Page 21 of You've Found Oliver

It’s a Saturday afternoon in downtown Seattle.

I’m supposed to meet Ben at the entrance of the street fair.

He’s with his little cousin who’s visiting from Colorado.

He promised to watch her for a few hours.

It’s been a full week since we’ve seen each other.

I was hoping to come yesterday, but Mom came down with the flu.

She called me to pick up some medicine from the pharmacy.

Thankfully, she didn’t have a fever or anything.

I checked in on her before I left this morning.

I’m a little nervous about seeing Ben today. How did we find each other the last few times? The street fair should be taking place right now. I’m hoping to find a line of tents as I turn the corner, but the sidewalks are completely empty. I was worried this would happen when I arrived.

I think I’m here

But I don’t see anything

Which tent are you standing at?

There are no tents…

oh

You’re at the right place?

I just put in the address you sent

But there’s nothing here

What are you next to?

I take a look around me.

There’s a giant mural of a mountain

Okay I know where that is

Just stay there and I’ll come find you

Several minutes go by. I keep looking around, watching the cars pass along the road.

Then I check the date on my phone again.

April 16th . The street fair probably happened months ago.

I know Ben said to wait here, but what if I am at the wrong location?

I take a step and suddenly a breeze pushes against my back, accompanied by music from a speaker behind me.

I turn around and everything has changed. The street is suddenly filled with people. Lights glow above the tents that line the block, and smoke billows from the grills behind them. Then I hear my name through the crowd.

“Oliver! There you are—”

Ben smiles as he makes his way over. The next thing I know, my arms wrap tightly around him. Ben squeezes me back and whispers, “I was a little worried there.”

“Glad you found me,” I say.

“Told you I would.”

Cold air blows through my hair. Thankfully, I brought a jacket this time.

I’m still not sure how I found myself back here, but all that matters is we’re together again.

We smile at each other. Then a girl appears from behind him.

She’s wearing a Hello Kitty puffer coat.

Ben puts a hand on her shoulder and says, “This is Leah. We’re hanging out today. ”

I crouch down a little. “Nice to meet you, Leah. I love your crown.” It’s a plastic tiara with pink flowers.

She just smiles at me.

“It’s her birthday tomorrow,” Ben says.

“Well, happy birthday! Soon you’ll be old enough to gamble.”

Ben chuckles. “She’s a little shy.”

“Oh, I don’t bite. Right, Ben?” I wink at him. Then I straighten up and take a look around. “What have you two been up to so far?”

“We did a little exploring,” Ben says. “But we haven’t been here very long. Leah wants a something to eat.”

I smile. “So what are we standing around for?”

Ben takes Leah by the hand, and we make our way through the maze of tents. There must be a thousand people here. It’s hard to believe the street was empty a minute ago.

Along the way, we stop by a table of handmade cards.

I think about buying a pink one for Julie.

I know how much she loves handwritten notes.

At the food tents there’s a cute stand selling Korean street food.

The potato corn dogs look especially good.

We order three of them, along with some grilled tteokbokki and fries.

“I got this one,” Ben insists.

“Okay, I’ll get us dessert.”

Since I’m holding the tteokbokki, Ben puts a fry into my mouth.

“No ketchup?” I ask.

We laugh as we continue through the fair. There’s a tent giving out free ice cream samples. Surprisingly, our favorite flavor is Olive Oil Cheesecake. I offer to buy something for Leah. “Do you want a strawberry-colored cone? The pink will go nicely with your crown.”

“Mom said I can’t have more sweets,” she says.

I lean down and whisper, “But she’s not here, is she?”

Ben gives me a look. “Oliver…”

“She deserves one. It’s her birthday tomorrow.” I wink at her.

“Alright,” he agrees. Then he turns to Leah. “But don’t tell your mom.”

I get Leah a scoop of vanilla with sprinkles. This must change her mind about me, because she takes my hand instead of Ben’s.

There are a few carnival-style games farther down. Ring toss, balloon darts, the infamous duck pond. I haven’t played any of these in a long time. Ben gestures at the wall of prizes. “Leah was eyeing the stuffed animals earlier. I told her we’d come back to look at them.”

“Which one?” I ask her.

“The blue panda,” she says.

I squeeze her hand. “Well, let’s get him.”

We walk up to the tent where three bottles are stacked on a circular stand. The rules are pretty simple: You have to knock them completely off the stand to win. The guy behind the counter places a pile of beanbags in front of us. I look at Ben and say, “Wanna see who can knock down the most?”

He smiles. “Only if we make it interesting.”

“Go on…”

“What if the winner gets a special prize?”

“And what should that be?”

“Good question.” He rubs his chin. “I have to think about it.”

“How about the winner decides later,” I suggest.

“I like that idea.”

I offer to go first. I don’t tell Ben that I’m an expert at this.

It’s one of the games our school always had at spring festival.

I used to have fun beating Sam all the time.

Of course, I have to play it cool. I don’t want to go too hard on the first throw.

I toss the beanbag, knocking two bottles off the stand.

Ben smiles. “That was pretty good.”

“Just warming up.”

He stretches his arm before throwing the beanbag, hard, and knocking all the bottles off the stand.

“Where did you learn to aim like that?”

“Varsity tennis,” he says casually.

How did I forget about that? I read his bio in the article I found online.

I should have guessed he had a competitive side.

He runs a hand through his hair and winks at me.

But I don’t let this intimidate me—because I have a competitive side, too.

I crack my knuckles and pick up another beanbag.

My eyes focus on the center of the bottles.

I throw harder this time, knocking them all over.

“An improvement.” Ben nods respectfully.

Then he picks up another beanbag. His first throw clearly wasn’t beginner’s luck, because he knocks off all the bottles a second time.

This kicks me into Super Saiyan mode and I deliver another perfect throw, but Ben does it again, and again.

This goes on for several more rounds, each of us missing a few here and there until I ultimately win by a single point.

Ben shakes my hand and says, “Good game. Didn’t realize I was up against a world champion.”

“Headed to the Olympics next year.”

“Glad you’re representing our country.”

We win enough times to get the extra-large blue panda. It’s twice the size of Leah. I have to carry it for her as we continue down the street. We buy some chocolate bars from one of the tents, and then Leah wants to go on the kiddie rides. She picks the bumper cars, and we wait by the railing.

“Sorry you have to babysit with me,” Ben says.

I shrug. “What do you mean? I’m having a good time.”

Ben smiles. “Good. We can do something after, too. I’ll have to take her home soon. Unless you have other plans.”

“I may have to meet some other friends.” I pretend to check my phone. “Oh, they just cancelled. Guess that means I’m completely free.”

“You’re cute,” he says, smirking. “Have you decided what you prize you want?”

“I’m still thinking about it…”

“Take your time.” He unwraps his chocolate bar and takes a bite. Then he holds it out to me and says, “Wanna try?”

“Sure.”

I lean forward and take a small bite. There’s caramel inside.

I must have gotten some on my face, because Ben wipes it off with his thumb.

We look at each other for a moment. Then we turn to the bumper cars.

Competitiveness must run in their family.

Leah is unforgiving as she bumps into the other kids, regardless of their age. I cheer her on.

“Good aim, Leah! Take him out, too!”

We leave the fair around sunset to take Leah back to her hotel. Ben carries her on his shoulders the whole way there. It’s sweet, the way he takes care of her. I’m reminded that he once had a sibling, too. I let him say goodbye before we head off on our own.

“Should we hang at my place?”

“Lead the way.”