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“Mom, you’re gonna miss the fireworks!” Judy called, poking her head in from the backyard. Lorraine smiled at her daughter, forcing herself not to flinch as another loud bang filled the sky and rattled the window panes.
“I’ll be just a minute, sweetheart.” Judy nodded and disappeared from the doorway. “Tell your father not to wait up!” She called after their daughter, who was visiting from college for July 4th. Another flash of color lit the sky, reflecting blue and red light on everything. The fireworks themselves were beautiful; something she’d loved since childhood. She used to stand out back with her mother, eyes glued to the sky as she was mesmerized by the colors.
Now, Lorraine gripped the counter, breathing in and out evenly. This was silly. To be afraid of the fireworks…….it almost made her laugh. No, she wasn’t truly afraid of them; they were just lights in the sky.
But it was the sound. The loud bang that stopped her heart and made her ears hurt; everything was just too loud. And the fireworks sounded like-like a sledgehammer crashing through stone. Lorraine blew out a breath and put a smile on her face, before joining her family out in the yard. She stumbled a little on the uneven ground of their yard before finding her place in the lawn chair beside her husband’s.
“Finally!” Ed shouted jokingly. “I thought you were gonna miss them!” She smiled at him, before startling as another firework went off. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a minute, she was on the verge of a Panic Attack.
Lorraine didn’t know why the fireworks affected her so badly. Maybe because the sound reminded her of Arne’s case, or maybe of the thunder that practically tore the sky open outside the Hodgsons’ house. Or maybe it was the sound of splintering wood at the Perron House, when she plummeted those three stories.
Her eyes were fixed on the sky, but her mind was elsewhere, and she stayed almost completely still, save the shaking of her hands. Even despite the fact that she was beside Ed, she wished she could still be inside, hiding. At least in there, she had the slightest sense of security, from the fact that there were walls around her, and a roof over her head.
Another firework whistled as it shot up towards the sky, but just as it was going off, someone’s hands covered her ears, muffling the noise at least a little.
Lorraine glanced over at Ed, who’s eyes were still on the sky, but had his hands firmly placed over her ears. She smiled to herself. He was still so determined to make it up to her for almost killing her, no matter how many times she told him it wasn’t his fault, and that he’d had the strength to break free.
Ed was more than she ever could’ve asked for; he knew her better than she knew herself. Gently, Lorraine pulled his hands from her ears, and he glanced at her, confused. She smiled, genuinely, as she rested her head on his shoulder, still gripping his hands tightly. This was perfect. It was everything she’d hoped for and more.
To spend the day with her daughter and her husband, and to be able to truly enjoy it, every bit of it.