firework

happy 4th of july!

can the 4th ever be complete without fireworks?  the neighbor kids have been setting off fireworks for the past couple of days, so a particular story comes to mind.

my cousin lived with us in our old house for some time when we were little, so he was like the big brother we never had.  one 4th of july, he got it in his head that he'd purchase fireworks and shoot them off our driveway.  as kids, we were crazy excited about this idea.  my mom, not so much.  she thought it was reckless and dangerous.  he promised he'd be careful, and so we gathered outside to let him do his thing.

imagine a quiet suburb suddenly disturbed by the pop and crackle of fireworks.  we were delighted, watching the colors burst in the sky.  my mom even seemed okay with it, until my cousin accidentally burned a piece of the driveway, and that was quickly the end of it.

afterwards, every time i saw that dent in the driveway, it reminded me of that night and the fun we had.  i think my parents finally had the driveway resurfaced at some point, but the memory can not be extinguished.