Circus

Jack stopped to remove a pebble from his worn leather huarache. A boy walked by holding four balloons floating in the calm afternoon breeze, two blue, one semi deflated yellow and an orange one in the center. After removing the pebble, Jack lifted his head to notice her, a Mexican girl, thin, wearing a green skirt short enough to catch sight of her thigh. She looked to be about 16 and was hanging an assortment of laundry. Jack shifted her a harmless smile as a rooster from beneath a red Ford one-ton flat -bed truck darted toward him. Garbage littered both sides of the street and the air carried its fragrance. The circus was in town, Jack had seen the promotional posters plastered on walls and the trucks with caged animals parading the streets; all the local kids were excited.
A boy in long pants and a blue T-shirt came from around the corner to punch another boy in the shoulder as he passed on a pedal bike. The breeze blew the red and white flags that matched the circus tent roof. Jack could hear work going on inside the big tent; although outside not much was happening. Everyone awaited the evening when the tickets would be sold to the anxious local children and their parents.