Erin nodded and smiled at her son. “I think someone else wants to meet you first.” She angled her chin to indicate Ronan should turn around.
Standing behind Ronan was the girl in red who’d ridden the lead elephant. “Hi! I’m Ronan.” She was even more beautiful up close. Her hair looked like it was spun from corn silk, while her vibrant blue eyes were ringed in black, making the color pop. Ronan couldn’t help but wonder if eyeliner would do the same for his eyes.
“I’m Celestina. Do you want to meet my special friends?” Her smile lit up her entire face.
Ronan turned to his mother. He had no idea what special friends Celestina was talking about, they could have been axe murderers. What he knew for certain was that he would follow this girl anywhere, especially if she let him try on her sparkling red feather boa. “Can we?”
“Sure thing!” Erin agreed easily.
Ronan had a feeling his mother would have agreed to anything, eating fire, juggling with swords, or even being shot out of a cannon, so long as it got her away from the clowns.
“Come with me.” Celestina held her hand out to Ronan, who quickly took it.
Ronan couldn’t help noticing the angry look on Ying Yang’s face. He looked like he was about to rip Ronan away from the girl. The clown flashed his sharp teeth and took a step toward Ronan before Celestina tugged his hand, jerking his attention back to her.
Together, they cut through the crowds to the back of the lobby which led to the arena floor. Ronan had been this way last year when his grandfather took him to see a Boston Celtics game. They’d been able to pose for pictures under the basketball hoop. He sure hoped the famous parquet floor wasn’t going to be pooped on by the elephants.
Stepping into the arena, Ronan saw that the floor was concrete. All three rings were visible. Brightly festooned horses were running around the furthest ones, while two women in pink costumes shouted out words in a foreign language Ronan didn’t understand. In the middle ring was a group of men staring up at two trapeze artists who swung through the air, hanging upside down by their knees, which were hooked over the bar. One of them let go of the bar she was swinging from. The acrobat flipped through the air and was caught by the second person. “Holy shit!” Ronan half-shouted. He’d never seen anything like that in his entire life.
“Would you like a trapeze lesson?” Celestina asked with a grin.
Ronan shook his head. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to think he was a coward, but he wouldn’t swing from the trapeze for love, money, or a brand-new Sega game system. “No thanks.” He offered a bright smile, hoping it would cover up his fear. He was about to ask to see the horses, when a roar caught him off guard. Near the third ring was a giant cage with a black and white tiger inside. A young man was using a pitchfork to give the big cat a piece of meat, which it tore into instantly. “Wow! Who’s that?”
“Her name is Sheba and she’s my favorite tiger. Let’s go see her. I’ve got a surprise for you.” Celestina motioned for Ronan to follow her.
The man who’d been feeding the tiger turned when he heard Celestina approaching. He wore a warm look that quickly soured when he saw her holding Ronan’s hand.
“Hey, Hank,” Celestina waved at the man, who didn’t bother to respond.
When they reached the tiger cage, Ronan couldn’t help but notice how small it was for such a large animal. The cat could turn around and lay flat, but there wasn’t much room left for her to maneuver. “She is the most beautiful animal I’ve ever seen in my life.” With her bright icy blue eyes, which Ronan noticed matched the shade of Celestina’s, the tiger was magnificent.
Celestina waved to a woman who was dressed in the same red glittery outfit his new friend wore. “That’s my mother, Nava.”
The woman approached carrying something in her arms. Ronan wondered if it was a baby. He couldn’t care less about meeting a child. All he wanted to do was spend time with Sheba. Maybe he’d be able to reach in through the bars and feel her fur.
“Ronan, this is Suri, which means princess.” Celestina stepped aside as the woman knelt in front of Ronan. In her arms was not a human baby. It was a tiger cub. White and black like her mother, with bright, inquisitive eyes.
Ronan was stunned speechless. A moment later, the woman offered the cat to Ronan, who opened his arms to take the baby. He couldn’t believe he was holding a tiger. The cat swatted at Ronan with its tiny paw. Reaching out with his right hand, Ronan ran his fingers through the kitten’s fur. He couldn’t believe how soft it was.
Erin gasped and pulled out her camera. She began snapping pictures of Ronan cooing to the cat. Kneeling beside Ronan, she reached out to scratch the baby behind it’s ears. “Wow, Ro!”
“I want to run away and join the circus so I can work with the tigers.” Ronan had always wanted to be a police officer, but now, he wanted to stay here with Celestina and the big cats.
“How about you graduate from high school first?” Erin laughed as Nava reached for her camera and took a few pictures of mother, son, Celestina, and the tiger.
Ronan rolled his eyes. If Celestina could join the circus, why couldn’t he?
“I need to bring Suri back to her mother.” Nava reached for the tiger.
The last thing Ronan wanted to do was give the baby back. “Grow up big and strong, okay?” He gave the tiger one last snuggle and handed her back to Nava. “Thank you so much for letting me meet Suri.” He followed the progress of Nava as she spoke to the man who’d been feeding Sheba. He shot Ronan an angry look, which almost made Ronan laugh. He didn’t want Celestina to be his girlfriend. He wanted to try on her outfit. Not that he was going to announce that to guy holding the pitchfork.
“You’re welcome.” Celestina offered Ronan a shy smile. “Are you coming to our performance tonight?”
Ronan nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“I’ll look for you in the crowd. Bye!” With a little wave, Celestina ran off after her mother.
“This is the best day of my entire life!” Ronan hugged Erin. “Thank you!”
