Gunpowder and Tea Cakes: My Journey with Felicity

I want to yell out to my grandmother that I met Thomas Jefferson. But of course I can’t say that. She’d think I was nuts. So I’m glad when I look down and see the china traveled back with me. It’s a cool souvenir, and it serves as proof that I wasn’t just dreaming. I’ll never forget meeting Felicity or going to the print shop. After all, Mistress Reed was just as much of a Patriot as Thomas Jefferson. She took risks in publishing rebellious ideas in her papers. If the British had won the war, they would’ve considered her a traitor. She was very brave. She proved back in 1775 that a woman could take on a man’s job and do it well. My teachers would call her a trailblazer.

I go upstairs to find my grandma. I ask her if it was hard for her to start her antiques shop. She says it was in some ways. There weren’t many women who ran stores when she was growing up. She was worried about handling the business part. But she didn’t let her worries stop her. She’s made a lot of mistakes along the way. But she’s now had the business for many years.

I smile, and tell her that I’m proud of her. It’s never occurred to me to say that before. She smiles, and says she’s proud of herself, too. And the next time I try to tackle something scary, she’ll be proud of me. I get up to start setting the table. I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian for forever. I’m certain it’s what I want. When I think about going to college some day and taking lots of hard classes, I’ll just have to remember Felicity and Mistress Reed and my grandma, and how they faced their challenges. I’m pretty sure I will be just fine, too.