2016 – Day 60

Sarah rode on her dad's shoulders as he moved through the crowd. The fourth of July fireworks had finished seconds before, and she could still picture the colors appearing and dissolving in the nighttime sky. Her favorite moments were when the fireworks stayed lit as they fell toward the Charles River, illuminating the boats packed in tightly beneath them.

The crowd pushed and jostled, and Sarah grabbed tighter to the top of her dad's Red Sox cap and dug her legs into his sides.

"Ow, pumpkin!" he said. "Ease up on that grip."

Sarah loosened her hold slightly, but she felt uneasy and unsteady above the sea of bodies flowing to the roped off exits from the Esplanade. She turned to the left and saw her mom walking just behind them carrying the blanket and backpack that had been full of snacks hours before, but now just held trash. The thought of the snacks while weaving above the crowds made her queasy and she called out to her dad below.

"I don't feel well," she said.

"We'll be out soon," he said, patting her on the shin with his right hand.

The crowd surrounding them grew loud and boisterous. Kids excitedly recounted the biggest explosions while their parents gripped their hands and pulled them along. Older teens casually swore and shoved each other out of the way as the flow of bodies packed them closer together. Although she was mostly above everyone, Sarah felt packed in and stuck. She suddenly needed to feel the firm ground beneath her feet.

"I want to get down," she said.

"It's too crowded," her dad said.

"No, I have to get down."

"Honey, there's no room for me to swing you to the ground. It's too packed."

"I have to!" The panic started in her chest and moved up to her throat where she felt unable to swallow her own saliva.

"Sarah, please behave," her mom called from behind. "We'll be out soon."

Sarah wanted to behave, but the anxiety felt ready to burst from her chest.

"Now, daddy! Get me down now!!"

Sarah felt her dad's arms on her legs then a quick lifting motion as she was brought over his head and down to the ground. The people directly around them turned to stare at the source of the screaming, but soon turned back to move in the direction everyone was pushing toward. Sarah grabbed her dad's hand and began to walk with the crowd. She liked the firmness of the ground beneath her feet. But the pushing was firm too, and she narrowly avoided being stepped on by one person, then another. 

The closer they got to the exit, the tighter the crowd became. A man in front of Sarah dropped a miniature cooler, and Sarah had to let go of her dad's hand to avoid tripping over it. At that moment, the crowd surged forward in a new attempt to break free of the ropes setting off the fireworks viewing area. Sarah was swept to the right, away from her parents.