I’ll miss my family, the fireworks, and the cake

From The Everywhere Girl Diaries – a work of fiction

First week of July, year one

Dear Diary,

Well, I think I’m finally packed – comfortable clothes, comfortable clothes, and more comfortable clothes.  I decided to take just one long book – The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear. It’s supposedly a sure thing if you’re a fan of The Phantom Tollbooth.

I’m feeling a little sad that I won’t be sitting on the roof with the family Saturday night watching the fireworks at the Fairgrounds.  Mom, Amantha, Ruth, and I always sing God Bless America and I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy while Dad, Harry, and Archie try to set the shingles on fire with fireworks of questionable legality.  I’ll also miss the obligatory cake decorated like a flag using blueberries and strawberries.  I was kind of teary eyed about it all, but Mom said that being away from home is just a part of growing up.  Then, oddly enough, her allergies started acting up, and she said she had to go in the bathroom and blow her nose.