I impatiently wait in line for my turn to grab some ketchup to put on my hamburger.  The faint smell of the grill and the fresh summer air fill my nostrils.  I hear distant firecrackers going off as I squirt the red liquidy substance onto my warm steaming patty.  I giggle at the funny noise the ketchup bottle made when the ketchup came out of it.   I continue down the line as I grab some Lays chips - the ruffle kind - and a chewy chocolate chip cookie.  This is my favorite time of year.  I’m so happy to be in Cape Cod visiting my grandparents and going to our annual Fourth of July barbeque at the Mashpee High School field.

       We attended this barbeque every year, but it never got old.  Ever.  “The best thing, though, at that barbeque was that everything always stayed right where it was...I can’t explain what I mean.”  As I turned around, I searched for the rest of my family but they weren’t in sight.  The bright green grass was so bright that it practically blinded me from seeing my family in this vast crowd of joyful people. I panicked as I was suddenly alone in a wide open area, one daisy in a whole flower field.  I was of a young age so I was uneasy being alone without the company of my parents.  Since I didn’t have a cell phone yet, I wandered across the field to locate my family.  As I was strolling along the grassy land, I pondered on whether I should spend my $5 on the little train, riding a bunch of toddlers and screaming kids with their irritated parents across the field.  It seemed that deciding whether or not to get on that train was the most difficult decision I had to make at that time besides choosing what cereal to have for breakfast on early Saturday mornings.  I finally settled on taking this train to find my family. 

       As the bumpy, slow, and unamusing ride continued, I glanced over to the woods and I looked beyond the trees where I got a glimpse of the sunset.  It was truly the most beautiful thing I had seen.  The sun was a deep red and its surrounding clouds were shaded a light orange.  The sky was mostly clear baby blue with a little purple tint as night was approaching. This setting reminded me of the French word for sun that my parents had taught me. “Soleil,” my parents had once repeated over and over again until it was glued to my mind. In all its glory, the moon lay in the sky too.  It’s almost as if it was looking down at me.  I wondered how the moon and sun were in the sky at the exact same time.  I never stopped wondering.  Ever.

       I heard “American Pie” by Don McLean, a song that was always played at those barbeques, playing in the distance.  I hummed along to it as the train stumbled roughly across the bumpy and rigid grass.  “So bye-bye, Miss American Pie... Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry...” I had no idea what those lyrics meant but my dad and my grandfather were always singing them while drinking their “adult drinks,” as daddy had called them.

       As I was murmuring the song to myself, my eyes quickly darted towards the very short brunette family talking amongst themselves at a large round table with a red and white checkered tablecloth.   I saw my nana shouting across the table and offering my parents her famous tuna fish sandwiches.  I suddenly arose from my seat on the train which was still in motion.  I stumbled as I approached the edge of the train, grasping onto every handle and edge of the pink wooden vehicle for dear life.  I hopped off and tripped, rolling into the kelly green grass and receiving annoyed and concerned looks from those irritated parents on the train. I was going to go over to my table and join the rest of our family, when I noticed it was growing darker.  The sky was nearly navy blue at this point with the stars beginning to emerge and glisten.  I could almost feel them reflecting into my eyes.  Anyways, people were beginning to gather onto the field, wrapped up in their picnic blankets to escape the crisp summer breeze that often arrived in the evening.  I started to examine the sea of red, white, and blue when I jumped, startled by the first loud BOOM! I hastily looked up as I saw a large smiley face of exuberant colors, luminous in the sky, and I knew this was going to be an unforgettable experience.

       I was eventually caught off guard by what felt like a million fingers running through my hair.  It gave me the chills. I shivered and perked up when I saw my father’s face, half of it glowing in the light, half of it too dark to see. 

       “Hi, honey,” he said soothingly.

   

       “Hi, dad,” I replied.  Instantaneously, I noticed something as my mind began to wander somewhere else. 

       I am not looking at the fireworks anymore. Instead, I look up as I gaze at the bright stars dazzling in the night sky and I wonder why there are so many small lights in such a big and dark night sky.   I never stop wondering.  Ever. My eyes then shift over to the moon.  I stare at the moon, moving across the night sky, with great curiosity.  All of a sudden, I am snapped back into reality when I realize my father is still next to me rubbing my back as the fireworks explode in front of my eyes. 

       “Daddy,” I say.  “Who’s driving the moon?”

       He chuckles and he answers, “I don’t know, anyone could be.”   This opens a whole new door of possibilities!  I start to imagine all anyone who could be driving the moon! Aliens? Or the president? Or my math teacher? I felt as if anyone in the whole world could drive the moon. I never stop wondering.  Ever. 

       “Daddy!” I call, curiously.  “How do you say moon in French?”

       “Lune,” he replies. “Lune.”

       “Lune,” I repeat. “Lune.” I say it about fifty times over and over again until it is ingrained in my mind, just like ‘soleil’. 

       I begin gazing at the crescent like white figure against the now pitch-black backdrop.  My eyes follow the progressing light.  I begin noticing the holes in the moon and wonder if anyone is eating part of the moon.  I never stop wondering.  Ever. 

       Instantly, the fireworks conclude with a loud CLAP! I am snapped back into reality yet again with the crowd of patriotic people cheering and hugging their families.  My dad kisses me on the cheek.

       As we leave and I finally reunite with the rest of my family, I hear “American Pie” playing in the distance.  I stare up at the clear crescent glow in the sky.  It forms a halo-like figure around it.  Maybe an angel or a unicorn drove the moon. I never stop wondering.  Ever.  I wonder how with all the darkness in the sky, one gleam of light can illuminate a lot of the darkness.   The lune is a truly amazing sight. Maybe one day, I’ll drive it.