Only The Lonely

Her eight year old cheeks burned with humiliation as the tiny wooden horse carts revolved on their track carrying her and five chunky toddlers each seatbelted into their own carts in a never ending circle. Her parents, standing nearby, tried to know whether to wave or just not notice while toddler parents gazed, gooed, cheered and snapped pictures for scrapbooks and grandma. She stared down at the fake reins in her hands, the too small seatbelt at her sides, unwilling, unable to meet their kind and troubled eyes. The baby ride continued traveling in agonizingly slow circles. Only child, only parents, only carnival in town.