Sugar, Secrets & Bad Decisions
The amusement park smelled like sugar and bad decisions.
There was something about amusement parks that made people temporarily forget they had bills, responsibilities, questionable exes, and absolutely no business getting on a roller coaster after eating a hot dog.
Music blasted from somewhere near the entrance. Lights flashed across spinning rides. Children screamed with the kind of joy that sounded suspiciously like terror, while couples walked around holding hands as though nobody had ever broken up in public before.
Mia loved it.
She loved the noise, the lights, the ridiculous amount of sugar being sold in brightly coloured containers, and the fact that for a few hours, nobody seemed particularly interested in acting like a responsible adult.
She was halfway through a cup of strawberry candy when she spotted a small fortune-telling booth tucked between a game stall and a ride that looked like it had been designed by someone with a personal grudge against human beings.
A woman sat inside the booth.
She wore a long patterned dress, several rings, and the calm expression of someone who already knew everyone's secrets and had decided not to judge them.
Mia slowed down.
“Come here,” the woman said.
Mia looked behind herself.
“Me?”
The woman smiled. “You.”
Mia glanced at the booth.
This was exactly how horror movies started.
Still, curiosity won.
She stepped inside.
“Pick one,” the woman said, spreading several cards across the table.
Mia narrowed her eyes.
“You're not going to tell me I'm going to die, are you?”
The woman smiled.
Mia pointed at her. “That's exactly what people say before something becomes bad.”
The woman laughed softly.
“Pick.”
Mia chose a card.
The woman turned it over and studied it.
Her expression changed slightly.
Mia leaned forward.
“What?”
“You are about to meet someone.”
Mia blinked.
“Someone?”
“A man.”
Mia laughed.
“That's unfortunate. I already have one.”
The woman looked at her.
Mia smiled. “I have a boyfriend.”
“A boyfriend is not always the man you end up with.”
“Oh, come on.”
The woman ignored her.
“He will bring you stability.”
Mia's smile faded a little.
“Stability?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of stability?”
The woman studied her.
“You tell me.”
Mia thought about it.
“Someone who knows what he's doing.”
“With his life?”
“Preferably.”
“With his money?”
“That would be nice.”
“With his emotions?”
Mia paused.
“Now you're asking for too much.”
The woman laughed again.
Mia shrugged.
“I just mean... I want someone responsible. Someone who has his life together. Someone who doesn't make his problems everybody else's problems.”
“Someone stable.”
“Exactly.”
“And successful?”
“I wouldn't complain.”
“Financially comfortable?”
“Very comfortable.”
The woman raised an eyebrow.
Mia grinned.
“What? I'm being honest.”
“You want a rich man.”
“No.” Mia considered it. “I want a man who doesn't look like he needs to borrow twenty dollars every time we leave the house.”
The woman laughed.
Mia continued.
“He can have fun. I don't want somebody who behaves like he's attending a board meeting even when we're getting ice cream. But I don't want somebody whose idea of financial planning is checking his account balance and hoping for a miracle either.”
The woman nodded slowly.
“So you want stability without boredom.”
“Yes.”
“Money without greed.”
“Yes.”
“Responsibility without seriousness.”
“Yes.”
“And love.”
Mia smiled.
“Obviously.”
The woman looked at her for a moment.
“And what does a good life look like to you?”
Mia opened her mouth, then stopped.
“I don't know.”
The answer surprised even her.
“Peace, I guess.”
“Peace?”
“Yeah.”
“And money?”
Mia smiled.
“Money helps.”
“Money brings peace?”
“No.” Mia shook her head. “Okay. Money brings less stress.”
The woman laughed.
Mia leaned back in her chair.
“I just want a good life. Nice home. Good food. Travel. Fun. Somebody who can take care of himself. Somebody I can depend on.”
“And you believe your current boyfriend is that man?”
Mia glanced toward the entrance.
Jason was standing a short distance away with Ver.
“I like him,” she said.
“That wasn't my question.”
Mia looked back at the woman.
“You're very direct.”
“It's my job.”
Mia sighed.
“I'm still figuring things out.”
“Most people are.”
The woman gathered the cards.
“Sometimes people describe the person they want very differently from the person they choose.”
Mia stared at her.
“Okay.”
The woman smiled.
“That's rude.”
“It's true.”
Mia laughed despite herself.
“Fine. Maybe I'm still figuring it out.”
The woman reached for another card.
“Your rock will shine.”
Mia frowned.
“My what?”
“Your rock.”
“A diamond?”
“Perhaps.”
Mia pointed at her.
“Hopefully. Because if you mean an actual rock, we are going to have problems.”
The woman laughed.
Mia stood.
“Okay. This was fun.”
She stepped out of the booth, still smiling.
Then she saw Jason.
And stopped.
Ver was standing beside him.
Very close beside him.
Too close.
Her hand was resting on his arm.
Jason was leaning toward her, smiling at something she had said.
Mia's smile disappeared.
For a second, she simply stared.
Maybe she had misunderstood.
Maybe Ver was just—
Ver laughed and touched Jason's chest.
Nope.
Mia walked toward them.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Jason looked at her.
“Back off.”
Mia stopped.
“Excuse me?”
“I said back off.”
Ver took a small step away, suddenly fascinated by the roller coaster behind them.
Mia looked from her to Jason.
“You're flirting with my friend.”
Jason rolled his eyes.
“So?”
“So?”
“Yes, so?”
Mia stared at him.
“You're unbelievable.”
“I'm allowed to do whatever I want.”
“You're my boyfriend.”
“And?”
“And you're acting like an idiot.”
Jason folded his arms.
“You don't own me, Mia.”
“I never said I did.”
“You're acting like you do.”
“No. I'm acting like somebody who just watched her boyfriend flirt with her friend.”
Jason scoffed.
“You think everything has to be about you.”
Mia actually laughed.
“You're doing this right now?”
“I'm serious.”
“That makes one of us.”
Jason shook his head.
“You know what? I'm tired of this.”
“Tired of what?”
“Having to explain myself to you all the time.”
“You weren't explaining yourself. You were flirting.”
“I can talk to whoever I want.”
“Then talk.”
“I am.”
“No, you're arguing.”
Jason stepped closer.
“In fact, I'm the one even doing you a favour.”
Mia blinked.
“A favour?”
“I treat you better than I should.”
For a moment, Mia said nothing.
Not because she didn't have a response.
Because she had too many.
She looked at him.
Then at Ver.
Then back at him.
Something inside her finally clicked.
This wasn't a misunderstanding.
This was just Jason.
And apparently, Jason had somehow convinced himself that being her boyfriend was a charitable act.
Mia nodded slowly.
“Wow.”
Jason frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She smiled.
It wasn't a happy smile.
“Keep your favour.”
She turned and walked away.
Behind her, the amusement park continued as if nothing had happened.
Lights flashed.
Music played.
People screamed from the roller coaster.
Somewhere, a child was crying because someone had refused to buy him a giant pink cloud of sugar.
Mia kept walking.
She passed the fortune-teller's booth without looking back.
But the woman was watching her.
The card Mia had chosen was still lying face-up on the table.
The woman glanced down at it.
Then smiled.
“Soon,” she murmured.
And somewhere behind Mia, the roller coaster dropped.
The screams rose into the night.
