The Small Heartbreak of a Cotton Candy Pancake

A week ago, I went to a mardi gras carnival at my sister-in-law’s school.  Imagine my excitement when I saw a COTTON CANDY machine!!  Fresh cotton candy!  I was doubly excited since I’m missing mardi gras this year and I know this would be my only chance. 

 I love cotton candy.  Like, LOVE IT.  The taste, the look, the fact that it’s only available to me rarely and it therefore like a special, elusive treasure.  It’s just fun. I usually only get it once a year, at mardi gras, and even then it often comes in a bag.  FRESH cotton candy is what I crave, and I can’t actually remember how long it’s been since I had some. 

Cotton Candy cost 2 tickets at the carnival.  I stood in line to buy tickets, then stood in line to get the cotton candy.  A kid from the school was making it, and he was definitely in the learning phase.  He was COVERED in cotton candy.  Like he was going to need 4 showers after the carnival to be un-sticky.  In the middle of making mine, he hit his stride.  He figured out how to twirl it.  He was having fun.  He didn’t have it flying all over him.  He made it extra huge, and it was a work of ART. 

I was STOKED.

I took it and started walking to find my family.  I took about three bites of the cotton candy, and then...

Fell off  the sidewalk.

Yep.  Stepped wrong off the little wheelchair accessible ramp in the sidewalk.  Banged my knee, and landed SMACK on my cotton candy.

I was heartbroken.  And a little hurt, but not much.  I’ve sprained this ankle like a million times, and most recently last Thanksgiving, so I know when I’ve really messed it up and when not.  This was just a mild twist. 

But a few kids and a lady ran over to me, asked if I was ok, helped me sit up, and a kid picked up my cotton candy.

Here I have attempted to artistically represent the before and after using the magic of Microsoft Paint:

It was a cotton candy pancake.  A giant, pink cloud, the width of a piece of paper.  It was pitiful. 

He said “Ma’am, do you want me to throw this away for you?”.  “Yes, Thanks.”  I said, as a little tear ran down my cheek ( ok not really, but I really was sad.)  

People asked me if I wanted another one.  I said no.  I mean, of course I DID want another one, but my foot hurt, and also, I may be dense but I can recognize a direct message from the universe that is saying “YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE EATING COTTON CANDY” when I hear one. 

 So anyway, slight setback on healing the ankle from the more major sprain at Thanksgiving (during which I landed in my 1^st beautiful plate of Thanksgiving food and was attacked by dogs), but I’m already walking in the mornings again and yesterday I spent the day at an artist colony and at the Huntsville Botanic Garden, and it only started bothering me after about 4.5 hours. 

I will forever dream of this perfect cotton candy and what could have been.  I could have shared it with Kaylin and we could have been crazy sticky together.  But I suppose there will be plenty other opportunities for me to share sweet, sticky treat times with her.  And with her baby sister who is due now in just a couple of months!