In two thousand and eighteen I volunteered for the dunking booth attraction at the relaunch of the 'Discover Benton Festival' that has become a yearly event that draws a number of people to our small, little delta town. I was fourteen then and just starting to come out of my shell. I was new to Benton and in a way, I was still frail. Beside dealing with puberty and the discord that it brings, I was also trying to come to terms with me being transgender. My mother had just been buried four months before, and because I was in hospital when the funeral took place. I had missed my chances to say a final farewell.
Not that any of that matters now, Benton this small town of five thousand souls, nestled in a 'S' shape bend in the Big Black River had become my adopted hometown. And little by little my life started to improve, Following the publication of my first book Ghost Stories and Urban Legends of Benton by a local publishing company called Magnolia Printing Press. I found myself something of a little starlet, my reputation in town was further enhanced when word broke that I became a cheerleader. All in all, life was good.
And so naturally being the youngest published author and a cheerleader, it was only a matter of time before I was asked to volunteer once more to sit in a dunking booth. This time at the town's fourth of July celebration. Naturally, since I had so much time the first time around I agreed. I mean, I did have a new red one piece bikini that I wanted to show off and two, if I'm honest I had enjoyed teasing the boys who had tried to dunk me. I mean volunteering for that dunking booth was how I meet my now boyfriend Matthew, who has been a major blessing for me.
Anyway, I took a deep breath as I peered out across the grassy common. The lawn was covered with people and dotted with plastic chairs and fold out tables. Everybody seemed to be dressed to the nines, with the guys wearing pullover polo shirts and pleated shorts and the woman wearing light cotton sundresses. I was standing next to the dunking booth, the booth was slowly being filled with water. The local volunteer fire Department had volunteered to fill the attraction. The tank itself could hold well over seven hundred gallons of water. And so it would take some time to fill.
Which was all fine and good for me, I had drawn the short straw and had been put down for the first one hour shift of that day. It was about ten in the morning and already a small crowd was forming around the booth. I mean I would have loved to think it was because of me posing in my brand new one piece, but I kind of knew I was plain. I mean, factor in the hormone blockers, and estrogen, farm work, and all the physical training cheerleaders do, and what you got was a stick of a girl with long brown hair, bright blue eyes and a small chest. Okay maybe I was not that bad, but I'm no bombshell Sports N' Times Bikini model either.
“Hey Madeline!” A voice called, the voice belonged to a middle age woman with blonde hair and who oddly enough had matching blue eyes. It's funny how people with blonde hair often get blue eyes, maybe I should have been born a blonde instead of a brunette. Anyway the woman was my mom, or mommy as I called her. You see, since the death of my mother, my older sister had kind of come to replace the mother I had lost. And by those strange chances and changes of life she had come to find another woman to love. Her name was Heather Ford, and in a few months time it would be Heather Brewer, my sister clearly wore the pants in the family. I called both mommy though.
“Yes mommy!” I called a few seconds later.
“We're done filling up the booth.” Mommy said as she peered toward me with a grin. “And there is already a line a mile wide lining up at the throw line. So I need you to climb up there and take a seat.” She she said as she turned away. She started to walk toward the front desk, once she reached the front desk, she took a deep breath and then she shouted out.
“May I please have your attention! May I please have your attention! The Dunking Booth is now open for business, with local teen celebrity, the one and only Madeline Diana Brewer, published teen author, Benton High Cheerleader and part time waitress at Sweet Magnolia!” She shouted. “And remember all money raised from the dunking booth goes to support our local hospital, King's Daughters Hospital!”
I felt a deep blush color my cheeks as I placed my foot on the latter and started to climb up the iron rungs. Soon I had reached the very top, and then collecting my wits I inched my bottom out to the drop seat. Once I reached the edge, I folded my hands in the center of my lap and offered the gathered crowd a big smile.
At first nobody wanted to throw, they mostly just donated their pocket change, and to be honest, I was kind of drawing a blank. See, I'm kind of a shy person, I only really come out of my shell when I'm around my friends and family. And the only reason I can cheer is because I'm standing with a group of other girls. But that all changed the minute I noticed her, walking through the crowds. A petite blonde hair girl with baby blue eyes, she wore a pastel pink dress and had a matching purse too. Her name was Jamie Sarah Potter, and she was one of my best friends.
“HEY” I called out from the top of the tank. “Jamie!” I quickly added to get her attention. “Come on and try to dunk me!” I taunted. Somebody had to break the ice. And it might as well be her.
Jamie blinked and quickly spun around. There was a cute boy hanging standing beside her, she was kind of hanging on his shoulders or was he hanging on her shoulders. Hard to tell, I knew the boy, he often tagged along when Jamie and I would go into the woods to tell spooky stories around a campfire. I mean I brought my own boyfriend too, cause you know, there's nothing like getting spooked in the dark and you know you gotta be a strong boy to cling to too. It really gives you those good kinds of goosebumps.
“Come on girl!” I called out to her. “Take a chance and buy three balls for five dollars. Show that boyfriend what you got!” I said noticing that the boy she was clinging too was indeed her boyfriend. Jamie's face flushed hot red. At first I thought I might have crossed a line, but then she slowly started to walk up the wooden counter.
“Maddy.” She said, pulling her purse around. “I think you need to cool down some.” She said soft. She reached down into her purse and pulled out her wallet. Her wallet was pink too, Jamie always loved to match, I would put money on the fact she was wearing a matching bra and panties too. She was a girly girl like that and though she was my best friend, I loved to tease her. Though, only I was allowed to tease her, if somebody else messed with her the claws came out.
I expected her to throw of course, but much to my surprise she placed down a crisp ten dollar bill. Ten dollars was the price one could pay to skip the throwing process and just walk up and push the button. And so smirking a little she walked the white throwing line that had been painted on the ground with white paint. A few seconds later, I could feel the seat giving way as Jamie pushed down on the trigger and sent me dropping like a stone into the freezing cold water below!
For a few seconds I swam around the bottom of the tank. Part of the fun of the dunking booth would be watching the person who just dunked swim around the bottom and make a funny face. And so I did, pressing my face to the clear viewing glass in the middle before breaking the surface of the water again. I could only hold my breath for fifteen seconds at a time.
“That cheating!” I said, as I pushed the seat back up and climbed out of the tank. In a blink of an eye I was once more seated above the tank. And there in front of the tank stood Jamie, her arms folded across her blooming chest and her head cocked to the side. “You're supposed to buy three balls, and try to hit the target with them! Not just walk up to the trigger and push the button.”
“Maddy, you are such a dork!” She cried out. “But you look cute sitting there soaking wet!” She quickly added.
“You know, we could always switch places. I'm sure Benjamin would adore the chance to dunk you. Plus you might even get a kiss out of the deal.” I responded before I fell into a wild gale of laughter as Jamie's face turned from buttercream to scarlet. My laughter was cut short when I felt the seat I was sitting under give way once more and I once more dropped like a stone into the freezing cold water below.
“Hey!” I shouted as I bobbed back and swam to the side of the tank. “What was that for!” I cried out, giggling as I noticed Jamie was wearing a playful little smirk on her face, her hand was still pushing in the trigger and her baby blue eyes were just a twinkling.
“To cool you down.” She said with a smirk. “I mean it's already a hundred and ten out here. Don't need you spouting off any more hot air.” She quickly added.
“Love ya.” I said with a roll of my eyes as I pushed the seat back up.
“Love ya too, even if you are a dork!” Jamie responded. “So do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” She asked. As she started to inch her way back from the trigger. “Beside getting dunked over and over again?” She added.
“My shift ends in a hour.” I said. “Then Matthew and I plan on going to Sunflower to get something to eat.. then Kayla wants us to spend the rest of the day with her and Heather doing some family bonding time.” I paused, “Why? What up?” I quickly added.
“Just wanting to know if we're going to get together tonight” She said. “Since I don't really have a story ready or anything, I was kind of hoping we could postpone it. Plus, mom would like .. Ben and I to joined them for dinner tonight.”
“Oh! No problem!” I said smiling. “We can always pick next weekend. I still need to edit my story too.” You see Jamie and I are the founding members of a group of teens that like to meet out in the woods behind my house and tell ghost stories. It was from these midnight gatherings the idea to collect and later publish those stories was born.
“Sure, see you then!” And with that Jamie started to skip off to spend some alone time with her boyfriend. And I had only forty five more minutes left of my shift in the dunking booth.
