Stop The Rockets’ Red Glare

“I thought about you last night,” Holly informed him before taking a sip of her coffee to hide her devious smile.

She knew such a comment would irk Aaron, but since he was being a little too quiet for her liking, she’d decided to take drastic measures to get him to talk.

It was an unseasonably chilly Sunday for Memorial Day Weekend.  They were both bundled up in jackets that should have been put into storage until October.  Such were the unpredictable weather patterns of Maine.

“Were you watching that Discovery Channel special again about the tribe in the Amazon rain forest that’s been cut off from civilization since forever?” Aaron asked in return.  “I know I’m an introvert, Holly, but I’m not that much of a recluse!”

“Here we go again!” she feigned annoyance.  “I compared you to that tribe once like four years ago, but you love to bring it up constantly.”

“If by ‘constantly’, you mean when appropriate, then I agree with your accusation,” he replied with a sly smile before cracking open his bottle of Snapple.

He took a long sip to make Holly wait before she could retort.

“I was thinking about you because of the fireworks,” she clarified.

Aaron grimaced at the words.

“Don’t remind me,” he mumbled.  “At first, I thought it was some moron in the neighborhood proving how much of a dickhead he could be, so I got up and checked the windows.  Of course, the poor cats totally freaked out and ran for cover.”

Holly felt a little guilty for bringing up the subject, but as much as Aaron hated fireworks, it was good for him to talk about it and let out some of the anger.

“After they went on for so long, I realized it had to be something the city was doing,” he explained.  “And it better not have been with my tax dollars!  Anyway, it totally confused me because I thought I’d time traveled to Independence Day, which is normally the only time the city freaks the crap out of me with a maddening barrage of explosions.”

“I wasn’t aware they were doing fireworks last night, either,” Holly shared.  “I checked social media, and it said something about kicking off summer with the celebration we couldn’t have last July Fourth.”

Aaron growled and took a long sip of his Snapple.

“At least we figured out one good thing that came out of the pandemic,” he stated angrily.  “No damn fireworks on the Fourth of July.”

Holly was indifferent about the loud and colorful displays that had become a staple of Independence Day celebrations, but since they upset Aaron so much, she found herself disliking them more every year.

“They certainly went on for a long time,” she added.

“The thing that really pisses me off is that Memorial Day is about remembering those who gave their lives in service to this country,” he said reverently.  “So what the hell sense does it make to recreate the sounds of war in the name of celebrating?  Did they even stop to consider how that might affect and upset those who lost a loved one on the battlefield?”

Holly just shook her head because there was nothing more she could add to his rant.

“It’s that kind of stupidity and lack of consideration that makes me wish I could join that tribe in the rain forest,” he admitted with a heavy sigh.

“Things wouldn’t be the same around her without you,” Holly quipped in hopes of lightening the mood.

“Oh, you’d be coming with me,” he informed her.  “I’m going to need someone to talk to, and to spray my back with mosquito repellent.”

Holly took a sip of her coffee to hide how his wanting her to join him in the rain forest made her smile and blush like a school girl with a crush.