Is it true that elephants never forget?
So it’s the 4th of July, as you probably know. All night last night and all day today we’ve been hearing firecrackers. The whistling sound, then the POP. My girls are not impressed with this. Nor is RS’s shul BFF, who was with us all day and is sleeping over tonight. This is a rough transcript of the discussion they were having this evening over bagels. I don’t remember who said what, so I’m just going to get down the comments, as well as the sound effects.
BOOM
“UCCCHHH! Why do people want to DO that? It’s so DUMB!”
whistle crackle POP
“I know. It’s like, let’s spend money so we can just – like – make a loud noise. It’s so stupid.”
BANG
“Yeah. They should know there’s other stuff to do that’s really like DOING something, not just setting stupid things on fire so they can explode.”
“Ima, you should call the police,” one of them suggested helpfully. They’re used to me doing that when there are loud noises, see, because these people who live a few blocks away from us are prone to having hideously loud outdoor parties with DJs and whatnot at all hours of the night, and apparently nobody besides me has a problem with this, since I seem to be the only one who ever calls the police.
shrieeeeeeek POP
“I can’t call the police for something like this on Shabbos, and besides, I doubt the police can really do anything about it,” I told them. “Here, eat your bagel.”
BOOM
“UGH! Are they going to do this ALL NIGHT??”
CRACKLE
Etc.
As it got darker, the noises changed. The BOOMs became deeper, and were followed by the popcorny sound of hundreds of mini-explosions taking place at once as they scattered in bursts across the night air.
“I think that was a firework, not a firecracker,” I told them, as they finished their bagels and commenced bentching out loud. When they were finished, I suggested they go up and get into pajamas, since it was already late even though Shabbos wasn’t over. Three of them skittered upstairs, with more BOOMing and crackling in the background; YS was the last to finish, so she was still bentching in the kitchen. Suddenly, R came flying back down, frantically calling her twin.
“YS! YS! Come here, you HAVE to see this! We could see the firework! From our room! Come, you MUST come upstairs! Right now!”
R is very dramatic.
YS finished and scrambled upstairs; I called after them not to wake the baby. More whistling and crackling filled the air, and this time I heard four gasps of “Oh!”
They came down, all pajamaed. Four voices accosted me at once. “Ima! We saw one, we saw a firecracker! It was purple! It was GORGEOUS! Yeah, then there was another one! It was green! And also gold! At the same time!”
I smiled. “Why don’t you go back upstairs and keep watching? There will probably be more.”
Another explosion sounded; R went running to the living room window. “GUYS! COME HERE! WE CAN SEE IT FROM THIS WINDOW!! COME, COME!”
The other three flew to the couch under the window; all four girls clambered up, shoved aside the vertical blinds, and pressed themselves against the glass.
BOOM crackle crackle crackle “OH! Wow!” whistle BOOM crackle crackle crackle “GASP! HUH! Did you see that???”
Etc.
I pointed out that Shabbos was over, and suggested they say המבדיל so we could turn off the living room light. Four voices chimed in and recited the line; I shut the light off and went to the window and peeled them off for a moment so I could open the blinds for real, increasing the field of vision.
BOOM went the fireworks; “OOHHHH!” came the commentary. crackle crackle crackle “GASP! WOW! Oh, that was GORGEOUS!”
Etc. I stood a few feet away and watched, as the girls pressed themselves as closely as they could against the glass, knees balancing on the back of the couch, cushions under their feet being squashed to oblivion.
I wish I were an elephant, because I couldn’t find my camera, and I never, ever want to forget the sight of the four of them, kneeling on the back of the couch, with their hands and their faces smashed into the window, eyes filled with wonder, trying to reach the sky.
This post is at least as good as a camera.
Wow. Beautiful.
Great post! It is that age that allows you to see both sides so distinctly and wonderfully!