Jordan had seen the parade on television. On Woodward in Detroit, it was different. The sound arrived before the band. The people beside them had brought better snacks. Grandma Ruth appeared to know exactly which of the adults needed another warm drink.
Nobody saw everything. A little cousin needed a break. An uncle went looking for a restroom. They had agreed where to meet again, which turned out to be the most useful piece of planning anyone had done.
When the balloons came through, Ruth stopped talking. Jordan looked up at her instead of at the sky. She was smiling in a way he did not usually see across the Thanksgiving table.
On the way back, an uncle proposed Lafayette Coney Island and was outvoted by two sleeping toddlers. Everybody agreed they should do it again. Ruth said she would think about it. She had already put the thermos aside for next year.
Illustrations are imaginative, not documentary portraits.
Meet the rest of winter’s people →