Chapter 13: The Employee Carnival
One cool third Saturday of October 2023, I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri along with some of my other friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, Max Greenwald, Carly Shay, and Spencer Puckett, as well as Carly's stepdad, Freddie Benson, at the Hillcrest Country Club in Lower Burrell for the Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties Employee Carnival. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. We listened to Kate Bush, Lizzo, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees prior to the start of the day. Games included The Lucky Duck where we picked up a duck and won the number of tickets that we won on the bottom of the duck, Pin the Tail on the Donkey in which we won tickets for the pin closest to the end of the donkey, the Animal Shooting Game in which we shot some sticky toy animals at a target to win tickets, and a Corn Hole game in which we tossed bean bags into a box with holes in order to win prizes. Featured snacks for the night included animal crackers and popcorn, and the featured prize for the night was an Amazon Tablet Fire. "Is everyone having a good time so far?" James asked. "I am," Henri replied. "So am I," Sarah replied. "I am, too," I replied. "I am glad that we got to do an activity yesterday for our first time in 3, almost 4 weeks," I stated. "The face masks were amazing!" "Let me tell you guys something," Alex stated. "After this week, I do not want to drive all the way out here just for an employee carnival. It costs me a lot of money for gas." "Okay," I stated. "Why did they have to have the carnival all the way out here?" Alex asked. "Why couldn't they just have it at the office?" "The office wasn't big enough," Sarah explained. "No matter how old we get, we are never too old to have fun," I stated. "We had our very own carnival just like Hannah and her 4th grade friends did 2 weeks ago. I can't wait for our next activity, which is painting our nails!" "I remember painting your nails and braiding your hair when we were little girls," Sarah stated. "Yes, that was a lot of fun, and the best part is that this activity is in Shadyside, which is much closer to home!" "We just don't know what day it will be yet, Angel," Sarah told me. "One part that is better about being an adult versus a teenager is that you get to watch any type of movies that you want to watch. When I was 13, my then boyfriend, John Paul, sneaked me into an R-rated movie." "R-rated movies are for people ages 17 and older, but the great part is that I watched this movie on my own 4 years later because I was finally old enough to watch the movie," Sarah continued to explain. "Carly, Alex, do you have any thoughts on the week so far?" I asked. "I was also wondering why this carnival is far out in Lower Burrell rather than at the office in Monroeville," Carly stated. "I remember when Valerie moved here because Natrona Heights was not her neighborhood," Spencer stated. "I just did not feel like working with her anymore," Mr. Benson stated. "I can't remember driving to a carnival this far away, although it kind of reminds me of senior band camp," Alex stated. "I guess that is one benefit of the adventure," Justin stated. "Next year, they need to have the carnival closer to home," Max agreed. "What prizes are you guys all hoping to win?" I asked. "Tonight's Amazon Tablet Fire!" James and Henri stated. "The Echo Show!" Spencer and Mr. Benson stated. "The Bluetooth Speaker!" Justin and Max stated. "And, we are hoping to win the 2 25-dollar gift cards," I stated. Once the carnival was over, it was time for all of us to go home. "Thanks for a great evening, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Good night, guys! "Good night!"