Fireworks

       I had never seen anything like it. The sky lit up like a Christmas tree in the summer sky with brilliant displays of blue and green. So many years, I was amazed that I had never experienced such a majestic array of colors. I took a deep breath, and tried my best to take in the moment. Looking down just for a moment to relax my trapezius, I saw her. As if the fireworks weren’t enough, she was illuminating the sky as if she was giving off her own radiant glow. She soon too looked down and gave me a lasting stare. The five seconds our eyes met seemed like five minutes. Her bright smile, with her dark complexion only complemented what I was already thinking. It was only a matter of time.

            I saw that she was still looking at me; probably because I was still looking at her. Those five seconds had become five minutes, but for a different reason. Quickly looking away, I tied to think of an excuse as to why I was looking at her for so long. I wasn’t going to tell her that I was enthralled with her seemingly matchless beauty, with her dark eyes and pretentious stature. She was impeccably designed; and she knew it. Her smile, though gorgeous, said more than the lips that formed it ever could. She began to walk over.

            My heart is racing, she’s twenty yards away. Think. Think… What’s a good excuse? The fireworks are still singing their song in the evening firmament; red, and blue now. As she approached her hair glistened in the shine of the nocturnal display. She had a grace about her that seemed to capture the very heart of what it meant to be free.

            I found myself staring again, only with my mouth open this time. What was it that was so hypnotizing about her? Was it the way she dressed, with her Carhart overalls and flannel button up work shirt that drew me into her gaze? Was it the half smile, half don’t mess with me look that she was now giving me? Or perhaps the way her hair blew in the wind as she approached my place of standing? Whatever it is I don’t care. She’s ten yards away and I don’t have an excuse yet.

            I look hurriedly back up at the sky whose space is being invaded with life and light; still nothing like it in the world. Sparklers and fountains, yellows and gold’s; the pyromaniac genius that organized this was truly a visionary. If only this kind of thing happened more often; maybe the world would be a better place.

            She had disappeared; nowhere to be found. As I frantically searched for her florescent like presence. It was as if she was part of the show. This beautiful presentation of glory, and then in a moment is gone. Why do the best things in life have to be so temporary? The flowers of the field will wither and die. The snowcapped mountains swiftly melt away. The rising sun soon sets. Is nothing good to stay with us? Are we only ever left with our memories?

            The evening is now approaching its’ climax. This wondrous depiction of splendor in the sky is being taken to another level as tear drops fall, and sparklers fall to their end. Messages in the sky; “I love you”, “Will you marry me?”, “Happy 4^th of July”. So far it was an unforgettable experience.

            Looking down to rest my neck once more, there she is. Standing ten yards to the opposite of where she was when I last her. No longer looking at me but gazing up at the heavens and their magic show. She was everything vibrant, everything perfect. Her rosy cheeks matched her rosy personality. Never once did that smile come all the way off her face. Maybe once or twice for and “Ohh!”, or an “Ahh!”. She once again looked over to catch me staring at her perfections.

            Still no excuse, now walking towards me for the second time, I can feel my heart sink like a treasure chest to the bottom of the deep blue. Blue was the color of her flannel shirt that she wore from experience. The rolled up sleeves showed her aggression, and the top button left undone revealed a sense of unfinished business. Neither of which scare me very easily, at least not tonight for some reason.

            I noticed that she is walking faster than the last time I saw her b-lining towards me. There was a taste of urgency in the air, and it was rich. The only problem was the five yard distance that was being infringed upon while I still did not have an excuse for my repulsive glares. How un-gentlemen of me to stare at someone who is clearly so far above my division or weight class? There have been many a time when I have found myself in awkward situations that I have fancied my way out of, but this. This was another ball game. Before I had a wingman, a friend, someone to back me up and give my fabrications credentials. Tonight there is no one, just me; just her, the two of us.

            The pyrotechnics had flawless timing. The very moment she stretches her hand out in introduction. The finale has arrived. Every color known to man is now in the sky: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink (which I often mistook for red throughout the night), and white (or silver as it appeared). Fountains, sparklers, tear drops, mortars, and umbrellas; indisputably one of the best firework shows of all time. Too bad the 4^th of July only comes once a year.

            We were holding hands. Her name was Allison Jackowski. We had grown up together and even gone through grade school together. Her parents were deceased, meaning that she was adopted, by a family who didn’t even care to know her name. She was my first girlfriend.