The big top loomed before them. A series of spiked roofs rising against the blackening sky, each point made up of yellow and red panels adorned with fairy lights that were just becoming visible as the sky grew darker, and on the breeze there was the hint of caramel, beneath the crisp scent of autumn leaves. A subtle sweetness at the edge of the cold.
"Glad I made you change your heels?"
Rita asked, slipping her arm into the crook of Connie's elbow and leaning against her as she spoke. She could smell her perfume on the wool of her coat, the blue of which was speckled with raindrops that clung to the fabric like diamonds before falling to her feet.
Ahead of them, walking across the field towards the circus tent were a family of four, the mother of which was struggling to keep the heels of her suede boots from sinking into the mud, and she clung onto her husbands arm for support whilst their children ran ahead, long blond hair like streamers in the wind.
"Amateur..."
Connie murmured, a glimmer of amusement behind her eyes as she glanced from the woman before them to Rita, enjoying the way the blonde had taken her arm without a thought.
She tucked her chin into the grey scarf she had wound about her neck, her breath making the wool of it damp against her lips.
Grace and Florence danced ahead, calling to one another as they ran, their breath showing white as they exhaled.
They neared the trailer that was set up outside of the circus tent and waited in the line before buying their tickets.
"Can I hold them?"
Grace asked, breathless, reaching out for the tickets as they made there way through to the entrance of the big top, held open by two men in red suits with black buttons that looked like blackberries from their necks to their waists.
"Don't lose them."
Connie said, passing her the tickets, and Grace gave an exasperated sigh and turned back to Florence, the two girls leaning together, looking at the pictures on the decorative tickets.
Rita glanced at her, one eyebrow ever so slightly raised.
"What?"
"Relax..."
Rita whispered, squeezing Connie's upper arm with her fingers, feeling how tense the muscle was and how it barely moved beneath her touch.
They watched as Grace held out the tickets to one of the two men who stood holding the curtains to the big top open. The older man took the tickets with a smile and tore them in two, handing back the stubs to Grace and Florence who pushed them into their pockets, barely remembering to thank him before rushing into the darkness of the tent, eager to find the best seats.
As Connie dipped her head unnecessarily to pass through the entrance behind them, Rita noticed how the doorman watched her, his eyes taking her in, every curve of her body, undressing her with his eyes, and smiling as she went.
"Wow. Could he be any more obvious?"
She hissed, glancing back as they followed Grace and Florence to their seats, moving through the circus tent, twinkle lights showing above them, the tent like fairy tale under a curtain of stars.
"Hmm?"
Connie asked, distracted.
"The man on the door. His eyeballs nearly fell out of his head when he saw you."
Connie glanced back to where he was still staring at her, her face expressionless.
"I didn't notice."
She said, squeezing Rita's arm as the younger woman looked pointedly over to the man at the tent opening, glaring at him when eventually he looked away from Connie to meet her gaze.
"Come..."
Connie moved her arm so that Rita had to let go, and instead she reached out, touching her fingers to Rita's elbow, gesturing for her to follow as they side stepped between the wooden benches to where Grace and Florence sat, their legs swinging in unison.
Rita made to sit down next to them but the grip on her arm stopped her, and she glanced up.
"We'll sit behind."
Was all she said, and with one long leg she stepped elegantly over the dividing bench to the one behind, where she paused and held out a hand to steady Rita as she followed, and the two of them sat down, the vacant bench rocking slightly beneath them.
"Mummy?"
Grace turned the moment they sat down, the lights from the ring before them casting shadows on her face, highlighting her cheekbones, giving it a structure that Rita hadn't noticed before, it showed the differences between the little girl and Connie, she could see her father in her, and she remembered the photo of him on the mantle piece in Connie's living room.
Connie leant forwards. Music was playing from overhead speakers and she frowned, the skin at the corners of her eyes creasing as she strained to listen.
"Can we have candy floss?"
The little girl asked, her legs paused in their swinging and she lowered her chin, though her eyes still looked up, matching her mothers, challenging her.
Connie glanced from her daughter to Florence who sat meekly beside her, hands folded in her lap, her blue eyes on the Grace, and Rita realised that to anyone else they must look like two mothers and two daughters out for the afternoon together.
"Of course, darling."
Connie's words were only just heard above the thump of the music, and she leant back to reach into her bag.
"And popcorn?"
Grace added, her eyes on her mothers hand that dipped into the black leather of her handbag. Connie paused, Rita caught the flicker at the corner of her lips and she placed her own hand over hers and leant against her.
"Let me."
She said, giving a gentle press of her fingers and she stood up, gesturing with both hands for Grace and Florence to go with her.
"Come on you two. Come and show me what you want."
She raised her voice as they moved, and placed her hands on the shoulders of the girls, ushering them towards the smaller tent in the corner which boasted a fluorescent 'Sweets' sign.
They waited their turn, listening to the music, and glancing to the ring, the curtain at the back fluttering occasionally in the wind, and from where they stood they could see that it had begun to rain.
The father and child ahead of them side stepped out of their way with an apologetic smile and Grace and Florence stared up at the array of sugar coated confections. There were glossy red toffee apples on lollipop sticks, bags of pastel coloured candy floss hung above them and a heated glass box popped sticky popcorn up against the sides, the smell of it tempting them, warm and sweet in the air above them, like a dose of warm honey, creeping through the veins.
"Can I help you?"
The man working behind the sweets turned from whatever he was doing and leant over the counter so that he could look down upon the two little girls, their eyes wide, looking at everything.
"Well?"
Rita grinned, amused that all it took was an array of sweets to turn these two back into little girls again.
As she spoke the man from behind the counter glanced up at her, smiling, though as he looked at her a frown flickered across his face, and an odd look of recognition clouded behind his eyes.
"Popcorn, please...and candy floss."
Grace paused and looked around to Rita.
"Please may we have a drink each?"
She asked, her voice low, and Rita cleared her throat, glancing away from the man who served them, slightly unnerved by his presence.
"Of course! What would you like?"
She asked, and Grace stood up on tip toes to read the list of drinks that were pinned behind to the boards above the toffee apples.
She bent her head to confer with Florence before settling on a can of Coca Cola each and Rita pushed her hand into her bag for her purse, waiting whilst the man served them, handing down the bag of candy floss and scooping out popcorn into a large red and white striped box which he set on the counter along with the two drinks before looking again to Rita.
"£7.50 please."
He said, his voice oddly low and almost out of breath, though he wore a grin that had far too much wolf in it to be sheepish, and his eyes glittered a tainted green.
Rita counted out change into her left hand, and as she reached out to place the money within his hand she noticed tattooed dots across the ridges of his knuckles and she glanced back up at him, wondering if behind the eye liner and the jaunty circus hat, she knew him.
"Thanks."
He took the money from her without breaking eye contact, and she felt the hairs rise at the back of her neck as her fingertips brushed his palm.
She gave a brief nod and passed down the cans of drink to Florence who carried them back to Connie ahead of Grace who held the candy floss and Rita followed with the popcorn, refusing to glance back at the man at the stall who would now be serving someone else.
-1-
More later! Hope you're all still enjoying it? Feel free to let me know if I'm ever going too slowly xxx