Let's Talk Under the Stars

“You know, your two ears are so you can do twice as much listening.”

“And your one mouth is so you can do half as much talking.”

“Well, I have a lot to say.”

“You always do.”

“Besides, I like talking to you.”

“Man. Give it a week. I’m sure I’ll be getting the silent treatment at some point.”

“I mean, sometimes I don’t want to talk. But I always LIKE talking to you.”

“... I like talking to you too. Even when it seems like I’m not listening sometimes. I always am.”

"..."

“There’s another one.”

“How many is that?”

“13, I think.”

“I wonder how many are really out there.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“The only way we’d know is if they all light up at once. Show themselves.”

“Dude, can you imagine if there are hundreds out there? They’d light up and it’d look like the sky fell.”

“Mmm. Fell right into our laps.”

"..."

“What’s your favorite planet up there?”

“Oh, I’m not too sure. Maybe Saturn? I’ve always liked Saturn’s rings.”

“How many rings does it have?”

“7.”

“Hmm. 3 more than LeBron.”

“Oh please, you bring basketball into everything. What’s your favorite planet?”

“Mercury’s nice … looks like someone sprinkled glitter all over it.”

“It really does. Let’s see. Recipe calls for a little glitter, a bit of sparkle, oh and of course, can’t forget the dash of star dust.”

“I love it so much. And Neptune … it’s so blue!”

“Ice cold blue.”

“I think we should go skating on Neptune.”

“I think you have good ideas, and this is no exception.”

"..."

“Dad come home last night?”

“No.”

“Hmph. Maybe he’s up there in the sky. With the planets. It’d explain why he isn’t here … if he’s so far away...”

“Last night Mom and I baked cookies. We can reheat them in the oven if you want. Chocolate chip. Your favorite.”

“Chocolate chip will forever be the number one cookie.”

“No argument.”

“But chocolate will forever be the worst ice cream flavor.”

“Amen to that. Worse cake flavor too! Absolutely disgusting.”

“I miss when we use to drink hot chocolate in the mornings.”

“Me too … hot chocolate, pajamas, and 'I Love Lucy'.”

“You know what the best part was?”

“The sickening number of marshmallows you’d add?"

“I added just the right number of marshmallows, thank you very much. But no –”

“It was already sweetened hot chocolate, then you’d add sugar, and then you’d throw marshmallows on top like you wanted a snow storm!”

"Okay so the marshmallows were an overkill! But that’s not what I was going to say. The best part was how easy it all was.”

“Hmm.”

“Nothing’s easy anymore.”

“This feels pretty easy though, doesn’t it? Cool night, sweet breeze, swinging hammocks … the fireflies.”

“I suppose.”

“... But I know what you mean. Growing up, it’s not easy. When you’re little everyone shields you from all the ugly. Everyone around makes sure you’re happy and laughing. You grow up and suddenly no ones really concerned with protecting you from anything. It all comes slapping you in the face.”

“... Why …”

“Why what?”

“Why doesn’t anyone want to protect us anymore?”

“I don’t think it’s that they don’t want to, maybe they don’t think they have to anymore.”

“I wish they did.”

"..."

“You know how after a snowstorm, I'd walk in front of you so you could follow in my footsteps?”

“Yeah I do.”

“And how I come watch cartoons with you when you have a nightmare and don't want to fall asleep again?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m always looking out for you … and I’ll always protect you.”

“I know. I’ll always protect you too.”

“I bet little man.”

“Hey! You remember the first time we saw a firefly? You were terrified. Older sister, running behind me trying to hide. That’s why I caught the one in a mason jar so you could hold it. Realize they weren’t so bad.”

“Oh my goodness I remember that, we opened the jar and waited all night for it to fly away. Then we stayed up until we couldn’t see the light anymore.”

“Wouldn’t it be weird if that firefly was here now?”

“Oh no. That was years ago.”

“And?”

“Fireflies live for about a year, more or less.”

“What? That’s it?”

“Mmhmm. And they’re only adults for the couple of the weeks in the end.”

“How do you know all that?”

“I like to research.”

“Yeah you do …”

"..."

“Most of our lives will be spent as adults, sometimes it feels like we’re barely kids … and for them, they get to spend most of their life as kids.”

“Well, we’ll have to properly consider the firefly lifecycle.”

"..."

“Or not? Alright, let’s not.”

“I wish that was my life.”

“Maybe they’re looking at us wishing this were their life. Maybe they wish they had more time as adults.”

“Mom’s always saying how she wishes she had more time.”

“Everyone says they want more time.”

“You said you wanted more time to study for your philosophy exam but when your teacher pushed it back two days, you didn’t spend any of that extra time studying.”

“Isn’t your memory sharp.”

“I’m just saying! People think more time is the answer, but they just spend it further avoiding their problem. Mom thinks more time will solve things. But she just spends it avoiding the problem … spends it baking cookies.”

“I’m not going to lie; it really scares me when you talk like you’re an adult.”

“Man me too. I don’t like it. Imma go back to being a kid.”

“Please.”

"..."

“You know what’d make me feel like a kid again?”

“What?”

“If you’d sing to me.”

“What do you want to hear?”

“Uh, let’s see … something … something about the stars.”

“Hmmm … when you wish upon a star …”

“Wait! This is going to be good. Let me get comfortable first.”

“I’m so tired of you! Hurry it up then.”

“I love you too. Okay, okay. I’m good.”

“When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you.”