Jesse’s smile widened in time with Arthur’s. Even though Arthur couldn’t see the pink hue on Jesse’s cheeks, he knew it was there.
“It is special,” Jesse replied, his voice low and tinged with warmth. “Thank you for thinking of it.”
Arthur and Jesse looked out over the water. For the next few minutes, they simply enjoyed the view. Afterward, they strolled around the Court of Honor together, with Arthur humming one of the tunes that normally would have been playing (incessantly) from one of the bandstands as Jesse rolled his eyes, and then, they started toward the Midway Plaisance. Most of the buildings on the way were no longer lit up, but still, the stars and moon provided some visibility, their reflection in the Lagoon positively fantastical. Perfect enough for Arthur to think, for a fleeting moment, that they had simply stepped into a painting of the Exposition, one so polished and precise that it could have been hung in the Palace of Fine Arts.
Situated near the center of the Midway Plaisance, Ferris’s Great Wheel stood tall—a mechanical marvel illuminated by hundreds of light bulbs. Nearly three hundred feet tall, the wheel would lift them high enough to view far beyond the confines of the fair. Waves of excitement rolled through Arthur’s body as they approached, each more intense than the last, and by the time theyfinally reached the wheel’s base and started up the wooden staircase to the boarding platform, Arthur’s eyes started to tear from overwhelm.
“Good evening, Mr. Hughes,” the man operating the wheel said, his voice stiff and cordial.
Arthur tried for a friendly smile. “Just Arthur is fine. I think I’ve seen you before.”
“I’m here every day,” the man confirmed.
“Well, thank you for your hard work, Mr. . . . ?”
“Williams.” He smiled a little. “Clarence Williams. Just Clarence is fine, though.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clarence. I sincerely appreciate you working so late so that my friend and I may enjoy the fair by ourselves for a little while. I hope some of the money that I paid for this has made its way to you. More than your usual hourly rate, I mean. Because I specifically requested that everyone working tonight be paid triple.” He paused and raised an eyebrow. “Are you, in fact, being paid triple for running the wheel tonight?”
“That I am,” the man confirmed. “Thank you.”
“Oh, I should be the one thanking you. I know this was a bit selfish of me. But...” Arthur trailed off and shook his head. “Anyway. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Clarence turned and opened the car that was waiting for them at the platform. Arthur’s stomach tumbled the moment he stepped inside. Goodness, the car was large. Larger than even an ordinary streetcar. Enormous windows lined every side of it. Thirty or so twisty wire chairs sat in the middle, but there was plenty of other space as well. Probably fifty or sixty people could fit in here, if needed. Arthur closed his eyes and tried to picture the wheel from the outside. It had to have been fitted with overthirty cars, which meant that it must have normally carried over two thousand fairgoers.
But tonight, it would run with only two.
Jesse and Arthur shuffled toward the center of the car, both of them taking a seat while Clarence locked the door, securing them inside. Arthur’s heart pounded as fear and excitement struck him in the chest in equal measure. Exhaling a shaky breath, he turned to Jesse.
“All set, Mr. O’Connor?” he said, trying to sound much steadier than he felt at that moment.
“I’m terrified,” Jesse said. “Truly and honestly terrified.”
All of a sudden, the car stuttered and began moving backward. Despite the slow pace, Arthur’s heart continued to beat with a ferocity he couldn’t recall ever feeling before in his whole life. He and Jesse continued to stare at each other, unmoving, as the car then lifted. Jesse’s eyes were wide and wild, very likely mirroring Arthur’s own. Arthur’s eyes were still teary, his sense of overwhelm threatening to spill forth at any moment. Once their car was perhaps fifty feet up, Arthur reached for Jesse’s hand and laced their fingers together.
“My God,” Jesse whispered.
Tears began to fall from Arthur’s eyes, and he sputtered a laugh.
“Can you believe this? Oh my Lord, how fun! I’m scared, too, of course.” He paused to sniffle and blinked a few times. “Especially since we’re the only ones up here.” He wiped his eyes with his free hand, careful not to knock off his spectacles. “I’m sorry I’m crying again.”
“If I wasn’t practically frozen in fear, I’d be crying too,” Jesse said, his voice wobbly.
“I’m here. I have you,” Arthur said, wanting to comfort his companion a little, though he was plenty scared himself. He squeezed Jesse’s hand. “We’re safe.”
Jesse squeezed back. “Thank you.”
Beyond the mess of iron rods and the wood-covered iron frame, Arthur could make out the end of the Midway Plaisance and the start of the fair, though most of the structures were cloaked by the darkness of night now. Some, though, were still lit up, shining as though they’d been outlined in a magical pencil, one that left a sparkly trail of light behind it, rather than charcoal.
Slowly, but surely, Arthur’s fear seemed to recede and was instead replaced by an intense feeling of wonderment as the wheel turned and brought them higher in the sky.
“Spectacular,” he whispered, barely even loud enough for the word to register in his own ears. He rubbed Jesse’s hand with his thumb. “Oh, it’s so magical up here. Magical and—”
“Terrifying,” Jesse finished for him. Arthur looked over to see Jesse take a pause and swallow. “But worth it.” One corner of his mouth ticked up to form an uncertain half-smile. “Sometimes, or maybe even most of the time, the most terrifying things we want in life are worth pursuing. Aren’t they?”
“Indeed, they are.” Arthur raised Jesse’s hand and kissed it, pouring every bit of comfort and love and joy he felt into it. “I’m so happy, Jesse. I’m so happy to be with you.”
