Cotton Candy Girl
Judy started smiling as she neared the grass on the other side of the parked cars. She sat down on the curb for a few moments to check her makeup in her little pink compact mirror, and mostly, to catch her breath. After a few seconds, the car parked next to her rolled down its window. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"
Judy froze looking into her mirror. Her blood drained back down into her belly and her skin turned white. She shook as she put the mirror back into her tiny purse, determined to stand up slowly then run for the bus stop across the street. A strange man in a parked Chrysler Cordoba had once offered her a ride as she left her apartment building. She’d said yes, and as soon as she had shut the passenger door beside her, his hairy hand had lunged under her miniskirt and started pulling down her yellow underwear with the little pink bow on them. She had slapped and squirmed and said “no” a dozen times before finally managing to unlock her door and fall out onto the pavement. She stopped wearing shorts and mini-dresses after that, squeezing herself into pants even in the middle of summer.
"No I don't, thank you." Judy didn't look at the man as she ran for the street. He called after her as she looked frantically both ways at oncoming cars.
"Your mom sent me to pick you up! I met her at the Legion!" Judy stopped looking at the traffic and turned back to look at the man in his car. He was smiling and waving vigorously, beckoning her back. Her mom drank at the Legion every night after work, so this guy must know her somehow. "She says your name's Judy!" Judy felt a little relief, and a lot of fear, as she teetered on the curb wondering which way to go. Since when does mom send somebody for me? She must be drinking early today.
As she walked slowly towards the car, she felt as if she were in a dream. The sounds of traffic, the faraway music of Burton Cummings wafting from the band shell, waving trees and the smell of Lake Ontario all swirled together in an eerie unison. It was like that musical Judy had seen recently about a young deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard. She kept her eyes on the man sticking his head out the driver side window and quickly realized he was not the one who'd grabbed her arm this morning. This boy was much younger; handsome, too. He had dirty blonde hair down to his shoulder and wore a tight black t-shirt with the word RUSH on it.
"You shouldn't be drinking and driving, ya know." Judy felt meek in his presence as she smelled the liquor wafting out of his car.
"Tell your mother that! Ha! She's a crazy one."
"My mother doesn't drive!" Judy was smiling now.
"See! ‘Course not. That's what I'm here for." She walked around back of his car and got into the passenger side, her light brown hair trailing behind her as she lifted her legs in to close the door. "Watch your hair!" The boy leaned over her to stop her from slamming the door on herself and she flinched, but felt a sudden excitement having a good looking guy dote on her.
"I'm so silly!" She giggled. "Thank you for saving my hair!"
He smiled and leaned back in his seat. "No skin off my nose. Let's get the hell out of here." He backed out and turned the car around, and Judy looked at the waves out on the lake, seagulls cawing overhead as a carousel dotted with cotton candy children spun around below.
Whew! That ended well. Your writing is certainly captivating.