Chapter Eleven
Kermit watched as Robin woke up, careful not to look at the young frog's eyes.
Robin looked around, surprised but not at all displeased to find that he was still in Kermit's arms.
"Good morning, Robin," Kermit said simply.
Robin hugged him. "Good morning, Uncle Kermit," he said.
Kermit held him close for a moment. "You should get ready for school," he said quietly.
"Okay," Robin said reluctantly.
They slowly got up from the bed and, holding hands, wandered out into the hall.
Robin immediately broke off to wait in line for the bathroom, while Kermit went into his own bedroom.
He stood and looked at the pictures on his wall. Here, on the lower left, was the swamp and all its inhabitants. So many children...
He lifted his eyes to the one above it. All the residents of the boarding house. He could pick out their voices now, as they were getting ready to do whatever it was they did.
He shifted his eyes to the right. There was everyone in the company.
His eyes slid down. Sesame Street.
He looked away, remembering...
He had just arrived on the base.
"So you're one of the new guys, huh?" a Lance Corporal asked.
"Yeah," he gulped.
"So you just came from home."
"Yup."
The Lance Corporal stopped what he was doing and looked straight into Kermit's eyes. "So home still exists?" he asked quietly.
Kermit frowned. "Of course it does," he said softly.
The Lance Corporal shook his head. "You stay here long enough," he said. "You'll start to doubt it sometimes."
Kermit didn't believe him.
Many months later, a new recruit came. A Private First Class, drafted in, like Kermit.
"You're Kermit the Frog!" he'd said excitedly
“Yup."
"Well fancy that. My little sister used to watch you all the time on Sesame Street."
Kermit looked up. "How old is she?"
"Now? Oh, she's twelve. Going on thirteen, she'll be quick to tell you. And even quicker to act it."
"Oh." Kermit nodded. "So I take it she doesn't watch Sesame Street anymore." He said it teasingly.
"Well," the new recruit grinned, "Not if she knows there's somebody else home."
Kermit hesitated. "...Do you know if they're still new episodes?" he asked.
"I think so," he said thoughtfully. "...Why?"
Kermit shook his head. "Just wondering," he said quietly
It was hard to imagine something so innocent on the same planet as the place he was in.
Kermit sighed and shook his head at the memory. He had gotten to be good friends with that recruit. His name was Craig Rivers. He had sandy hair and a Southern accent, and he insisted on calling Kermit "sir," even though they were the same rank. He had been there when...
Kermit looked at the center picture.
Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog looked back at him.
He looked at them, and then looked at his reflection in the glass. He felt something snap inside of him and he marched to the bedroom door.
He looked out into the hall. Now who could- Oh, good!
"Fozzie?"
The bear stopped. "Good morning, Kermit!" he said cheerfully.
"Could you give me a hand?" Kermit said.
"Sure!" Fozzie said.
Kermit stepped aside, indicating for the bear to come into the room, which he did. Kermit closed the door.
"I've gotta get out of this uniform," the frog said as he slowly, carefully, set about removing the sling. "But I can't strain my shoulder. It's really only the shirt I'm worried about, I mean I think I can take care of the pants and boots myself, but... The shirt, I'm not so sure."
"Well okay," Fozzie said.
"Thanks," Kermit said. He had finally removed himself from the sling and he tossed it onto his bed. He unbuttoned his buttons. "Okay, this is where I'll need some help..."
"You got it!" Fozzie helped ease the shirt off of his shoulders and arms, and handed it to the frog.
"Thanks," Kermit said. He set it down on the bed, sat down next to it, and pulled his boots up to where he could untie them.
Fozzie watched as his friend's flippers appeared from the big, heavy boots that then dropped to the floor. Kermit rubbed them gently. Flippers never took kindly to most sorts of footwear.
Then Kermit stood up, pushed the pants off, set them on the bed, and looked himself over.
"Here," Fozzie said. "You're collar's all scrunched up..." He set about straightening it.
"Oh, thanks," Kermit said.
"Here, let me get..." Fozzie turned him to straighten the collar in back as well. His hands suddenly moved in slow motion when he saw the scar on the back of his best friend's shoulder.
Kermit gulped, knowing. He turned and looked his best friend straight in the eyes. "It's okay, Fozzie," he said quietly.
Fozzie hugged him. "I'm so glad you're home," he said.
"Me too," Kermit said, hugging him.
After a moment, he checked all of his pockets, removing seemingly endless letters and a handful of pictures, including miniature versions of the ones on the wall. Then he opened his rather small closet, set the boots on the floor very straight, and hung his uniform up on a hangar.
"I'm never putting that on again," he said quietly.
Fozzie nodded, then thought for a moment. "Kermit?" he said quietly. "What if some reporters or somebody wants to see you in uniform?"
Kermit scrunched his face up. "We'll tell them to look at pictures," he said. He came and sat next to his friend on the bed. "You know, it's funny," he said. "I'd completely forgot about ever thinking what the press has to say about anything."
Fozzie smiled softly. "That's the way it should be," he said quietly.
"Yeah," Kermit nodded. "That's how it was before we made it big, I guess."
"Yup," Fozzie said. "You know what, Kermit?"
"Hm?"
"I don't regret it anyway."
"Even with the press?" Kermit said.
"Even with the press," Fozzie said.
Kermit grinned at him teasingly. "Of course not," he said, "You're not involved with a lady pig."
Fozzie chuckled, then squirmed.
Kermit smugly crossed his legs and waited.
"Oh, sheesh," Fozzie said, "It was one kiss on the cheek..."
"So?" Kermit said. "It's still a kiss."
"Yeah, but- but you've gotten hundreds of kisses on the cheek!" Fozzie protested. "I mean, maybe even thousands!"
"Yeah, but I'm a frog," Kermit said. "Everyone expects me to turn into a prince."
"I guess," Fozzie sighed. "But- but still. That doesn't explain all the guest stars who've kissed you on the cheek! It's... it's just a kiss on the cheek.”
Kermit smiled. "You're pretty nervous about this, aren't you?"
Fozzie groaned. "Does it show?"
"Clear as your polka-dot tie," Kermit said.
Fozzie sighed and fiddled with his tie. "She said she liked my tie," he said.
"It's not a bad tie," Kermit said. "It's very you."
"You think so?" Fozzie said excitedly.
"Yup."
Fozzie's mind raced. "So... so if she likes the tie, then... then she likes me!"
"Well girls hardly go around kissing the cheeks of people they don’t like," Kermit pointed out.
"Well... well yeah, but... still," Fozzie said.
Kermit smiled. "Have you talked to her since then?"
Fozzie squirmed. "Well… no…"
"Why not?" Kermit asked.
"Well, I don't... have her phone number," Fozzie said.
Kermit set his chin in his hand. "Lame excuse," he said.
"Kermit?" Fozzie said.
"Hm?"
"At least I've got one."
Kermit scrunched his face up. "I deserved that," he said.
Fozzie smiled. "...Hey Kermit?" he said.
"Yeah Fozzie?" Kermit said.
The bear simply said, "It's Friday."
Kermit smiled. "It sure is," he said.
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