CHAPTER SEVEN
Daisy
A knock on the camper shell surprises me. I guess I should expect it. This is my eighth month in the same city, and that’s a town record for me. It’s my sixth month with Max as my boyfriend, and that’s a relationship record for me. This is the second month parked in the same location, which is also a record. I guess now that I have something approximating a permanent residence, I ought to expect visitors. I open the door, expecting the owners of the Apple Tree RV Park. I’m now their webmaster on an ongoing basis in exchange for this space.
So, I’m surprised, and pleasantly so, when I see Maxwell. “Daddy!” I squeal and press the button so the stairs descend over the tailgate. I don’t wait for them, though, but just jump down into his arms.
He laughs as he catches me and says, “Hello there, princess. I rescheduled all of my work today because I thought you and I could celebrate.”
I giggle and ask, “What are we celebrating, Daddy?”
“You’ve been my little girl for six months,” he says. He looks up for a second and then says, “Full disclosure, I’m counting that from the yellow popsicle heart incident.”
I giggle and say, “That should be a movie title.”
“So, we can go to a restaurant. We can go to a carnival. We can go to a picnic. We do a movie. Whatever my little girl wants.”
“Will you win a teddy bear for me at the carnival?”
He smiles and says, “I’ll do my best.”
“Okay, but I’ll pout and fuss and whine if you don’t.”
He chuckles and says, “Well then, you’ll get a spanking on celebration day.” I giggle again. He’s spanked me a number of times. It’s not a punishment. It turns me on so it’s more like roleplay. I’ll act like a brat, and he spanks me, and the sex is always incredible.
“Carnival!” I shout. I wiggle out of his arms and run up the steps. “I’ll get my shoes on!”
He laughs and soon we’re in his car. “The carnival is in a suburb about a half hour away. It’s here for a week, I think. This might be the only day I can do it, so we can stay as long as you want.”
“You’re the best Daddy,” I say. Then, with a giggle, I add, “unless I come home without a teddy bear.”
When we get to the carnival, my mouth drops open in delight. “Wow, Daddy! Look at all of this!”
I’ve been to carnivals before, but, like everything with Daddy, this carnival with him is a thousand times better than the other carnivals I’ve been to. Most of those have been small affairs with a few games, a few cheap rides, and maybe a booth or two with some attraction like guess how many jelly beans are in the jar or guess how much this animal weighs, stuff like that. They’re fun but they’re not anything to go gaga about.
This is very different. Even walking up to the carnival from the parking lot, I can already see it’s much larger than the ones I’ve been to before. There are three exhibition tents, a sprawling courtyard filled with games, food stands, and shopping booths and in the distance, I see a petting zoo and an outdoor music stage.
“Are you excited, little girl?” Max asks me when we walk in.
I bounce up and down on my feet and shout, “Yes!”
As soon as we get inside, I let go of Daddy’s hand and run to the first game. It’s a ring toss game but instead of bottles or bowling pins, you have to toss the ring onto a plastic moose’s antlers. Different points on the antler score different prizes and the one I want is a small stuffed monkey. It’s not the most expensive prize and all Daddy has to do is hit one of the easier antlers.
“Daddy! Can you win me that monkey?” I beg. “Please, please, please!”
He laughs and says, “I thought you wanted a teddy bear.”
I shake my head. “Monkey!” I insist.
He looks at the prizes and points out a large teddy bear that is nearly as tall as me. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have that? I can hit the smaller antler.”
“I’m sure you can, Daddy,” I say. “But I don’t want a huge bear. I want a tiny monkey. It works because I’m a tiny little girl who lives in a tiny camper. Can you win it for me, Daddy? Please, please, please?”
He hesitates a moment, then smiles and says, “Sure, princess.”
He pays the attendant, who hands him three rings and explains the rules. I always wonder why they need to do that. I figure anyone can look at a carnival game and tell what the object is.
Anyway, he says the rules, and Daddy lines up for his first toss. I clap and cheer as he takes aim and tosses the ring.