Embrace Me Read Online Free Page A

anything.”
    Roland, dressed in his usual jeans, flannel shirt, and quilted jacket of completely non-coordinating plaids moves Lella over a bit and sits down on the end of the bed. “The circus is already gone.”
    â€œI figured. Those guys are good.”
    Sometimes we set up our own circus tent for smaller venues like county fairs and carnivals. Sometimes, like here in Omaha, we join with Max’s Magical Circus, setting up along the midway, our acts leading folks into the tent to view Max’s offerings. Mixed in with the usual circus fair, the magic acts keep folks gasping. Little do they know how many people can actually swallow a sword.
    â€œDid Buddy leave?” Lella asks with a shake to her voice.
    Max has the requisite clowns too. Including Buddy. Buddy’s been eighty-sixed from our campsite.
    â€œYeah.” Roland rubs a hand over a short, gray crew cut. “Yeah, thank heavens. What a jerk.”
    â€œHow somebody that mean can be so funny in front of a crowd is beyond me, it truly is.” Lella closes her eyes. “I mean it’s one thing to be gawked at by the crowd as they file past us and get the occasional insult, but from one of our own?”
    â€œHe’s not one of us.” Roland. “Not even close.”
    I give the stew a final stir. “No, he’s not one of us. Just think, Lell, in a few years we can leave all this behind.” I pull three bowls down from the small cupboard over the small sink in the small kitchen.
    Hey, it’s home.
    Roland holds his heart. “I know you two girls can’t be on the road forever, but at least have the heart not to talk about your end game with me around.”
    I slide a ladle out of the drawer. “You’ll be fine without Lizard Woman and The Human Cocoon. Besides, the days of our kind of attraction have come and gone.”
    â€œPeople are curious. They’re always gonna look.”
    â€œWe cause discomfort now, the way we remind people that life sometimes isn’t perfect. People years ago understood all that.”
    Lella and I have this conversation all the time. I guess we think if we talk about it enough, some vibes will go out to the general public that we’re glad they look at us. We need the work. We understand.
    Roland nods. “That’s right. Too bad you girls aren’t like Clifford. I’d have you around for a good long time.”
    I hand Roland a bowl of stew. “I think he enjoys it a little too much.”
    â€œOh, but Clifford’s a dear!” Lella.
    Clifford’s our Human Blockhead. I swear he’d perform his act in the middle of McDonald’s if they’d let him. Lella’s right, though. He’s a good guy. He’s fixed my truck a few times and always changes the oil for me.
    I feed Lella her stew while Roland eats his. It was a good season. Nice weather a lot of the time, no highway accidents or mishaps, and lots of melt-in-your-mouth funnel cake.
    â€œYou make a lot of money this year, Roland?” I ask.
    â€œIt wasn’t the best year. But it wasn’t even close to being the worst.”
    Roland pays us well. I’ve got no complaints there. And he’s doing all right himself. Maybe he’s got plans he’s cooking up too.
    He finishes his chicken and dumplings and sets the bowl in my sink. “We’ll head ’em on out in about an hour.”
    â€œReginald packed and ready?” I ask.
    â€œYep. Both heads and all six legs.”
    Reginald’s one of Roland’s crazy stuffed animal oddities. He has his own platform. The other exhibits include a giant toad, a 600-pound squid, and Henrietta, the four-legged duck. Okay, Henrietta is still alive.
    â€œYou all need help packing up?” he asks.
    â€œWe’ll be ready.”
    â€œLell? You gonna ride with Valentine?”
    â€œSurely I will. We love playing that license tag game, don’t we, Valentine?”
    â€œWe sure