Skin Deep, Part 3 of 3 by Casey Watson

Author:Casey Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2015-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

If Christmas Day resolved itself into one big happy ‘flumpathon’, as Tyler termed it, Boxing Day saw us up and about early and ready for action. Of which there was plenty to be had, the local council having recently decided that we would henceforth be having a big annual Boxing Day market. It had promised to be a huge affair, with stalls selling hot chestnuts, mulled wine and waffles, street entertainers, old-fashioned fairground rides and amusements, and various craft stalls where I could spend money I no longer had. Or perhaps not, but it was certainly the perfect antidote to staying in, lying on the sofa and scoffing more chocolates, and a chance to grab some much-needed fresh air. It was quite a big production, too – going on all day and then into the evening, where the various vendors would be joined by some of the local bars and restaurants, offering street food and drinks, and a couple of local bands would then play.

My grown-up lot were going to head down there in the evening for a couple of hours, while we – sainted grandparents – looked after the grandkids, but we planned to take Flip and Tyler along during the day; they’d been banging on about the stalls and rides since the moment the leaflet had dropped through the door, so there was no danger of us wheedling our way out of it, however much the sofa beckoned again after our full-on Christmas Day.

And once we got there we got into the spirit of things, and it seemed the money we didn’t have was soon going to be spent anyway, as both the men – Mike and Tyler – did that thing males do at fairs. They became obsessed with showing their prowess at some nonsense skill or other, in order to win a cheap, tacky prize.

Tyler was currently engaged on a mission with a set of darts, trying hard to win Flip a teddy bear. He’s already spent three pounds – probably more than the toy was worth – but he was enjoying trying so much that, against my better judgement, I’d slipped him a fourth so he could have another try.

Mike, meanwhile, was over at another amusement across the way, and we were both alerted to the fact that he might have been successful when there was a sudden eruption of unmistakable Flip-style shrieks of delight.

I turned around to see her skipping across to me, squealing with joy, Mike carrying something behind her. ‘Oh thank you, Daddy, thank you!’ she sang. ‘Mummy, look what he’s won for me!’ It was then that I noticed that what Mike was carrying was a water-filled and tightly knotted plastic bag.

‘A goldfish?’ I asked Mike, arching my eyebrows. ‘Really?’

‘She begged me to win them, so I did,’ Mike said proudly. ‘It took a fair bit of skill as well, didn’t it, Flip?’

My husband managed to look proud and apologetic all at once, which was certainly no mean feat. And well might he apologise.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.