The boardwalk date

Carmen was out with Joshua one weekend night at their favorite boardwalk hangout, enjoying the night air and the night time entertainment they had come here to see. The once desolate looking stretch of jetty that reached far out towards the open ocean had just reopened after years of abandonment, now sporting rows upon rows of shiny new shops, refurbished carnival rides and flashy modernized displays. Places and attractions that Carmen had once been so excited about before while she was a kid had been brought back to life with renewed vigor, and she could not help but drag Joshua around to all of her favorite places. When she had first heard the news, she had been worried that the company that bought the old boardwalk would be tear apart her old childhood memories by demolishing it altogether, but now that she was here to see the fresh new coats of paint and familiar rides in working order again, she could barely contain her enthusiasm to try them all.

Her rampage did not stop until it was almost time for them to go. Even then, she insisted on visiting one last place. It was the fortune telling machine that was a little out of the way nearby the entrance. They started a brief and cheeky exchange about whether the boardwalk's good fortune had been foretold, and whether such good luck had been taken away from something else. Joshua hoped that it was the luck of some celebrity that he hated so much. Carmen told him off for jinxing other people's luck. When they got there, it was almost exactly as it used to be. Only now, however, the dust, sand and cobwebs had been cleaned up, and the flashy retro lights once again illuminated the 'mysterious' veiled doll contained within the ominous looking metal box. Carmen wasted no time in inserting a coin, nostalgically hearing the mystical drones of 'Madame Seer' once more. She was once more enchanted by the dazzling strobing light bulbs that lit up the box, holding onto an amused Joshua to steady herself from the inability to stand still. After a few clicks and whirrs of the decades old machine, the familiar cardboard tablet popped out into the receptacle below. With an excited squeal, Carmen swiped up her fortune to read it aloud.

'Mixed fortunes all around,
New tastes and adventures abound,
The past reappears with new features,
Changing your ways bring new teachers.'

The pair walked away from the machine theorizing over what the fortune meant. Carmen saw it as a sign that maybe she should change something about herself so that she could learn something new. Joshua attempted to make it more romantic, mentioning their relationship had taught him something about himself, mainly his feelings for her. Carmen was touched over how awkwardly he tried to impress her. That awkwardness was what led her to him after all. He was one of her oldest friends, and now that they were all grown up, they were an item unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She held onto his arm until they came to the main road closeby. They kissed their goodbyes and went their separate ways, with Carmen following the road up the beach while Joshua headed home further inland.