Circus Twisty is Samantha and lives only with her dad, who just calls her Sam. She wasn't the prettiest girl in Jupiter, Florida. Only being raised by a man, her father knew no other way to raise her, so she grew up looking like one. A tomboy, who lacked physical beauty and always dressed as so, also built for hard labor. Her father, however, is blinded by the way she is perceived by others. Mitchell is not aware that a lot of people see Samantha as a man, up until one day at the office.
Mitchell is a construction worker and is approached by one of his middle-aged co-workers. Samantha is in her early twenties and would sometimes help her father out at work. But not today, though. She is at home. Lawn had to be mowed and just stuff that needed to be done at the house. Today, though, Mitch is about to have his perception changed.
Thomas: Hey Mitch, can I ask you something?
Mitchell: Sure, man.
Thomas: How long have we been friends? Cause I was thinking. You know I have a daughter and now that she's of age and doesn't have a boyfriend, I was thinking. Your son is with anyone, right?
Mitchell: (confused) My son?
As much as Mitchell wanted a son, he doesn't have one that he's aware of.
Thomas: Yeah, man. What do you think about that idea?
Mitchell: I don't know, man. Unless you know a guy that's single, I would like to find someone for my daughter.
Thomas: You never mentioned a daughter. If you did, I must have forgotten.
Mitchell: Yeah, I think you have.
Thomas: Well, just ask Sam, okay? Maybe he'll like to meet my Betsy.
At the moment Thomas walks away, made Mitchell stop and think. Is Thomas the only person who thinks Sam is his son? Is that what Sam looks like to everyone at work? This was new to him. And to think, if Sam looks like a man, which explains why she has a hard time finding a man to settle down with.
Mitch comes home, finding Sam sitting on the front porch, but now irritated and willing to take it out on Sam.
Sam: (approaches Mitchell) Dad, so glad you're home. There's something I wanna talk about.
Mitchell: Well, there's something we should talk about.
Sam: Okay, sure. What is it?
Mitchell: For starters, you can start acting like a woman. I mean, a lot of people at work think you're my son, so you need to stop acting like a man.
Sam: (confused) Where is this suddenly coming from?
Mitchell: (irritated) Seriously, Samantha. You're 23 years old and still living at home. Maybe if you acted like a woman, you'd be married and living on your own by now.
Sam: (sad, confused) Being raised by a man, the way I look and act is not my fault.
Mitchell, annoyed, remembers that Sam had something she wanted to tell him.
Mitchell: Was there something you wanted to tell me?
Sam: (hurt, annoyed) Yeah, you know the circus in town? Well, since I went there to see if I could get a job, I think it's pretty clear you want me out of the house. So, I guess I'll start packing my stuff.
Before Mitch could say anything, Sam runs into the house in tears. He felt bad for what he said, though. He really didn't wanna force her out of the house, but he didn't say anything as he watched his only child leave the house with a couple of suitcases and get in a taxi. Just as the taxi left, Mitch went back into the house, sat on the couch and bawled his eyes out. He couldn't believe his last conversation with Sam was telling her that she should be on her own and letting her walk out. She may never come back, for all he knows, so it really hurt him at the thought.
Sam arrives at the circus, known as Rusty Westchester's Travelling Carnival. She had already had an interview with the owner, Rusty Westchester, so she already has a trailer waiting for her. She hasn't met the other clowns, or any of the other performers, yet. She's nervous, gets in her white silk clown suit. A clown suit with a big collar, red trim and pointy hat. It's a hot day, so she's sweating under the fabric and grease paint.
Under a big tent, she's met by three clowns. A woman in her thirties, with a purple and pink clown suit and hair styled to be tufts. Her name is Peaches and introduces herself.
Peaches: I'm Peaches. I heard there was a new clown, so so nice to meet you.
Sam: I'm Samantha. Don't have a clown name just yet.
Peaches: That's okay, Samantha. (pointing to a middle-aged bald clown in blue) That's my husband, Milo and (pointing over to a 12 year old girl in pink clown suit with a tutu) that's our daughter, Strawberry.
Sam: What are your real names? If you don't mind me asking.
Peaches: I'm Marge, my hubby is Mike and Strawberry is really Strawberry.
That's when Milo enters the conversation.
Milo: There's another one clown, but he has his own show, cause no one can tolerate him.
Sam: Where is he?
Milo: His name is Twisty and probably somewhere where I can't smell him, which is good enough for me.
Sam: (confused) Huh?
Peaches: Twisty lacks hygiene, so he smells pretty bad.
Milo: Anyways, he dresses in dirty clothes, reapplies his makeup and wears an old smile mask over his mouth. You would know he was coming, cause he smells like he crawled out of a dumpster.
Sam: Good to know.
Peaches: He's a good clown, don't get me wrong, but we just can't stand to be around him.
To Sam, this Twisty sounds so interesting enough to meet him in person. The mystery of him was already starting to drive her crazy. But after her first show with Peaches, Strawberry and Milo, she started walking around the circus to find this Twisty. Well, not knowing what he really looks like, she decides to go by smell.
While walking around, all she could think about is her last conversation with her father and not saying goodbye to him. With no luck and it getting late, she goes back to her trailer and prepairs herself for bed. She sits on the bed, thinking about her father and cries herself to sleep.
The next day, wearing just pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, steps out of her trailer and follows the smell of breakfast. Under a tent and soon after sitting down with a plate of food, it soon became overwhelmed by the smell of rotting garbage. With butterflies in her stomach, she turned around in her seat and sees Twisty. He's tall, lumbering and wearing a dirty clown suit. Just as Milo described him, wearing a old mask, but left out the part about the life-like cap on his head with three colored tufts of hair.
The smell was more of a turn on for her, but her mouth went against her and called him by name.
Sam: You can sit with me, Twisty.
Surrounding performers, who were holding their noses, looked at Sam with such shock. Twisty looked at her, smiled under his mask and eagerly sat across from the new performer with his own breakfast plate.
Sam: I'm Samantha and new to this place. I'm a clown and Milo and Peaches already said that you're a good clown and have your own show.
Twisty didn't say anything, which confused Sam, when she tried to figure out how he would eat his food with his mask on.
Sam: Hard to enjoy the bacon with your mask on, right?
Twisty usually takes his plate back to his camper, eating by himself and no one watching him, so this would be a first to take his mask off in public. Just as he reached up to take off his mask, a circus midget made a comment.
Stevie: Hurry up and eat, clown. You smell like shit and I can't eat til you go away.
Sam: I don't know you, but please shut up and let him eat.
Stevie flips her off and walks away. Nervous Twisty proceeds to take off his mask and Sam see why he wears it. His lower jaw doesn't meet up with the rest of his mouth and looks sunken in and teeth exposed. He's a freak, but seeing her response to the way he looks, he starts eating. Well, it's a mess, but Sam looks unphased by the whole eperience.
Sam: I don't know if you like performing by yourself. Maybe one day, if I'm good enough, to perform with you. I know you barely know me, but we get hang out and stuff.
Twisty: (slurs) You wanna be my friend?
Sam: Yeah, sure. Well, if it's okay with you.
Twisty: (slurs) After the show, let's go by the Ferris Wheel. My favorite ride.
Sam: Sure, but if you can't recognise me as a clown, I wear a white clown suit and pointy hat.
Twisty: (slurs) And don't let anyone see my face. I never show anyone.
Sam could see the slobber dripping from his mouth, but it appears to not disgust her while she's eating.
Sam: You shown me, so that's a good thing, right?
Twisty: (slurs) No one wants me to sit with them. It made me smile.
Sam smiles at his remark. From a distance, Peaches could see her sitting and having a converstation with Twisty, but not close enough to see his face. She smiles, shakes her head and goes on with her day.
Before the show, Sam is ready in her clown suit and makeup, when approaches by Peaches in the big tent.
Peaches: I saw you talking to Twisty this morning.
Sam: After what you told me about him, I felt like I wanted to see and talk to him. He's nice.
Peaches: I don't know how you deal with the smell. Good thing I stayed a good distance from him.
Sam: I used to help my dad gut out old houses, which some of them smelled pretty bad, so I guess I'm immuned.
Peaches: And did he take off that mask? Cause he had to when he talked to you.
Sam: He's sensitive about it. We're gonna hang out after the show.
Peaches: You like him, don't you. I know it hasn't even been a day, but you like him.
Sam: It's that obvious?
Peaches: No judging, here. Now, let's get on with the show.
Soon after the show, Sam couldn't wait to meet Twisty by the Ferris Wheel. Still in her clown suit, she sees Twisty and feels her stomach flutter with joy. The kind of feeling she never experieced before, then she met Twisty and her cheeks blush beneath the grease paint, as he approached her. He is wearing his mask again.
Sam: (smiles, blushes) To be honest, I couldn't wait to see you again.
Twisty has never had a girl like him, like that, before. This was all very new to him, even though he's ten years older than her. Being a freak and smelling bad doesn't exactly win over the girls. And speaking of smelling bad, just something that can't be washed away with a bath. It's just the way he is, so he might as well dress the part of a hobo clown.
Twisty: (slurs) You're pretty. Let's ride on the Ferris Wheel together.
On the Ferris Wheel, they decided to hold hands and smile at each other. It was a very sweet moment.
Sam: To be honest, I never felt this way before, for a guy. I know it's a bit too soon to say, seeing that we just met this morning.
Twisty: (slurs) I like you too.
And like that, they start dating. But, before they could get to the kissing, they were going to get to know each other first and both of them are fine with that. Since Sam missed her dad, that didn't stop her from writing him, telling him that she's happy, made new friends and has a boyfriend, whom she's taking things slow with. She also writes that maybe she could come back and visit, if he let's her back into his life, cause she misses him terribly.
After a week, she sees Peaches playing with Strawberry and wonders how she would have turned out if her mother stuck around. Wonders what mother/daughter things she missed out on. The thought brings a tear to her eye. She ususally doesn't like to share her sorrows with others, given being at a Freak Show, there are others with worse problems.
Another week and she's willing to let her wall down around Twisty. More like being more open with him. And she knows that Twisty hasn't shared everything with her, yet. They mostly talked about their favorite movies, food and sweet treats. They also talked about work at the circus, but not the way he is. Not yet. She would like to know where he came from and wonders if he's ready to share that with her.
So she invited Twisty to her trailer, in the evening, so they wouldn't be interrupted. They are both sitting on the couch, coming back from a long walk, but they both had been quiet and holding hands the whole time. Now, they are truly alone. And Twisty also has concerns of his own. He takes off his mask, so she could hear him better.
Twisty: (slurs) Do I make you sad? You look sad all the time.
Sam: It's not you, Twisty. I'm just missing someone, that's all.
Twisty: (slurs) You can cry. I will hold you.
Sam: I just miss my father so much. We didn't part on good terms and we never said goodbye. He was all I had.
Sam had started sobbing and Twisty holds her in his arms.
Twisty: (slurs) What about your mamma?
Sam: I never knew her. My dad said, she left, cause I was a mistake. A mistake to fix a broken relationship. She never wanted me.
And continues to sob in Twisty's arms. He even strokes her back and shoulders to comfort her. He does share a similar pain.
Twisty: (slurs) My pa left me when I was little. Just look at me. I'm ugly. I was always laughed at. Mamma even said I'd be useful in a Freak Show.
Sam: That's bad when your own mom refers you as a freak.
Twisty: (chokes up, sobbing) I having seen her in years.
That is just awful and Sam could be facing the same fate. How did he deal with it for so long? The thought made her cry even more.
Sam: How do you deal with it? I just cry every night.
Twisty: (slurs, sobs) I still do. But ever since I met you, not so much. I'm not alone any more.
Sam: And you're not ugly. Special, sweet, adorable and unique, but not ugly. I mean that.
Twisty: (slurs) First time I heard that from anyone. It means a lot.
Sam looks up at him, caresses his left cheek and does her best to kiss him on the mouth. It was not only her first kiss, but his as well. That opened up a new level of sensation for the both of them.