Banana Man (a Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page A

what the city lights looked like from high above.
     
    His excitement didn’t last long.
     
    When that Ferris wheel rolled their cage close to the top, an ocean wind kicked up, and the cage started swaying and squeaking. Danny got scared. It was just too high in the air. He almost got sick right then and there. His little hands squeezed the safety bar real tight. He crammed himself into the corner of the cage as far as he could, and braced himself with his legs, pushing his feet against the floor, as if he might somehow slide out and fall.
     
    His eyes widened and he looked down at the pier, realizing they were high in the sky. If he fell out, it would be a death fall. He’d go splat on the pier in front of everybody. He didn’t want to die.
     
    He glanced over at his mom and saw that she wasn’t scared one bit. Her eyes were closed. She had a pleasant smile on her face and her hair was flying around in the wind. She took deep breaths, enjoying the ocean air. She looked happy. She looked free.
     
    And when they started to roll back down to the bottom, it felt like the entire Ferris wheel was going to tumble off the pier and sink into the ocean. The sensation of rolling into the water frightened him.
     
    When Danny started trembling, she felt it, and she snapped out of her enjoyment and saw her terror stricken child backed into the corner of the cage and holding onto the safety bar for dear life. She scooted real close and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and held his hand. The moment she held him, a warm, safe feeling swept through his body, and his fear vanished. His tension eased. His muscles relaxed, and he took a deep, calm breath. She held him close until the Ferris wheel returned them to the ground. Then she promised he didn’t have to go on that ride again.
     
    Danny never forgot that ride on the Ferris wheel, and he never forgot how his mom could make him feel safe whenever he got scared.
     
    While Danny and his mom ate cotton candy and threw darts at balloons and rode the rides, his dad sat on an old wooden bench at the end of the pier facing the water. He sat silently and enjoyed the night, taking tiny sips from his coffee and listening to the sound of crashing waves.
     
    Between the two of them, his mom was the fun one, and his dad the practical one. When his dad taught him how to build a fire, his mom taught him how to play hop scotch. That was the way it worked when it came to gifts as well. His dad bought useful stuff while his mom gave him what he wanted. For his last birthday his dad bought him a fishing pole and a tackle box full of gear, and his mom bought him a new bike and a comic book. His mom wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to have fun and she did everything she could to keep him smiling.
     
    While Danny daydreamed about the photographs, the rain slowed to a drizzle. The crackling fire was the only sound in the shadowy living room. With the slowing of the rain, the clouds dispersed and let some of the afternoon sun escape. The living room filled with a warm glow.

 
     
     
     
    C HAPTER FIVE
     
    Earning A Dollar
     
    His dad’s work truck rumbled outside the kitchen window, its steel service bed squeaking and groaning as metal rubbed against metal, the truck easing its way onto the slab of concrete on the side of the house. A moment later the engine went dead, and his dad slammed shut the truck door. He entered the house through the kitchen, and then entered the living room. The big man wore layers of thick, dirty clothing and weathered construction boots.
     
    “Hey Danny.”
     
    “Hi dad.” Danny wanted to ask his dad for a buck so he could get over to Cleary’s and buy the comic book, but he figured he should let his dad relax first, at least for a few minutes. Danny sat quietly while his dad settled in.
     
    His dad worked construction, and he worked hard every day. He left the house before sunrise and came home late afternoon. He smelled of dirt and oil. Danny could