If you asked Bilko about carnival life, he would have said that it was just like anything else. Towns were just carnivals that didn’t move. Stick joints and concessions. Come-ons, plush and slum, thrill rides and fantasy.
But this person. There was no stain of makeup on her face or in her words.
He had just met a Hormat he had never known and was overwhelmed by her innocence and lack of complexity.
“What is it you want?” He asked quietly.
She smiled, “I don’t know, I want to feel full,” she said nodding, “I don’t want to feel like a chewing gum wrapper blowing around in the straw anymore.
“I want it to be real, no carnie angle. Simple, with a future, you know? A future, like you can plan. And kids that had friends that went to school. No more bally talk, no come-on.
“I want to feel I am some place and I can look out across whatever land it is and feel part of it,” she looked embarrassed, ”Its hard to explain, it sounds stupid,” She drifted away and looked down at the river.
“I understand,” he said, silently committing himself to do whatever he had to do to make her happy.
Then, Bilko allowed himself to touch her. He put his hand on top of hers and said, “I want that too.”