of everyone else’s way, Piper asked the older lady who was shaking the water out of her hat, “Did you say your name and I missed it? I’m Piper, by the way.”
“Sue Ann,” she said as she plopped the hat back over her damp curls. “Nice to meet you girls.” Sue Ann’s amber eyes sparkled with vibrant life, as if ignorant of the deep creases around them. “Are you riding again?”
“I think we’re going to dry off by going on Nitro,” Sammie said, casting a glance at Piper for confirmation.
At the mention of this particular roller coaster, a mixture of excitement and longing crossed Beth’s face. “Oh, Nitro used to be my favorite. The way the hydraulics shoot you off!”
“And it says not to have your hands in the air for the launch,” added Sue Ann, “but who can possibly resist?”
Piper and Sammie smiled knowingly at each other.
Offering her arm to Beth, Sue Ann allowed her friend to lean on her for support. “Well, I think we’ll take a short break. There’s a bluegrass band playing over at the stage soon. Maybe after that we ride again?”
Beth nodded her consent. “It was lovely meeting you girls.”
Piper and Sammie agreed and waved goodbye to their new friends. Together they walked in silence up the steep hill leading to Piper’s personal favorite ride.
The entrance to Nitro was right at the top, and it was near there that Sammie took a step that tweaked her knee.
Sammie stumbled, and Piper grabbed her friend’s shoulder and elbow. “You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just stepped funny.” Sammie shrugged. “It happens.”
The two best friends looked at each other, silently speaking volumes.
After a moment, Sammie asked, “We just met our older selves, right?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Piper said with a laugh. “Did you even have to ask?”
“No, just double checking we’re on the same page.” Sammie strode towards the ride entrance, ignoring the dull aches in her joints. “Shall we?”
“You okay?”
“Yes.” Sammie smiled gently. “As long as we’re able, we’re going on ALL the rides.”
Piper followed her best friend into the twisting queue line. “And what happens when we’re not?”
“Do you even have to ask?” Sammie replied with a wink.
As an author, Alexandra Rexford enjoys writing stories with wit and romance, including a dash of danger. In a perfect world, she would spend all her time writing, reading, sipping hot cocoa, and snuggling with her dogs.
Featured image by Ethan Hoover.
