Colors

Never in your life would you have thought you’d be speechless for so long. Two hours ago you decided to go see the local circus on whim. You’ve always passed it on the way home from work but you never went. Hell, you never have been to a circus ever. You’ve always just gone straight home after work, mucked around for a bit, then went to bed. Everything just felt so lifeless and grey. Today you were feeling a bit more worn out than usual so you decided to do something a little different and buy a ticket. Two hours ago you sat down and for the last two hours, your mouth has been open. The show started with, who you assume is the ringmaster, coming out and introducing herself and the circus. Her name is Omaru Polka and she’s definitely dressed the part of a circus performer. Colorful and loud is the most apt way to describe her. You also couldn’t help but notice how attractive she is. You would have never assumed someone of her caliber working as a performer. The lights dim and the show begins.

The next two hours is a swirl of awes, applauds, and laughs. Polka seems to be headlining in every single act. From the acrobatics, to the lion taming, to the physical comedy, to the knife throwing. She does it all. She was even singing catchy songs. The time seems to fly by as you watch in amazement at the performer. Everything just feels so much alive with her and you swear you’ve never seen colors so vibrant. Alas, all good things must come to an end. The lights turn off and the spotlight shines only on her.

“Alright folks! That’s the show but the fun isn’t over just yet! Be sure to keep those smiles and go out there and HAVE MORE FUN!” Polka shouts out. She jumps backwards into the darkness just before the lights turn back on and she’s already gone.

Everyone erupts into cheers before slowly disbursing onto the carnival grounds. You stay back and let everyone else leave first as you are still coming down from highs of the show. Before you know it, you are one of the last ones to leave. You get up and start to leave but right before you get to the exit, a voice calls out.

“Hai Hai! Polka’s here!” You look to your left and see the star performer approaching you. “Polka here is wondering if she can borrow a bit of your time.”

“Oh, sure.” you respond. You wonder what she could be wanting from you though.

“Thank you, dear guest! You see, we are always trying to improve our show as much as possible. We can always tell that the crowd is enjoying themselves but it never hurts to get more specific details about what they enjoyed. So! Could you tell me what you enjoyed about today’s performance?”  She sticks her hand out like she’s holding a microphone and taking an interview.

Her infectious cheerfulness invades you and you can’t help but smile. You start telling her everything that you enjoyed which was damn near everything. You felt a little weird giving a play-by-play retelling of everything she did but once you started, you just couldn’t stop. The praise just kept on pouring out.

“And I was on the edge of my seat the whole time during the trapeze part! It was mesmerizing watching you fly through the air like that. I couldn’t look away from you at all. It was just so graceful. Oh and that song! Wow. That was so damn good! Man, I really hope I can get that somewhere. You really have an amazing voice.” you continued praising.

“Oh ho? You really like Polka that much, huh?” Polka interrupts your praise with a smirk. “Everything you’ve been saying has only been about Polka. Did you not see anyone else or were you only looking at me?” You couldn’t help but notice she took a step closer to you as she said that.

“I-uh-umm-” you elegantly say as you try to regain your composure. You quickly think back but you honestly can’t remember anyone else. With no way to recover, you can only stew in your embarrassment. “Well, you know…”

“Well you’re in luck!” Polka decides to save you from more embarrassment. “As a special reward for giving us valuable feedback, Polka will accompany you for the rest of the evening! Dun dah dah daaaaaah”  She throws some confetti up in the air with some celebratory fanfare.

You couldn’t help but be excited to spend some more time with the performer until a thought comes to you. “Wait. Wouldn’t that be boring for you? I mean, you work here so wouldn’t you have already done everything here so many times?”

She looks off to the side as if ashamed and starts talking a bit lower.

“I haven’t actually been to a circus before. Not outside of being a performer inside the tent, I mean.” She admits reluctantly. “I’ve never really had too much time for it. I have another job that I really enjoy but takes up a lot of time. Between that, thinking up new acts, and practicing, I don’t really have too much time left. Right after the performance I usually head on home. I’ve always wanted to go out there as a special night but I guess I’d be a pretty lousy tour guide if I don’t even know anything so don’t worry about it.” Her energy is significantly lower than anything she’s shown before and she seems to think your hesitation was a sign of rejectment.

“Alright!” She says, “You go out there and enjoy yourself.” She gives you a little push towards the exit as she stays where she is. You look back and can tell that she’s putting on a brave face but her smile doesn’t shine like her previous one. Seeing her dejected like that just seems so wrong and you’re going to fix that.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” You put on your best smile and reach your hand out towards her.

“Eh” She looks at your hand and then at you. Her smile lights up and she grabs your hand. “Un! Let’s go go go!” She quickly rushes ahead of you and pulls you along.

The both of you spend the rest of the night exploring what else the carnival has to offer. Be it playing games, riding the coaster, or going in the haunted mansion. You're both just having so much fun exploring and enjoying each other’s company. You honestly feel like a little kid again and while you aren’t sure if she always feels like that, you can tell Polka having the time of her life.

As the night winds down and only a few people are left, you both look at the Ferris wheel and nod. Seems like a good fit for the finale. Doesn’t seem like anyone else is on the ride as well. You both hop into a cabin and soon enough, you’re at the top. Both of you are overlooking the city, taking it all in. As you both look out into the night’s sky, you can’t help but reflect on everything that’s happened today. Comparing the happiness you felt today, you can’t even confidently say you’ve ever been happy before. You glance over to your right and see Polka still looking out with a content smile on her face. Right then, you decide to gather some courage and take a shot.

“Hey” “Hey” you both say at the same time. Neither of you expected the other to start speaking. There’s a pause and then you both start laughing. Luckily, you manage to gather yourself first and try again.

“Let’s do this again. Not just inside the carnival but outside too. Everything just seemed so much more fun when I was with you.” Amazingly, you managed to get that out there without stumbling. Polka stares into your eyes for a bit before pouting.

“Hey! Don’t go stealing Polka’s lines!” She swats you playfully and you both have a giggle. “I feel like I’ve missed a lot of things due to work and I want to fix that. I want to explore new things. Every good explorer needs a companion. So make sure you come by everyday to pick up your fearless leader!”

You’re not 100% sure Polka understands you were asking her out but you think the message got through. As the Ferris wheel comes to an end, you can’t help but look at the colorful performer again. You hope that you can spend more of your free time with her and you look forward to more colorful days in the future.