Your Voice Was The Soundtrack Of My Summer

There wasn't much I could do. Except make it up to Indigo of course, who's heart I knew was broken into a million pieces, beyond oblivion.

I broke one of my personal rules and codes of honor to myself and listened to the TOP 40 radio station, hoping that God would forgive me for such an unlikely act.

But the reason was not to listen to a bunch of crap.

Oh no, I had much much more depth to that. I called that radio station every moment I got with every phone available just to win some carnival tickets that were beyond any of my expenses.

I was persistent at this, and finally when the phone picked up and announced that I was winner I convinced myself that I was one step closer to winning to Indigo's love.

In a way I was right.

The hardest step was not getting the tickets. Not by a long shot. It was walking to her house and showing up on her doorstep.

Try doing that.

It's way more difficult than it sounds, I'll assure you that.

I nervously waited outside the door wondering if her mom would answer or Indigo and I contemplated which would be worse.

The door slowly creaked open as anticipation arose within my body. Indigo's pale face peered at the doorway and she looked at me hesitantly.

"Hi Paul,” she smiled weakly at me.

"Indigo, look I'm really sorry. . ,” I began put Indigo placed a finger to my lips.

"Paul, shut up about it already. It's alright, I forgive you. Is that all you came over here for?" she looked perplexed, but yet I could see her pique of interest and her excitement at me being here.

Which certainly sent a thrill up my spine.

"No, actually, I was wondering if you would come with me,” I spoke with a grin stretching across my face.

"To where?" she placed a hand on her hip, looking smug.
"Look, I won these carnival tickets and I was wondering if. . .maybe you would want to come with me?" I slowly uncovered the tickets in my hand and she looked at me in pure joy.

"Paul! You didn’t have to!" she hugged me exuberantly and kissed me on the cheek.

"It's 5:30 now, is it open?" she looked at me skeptically, grabbing one of the tickets in my hand and examining the tickets in her hand.

"Let's go,” I pulled her hand and she looked more than happy just to be holding my hand and walking with me.

And I felt like love was playing matchmaker on my side.

The music was floating around in the air, the smell of corn dogs and funnel cakes wafted through everyone's nostrils and the sights were just like looking through a kaleidoscope.
Endless and full of bright colors.

It was only 7:00 and already Indigo was holding a huge Panda bear in one hand and eating blue cotton candy on the other, while she looked for other stuff to do and eat.
"Let's ride that!" she pointed to the small kiddy roller coaster.

I almost laughed.

"What?" I looked at her amused, but her expression showed no facetiousness.

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Because it's so childish!" I complained, but Indigo looked at me with no change of heart.

"You'll have to pay for this you know?" I growled at her in line, while she licked clean her blue cotton candy.

She stuck her tongue out at me, which was dyed blue from the cotton candy.

"Paul baby, it's a carnival! Not a theme park,” she pointed out as we stepped closer in line.

"TICKETS!" the guy yelled, as we were about to board the cart. I gave him two tickets and Indigo squeezed my hands as we got inside the dingy small cart.

The ride started to go uphill. Usually my adrenaline would be pumped but it wasn't considering the tallest height wasn't much over 20 feet. Indigo was looking excitedly at me as the rail started to rattle, as if causing anxiousness within the youths.

"Paul, act as if you actually like this?" she pleaded as the ride stopped at the tippy top, giving us a bird's eye view of everything around us.

"Your wish is my command,” I say with mock loyalty, as I brought our hands up in the air just in time as we plunged the ground in a series of twirls and violent curves.

I heard Indigo’s scream which didn't pierce the air, but it was a good hearted shout, and you could tell she was laughing along. I embraced her and hugged her around the shoulder as the wind whipped our hair and blew on our face.

We rode that at least 5 times. Indigo never got tired of it. We only stopped because I almost threw up on the last turn, much to my and Indigo's surprise. The crowd was slowly dissipating as the night grew darker and more stars appeared in the sky creating a brilliant landscape of beauty.

"Look at all those stars,” I pointed up as we were lying on the bench picking at the sugar from our funnel cake.

"Twinkling small shattered glass. They're all part of the moon just shattered shards of the moon,” she calmly said.

"Really?" I looked at her in complete interest.

"No. But I like to think that,” she shrugged absent-mindedly.

"Indigo?" I whisper silently almost inaudibly deciding it was now or never.

"Yeah Paul?" she reached for my hand and held it tight, resting her head on the huge Panda I won for her in that Squirt-The-Target game.

"I love you,” I bluntly said with all the sincerity I could collect.

Indigo was speechless for a while and looked at me avidly.

"What?" she finally asked, getting up to face me in the moonlight.

"I love you,” I said with a stronger louder voice.

Indigo had to know.
But she clearly wasn't happy with my epiphany.

"But Paul . . ,” she trailed off looking at me with a disheveled look.

"Is it wrong to love?" I asked her looking intimidated for a while, wondering if I should take back my word on this.

"Of course not, it's just, you promised!" she adamantly pointed out.

"Oh, that's puts a damper on things,” I quickly said, hiding my shame.

And not to mention humiliation.

"Paul, there's a reason for you not to fall in love with me,” she faced me discreetly her face illuminated almost angelically in the romantic moonlight.

"Am I allowed to know?" I looked at her, asking her permission, remembering well what happens if I forget that.

"Yes. I'm afraid I don't know how to love, Paul,” she sheepishly looked at me, clearly embarassed at this confession.

"But, I could show you. I'll show you how it feels, what it's like,” I prodded her.

"Paul, you're missing the whole point!" she whined, her face enraptured with persistent beauty.

"What?" I asked her almost enthusiastically.

"I grew up in a world of hate. No one loved each other. And as a result, I don't know how to love, I didn't even believe in love when I first met you. And now you expect me to love you back when I don't know the first thing about it?" she looked down at her feet, ashamed.

And I admired her more than anything in the world because she was a rare and fragile thing. A glass waiting to be broken, a truth waiting to be lied, a light waiting to be dimmed by some invisible force that pulled her down every time she tried to get up.

"I could show you, please let me try?" I prodded, begging almost.

"Are you really that desperate?" she smiled knowingly.

"I am,” I said with a secure voice.

"Maybe,” she shrugged.

"So is that a yes or a no?" I looked at her impertinently.

"But Paul, I'm leaving. It would be no use, because then we would have to leave each other,” she said in a trailing voice.

"Remember we have to make it last?" I reminded her, and she nodded.

"Then, will you let me show you what love is?" I asked her with a more strong and confident voice.

"Okay,” she nodded.

It was a start. A new beginning. A new love blossoming in the midst of a summer night.

A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Fades quickly with the rising sun.