Lost Cousin

It was the fourth of July a day that has been celebrated with my cousins and close friends for years.   A day where my cousin and I would hang out even though he was seven years older than me.  We were really close i wish we were still that close.  I wish we could still set off fireworks together and laugh and be dangerous.  But he has grown up and is married and has kids so he doesn't talk to me any more.  He left me alone and he doesn't even know how that makes me feel.  He doesn't have time for me the only time he will talk to me is to ask where my parents are.  It's like he has forgotten about me as if I'm a ghost now.  As if i'm not even around any more.   

If I could spend just one more fourth of July with my cousin like we used to I totally would in a second.  The day would start like any other forth with us playing wii sports .  I know that sounds weird but it was like tradition.  Basically we would try to make each other screw up.  It would be full of laughs and cussing and we would try to avoid breaking anything.  We wouldn't want a repeat of the time we broke a glass bowl.   After playing wii for what seemed like hours but was barely two we would by the fireworks.  We would go buy all the fireworks together at the stand across from the Catholic Church.  We would spend a lot of money there like over a hundred dollars.  Once we got back to my house we would set off the fireworks that you can’t really do at night, like the smoke bombs, and the little ones you throw and we would somehow start throwing them at each other.  I got a couple scars from that.  

Once we were finished with the day fireworks we would go eat hamburgers, hotdogs, potatoes and macaroni salad.  This was always my favorite meal.  We would talk about life as we ate and how high school or college was going depending on the year.   

Once night came that was when the fun would start.  We would set up this big firework show tieing all the wicks together to make the artilleries go off at the same time. All my family members would watch with a big smile.  Once the wick was lit we would run away and watch fireworks explode in the sky.  We would be laughing and smiling and he would hug me saying I was his favorite cousin.  I wish this could happen again but i doubt it ever will.   I'm just a younger cousin now nothing more.  

~Justine