One of the things that makes choosing a ride so hard at Hershey is all the lights. I look around trying to make my choice amidst all the distractions. There are so many rides to choose from. The scent of popcorn and cotton candy fills my nose as I scan the general area for the ride of my choice. Finally, I tap my brother Christopher’s arm and point to a ride called the Scrambler.

“That ride is for babies,” R.J. my sister in law’s nephew says. A few minutes later we are strapped in and the ride starts. As it picks up speed R.J’s screams get shriller and louder. While being thrown around by the ride one thought pops into my head. If this ride is for babies then why is R.J. squealing? I look at my brother’s face and see an expression of happiness, maybe it could even be described as joy. For the rest of the ride I sit there smiling like a goon so pleased to see my brother happy. We go around and around, Chris and I laughing and R.J. screaming. I couldn’t help thinking about how great it was for me to be able to spend time with my brother. Ever since I was little he and I have not really even lived in the same house because he moved out for college when I was 5 months old and never moved back in until recently. Even then, he bought a house and moved right back out. I love my brother very much and whenever he’s having a good time everything is all right by me. By the time I had collected my thoughts the ride was over. When we get off the ride it is time to pick where to go next.
We confer about options but on the map of Hershey Park I spot the perfect ride. I choose the Wild Mouse which is one of my favorite rides. We walk for what seems like forever. We get to the Wild Mouse and R.J. tries to seem tough and unafraid. At the same time it is easy to see that he is feeling antsy and a little reluctant to ride. We convince him that it will be fun and wait in line for our turn all the while smiling at one another. When our cart pulls up we all get buckled in. A feeling of nervousness overcomes me as I wonder if I will like riding the Wild Mouse as much as I used to. All of the sudden I am not so sure I want to ride. Our ride starts up and I try to look self-assured. I hear the belts underneath our cart pushing us higher into the air and I know what is waiting for us at the top. When we get to the top we are suddenly thrown to one side again and again and each time it feels like we are going to fall over the edge. Being so high I saw a beautiful sunset and got a great view of the water park. Just as I was enjoying the sights we made one final jolt and went plummeting down and went over a series of bumps. I felt the wind blowing my hair and as we went down the drop R.J. screams one of his low rolling screams that slowly gets higher in pitch. I enjoyed myself almost as much as when I rode the Wild Mouse for the first time!
When our ride ended my brother jokingly said, “Next time I am riding in the front so you guys don’t squish me!” Before I even had a chance to respond to him I hear R.J. speaking in his high voice.
“I wanna go again,” R.J. says. We get back in line and do the whole thing over again. Then we walk back to entrance of Hershey only stopping to get a bottle of water. Chatting as we walk and drink our water. When we get back we meet up with my sister in law Jobina and my nephew Quinton. Jobina asks me if I would go on some of the kiddie rides with Quinton who’s only two; because she was too big to ride them with him. I ride on a ride with him that is a roller coaster for little kids. He just sat there next to me staring blankly kind of smiling. I look down at him and think about how much I love him. We go up and down and I am not so sure he is enjoying himself. However, his sweet little face lit up as we got on a ride that looked like a train and of course he wanted to sit in the conductor’s seat. We managed to get him to agree to sitting near the front and as soon as we were all seated he just sat there and enjoyed every second of the ride. When we got off we headed to the exit of Hershey.

We were about to leave when Jobina and Chris talked me into going onto one more ride, a roller coaster! Now don’t get me wrong I love very small roller coasters like the Wild Mouse but NEVER in my life had I ever thought of going on a big roller coaster like the Comet. I was really scared and tried to talk my way out of it but they reminded me that there is a first time for everything. As I wait in line I am quaking from the inside out! I see the long line in front of us and get even more nervous. I look at my brother for comfort and am reminded that he would never let anything happen to me. We don’t say much as we wait in line. My brother and I are both a little on the shy side. Our silence isn’t awkward or uncomfortable. We are both perfectly content to just be in each other’s company. I say a word now and then but mostly I am just enjoying this wonderful bonding opportunity with him. Feeling very nervous somehow I make room in my head for another feeling, thankfulness. I feel grateful for being able to be with my brother, right here, right now. I remember those days when he used to come home from college and he would swing me up into his arms and hang me upside down by my ankles. I appreciated the time I got to spend with him then and I still do today. So I try to ignore my fears and as soon as it is our turn to get on I take a deep breathe. My brother says we have to go in the front for my first time. Even though I protest I somehow end up about as close to the front as I ever wanted to be. I am strapped in and as we start to rise up, I take another deep breathe. My eyes locked on the chains pulling me upwards feeling sure I will fall at any second.
The ride up feels like an eternity while the anticipation boils up inside me. Then when we get to the top I only have one second to be absolutely terrified of what is to come before we go falling down. I felt my stomach jump and for a second I felt sick. Then we stopped falling and went whirling around the track. I surprised myself by even smiling and thinking, “This is really fun! I might even want to do this again sometime.”
The next few drops I was even able to put my hands up and look like I had been riding roller coasters all my life. We went zooming around the final bend and started to slow only the tiniest bit. Then all of the sudden we jolted to a stop. When we got off my brother turned to me an inquisitive look on his face. I smile in response and immediately told him my opinion of the ride.
Decidedly he said “I will give you a few years before I make you do one with loops.” We both laughed and headed back to Quinton and Jobina. As we left I thought about what a great day I had. I left with a sense of accomplishment and pride. I had one of the best days ever!