Take Me Dancing

The fair was full of normal fair rides, and although it had a kid section, there wasn't really anything that Zeno could go on with out either Bryan or I. As we walked around in the game area Bryan and Theodore raced to every booth in sight before running back over to me on the littered grass and standing in front of me as I held an excited Zeno in my arms.
"Momma! Can I go on that ride?" Theodore asked, pointing frantically to the ride where you lay on your stomach and go in circles.
I eyed the ride and then my younger brother as he stood there with an innocent look on his face, "No, Baby. The SuperMan is for adults," I told him, ignoring the pout that took over his features.
"But Jen!" Bryan whined, stomping his foot like a child.
I glared at him with my jaw set and he shied away from me, grabbing Theodore's arm and pulling him over to to a game where you used water guns to knock things over and gain prizes.
I laughed loudly, ignoring the strange looks from the people around me, when Bryan tripped over a power cord that ran along the grass.
"Nice!" I shouted after my younger brother.
Bryan glared at me and stuck his middle finger in the air before he and Theodore raced over to the game. I chuckled to myself and followed after them, handing the Carnie the tickets for the three of us to play, Zeno and I working together.
After Theodore won that game we played game after game until Bryan decided that it was ride time and that we were going on the Ferris Wheel. I groaned and slapped at him as he smirked, handing the guy the tickets. "Bryan, I'm not getting on there," I told him, taking a step back and pulling Zeno back with me, his little hand gripping mine as his shoe clad feet rested on the dirty brown grass.
Bryan grinned at me cockily and helped his oldest nephew onto the seat, patting the spot next to him for me to sit.
"No," I stated, "No, I'm not,"
"Yes you are," Bryan laughed, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the unstable looking ride.
I groaned as Theodore spoke up next, "Momma! Come on, please!"
I nodded reluctantly and climbed into the seat with a wide-eyed Zeno on my lap. Bryan took the seat on the other side of Theodore as the guy clicked us in and I took a deep breath, sliding Zeno onto the seat, him in between his older brother and I.
I held on tightly as the ride got higher and higher.
"Oh shoot," I said as we stopped on the top, looking over the entire fair grounds.
"Momma! We're so high!" Theodore screeched, leaning over the bar and looking to the ground below. I nodded frantically and reached my arm out to push him back.
Bryan's laughter at my fear of heights as we began moving again. I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled at Zeno as he gripped my shirt tightly in his little fist.
"Mommy!" Zeno cried as we began going backwards.
I noticed the tears welling in his green eyes and tried to calm him down as we raised to the top again. We went around two more times until Zeno was full out sobbing and the Carnie noticed, stopping it when we came to the bottom for a third time.
"Thank you," I sighed, offering the scruffy man a smile as I carried my bawling two year old off of the ride.
"Momma! Is Zeno okay?" Theodore questioned, walking beside me as Zeno's tears began to slow down.
I took a seat under a big tree and cradled Zeno to me chest as he wiped his tears.
"Yeah, Zeno is fine, baby," I murmured as Theodore took as seat in the grass next to Bryan.
"Okay," Theo said, "It's Uncle Bryan's fault!" He pointed to Bryan who was glaring at the young boy.
"Thanks," Bryan murmured sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting cross legged, leaning against the always-brown bark of the shady tree.
I chuckled and shrugged, letting my brother know that I didn't hold it against him.

We spent a couple more hours at the fair. Riding rides and playing games and soon enough both little boys were complaining that they were hungry. So we, Bryan and I, decided that we would go out for lunch at what had always been Theodore and Zeno's favorite restaurant, Old Country Buffet.
The four of us were sat in the center of the building, next to the food. I grinned and made my way over to the buffet that held the chicken and mashed potatoes.
"Momma! I want a taco!" Theodore shouter as he and Zeno followed after me.
I grinned over my shoulder at him and nodded, watching a dimpled smile appear on not only his, but Zeno's face too.
"This way, guys!" Bryan called, walking past them and over to the taco bar.
Minutes later we were sitting around a table scarfing down and laughing at Theodore and Bryan as they argued.
Zeno was stuffing pieces of taco sauce covered taco shell into his mouth with a shy smile every now and then.
Bryan had decided to eat what had always been his favorite food as a kid, Spaghetti. As my brother scarfed down in between comebacks, I noticed a family a couple tables away. A girl that couldn't be any older then 16 sat next to a younger girl and what looked to be her parents. Her brunette head was tilted to the side as she looked our way. She dropped her eyes to the table when I looked at her, so I looked away for a moment, watching her out of the corner of my eye as she looked at us again.
"Mommy!" Zeno called, tugging on my shirt.
I looked to him with my eyebrows raised, "Yeah?"
He smiled at me and asked, "Ice cream?"
I kissed his forehead and nodded, noting silently that we'd have to walk past the curious girl to get to the ice cream machine.
"Come on, baby!" I exaggerated, motioning with my hands for him to hop out of the chair that I had placed him in.
"Me too!" Theodore shouted, sliding out of his chair and racing to stand next to me impatiently.
"Be right back, Bry," I said as he slurped down another fork of sauce covered noodles. He murmured, "Mhm," While he swallowed.
I kept my gaze on the young girl as we passed, noticing her watching up from the corner of her eyes.
I smiled at her when we walked past and she waved slightly. The boys were oblivious to the girl watching us as I loaded chocolate ice cream onto two sugar cones. Their tongues were hanging out of their mouths as I handed them each one, warning them that if they dropped it, they wouldn't be getting another one.
Both Zeno and Theodore walked incredibly slow over to our table, and when I turned around I noticed that the girl was the only one at her table now, gathering up her things. My eyes scanned automatically over the restaurant and stopped when I noticed the rest of her family by the cash register.
But as I walked past a small voice caught my attention, "Excuse me!"
I turned to face the girl with the dark brown hair and I smiled at her, confused. "Yeah?" I asked, rubbing my arm from the chill that was cascading down from the vent in the ceiling.
"Are you Jenni Nickelsen? Garrett's wife?" She asked quietly, biting her lip afterwards as she awaited my reply.
I nodded softly, "Yeah, Hi,"
She nodded as well and I saw her brown eyes scan over the room and then come to stop on me with a crest fallen look, "Is the rest of The Maine here?" She questioned, already knowing the answer.
"No," I shook my head, glancing at the boys as they smeared ice cream on each other and Bryan, "I'm actually here visiting my family,"
"Oh, They're cute," She murmured, smiling at the three children and the one child-acting 20 year old that was 'rawr-ing' as the younger boys dipped their fingers into the chocolate ice cream and then pressed their fingers to their uncles cheeks.
"Thanks," I nodded, sighing as I excused myself so I could go yell at the children who were doing everything that I told them not to do.
"Hey!" I growled, pulling the squished cones out of their hands and glaring at Bryan, "Why would you let them do that?" I questioned, my gaze moving between my brother and my sons as the three of them shrunk into their seats.
Bryan just shrugged and I growled in frustration, marching over to a garbage can to throw the dripping ice cream away.
"Go to the bathroom," I told the boys firmly, "We've got to wash it off of you,"
The both wandered that way silently and I followed, sending Bryan another glare before I did so.
I sat both on the boys on the counter in the women's bath room as I roughly wiped the chocolate off of their faces, fingers and clothes. And about five minutes later we wandered out of the bathroom to see Bryan standing there with a sheepish smile.
"Lets go," I sighed, picking Zeno up from the ground and walking past them, pretending to be oblivious to the guilty looks that Theodore and Bryan were sharing.