The summer of 1980 seemed to hold nothing but promise for this young man. Just one year out of high school it was an easy decision for me to take a year off before going to college. Heck, I was young enough to enjoy myself and wanted to travel and see the country while I had the opportunity. The year before, just out of high school, I had taken a job as a carnival worker or carnie as they are known. It gave me the chance to schlep across country and get paid in the process. Being a carnie can be grueling at times. You sleep in pop up trailers and drink and party like rock stars without the benefit of groupies. Hanging out with the carnies gave me second thoughts about ever letting my kids go on amusement park rides, but they were a fun bunch of guys and I enjoyed their company. I did the carnie thing for five months, making my way from the East Coast to the West in the process.

After returning to New Jersey from my left coast finale, I moved into a trailer I shared with a buddy from high school. It was tight, but there was just enough room for my guitar, my blues records, and me. I bought an old BSA Gold Star 650 motorcycle and spent the beginning of 1980 traveling up and down the East Coast on the bike. You could always tell where I had last parked it by the oil stains on the pavement, but it ran well and more importantly, it looked damn cool. By summer I had settled back in New Jersey, looking forward to getting in as much time as possible on the Jersey shore before going off to school in the fall.

By August I hate to have to say I was getting tired of drinking and casual sex, but living like it was my last summer on earth was starting to catch up with me. I would have to get into study mode next month and I started to ease down on my partying at the shore. I made plans to go to the Flemington Fair in Flemington New Jersey in late August. This would give me a day of relative relaxation and a chance to catch up with my old carnie buddies from the summer before. It was something I really looked forward to.

It was a warm Friday morning the day I set off to the fair. It was already close to 80 degrees by eleven or so when I got on my BSA and started off. The sun beating down on my bare arms felt so good. I started to think how much I was going to miss these road trips on the bike once I started college. I was certain I would have little time for much other than studying. After about an hour on the road I got onto Route 202 with its rolling hills. As I opened the throttle on the long downhill stretches, the breeze caused the sleeves and back of my T-shirt to flap wildly in the wind. It felt so good, as the temperature had passed the 80 mark by now and the rushing wind was a welcome relief. The roar of the pipes was the perfect soundtrack for what was to be my last major summertime excursion.

After arriving at the fair, I parked the bike and made my way through the main entrance. I planned on spending a couple hours with my carnie buddies and afterwards about an hour or so checking out some of the exhibits I recall being fond of. I immediately made my way towards the back where the pop-up trailers were parked. I knew at least some of the carnies would be hanging out there, probably drinking beer, while the rest operated the rides. I knocked on the trailer door and was immediately greeted by an old co-worker, Jose.

"Hey Amigo, long time no see," Jose said in an excited tone. "Come on in, bro."

I was treated like a long lost brother returning home from war. We sat and talked. The beer flowed freely and the time passed quickly. People came and went as they went to relieve the guys working the rides. Before I knew it almost four hours had passed. After a lot of hugging and good-byes I left the trailer. I knew it would probably be the last time that I saw most of those guys.

I wandered onto the main drag and slowly made my way towards the booths with their various games. I stopped at an Italian ice stand and bought myself an Italian ice to refresh myself from the heat. As I was paying for my ice, I heard a voice.

"Hey, I got the same shirt," a lovely female voice said.

I turned and saw a beautiful girl, about twenty years old, with long black hair and big brown eyes. She was wearing a pink T-shirt and faded jeans. It was clear that the only thing covering her perky nipples was the T-shirt. She had pink fingernail polish with silver glitter and a silver necklace. Other than that she wore no jewelry or makeup except bright red lipstick. Her slender body and small breasts made her appear younger than her twenty years. She had a youthful vigor and a quick, sly smile that could melt even the hardest heart.

"I just bought the same shirt as you." She pulled a T-shirt out of a plastic bag. It had the logo of the rock group 'The Who' on it.

"Oh cool, you a Who fan too?" I asked.

"Yes." She answered.

We began conversing and found out we had similar musical tastes. She told me her name was Cindy and she lived in the next town with her parents. We started walking along, sharing an Italian ice. We passed through the area containing the animals, as Cindy wanted to see the horses. Afterwards we headed onto the main walkway and stopped at the booth where you aim at the clown's mouth with the water pistol. The water entering the clown's mouth causes a ball to rise and ring a bell. The first person to ring the bell wins a prize.

I handed the girl behind the counter two tickets and Cindy and I each grabbed a water pistol. I quickly won as the bell rang.

"What do you want?" I asked Cindy. I had a choice of prizes.

"I'll take the small bear on the left," she told the girl operating the stand.

Cindy took her teddy bear and we strolled onward down the main drag, stopping occasionally at various booths. We stopped and got a funnel cake that we shared as we walked towards the area where the rides were.

"Ooh, a merry-go-round! Let's go on!" Cindy exclaimed.

After giving the operator the tickets, we each found a horse. The ride started as the music blared. The ride slowly built up speed, as the lights became a blur. The carnival music completely drowned out the sounds of the crowd and the animals in their stalls under the darkening moonlit sky. Cindy would reach up on occasion and try to grab a ring. As she stood up in the stirrups her T-shirt would ride up her back and her nipples would press against the cloth, which was the only thing holding them back. She was all smiles and giggles. We went around a few times and as the music and lights wound down, we dismounted and rejoined the crowd on the busy thoroughfare.

As we continued on our way, we held hands as Cindy continually glanced my way and giggled. She looked so good with her long black hair shining under the full moon. As we came to the end of the road, the Ferris wheel came into view. Cindy became excited and all smiles as she suggested we go on it. Of course I agreed. We held hands as we stood in line and when it came our turn I handed the man our tickets and we got on. The man fastened the cross bar across our laps and we held on as the mighty wheel climbed upward towards the star studded sky. As Cindy held onto the cross bar, I could see the silver glitter on her pink nails sparkle in the moonlight.

"This is so romantic," Cindy said as she snuggled next to me and placed her hand on my right thigh. I could feel the arousal building up in me as the blood ran to my crotch. As the Ferris wheel car stopped up top, you could literally see for miles. The people below looked like dots and the stars in the sky looked almost in reach.

After the ride ended we once again found ourselves on the main drag. The fair was closing as the lights were slowly being extinguished. The sun had set but the sky was bright with the light of the moon. It was a gorgeous night. Since we had to leave, I suggested to Cindy that we take a ride on my motorcycle. She told me she loved bikes and was visibly excited at the thought.

We made our way out of the fair and onto the bike. Cindy put the teddy bear on the handlebars of the bike, held in place by a bungee cord I had there. Cindy got on and held me tight as we entered the main roads. As she nuzzled up against my neck, I could get a whiff of her floral scented hair. As we rode down the road and got on the main highway, Cindy would put her arms out and stroke my forearms. I could see the glitter on her nails reflected in the moonlight. As we stopped at lights, I would rev the BSA twin. The vibrations would cause Cindy to sigh and she would squeeze me tight, nuzzling her nose against the back of my neck. We rode around for a couple of hours in the beautiful August night. A beautiful girl on the back of a classic British bike holding me tight under a clear, star-studded sky. A perfect night if there ever was one.

As the ride progressed, Cindy went from stroking my forearms to stroking my thighs. It was clear this gorgeous young woman wanted to ride more than my motorcycle. Suddenly, I had an idea. I turned back on Route 202 and headed towards the fair. As I pulled back up to the entrance, Cindy asked me what I was doing. The fair was dark except for a few security lights and a guard at the entrance was the only visible sign of human life. I parked near the main entrance and told Cindy to wait there. I ran around back by the fence where the pop-up trailers were. The carnies were hanging out, drinking beer. I called out for Jose.

"Jose, Jose!" I shouted.

Jose came to the fence.

"What up, Amigo?" he asked.

"I need you to do me a favor," I said. "Come around to the front entrance and bring your keys for the rides."

"OK, but only for you, Amigo."

Jose always called me 'Amigo'. It was a term of endearment as we were good friends. I ran back to Cindy as Jose came to the main entrance.