Fairgrounds Read online

  “You’re not on duty, Kurtis. Relax,” Garrett said.

  “It’s part of my hardcore training,” I chided.

  “You’re a cop, not a Marine,” Garrett shot back.

  I grabbed Garrett’s empty beer cup and tossed it in the trash. “I’ll show you my hardcore training when we get home.”

  “I won’t be getting away with a warning will I officer,” Garrett said as he followed me out the beer tent.

  “That was your warning,” I snickered. “What ride you want to go on?”

  “It looks like our wannabe sheriff wants to take his little boyfriend on a ride,” said a voice from my left.

  I straightened up and turned toward the voice. In front of me stood two men. Both looked like they just left a construction site and just made it through high school by the skin of their teeth. Bigots are everywhere, Kurtis. Cheyenne is better than this, and you know it.

  “Can I help you guys?” I asked.

  “Yeah, you can, Kurtis ‘Ricky’ Thornton. Why don’t you tell us how you’re going to keep this town safe from all the queers overrunning this town,” said the man on the left. The other just nodded.

  I can honestly say, I flinched at the emphasis of my name and the word queers. Why people thought degrading a word that described a diverse community was a good thing was beyond me. I didn’t want to take their bait, but after a couple of beers, and the fact I wasn’t on duty, it didn’t matter. I had to make a stand. Not for me, but for Garrett and the rest of us.

  “Last I checked, the queers as you put it, weren’t overrunning anything. We’ve always been here. I’m sorry if us no longer hiding is making you question your sexuality,” I replied.

  “That was below the belt, but don’t do anything to ruin your chances at the election, Kurtis,” Garrett whispered.

  “What are you trying to say? We aren’t the fags here,” said the other man.

  “Are you sure?” Garrett asked. I knew his mouth would get us into trouble, but it wouldn’t be small-town America if someone didn’t start a fight.

  The man swung at Garrett who dodged with ease. The stench of alcohol mixed with body odor reached my nose. What I didn’t need was a brawl with a couple of drunks. I tried to grab the man who swung, but Garrett used the man’s momentum to flip him over on his back. The man landed with a thud.

  I glance in time to see the other rush me. The bigger drunk slammed into my gut knocking the wind out of me. Lucky for me I didn’t fall and recovered fast enough to land an uppercut into the man’s jaw. I smiled as I watched his head rock backward. He stumbled back a few feet.

  “I suggest you both leave. I could have you both arrested for striking an officer,” I said.

  “We both didn’t strike you,” said the man on the ground trying in vain to get back up.

  “Who will the courts believe, an officer of the law or a couple of hateful drunks? I think witnesses will do what’s right,” I replied.

  “No one wants you faggots here anyway,” said the one I hit. Security showed up to grab the drunken men.

  I sauntered over to the one. “We aren’t going anywhere. You’d better get used to it.”

  “We’re sorry, Officer Thornton. We’ll take care of the trash. Do you need any assistance?” asked one of the security officers.

  “No, we’re fine. I’ll be damned if I let these two men ruin my evening. Get their information before throwing them out. I may or may not press charges come morning,” I replied. “Come’on, Garrett, let’s enjoy our evening.”

  “Yeah, Ricky, sure thing,” Garrett said. “What a bunch of assholes.”

  The crowd dispersed allowing Garrett and me to walk away. I’d have to file a report come morning, but right now, I wanted to salvage and enjoy the rest of the night with Garrett. I was just glad he was safe. Protecting him was more important than my political campaign.

  * * * *

  “Are you okay, Garrett?” Kurtis asked.

  I stopped walking. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Think so? Garrett, we’ve been together too long to hide anything from each other.”

  I glanced around before grabbing his hand. We were behind a vendor’s tent. “It’s one thing to hear the words. You know, the comments, the hate spewing from their lips. It’s another thing for someone to attack you over who you are. It’s not right.”

  Kurtis grabbed my other hand. His was bigger than mine. “None of it is right. It’s why I became a cop and part of why I’m running for sheriff. Events like this need to stop. There’s no excuse for them.”

  “No there isn’t. I guess I’m just a little shaken up. I’ve read news stories, and with this part of Wyoming’s history, I’m still surprised this stuff still happens.”

  I felt Kurtis forehead against mine “I won’t ever let someone do this to you again. I’ll protect you.”

  “I know you will. Let’s pretend this didn’t happen, at least for now. I don’t want it to ruin our night,” I said, breaking away.

  “We’ll talk about tomorrow. Let’s walk off these emotions, maybe grab another beer,” Kurtis said.

  “Okay, Ricky.” I watched his face soften. He loved it when I called him Ricky. It was short for Richard, which he hated, but his parents gave him the nickname, and it stuck. It took me a few years before I used it, but when I did, he would always grin.

  We shuffled through the midway with an occasional stop to take our chance at a game or to stuff our mouths with cotton candy. Between all the beer and junk food, we’d be sick tomorrow, but it’d be worth it.

  “I want more involvement in your run for sheriff. You could use the help,” I said. “That’s if you want your partner by your side.”

  Kurtis stopped and looked like he pondered the thought then nodded. “I do need the help and would want nothing more than to make you a part of this.”

  “It may affect the campaign. After tonight, more people will know as I’m sure those douchebags will talk,” I replied.

  “I’ve considered that, but it’s part of who I am. People of Cheyenne and Laramie County get lied to enough. They deserve someone honest for once,” Kurtis replied. “It may not be that bad.”

  “We live in an ultra-conservative town in the Midwest. Hell, Kurtis, this whole state bleeds red on a political level,” I said.

  “I’ve got the qualifications and the record. Over half the force is supporting me,” Kurtis mentioned before taking a sip of beer.

  I took a long drawl of mine. “Yeah, but few people look at that. They’ll be seeing you as gay, not as a qualified officer of the law. As much as I want you to show everyone how honest you are, I wonder if keeping this quiet isn’t the best option,” I said. I hated to admit I was worried about Kurtis. While we were conservative ourselves by many liberal standards, here we were pariahs at best. The Equality State didn’t always live up to its name.

  “I hear what you’re saying, Garrett, but I have to make a stand somewhere. After what just happened, I can’t in good conscious let this happen again. I can’t allow someone close to me to get hurt because I was silent too long,” Kurtis said.

  “You have my support all the way, Kurtis.”

  Kurtis hooked an arm over my shoulder and pulled me along as we walked to a concession with a large grill. “After that fight, I’m craving meat. My inner carnivore is hungry.”

  “They’re selling turkey legs,” I said.

  “Lean meat. Just because I’m running for sheriff doesn’t mean I have to look like I sit at a donut shop all day,” Kurtis said, before ordering us both a leg.

  * * * *

  After a few round of cruising the midway for junk food, I stopped at the carousel. The calliope music gave an almost dark tone to the ride. It mixed with the laughter of children and shouts of encouragement from parents.

  “We haven’t gone on any rides yet,” I mentioned.

  Garrett looked up from his seat on a bench and stretched. “I guess a ride is
in order. What shall we ride? The Kamikaze or the Gravitron? I hear the Madhouse is pretty fun.”

  I looked at him then to the merry-go-round. “How about the carousel? It’s about the speed I want to go right now. I’m not feeling that adventurous.”

  “To guys on a merry-go-round together? What will people think?” Garrett asked with a sarcastic tone.

  “I’ll let you ride the horse,” I replied.

  Garrett jumped up. “All I needed to hear. It’ll be the closest I get to being in a rodeo.”

  “Save us a spot in line, I need to grab our tickets,” I said.

  Garrett nodded and gave me double finger guns. His grin spoke more about his excitement over a child’s ride than anything. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear a fond memory lived permanently in his brain of such a time like this. Far be it from me to deny him the fun. Plus, a ride called the Kamikaze held little appeal to me. I’m thirty years old going on retired.

  After a few minutes of waiting in line or an eternity, it was hard to tell, and the clerk handed me the tickets. Waiting in line seemed to bend the laws of time and space when you wanted something. The price to ride one of the attractions was a racket, but I was tired of walking.

  I had to run back to the ride as I saw Garrett waving frantically. The guy running this ride knows we’re drunk. I didn’t care, but it spun at a pace that would keep my head from spinning. With all the food I ate, I’d think it would’ve absorbed all the beer I drank. Apparently not.

  “Sorry, I was in serious hostage negotiations with the ticket clerk,” I said handing them to the man controlling the ride.

  “He wanted more money, and a helicopter ride out of here?” Garrett asked.

  I held my side in fake amusement at Garrett’s joke. “Why, yes. Along with a box of Cuban cigars and a large pizza.”

  “You guys going on the ride or standing around making jokes?”

  “I guess I better win the election come November as hell has shot my career as a comedian down,” I said.

  “Come on. The ride ain’t gonna ride itself or whatever that means,” Garrett said. “Maybe we should hold back on the beer for the evening.”

  “Yeah, we’ll spin like the ride if we drink anymore. Coffee after this,” I replied.

  I watch Garrett step on the carousel and jump on a horse with a loud yee-haw. Chuckling, I stood next to him holding on to the pole for support. With a small jolt, the ride started to spin as the calliope music blared in my ears.

  “My horse ain’t moving,” Garrett complained.

  “So.”

  “It’s supposed to go up and down,” Garrett said.

  I shot Garrett a sly smile. “Maybe you picked the wrong horse to ride.”

  “What a shame. I guess I’ll have to find another one then,” Garrett said leaning against the pole holding the wooden horse up.

  “I’ve been thinking Garrett, about the campaign,” I mentioned, hoping a change of subject would keep us from getting thrown out of the park. “I believe it’s time for me to come out publicly. People have a right to know.”

  “No they don’t,” Garrett replied.

  “They do. I can’t lie to them,” I said.

  “I know you can’t, but I still believe they don’t have a right to know about your personal life,” Garrett said.

  “I won’t tell them everything, but our community could benefit from it. We all need a voice here in Cheyenne,” I said.

  “They do and like I said before, I support you. You don’t need a press release either.”

  “I wasn’t thinking that,” I replied and pointed at a young woman holding a camera. A press pass hung from her shirt. “There’s a reporter watching us. All I’m saying is that we can give them a story.”

  “You’re drunk, Kurtis Ricky Thornton. I’d prefer you make the front page for winning the election,” Garrett mentioned.

  “I doubt we’d top the event of this week. You forget, our paper is a slave to the Frontier Days Committee. Everything else is second-page news if they’re lucky,” I said.

  “So what were you thinking then if you aren’t going to talk to the reporter,” Garrett said.

  I pulled Garrett toward me and kiss him deeply. My hat fell off, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t ashamed of who I was or who I loved.

  Garrett pulled back. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “I love you, Garrett McIntyre.” Pulling him toward me, our lips met again. This time, he welcomed me eagerly. His hands ran through my hair, and I embraced his strong body with mine. After the kiss, I pulled away slowly.

  “You matter more than this election,” I whispered, resting my forehead on his.

  “Oh, shut up and kiss me again.”

  I did kiss him again. As we kissed, the world faded in the flash of the reporter’s camera as the carousel spun.

  About the Author

  Matthew Angelo is a part-time writer and full-time photographer in the Northern Colorado area. In his free time, he likes to watch episodes of Doctor Who and working out. He loves all things that deal with photography and enjoys all things paranormal even if he is a bit of a skeptic. He is also the author of The Heart of the Dragon series from eXtasy Books/Devine Destinies