It's teeming with people and sound—brass bands, buskers, bells and chimes from the gaming pavilions, men hawking oysters and sausages from their pushcarts, seagulls shrieking overhead as they spy their next meal. Despite the months he has lived in New York, Olek is nearly overwhelmed by it, and he takes her hand and guides them to a quieter spot where they can take it all in.

There's so much to do, but they begin just by walking arm-in-arm along the boardwalk, slowly so as not to miss anything. Ling Yi smiles and points at the brightly-colored flags waving along the domed roofs of the hotels, at the painted signs advertising trained lions and elephants, at the men with cuffed shirtsleeves testing their strength with wooden mallets. He loves seeing her like this, laughing and happy, like the carefree girl she might have been had circumstances been different.

He buys them five-cent glasses of lemonade, lukewarm from sitting in the July sun, but refreshing all the same.

At Ling Yi's insistence, they stop at one of the booths and have their picture taken. The proprietor positions them in front of a painted screen of greenery and ancient ruins, Olek seated with Ling Yi's hand resting on his shoulder. The picture, when it's finally ready, is a bit blurry, but Ling Yi seems entranced, lightly tracing her fingertip along Olek's solemn, unmoving face. Olek carefully folds the photograph into its thick card envelope and slips it into his pocket, wanting to keep it safe until they get back home.

By mid-afternoon, they wander to the entrance of one of the new amusement parks and purchase two tickets. The price isn't cheap, but with the modest raise he got the month before, it's not a prohibitive expense. And how can he deny them both this prospect of enjoyment, the attractions beckoning with lights and music?

It's the least he can give her, after all the work she does each day, after all the sacrifices she's made for him.

On the carousel, Ling Yi perches on the back of a beribboned tiger, while Olek picks a more solid-looking bear. The calliope music plays as they move up and down, the bright flare of electric bulbs dappling the two of them in light and shadow. The next attraction, a mechanized horse race, is far more heart-stopping, and as they curve and drop along the elevated track, Olek clings tightly to Ling Yi, her squeals of excitement echoing in his ears.

After catching their breath, they follow beside the path of a canal, then cross a footbridge into a wide park dotted with gazebos and benches, many occupied by families or other couples. Inside one of the pavilions, a band is playing, dancers filling the central floor as they circle around each other to the swell of the melody. Olek doesn't ask Ling Yi to dance—he doesn't know the steps and he wouldn't embarrass her or himself by trying to pretend otherwise—but instead reaches around her waist and draws her to his side, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as they stop to listen.

As the sun is dropping low in the sky, they head towards one last attraction, a giant steel wheel with open-air cars set at the ends of its spokes. Olek isn't afraid of heights, but looking at the position of the tallest car does make him pause a little; even on board the Kerberos, he had never been up that high.

They board their car with a dozen other people, and by the time the other cars fill and they finally reach the top, the sky has grown dark. On any other occasion, he would have been disappointed, being deprived of such a view, but as he looks out, Olek can see that the amusement park, the boardwalk, almost the entire island is lit up in incandescent shades of white and gold. It's all laid out beneath him, almost to the sea, a field of shimmering stars underneath his feet.

He's about to turn to her, to try to share some of what he's feeling, when she grabs his arm and points off in the distance.

“Olek,” she cries, followed by a word he can only translate as “look!”

The sound is a loud pop, followed by an explosion of light: blue and green, then brilliant red. Each one comes in quick succession, flowering in the sky then fading to ghostly traces, only to have another blossom in its place. He's seen fireworks before, but never like this, never so close that he felt he could reach out and touch them.

He glances at Ling Yi, watching the lights reflected in her eyes, the way the colors shine along her cheeks. She's smiling again, laughing with unfettered joy, as if what she's seeing is as miraculous to her as it is to him.

Everyone else in their car is too busy watching the fireworks to pay them much attention, giving Olek the opportunity to take her face in his hands and bring her mouth to his. She's still laughing—now mostly in surprise—so it's messy and clumsy, but Olek doesn't care. He has given the gift of this day to her, and she to him, and he wants to remember it the best way he can. Before long, he's laughing too, lips curling wide as they find hers again and again.

Below Olek, a band starts up, singing something about stripes and stars and the land of the free. He doesn't fully understand the rest, but it doesn't matter. Up here with Ling Yi, the sky lit up by stars, he feels free—like the world, just for a moment, was made for them alone.