Jane
I look down at my phone again and cross-reference what I’m seeing on the green street sign. “Why is this so dang hard to find?” I grouse to… well, myself, seeing as I was alone.
I take the left that my GPS tells me to and drive down the road that has now become quite familiar to me, since I’ve been sent down it several times on a wild-goose chase, thanks to bad directions.
It’s been a couple of weeks since our dinner with my mom and I was more than a little ready to never think of it again. Nothing good came of thinking about that awful end. I knew it was coming, but having my mom still push Jasper on me, even though she knew that wasn’t what I wanted, hurt a little more than it should.
I should be used to it by now; I’ve had worse thrown at me by my mother. But it was more than that. It wasn’t just that she was trying to shove Jasper onto me, it was that she embarrassed me in front of someone I deeply care for.
And I didn’t care forthatat all.
This weekend, I was supposed to be going from event to event, schmoozing and making connections, “keeping relevant,” as my mother would say. But instead of that, I decided that I wanted to be with Warren and I played hooky.
So, I was currently in Fall Springs, Colorado, a place I’d never been, looking for the festival that Warren’s friend’s family threw up here. Because that’s where Warren, April, and the rest of the group I’d come to love would be.
Warren didn’t know I was coming, but April did, and the directions she’d given me were causing more of a headache than actually helping me, considering I’d been in the town for nearly an hour and still couldn’t find my way.
Finally, after another twenty minutes of useless driving, I found a balloon. One orange balloon waving in the wind.
I frown at it and stop at the stop sign it’s tied to. I drive another mile and find another one, then another, and just as I’m about to call this town crazy and cut my losses, I turn a corner and a big burnt-orange banner is on the side of the road.
“Trevors Ranch Fall Festival.”
Well. That looks promising.
I turn past the banner and see the cars, the huge barn and home in the distance with peopleeverywhere.I look for someone to buy a ticket, but I don’t see anything and find a spot next to another car, once I park the car, I step out and stretch my arms and legs.
Four hours is a long enough drive without the added hour that it took to finally find this place.
But what a place it is.
I toss my cross-body bag over my shoulder and pull my hair out of the strap. I went with skinny jeans and a fairly plain blouse for the drive. The blouse has long, billowy sleeves that I just love to death and the adorable blush-pink color was impossible to resist when I saw it on the rack.
I start the trek to the fun and take in everything from the smells to the laughter to the sights of happy faces around me and find myself unable to hold back a smile.
I take a glance around once I’ve made it to the main part of the festival and decide to head toward the barn first, thinking maybe Warren was helping in there.
The barn is set up like a traditional one, with red paint and white trim. From what I can tell though, it’s a lot more complicated than that because it’shuge.
I venture over to it and see a man and woman giving kids pony rides around an arena inside the barn. And what an arena it is.
It’s huge, maybe about half of a football field in length, with everyone gathered around the outside of the arena, waiting for their turns or taking pictures of the kids riding. It’s perfectly adorable.
I keep an eye out for the group I’m looking for, but when I don’t see them in the barn, I head back outside to the festival.
There are booths all over the place offering foods and local goods, there are craft booths and even a booth offering a local brew, from what I can tell, it’s a local motorcycle club that is serving them.
Interesting.
I may have to venture over there and pick some up. Something from Warren’s hometown.
I spy a booth with baked goods and my mouth instantly starts watering, thinking about the lack of food I’ve consumed today. I can’tnotget something.
“Hey there!” The bubbly brunette from behind the booth smiles at me. “What can I get for you?”
“Oh wow, I don’t know where to start.” I return her grin and dig into my bag for my wallet. “This all looks so amazing!”
“Well, not to brag.” She makes a funny face and laughs. “But it’s all pretty good if I do say so myself.”