Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT was just on the line with the next town over, Southington. It was an amusement park owned by the Norton family from Bristol, and was the oldest amusement park in the country. People from all over New England came to ride the roller coaster, the carousel, the Gillette Railroad around the lake, go on the bumping cars, and listen to a country band that played on an outdoors stage under huge oak trees, named Slim Cox and The Cowboy Caravan. Nikki’s birthday was coming up, middle of July, and I wanted to do something special for her, but I needed a ride. Sitting on the shoe shine box on the Saturday before her birthday, Veto came over for a shine. I could see his Cadillac parked at the curb. I made a deal with him to shine his shoes for two weeks if he’d give me and Nikki a ride to the lake, and pick us up later. He agreed. I knew he would have done it for free, but you didn’t ever ask a bookie for a favor. I had not told my dad about this, and she hadn’t told her mom. Veto dropped us off at the Park about noon, and said he’d be back to pick us up at three thirty. Holding hands, she and I started running to the rides. Typically Nikki, she wanted to go on the roller coaster first. Strapped into our seats, she took my arm as we started up the hill. We yelled and screamed through the whole thing. Next was the carousel, every ride had a strap to secure you to your horse, or whatever you were on. I tied her into a Palomino, climbed on my black stallion next to her and listened to the music as we went around, up and down. Lake Compounce used to serve the best French fries in the world. Greasy as heck, but wonderful. We’d picked up a couple of fries, and went over to where Slim Cox was playing. He’d just finished a set, was about to start another, and asked if there was anyone in the audience who knew how to dance to country music. Didn’t take a country second for her to hold up her hand. This girl could dance to anything. Invited to the stage by Slim, I saw a girl kick it and conquer the whole place. Next was the arcade where I had to hold her up while she played the pinball machines, then the bumper cars, and finally the Roto Jets. It was getting on to about three in the afternoon. Her suggestion was we take a ride around the lake on the railroad before Veto came to pick us up. It wasn’t a real railroad, it was like a miniature of the real thing, but still real with real tracks. Train started out, beneath trees, the Compounce mountain to our right, we were taking in the sights. Half way around the lake, I put my arm around her shoulder. We weren’t talking, she just laid her head against me. Just before the end of the railroad ride was a building where they stored the trains overnight. It was dark inside. Leaning over, I kissed her on the cheek. “Happy birthday, Nikki.” Reciprocating, I got a kiss back. “You’re my best friend, Joe.”
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 21:28:08 +0000
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