As Luck Would Have It

26) The Parade

***Before you all start reading, I want you to know I am experimenting with musical scoring in this chapter. I think it helps elevate one of the more cinematic scenes I wrote and I would appreciate it if you participated in the experiment. Enjoy!!***

The sun shone brightly on a perfect summer day in July. The streets were filled with people waving mini flags, pushing around decorated strollers and wagons, and dressed in a celebratory display of red, white, and blue. The smell of hot dogs and burgers was fresh everywhere you went and the sight of families smiling and making memories was in no short supply. For the biggest holiday of the summer was here, Independence Day, or as its commonly referred to, the 4th of July.  

Up one of the busier streets in Queens, a huge parade was rolling along that stretched at least 27 blocks. The local fire and police department vehicles took up the front, sounding their sirens as the inched forward. A unit of fancy cars followed behind, carrying the mayor, city council members, and other important members of the community, cordially waving to the crowds on either side of the road. The rest of the line-up consisted of marching bands blasting tunes like "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "Semper Fidelis", colorful company floats with streamers that glimmered in the sunlight, and a slew of parade entertainers flipping and dancing through the streets.

Peter and May were settled at the spot Ben would always get every year. They were in quite a cheerful mood this morning as kids ran around playing with their little horns and sparklers. Peter would sometimes stop and think about how he would have to face Michelle later at the picnic, and if he was being honest, he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

"Peter" May calls down to him, "stand up, I want a picture together." Peter rolled his eyes while smiling, finding a bit of cheesiness in her attempt to capture the moment. He stood up, taking May's phone and stretching his arm to take a decent selfie style picture. He made sure to take two pictures, so May could choose the best one. He broke from their pose and handed the phone back. She observed the pictures and scrunched her face in disgust. "I don't know about these, hun."

Shaking his head, he scoffed at his aunt's disliking for the pictures. A pair of fingers tapping his right shoulder broke his thought and he turned to see who was seeking his attention. The first thing he saw was a female body covered by a white t-shirt decorated with a distressed American flag paired with a pair of dark jeans. He recognized the figure before him and the battered hi-tops on her feet, and he gulped as he slowly lifted his eyes to meet her face. Michelle stared back with a bit of an awkward smile, feeling that the people around them would maybe stare at their interaction. A nervous face on Peter turned into a similarly awkward smile as he stared back. "Hey" he muttered.

"Hi," she said looking down briefly to rid herself of the awkwardness between them before reengaging, "um..., can we talk a bit."

Peter lost breath for a moment, he knew that this talk would somehow involve his secret. He also didn't want to leave May alone and turned to look at her. She was taking goofy selfies of herself with a couple parade performers, making excited, silly, and dumb faces to make the moment fun. Peter smiled at this and turned back to Michelle. "Uh..., yeah. Sure..." was his reply and Michelle perked up a nervous smile. They awkwardly stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before May came over.

"Who is this Peter?"

Now in the uncomfortable position of May asking, he knew he had to introduce her. "Uhh...," he struggled, "This is Michelle. Michelle this is my Aunt May."