One Day's Admission

His parents could only afford one day’s admission to the (over-priced) wonderland they had driven so far to see. So they planned carefully to make the most of it, waking Adam up early at the motel, getting him dressed, and breakfasting efficiently by the motel pool. Fortunately, the weather was lovely and warm. A blue sky melted upward to the zenith, with only the most cheerful of puffy white clouds. Soon the three of them were making their way to the entrance of the wonderland. Next to the entrance, a richly laden pear tree gleamed verdantly in the morning sun.

Adam was attracted to the rides that showed how tall you had to be to ride them. His parents explained patiently that Adam was much too young yet for such attractions – that he was nowhere near the required height, but that the wonderland was filled with imaginative and adventuresome rides the three of them could ride together. There would be rides through jungle treetops where gibbons swung, rides under the sea where whales sang, and rides through dark caves where strange monsters chittered and clacked their claws in shadowed niches. Adam actually had a great time on most of the family rides; but, the moment his parents were distracted, he made himself scarce, making a beeline for the nearest ride for older children.

His parents had been wrong – when his turn came, he showed he was plenty tall enough. His parents never caught up to him. They didn’t seem to be anywhere around. He had a wonderful time on the ride, even though you might have thought it would be too scary for him. He spent hours riding similar rides, seeking out the ones that other people might have been afraid to ride. He was thrust along a roller coaster that spiraled and looped and plunged through a spray of water. He found himself falling down elevators shafts and jumping from airplanes. Finally, he began to feel a little queasy and sat down on a bench in order to wait till his stomach settled.

You couldn’t run around all day, he realized now. The best thing was to take it a little easy. You would enjoy everything more that way. None of the rides had required a lot of physical exertion, but it was amazing how tired he felt. Soon, he was sure, his parents would find him, and then – after a lecture or two – they would all go to have something delicious for lunch. He seemed to see the cold lemonade on the table, and sandwiches from the wonderland cafeteria. Nothing would be fancy, and everything would cost a bit more than it should, but it would all be so satisfying.

Someone was nudging his shoulder, waking him up; but it was hard to make out who it was. Everything seemed a little blurry, and people’s voices were less distinct than they had been a few hours before. “Would you like to take a turn?” someone asked. “I’ll be right, here. You don’t have to worry.” He felt like saying he had had a good turn for the morning, and he just wanted some lunch, but someone was carefully positioning his arms and handing him a baby.

He tried to tell them he had never held a baby before. “Of course, you have,” they smiled. “Don’t look so confused. This is Ruth – this is little Ruth. Say hello to her.”

“Hello, little Ruth,” Adam said. Then he saw his eyes closing, and felt the baby being lifted to safety. A pear tree glistened in the sunlight by the entrance. “We only have a day,” his mother was telling him. “Make the most of it.”

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