Fireworks

The time was set. Jane couldn’t contain her excitement.

“Mom when are we leaving?” She glanced at the clock, biting her lip. “I don’t want to be late.”

“We won’t be late.”

Mom didn’t understand. It’s her first trip to the stadium—her first fireworks in a new place...
A tear dripped down her cheek. She ran to her bedroom, pressed her face against the cold window, watching a train chug past.

“What you grumpy about?”

Her sister asked as she stalked into the room, tossed her baseball gear on her bed, and walked out again.

It felt like hours before mom finally called her.

The ride to the fireworks was fast, but they parked a mile away. Mom and Dad each held one of her hands as they walked, sometimes pulling her forward.

Dad handed in their tickets. The cement halls were huge, echoing with noise. They climbed the stairs until blue night sky opened above them.

Jane sat between her parents, eyes on the stage. Tiny men seting up boxes.

The lights went out. The crowd hushed.

Then it began.

“O say can you see…”
Jane’s eyes lite up with the first blast of red, white, and blue.