Sunday Night Fireworks

After church last night I made up some Aldi's Giant Pizza Rolls and Jim,Nicole and I headed out to Irondequoit to watch the fireworks...we couldn't get anywhere near the place..talk about traffic. So we decided to see if we could get to the top of the St. Mary's parking ramp to watch the downtown ones. Pull into the entrance of the ramp and get met by a guy Jim used to work with..Nelson. Nelson is a cool guy. He's a security guard at St Marys. He was squatted down by the back car window talking when somebody let off a fire cracker. He flinched..laughed...looked at me and said,
" Did ya see me duck? " St Marys is in a very bad neighborhood..its where Main St, Brown St,Genesee St and West Ave meet. He was a smart man to flinch. So we drove up to the top of the parking ramp and sat there waiting for the fireworks to start. There were only 2 other cars up there. I stood outside the car watching the cars go by..it was a very warm night. Listening to the cars vibrating from the music in them being played to loud with the bass turned up to high. People walking by talking and laughing..remember..I'm above them..they don't know I'm there. An ambulance roaring by with its siren going..a while later a fire truck. And all around on every side little firework displays.As I stood there a man walked by on the other side of the street...a white man in a black neighborhood..carrying a bag and I watched him and wondered...who is this man? Where is he going? Is he a little scared? or is he comfortable in this neighborhood? It was a new experience for a country born and raised white girl. Then the downtown fireworks started and all it was was me hanging out with my son in law and daughter,in the semi darkness, on the top of St Marys parking garage, watching fireworks and celebrating the birthday of our country...on the way home I told them thank you ...thank you for letting me spend time with you...and what I didn't say was thank you for the experience.