Getting Stuck at a Movie Theater on America’s 250th Birthday. Exactly What Our Founding Fathers Would’ve Wanted.

Have you ever had a wild and crazy story centered around a wild and crazy anniversary and/or America’s birthday? Watching indie films like The 4th, where everything seems to go wrong with the protagonist, I never thought I would. And yet, on America’s 250th birthday, that’s exactly what I got.

Exactly What Our Founding Fathers Would’ve Wanted

Now, on July 4th, I was all set to celebrate with my family. Of course, as you may know, I was also seeing 250 films about America in some way or another (political films, anything with “USA” in the title, what have you.) Thus I also had plans to see Young Washington in theaters. Initially, I had plans to see it on Friday- that’s my “fun day” where I get to do something special- but when I saw a deal for free tickets on (when else?) July 4th, I decided to take advantage of that. Hey, you’d use free deals too if money were tight with you too.

Since I can’t drive, I tend to rely on free Uber miles. However, I need to be careful to make sure I don’t run out easily- which it has, several times. It’s not even the first time this has happened at a movie theater. That didn’t stop me from having a What could possibly go wrong? Attitude. But alas, it did.

So, after enjoying Young Washington, I tried to order a ride, but it was no good. I even tried to buy a ride, but it wasn’t much better. (And would’ve been kind of ironic, given that I wanted to take advantage of a free offer.) Eventually, I called Dad for a ride, after running out of options.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he said. “I say we postpone it.”

You wouldn’t believe how devastated I was. After all, our country was only turning 250 once, and by the time the 300th would come along, I’d (probably) be a grandma! But then, Dad did the sweetest thing that day. He made me feel less terrible for my foolish decision.

“Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be such a good idea anyway,” he said. “The house lost power, and Arna [his wife and my stepmom’s] cats are really sick and can’t be left alone for extended periods of time. You can call for a ride, but make sure they get to 555 Northfield Ave.”

Not gonna lie, I felt a little surprised at his comments. Okay, really surprised. But hey, we were both equally stressed. It’s not like we could’ve gone swimming, and when we finally got to celebrate the following day, it was still closed from the storm. So, we just stayed home and watched (of all things) Monty Python and the Holy Grail. No, the irony of watching a British show on America’s independence from them is not lost on me. And, at the end of the day, we all enjoyed each other’s company.

Okay, so maybe things didn’t turn out the way I expected. But, all things considered, they did turn out well, and Dad was still happy to see me. In any case, I’ll be sure to tell my grandchildren about this in 2076. You know, after I’m finished telling stories about Donald Trump and Obama.

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Jennifer Rose is an autistic author and novelist whose work explores identity, imagination, and what it means to think differently in a world built for everyone else. Her novel Manimal Crackers draws on her own experience as an autistic writer to tell a story about impulsivity, mentorship, and finding your footing. She is also the author of It's Not a Perfect World, But I'll Take It (Skyhorse Publishing), a memoir in fifty life lessons about growing up autistic. Jennifer is currently developing a literary magazine, Autonomy, for autistic writers and readers.