The house was still dark when he snuck out the back door. It wasn’t like anyone would miss him, unless his dad wanted to hit him. His body still hurt from the night before. It was the first time his dad hit him more than once. A slap here or a shove there, he was used to that. But last night his dad wouldn’t stop hitting him. It only stopped when his mom came home from the store, then he started in on her. That was when Brian tried to stop him. It was the last thing he remembered until he woke up this morning on his bed. His mom had to be the one to put him to bed because Claire wasn’t big enough and his dad didn’t care.

Some kids at the park yesterday were talking about the local fair. The fairgrounds were within walking distance from his house. He’d never been to the fair before, his father said it was a waste of money. It always sounded like so much fun when the kids at school would talk about it. He could see the rides from his house.

Once he was outside he saw Claire’s bike wasn’t there. Their bikes were the one fight their mom won. She earned the money for them herself. It earned her a black eye but she got them before his dad could spend the money on his drinking. Brian was sad more than usual because his mom had started drinking lately. He didn’t want her to turn into his dad but he was afraid that was what was happening.

Getting on his bike he headed for the fairgrounds. He might not be able to get in but he could watch the fun from outside the fence. It was still very early, so no one was there when he got there. It wasn’t even seven in the morning. The sign by the gate said they opened at nine. It was Saturday so everyone would there. He let himself fantasize that some rich person would see him and let him in.

There was a big tree near the back fence, that was where he went. He propped his bike up against the tree and sat under it. Plucking at blades of grass while he wanted until the people started to show up.

Soon movement could be seen inside the fairgrounds. ‘They must have beds somewhere in there’ he thought.

The fairgrounds livened up pretty quick after that. He watched big men carry out large boxes and move them around. There weren’t any words on the boxes so he wondered what was in them.

“Cut me some slack, Johnny,” a tall man said. There was a big smile on his face as he talked to a short, dark skinned man. They were close to the back fence where he was but they hadn’t seen him yet. Luckily, they were close enough for him to hear them though.

“Vic, you’re slow as molasses.”

“But I make molasses look good,” the tall man said. He was younger than his dad, but he didn’t know how old. His dark blonde hair was long and in a ponytail.

That man was the kind his dad would call a fairy or homo. Brian didn’t know what that meant, he just knew it was bad.

“You’re conceded,” the shorter man said.

“Hey, I’m helping you out on my vacation. You’re lucky I’m here to begin with. And it just until you get a new guy in here.”

“Do you want me to bow down to you?”

“Well, I like the sound of that.”

Brian thought they were funny, so he laughed. It wasn’t until both men looked up at him that he knew they heard him. His eyes widened, he was going to get it now for sure.

“Hey, kid. Are you waiting for us to open?” The taller man looked down at his watch. “We still have an hour before we open the gates.”

“Oh, I was just going to watch the rides from here.” He didn’t want to tell them he couldn’t go in because he didn’t have any money. He also didn’t want to tell them that he didn’t want to go back home because he was scared of his dad.

“Non-sense. Come to the gate, I need a helper for the day.”

Brian couldn’t believe his luck. He was really going to get to go to the fair. He didn’t even care if he got to ride or anything, he was going to be in there.

“Really?” he asked in awe.

“Yes, really. Go on to the gate, I’ll meet you there.”

Brian took off running for the front gate. He was halfway there before he remembered his bike. His dad would kill him if it got stolen. Quickly, he ran back and noticed both men were gone. He hoped it wasn’t a joke and they would be there.

“Are you sure about this Vic?” Johnny asked.

Johnny and he used to date but they turned out better friends than lovers.

“Yeah, my sister’s got a kid his age. You saw him, he was looking at the grounds with such longing.” It broke his heart to see such a little boy look so sad. It didn’t escape his attention the visible bruises on his arms and legs. There was also a darkening bruise on his cheek.

“Okay, well, I’ve got to start getting the ring-toss stocked.”

“Have fun with that.”

He headed for the front gate, hoping the boy was there. The kid really looked like he needed a fun time. Michael would hate to hang out and help at a fair but it seemed it was this kids dream.

Brian was so excited; he was getting to go to the fair.

“Hey, kid, get away from there,” a mean voice said.

Looking up he saw a short, round man. He looked like he had been sucking on something sour.

“I was waiting for the man to come,” he said quietly.

“I don’t care; the gates don’t open for another hour.”

“Oh, shut it, McIntire. The kid is working for me today.”

The mean man huffed but left, for that he was glad. His heart picked up when he saw the man he was waiting for. This was really going to happen. He was going to get to go to the fair. It wasn’t a dream, it was happening.

“So, kid you got a name?” the man asked as he opened a small side gate by the big one.

“Brian Kinney,” he said quietly.

“Well, my name is Vic Grassi. You can call me Vic.”

“You can call me Brian,” he said with a little smile.

“Good. So, Brian, you ready to work.”

He nodded his head enthusiastically. This was going to be the best day ever. Not only that today was Independence Day, that meant the city would be shooting off fireworks. Maybe if he was really lucky the fair people would too.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Yes,” he lied.

“Well, would you mind eating with me. I hate to eat alone. You don’t mind having a second breakfast, do you?”

His stomach growled with just the thought of food. There was no dinner last night because his dad hurt him. But he was so hungry now.

“Come on, Mrs. Irene ran out to get breakfast for us.”

Brian followed the tall man, wondering who Mrs. Irene was. How was there food for him already if Vic didn’t meet him until just a few minutes ago? There were a few people milling around a large RV near the entrance. There was a group of people surrounding something that he couldn’t see.

“You lot, back off. You’ll all get this food.”

That was when Brian saw who was talking. She was a large woman with blonde hair that was in great contrast with her dark skin. There was a table in front of her with several Styrofoam boxes on it. Whatever was in them smelled delicious, his stomach growled at that moment. When Vic looked down at him he got very nervous but the man only smiled at him.

“Irene, you got any food for me and my helper,” Vic asked the woman.

“Who is this little man?” she asked looking at Brian. He beamed at her calling him a man.

“This is Brian Kinney; he’s going to be helping me today.”

“What do you do?” Brian asked, it was something he had been wondering about.

“I’m just here helping out myself so I don’t have anything specific job. So I guess that means both of us are helpers.” Brian smiled at him.

“Here,” Mrs. Irene said handing them two boxes. “He needs to put some meat on those bones.”

“Don’t you start on him.” He looked down at Brian. “She’s always trying to put weight on me. A boy’s gotta keep his figure though.” Brian giggled.

After they ate breakfast it was time to work. Brian helped tape down cords so people wouldn’t trip over them. It was really hard work but Vic always was real nice when he made a mistake. The first time he expected a hit, but the hit never came.

Just after they taped down cords for a while Vic finally got a phone number out of Brian. He used the payphone on the street to call the boy’s mother. She sounded odd. When he asked her if it was okay for Brian to help at the fair, she just laughed. ‘Keep him until after dark.’ That was it. It was a very odd conversation.  

Lunch was hot dogs and chips. Johnny, Dale and Marnie ate with them. Just after lunch something caught Brian’s eye. He was near the back fence checking on all the cords with Vic when he saw her. Claire was sitting under the same tree he was at earlier in the morning. Her bike was exactly where his had been earlier too. Claire was nine, only fourteen months older than him.

Vic must have caught him looking because he stopped what he was doing.

“Brian, are you okay?”

He really hated to ask for a favor but he didn’t want to leave her out there by herself.

“Can my sister help?”

Vic looked up to see where Brian was looking. A girl about Brian’s age was sitting under the same tree he saw him at. She wasn’t looking longingly at the fair though. She had her eyes closed and he could see tears running down her face.

“That’s a wonderful idea.” Brian smiled and dodged people to get to the back fence.

“Claire!” he yelled.

The girl’s eyes shot open and she looked at Brian. He was sweaty and dirty from all his work but he was extremely happy.

“Brian? What are you doing in there?”

“I’m helping out Vic. He says you can help too. If we do a good job, we’ll get to ride some rides tonight. Do you want to help?”

“Oh, yes, please,” she said, gaze shifting from Brian to Vic.

“We’ll come on to the front gate, we’ll let you in.”

Claire wiped the stray tears from her face and grabbed her bike. She jumped onto it and rode for the front.

“We better hurry or she’ll beat us,” Vic joked.

“She’s really fast on her bike,” Brian agreed. “I run faster though.” And he was off in a shot.

Vic put Claire to work with Mrs. Irene at the funnel cake truck. It was Mrs. Irene’s specialty. It was funny how quick Claire took to Mrs. Irene. It was clear to Vic these kids were just begging for someone to love and care for them. He had a right mind to go to their house and give their parents what for. But he worried that would make matters worse. He felt awful about letting these two happy children go back to a home where abuse and neglect was waiting for them. The woman didn’t even seem to care when he called her about Claire being with him too. He was a complete stranger and had her eight and nine year olds. She just didn’t care.

Just after five both kids got stamps on their hands, allowing them to ride anything they wanted. Two rides they weren’t tall enough for but Brian sweet-talked Margret and Ivan into letting them on. He was going to be dangerous when he grew up, with that face and charm he would be unstoppable. Vic just hoped whatever waited for Brian at home wouldn’t kill the joy and love inside him.

Every once and a while Vic would catch sight of the siblings, running from one ride to another. After the Tilting Demon, he saw Claire run over to a trash can and dry-heave inside. He felt bad for her but that was always happening when people got off the ride, someone would get sick. Brian stuck by her, holding her hair back while she was sick. After that they took a small break from rides. Vic had given them both money to play games. That was when he found out Brian was really good with his hand-eye coordination. He won a goldfish but wasn’t able to keep him. His dad wouldn’t allow it he said.

Early on in the morning Vic asked Brian if his parents would be worried where he was. Brian said that every Saturday he and Claire would leave and not come back until after dark. It was his mom’s rule; she didn’t want them to be there when his dad spent the whole day drinking. But lately she had been drinking too, Brian admitted. He was glad he had permission from their mother though. A jail cell didn’t seem that great of a place to be. Vic felt horrible for the kids. He wished he could just take them away from this place. But he was a single, gay man. There was no way anyone would listen to him.

“Fireworks!” Claire yelled, jumping up and down. The city decided to work with the fair organizers to have a fireworks show at the end of the day.

Vic laid out a blanket in the back of his El Camino. All three of them laid down in the back to watch the fireworks show. It was almost like he had a little family of his own, even if it was for only one day. At twenty-nine he was still having fun and living life to the fullest. But for the first time he had a little taste of what he was missing in life. He could never hide who he was, no way. He just wished things could be different for people like him. That having a partner and kids wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Maybe one day it would be, hopefully he wouldn’t be an old man by then.

Just as the fireworks started to get underway smoke reached Vic’s nose. Not the smell of spent fireworks though. No, this was the smell of something burning, something big. Sitting up in the El Camino he looked around. There was smoke billowing up from a bit of distance away, coming from down the street.

“You two stay here,” he told the kids.

“What’s going on?” Brian asked.

“There’s a fire over there.” He pointed in the direction of the fire. “I need to see if I can help.”

There were fire trucks in the distance, he could hear their sirens. The kids looking in the direction of the fire. Even in the dim light he could see their faces pale.

“Guys?” he asked, unsure what was going on.

Brian jumped out of the bed and started running. Claire wasn’t too far behind on her bike. She soon caught up with him. Vic took off after them but fell behind in the crowd at the exit. It wasn’t until they were at the burning home he knew why.

“Mom!” Claire yelled.

Brian just ran straight for the blazing house. A fireman grabbed him, the boy fighting like hell. Cops and firemen surrounded the small home. Neighbors were gawking like it was a television program. The need to scream at them rode him hard.

Something hit his stomach drawing his attraction down. Looking down he saw it was Claire, she was crying and holding onto him. He moved to the sidewalk and sat down right there. If the cops wanted him to move they didn’t say anything. Brian was pushed away from the house by another fireman.

“Brian,” Vic called to him. The smoke making his voice raspy.

The little boy was covered in soot from the smoke coming from the house. Brian all but fell into Vic’s arms. Hours passed and still no one said a word to them.

“What’s your grandparents number? I need to call them,” he asked quietly.

“We don’t have any,” Brian said.

“There has to be someone. An aunt? Uncle? Cousin?”

“Nope, last year when daddy hit mom and put her in the hospital, we had to stay in a home,” Claire said sadly.

That meant there was no one in their family or at least none willing to take them while the mom was only in the hospital. There would be no one to take them for their rest of their childhood. He heard the fireman talk to the cops, they had found two bodies. The kids’ parents.

Finally, one of the cops came to talk to them. In a million years Vic wouldn’t know why he answered the questions like he had.

“Sir, can I ask you why you and these kids are here?” a big-bellied cop asked.

“My name is Vic Grassi, these are my godchildren, Brian and Claire Kinney. I was in town and took them to the fair and the fireworks show. I told Joan that I would be bringing them home after dark.” Luckily, the Kinney children were very used to keeping their mouths closed. And the mother had told him her name when he called earlier.  

“The Kinney children,” the cop said, looking down at the kids with pity.

A week later Vic left Doraville with two extra people. Getting custody of the kids had been frighteningly easy. It turned out no one knew much about the Kinney’s as they just moved into town the year before. If there was a will, it was destroyed in the fire. Then both kids swore that he was their godfather. There was no proof he was but there wasn’t any proof he wasn’t. It became clear early on no one in the small town wanted or cared about the two children. They were more than happy to give him legal custody just on his word and the word of two grieving children. It didn’t matter they would be much better with him than anyone else anyway.

“Where are we going?” Claire asked.

She was sitting next to the window and Brian was in the middle of his El Camino. There was no clothes or objects left besides their bikes, which were in the bed. Everything had been burned beyond recognition. That was another reason he wanted out. It became clear Joan Kinney killed her husband then set the house on fire. She left a short not in the mailbox. It simply read, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former this are passed away. 21:4”

“Back to my apartment so I can pack. Then we are moving to Pittsburgh.  My sister lives there and has a son your age, Brian.”

“Why did you lie?” Brian asked.

“Vic had been waiting a week for them to ask. They must have felt they were in a perilous position when they were still in town. Running the risk of being in care until they aged out if they said the wrong thing.

“Because, I couldn’t leave my two favorite people in the world to strangers.” He was a stranger but he loved these kids in the short span of a day, much more now in the week he had.

Both kids gave him a small smile, that was when he knew it really was going to be alright. They would make it, just the three of them.