By 1943, Savin Rock Amusement Park had seen better days. Forty years earlier it had been a glorious fantasyland of roller coasters, water chutes, bumper cars, fancy restaurants, quickie food stalls, vaudeville shows, firework displays, boardwalks, colonnades, and several carousels, including the magnificent one known as the Flying Horses of Beach Street. Sadly, fires had destroyed many of the attractions over the years, and several of the fine restaurants had been built on piers, which had been blown away during hurricanes. And like so many places of entertainment, the old park had never totally recovered from the Depression. But thanks to the nearby trolley, it was still popular with young people—especially now that gas rationing made public transportation a must. There were groups of kids—many of the boys wearing uniforms—laughing, joking, and eating as they strolled past the cotton candy stands, shooting galleries, arcade games, and postcard stalls. There were couples too, some with their arms around each other, some holding hands. Sometimes the boy looked solemn and the girl looked like she might cry. When the boy was wearing a uniform it was easy to imagine why.

Ricky wove his way through the crowd, leading Lu. Usually she wasn't the type who followed anyone without knowing where she was going, but this time, with this boy, it was different.

They rode the merry-go-round. Her horse was a beautiful caramel color with pink roses on the side, and Ricky's horse was white with flaring nostrils and gold leaf on its bridle. Ricky won them a free ride by grabbing the brass ring. He was very serious about getting it, positioning himself carefully so he could snatch a ring—most of which were steel—each time he went around. Lu couldn't help feeling proud to be with him. His seriousness said something about him that she liked.

She'd never been to Savin Rock. Mama wasn't one for amusement parks and Pop had always been too busy to take the family. Lu knew she should have felt guilty about sneaking off like this with a boy she didn't know. But she wasn't. Not even a little bit.