13. Summer 16
“Where the hell are you taking us, Rebecca?” Andrew leans forward from the back seat with a look of concern on his face.
I don’t entirely blame him. We never come to this part of town, and as much as I love and trust Rebecca, she can still make some questionable decisions.
“I already told you guys it’s a surprise,” she insists, turning up the radio. “Just sit back and relax. You too, Emma. I can feel the tension in your body from over here.” She laughs.
I glare at her and subtly try to let my shoulders relax, not wanting to validate her remark.
Suddenly, Rebecca flicks her blinker on and pulls into a dirt parking lot. There’s not much here except for a few stands. One is for freshly grown cherries. The other is for fireworks. I immediately put two and two together. “Are fireworks legal here?”
“Nope,” Rebecca and Andrew say in unison, Rebecca with a little more excitement and Andrew with a little more irritation.
“Everyone here does them anyway. No one gets in trouble for them. I think they’d be fun! You saw that family doing Roman candles off their dock last year. Those kids must’ve been what, eight? If they can do it, we can do it!”
Andrew and I exchange a glance. With his shrug and small smirk, I get the message loud and clear. This could be fun. There’s no sense in arguing with her when she’s already put her mind to it.
I shake my head. “Can we at least get some of the big ones too? I don’t just want those tiny ones that sound like a car backfiring.”
At my acceptance, Rebecca’s face completely lights up. “Absolutely! We can get whatever you want, within reason. I am on a budget here.”
I laugh. “I think that’s reasonable. I can chip in too. It doesn’t have to be all on you.”
She flicks the back of her hand at me as if shooing a fly. “Nonsense. This is my treat! We needed to mix up our Fourth of July routine.”
“What routine?” Andrew asks.
“Exactly! We don’t do anything special because we’re already at the lake, and we don’t need to go anywhere to see fireworks. It’s time we start doing something fun on our own terms.”
“Do you think your parents will be okay with this, Becs?”
We shuffle out of the car. “Are you kidding? My dad will love this!” Andrew interjects. “And mom will act disapproving, but the second we ask if she wants to set one off, she will be running over with glee like a kid in a candy store.”
Somehow this all reassures me. “Well, I’m new to picking out fireworks, so how does it work?”
I see Andrew’s and Rebecca’s faces falter. Clearly, neither of them know either. Rebecca recovers quicker and approaches the gentleman at the stand.
“Here to buy some fireworks?” he asks eagerly. “You’re lucky you came early enough. My stock will be completely out in another hour. What can I get started for you?”
Rebecca assesses the fireworks carefully and begins whispering with Andrew and me about which ones to get. She’s immediately drawn to one in a box that is called Danger and Doom, apparently a specialty made just for this stand. All it takes is me showing her the price tag on the side of the box to persuade her those may not be the right fit for us.
“How about three Roman candles and a few bigger fireworks? How much will that set us back?”
He begins punching in numbers on a calculator and holds it out to her. I can’t see the number properly with the glare of the sun, but I’m fairly certain it’s in the triple digits.
She shrugs. “Throw in two more big ones then, and I think we should be set.”
I quickly elbow her. “Since when were you made of money?”
“I think you’ve forgotten I spent all school year working at the country club. I served a lot of old people who were very generous with their tips, so I can afford to splurge a little bit this summer on fireworks.” Seeing the weary look on my face, she adds, “I’ve already thought about this, Emma. It’s what I want to do. Get out of your head, and let’s have some fun tonight.” She squeezes my shoulder.
I nod silently.
Andrew and the man at the stand begin loading up a box full of fireworks and carry it to Rebecca’s trunk as she pops it open for them with the click of a button.
“That’s a lot of fireworks,” I say.
There’s a scary look in her eyes as she replies, “Hell yeah! This is going to be awesome!”
“Settle down there, Pyro!”
Her mouth drops open, mocking insult, but I can tell I might not have been too far off. She looks way too excited about setting fire to these things and watching them explode.
It’s kind of funny. One of my favorite parts about summer has always been how long the days are. At summer’s peak, it doesn’t even get dark until almost 10 pm, but on the Fourth of July, I’ve grown to resent the long days because they mean we have to wait that much longer to see fireworks. I should be grateful I get to spend my summers somewhere where the days nearly never end, but today I just don’t have the patience to count my blessings.
“Someone check what time the sunset is. It’s gotta be soon, right?”
I look between Andrew and Rebecca. Rebecca is on it. She’s almost definitely more excited than me. I’m just excited to be surrounded by fireworks on all sides, but she is excited to light them off. I think I could do without our own fireworks. Naturally, I’m feeling a little uneasy about the whole thing, but seeing how ecstatic Rebecca is, I don’t want to share that thought and bring her down.
“It says the sun should be setting in ten minutes,” Rebecca answers. “I’d imagine it will get dark pretty quickly after that. Maybe we should start to build a game plan. What do we want to set off first?”
Andrew eagerly pitches in, “Best for last, always. We can start with the Roman Candles. One for each of us, right?” He doesn’t wait for an answer before continuing. Andrew is in his element. He’s always been good at planning things, which is a good balance for Rebecca who can be so chaotic and heat of the moment. “Then how many big fireworks do we have? I’m sure Mom and Dad will each want to set one off. Em, do you think Dani or your parents will want to get involved?”
“Definitely not Dani. My dad might if there’s enough.”
Andrew begins digging around in the box that’s currently holding the fireworks on the Martins’ beach. I watch him carefully count out the fireworks. “Looks like there will be enough for your dad to do one and still have one left over.”
“I’ll take one for the team and set off two of the big ones,” Rebecca says, smirking devilishly.
“Yeah, that’s just what you need, Pyro.” Andrew rolls his eyes. “I’ll do a second instead. I’m more experienced.”
“Since when?” she challenges. “When have you ever set off fireworks?”
“Uhhh do you not remember Brendan’s New Year’s Eve party last year? He and I put on quite the show.”
Rebecca crosses her arms, trying not to admit defeat. “So let your sister get some experience instead of hogging it. How else am I going to learn, Andy?”
I place my hand over my mouth, desperately trying to hide the smile that is spreading across my face right now. I love watching the twins fight. They are such a great match for one another. Between Rebecca’s sass and Andrew’s matter-of-fact tone, they are quite amusing to watch. I try to stay neutral, but when push comes to shove, I always pick Rebecca’s side, even when she’s wrong ninety-percent of the time. It’s just how the girl code works, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that she’d do the same for me without even thinking about it.
“Maybe we should just let Emma do it. She is our guest, and she should get a say in the matter too,” Andrew offers, turning toward me with raised brows.
“I don’t know that I’d call myself a guest. I live next door three months out of the year,” I correct, unsure why that matters. “I think I’m good though. One of you can have it.”
“That’ll be me!” Rebecca shouts.
Before Andrew can object, a firework explodes on the other side of the lake. We see the vibrant green light before we hear the bang a couple of seconds later. Just like that, the argument is over because it’s time for the moment we’ve been waiting for.
Two more fireworks go off to our right and sparklers get lit a few beaches down from us. It’s incredible.
I take a moment to just bask in the colors and sounds. One firework shoots up, exploding with blue and then crackling in gold. I practically shiver at the sound. It’s my favorite type of firework.
Andrew grabs the Roman candles out of the box, handing Rebecca one, and then turning toward me. “Ready?”
I shake my head. “I think I’ll watch first.”
Rebecca immediately pulls a lighter out of her back pocket as she heads closer to the water, eager as ever to set her firework off.
“Okay, seriously, you’re only proving us right about the whole pyromaniac thing,” I chuckle after her.
She rolls her eyes and shrugs. “I’m just being prepared.”
With the Roman candle firmly in one hand, Rebecca lights the fuse with her other. There’s a moment of silence as we all hold our breath and wait for it to go off. With a small kick, the first firework shoots up into the air. A tiny, shimmery red firework bursts open, shattering the darkness. A blue, yellow, green, and another red follow after.
When it’s over, Rebecca calmly sets the Roman candle down near the water and dusts her hands off. “I’m ready for my next one.”
What a badass, I can’t help but think to myself. Our parents waltz out to the deck and come down to the beach, Dani in tow. While Andrew prepares to set off his Roman candle, I can see a glimmer in the eyes of my dad and Mr. Martin. They totally want to get in on this. I, on the other hand, am still content to just watch the show.
As Andrew’s third firework goes off with a bang, Mr. Martin begins moving toward the box of goodies we brought home today. I watch him assess the box in the same manner I inspect all the flavors in an ice cream shop. He wiggles his fingers and dives into the box, coming up with one of the bigger fireworks.
“Stand back, kids! Let me show you how it’s done.”
He sets this firework down in a stand on the beach and lights fire to the fuse. I see a small light fizzle up into the tube and then the firework shoots up with much more force than the Roman candles. It’s a little startling. But with a bang louder than a gunshot, the firework makes everyone go still in awe. It’s huge. I’ve never seen a firework so big. It must span the entire length of the Martin’s beach and then some. It’s fantastic!
“That. Was. Awesome!” Rebecca shouts, running back to the box to dig out another firework like Mr. Martin’s. My dad is immediately in tow, and Andrew takes the two steps required to reach the box as well. It’s a frenzy.
Fireworks are exploding on all sides of the lake, filling the air with snaps, crackles, and pops. It’s just like we are in a giant bowl of Rice Krispies.
The next ten minutes fly by, and we are down to only a few fireworks left, but I have yet to set one off. Part of me is curious. I see the thrill in everyone else’s eyes, and I want to be a part of that, but an even louder part of me is picturing me running away from the fireworks with my clothes set aflame and the Martins’ dock going up in smoke. I know it may be crazy, but my creative brain can’t decipher between what’s realistic and what isn’t.
Rebecca comes back from setting off another Roman candle. “Emma, are you going to take a turn?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure. It’s been plenty fun watching all of you, though.”
Rebecca moves in closer to me. “Come on. You should give it a try. Just one. Whichever one you want.”
I give her a cautious smile. “I don’t want to set myself on fire.”
At that moment, Andrew joins the conversation. “You won’t set yourself on fire. If it was possible, Rebecca would’ve managed to do it by now.”
“Shut up!” she says with breathless laughter.
I can’t help but laugh too. “I think I’m good to just watch. Thanks, guys.”
Although I can see the disappointment on Rebecca’s face, she doesn’t push me too much more.
Mrs. Martin steps up to the edge of the beach with one of the big kahunas in hand.
I marvel at her bravery as she casually lights the firework in the stand and then immediately hobbles out of the way, shrieking with joy.
Mrs. Martin is doing it for goodness’ sake! This one explodes not once, but twice, with a blend of colors unlike any firework I’ve ever seen, and I can’t help but be amazed we picked these up from some stand on the side of the road. It’s as that amazement fills my body that I realize I have to do this. I don’t want to miss out on all of this! As if Rebecca is thinking the same thing, she turns to me and asks one more time, “You sure you don’t want to light one?”
“I think I do,” I whisper back, as if saying it too loud will set me ablaze on the spot.
She links arms with me and practically skips to the box. There’s one firework left. “Looks like you don’t get a choice, but I have a feeling this is going to be a good one.”
I chuckle and shake my head, following her to the stand. Andrew joins us, eager to be a part of the action. “Nice, Em! You’re going to set one off?”
I nod and give him a nervous smile. “I guess so. What do I need to do?”
“It’s super simple. You’ll set the firework in the stand this way.” He shows me the bottom where the fuse is and how it needs to be sitting to get lit and set off properly. “Then you’ll pretty much light this bad boy and stand back to enjoy it in all its glory.”
“You guys better take a few steps back,” I say, taking the lighter from Rebecca.
They follow my orders and I take a deep breath before setting the tube in the stand and flicking the flame on the lighter. The second it hits the tube, I turn and run as fast as I possibly can.
In those two seconds, I hear all the adults cheering and Rebecca whooping, but I can’t help it as my eyes zero in on Andrew’s beaming face as he shouts, “That’s my girl!”
When I reach where Andrew and Rebecca are, I turn just in time to see the last of its flight before the firework shimmers to life. I swear I feel the ground shake with this one. It’s beautiful and exhilarating, and I cannot believe I just did that. It’s something so simple, and probably lame to almost anyone else, but I feel proud of myself. I almost missed out on this experience, and all the wonderful feelings that come with it, because I was too afraid.
As the smoke clears away, Rebecca elbows me and lifts her phone for me to see. “Check this out.” She hits play, and I watch myself light the firework and run away, squealing with glee, just like everyone else did. Before the camera quickly turns to the sky to catch the spectacular colors contrasting against the black night, I hear Andrew yelling at me and see the look in my eyes as I gaze back at him.
I hope and pray he didn’t notice that look, and that he doesn’t now as he watches over my shoulder. Wait? What am I afraid of? Him seeing me look at him like a friend? I’m just excited and wanted to share that excitement with him because he was the one who instructed me on how to do this. That’s it.
“Send that to me, please.”
Rebecca nods and presses the share button, typing in my name in the send box.
That night, I watch the video at least five times before I finally close my eyes to go to sleep. As I slow it down, watching the proud look on Andrew’s face, I swear I see a little blush on his cheeks.