Page 76 of Anything But Lonely
“My brother didn’t tell me this wasn’t going to be just an ordinary day at the station.” She hikes Crew up higher on her hip as his eyes volley back and forth between Anderson and the volunteers he calls on to answer his questions.
My gaze follows her. “Which one is your brother?”
“I’ll give you one guess,” she deadpans just as Anderson swats Jack on the shoulder after he answered a hard, “no” to one of the kids asking if he could drive one of the fire trucks.
“Noted.” I nod, watching as Jack continues to look like he’d rather be anywhere else while somehow being exactly where he wants to be. A quick glance at Emerson tells me the attitude might be genetic.
“Okay!” Anderson calls, pulling everyone’s attention back. “What does it feel like when you get close to a fire? Maybe when you’re roasting marshmallows in the summer or when you blow out your birthday cake candles.” Anderson asks, scanning the crowd.
Every hand shoots into the air—even the ones that clearly don't know the answer.
“It's hot!” one little girl shouts.
“My daddy burns burgers on the grill sometimes!” another kid proudly announces, while another says, “My birthday is in August!!”, earning another round of laughter from the adults.
“Well, all of those things can be true,” Anderson chuckles. “Next question. Does anyone know what smoke does during a fire?”
A few hands shoot up, but not as many as the last question.
“Jack,” Anderson says, looking to his partner. “Why don't you answer this one?”
Jack stares at Anderson, eliciting giggles from the kids watching the two. “Smoke rises,” he answers flatly.
“That’s right!” Anderson holds up his hand for Jack to high-five, only for Jack to look back towards the crowd, his arms still crossed over his chest. Anderson slaps his own hand before continuing with the kids. “Smoke rises, which means if you're ever in a fire, where do we want to be, everyone?”
“The FLOOR!” several kids yell.
“That's right!” He points toward the crowd dramatically. “We stay low and crawl beneath the smoke. Can I get a volunteer to come show everyone how we crawl?” He turns to Jack. “How about you?”
Emerson huffs out a dry laugh as a few giggles sound through the crowd before Anderson claps Jack on the shoulder, his attention going back to the kids in front of him.
Anderson points toward a little boy in a bright blue winter hat. “How about you, bud?”
The boy drops onto his hands and knees without hesitation and begins army crawling across the floor while the rest of the kids cheer him on.
“Perfect!” Anderson says. “Now, if you're going to leave your bedroom during a fire, what do we do before we open the door?”
A few tentative hands go up before he calls on another volunteer.
“We touch it!” she answers confidently.
“With what?” Anderson prompts, bending down to his knees to get to the girl’s level.
“The back of our hand!”
“Exactly right!” He holds his hand out for her to high-five before looking back out into the crowd. “And why do we do that?”
Crew tentatively raises his hand, catching Jack’s eye. I watch as Jack bumps his shoulder against Anderson, nodding his head in our direction.
Anderson finds Emerson in the crowd, a wide grin on his face when his gaze goes to Crew in her arms. “How about you, kid?” Anderson points to Crew. “Why do we hold the back of our hand to the door before we open it?
Crew looks at Emerson, who gives me a smile. “Go ahead,” she whispers to him.
He looks back towards Anderson. “So we don't get burned?”
“Yes! Look at that,” Anderson says, moving through the crowd to give Crew a high-five. “We got a firefighter in training here today, don’t we?” Crew slaps his hand against Anderson’s, a shy smile on his face. “Remember, kids,” Anderson says as he heads back to his spot at the front. “If the door feels hot, we don't open it. We stay in our room, put something under the door if we can, and yell for help."
Crew’s eyes are wide as he hangs onto every word coming from the firefighter standing in front of him. Like he just got his chance of talking to his favorite superhero.
