Getting Swamped

[BeakerSqueedom]

*glomp*

 

[The Count]

Thank you for posting more Aunt Ru. Seems like you're putting your energies into finishing this one first before returning to the other wards in need of your attention. And that's a good thing, get one tale ended to then retake the thread of another.

Hope for more soon... Post when you can.

 

[The Count]

Hi... Thought I'd mosy on down and see if there's any of this nice tale left to get it to the next chapter/conclusion. Hope to be surprised by an update or two, night y'all.

 

[Ruahnna]

A Sincere Thank You!

I must say, once again, how grateful I am to Lisa (Toga) for creating the characters of Maggie, James and Jane. I appreciate the opportunity to use them, and to take the liberties I have taken with their character and development.

And, of course, my heartfelt thanks to all of you who patiently wait, and earnestly read. You make it all worthwhile for me.

With great affection for my NEW family at MC,

Ruahnna

 

[BeakerSqueedom]

Aw, shucks.

 

[Ruahnna]

Chapter 23: Something Old, Something New

James the Frog watched with great bemusement as his newest daughter-in-law strolled by in what looked to be a very new bathing suit. Kermit certainly has good taste, he thought fondly, knowing that Piggy may have picked the bathing suit, but Kermit had picker her. Piggy had almost disappeared around the curve of the trail when there was a great clattering and banging behind him. His amusement increased as he watched Orville and Norville clamoring after Piggy carrying her chair, her towel, her big straw hat and a cooler of bottled spring water (which completely mystified the native swamp dwellers) and, pretty much, anything else her heart desired.
“Hurry!” said Norville to his older brother, “or all the little tadpoles will get to sit next to her!”
Orville picked up the pace, but paused long enough to holler and wave to his great uncle.
James nodded gravely. “Day to you, boys,” he said solemnly.
“Oh boooys,” Piggy’s voice floated back along the path. “I think I left my cover-up back at the clearing. Could one of you get it?” The boys exchanged glances, dropped the cooler and sprinted back up the path.
“Hey!” said Orville, trying to catch up to his twin. “She asked me!”
“Did not!” Norville panted. “She specifically asked for me!”
They disappeared back the way they had come. James chuckled to himself and looked up to find his daughter-in-law looking right at him, waving merrily with a big smile on her face. He laughed out loud and waved back, feeling suddenly young. He waited until she had disappeared around the path again, then shook his head and resumed his walk.
He wasn’t going to worry about Piggy—or Kermit—any more.

Jake stumped along beside his father, occasionally squinting up at the older alligator as they made their way down to the swimming hole. Jake’s little sister rustled along behind them, occasionally leaving the path to chase dragonflies in the bright sunshine.
“Are you sure we were invited?” he asked for the umpteenth time, more because he wanted to hear his father say it than because he doubted his veracity.
“Yes,” his father said with the patience only reptiles can achieve. He looked down at his son fondly. “Mrs. The Frog said to come and swim this afternoon and have a picnic.”
“But—but we’ve never been to a swimming party with the The Frogs before,” Jake persisted.
“No,” Arnie said thoughtfully, “but things seem to be changing a little, don’t they? Now, you mustn’t frighten any of the little ones,” he cautioned. Jake nodded solemnly, imbued with the importance of his charge, and his father’s next words caused him to swell with pride. “Compared to them, you’re a big strapping boy.”
“Yes sir!” If alligators could be said to bounce, Jake bounced down the path.
“When is Mom coming?” Alice asked, appearing at her father’s scaly elbow with her head draped in a daisy chain.
“After her meeting,” he said mildly, and Alice wandered off again, apparently satisfied.
“And Mrs. The Frog said we were invited special?” he asked once more.
Arnie laughed and jerked his snout toward the watering hole. “Why don’t you go ask her yourself,” he said. “We’re already here.”

Jane refilled Kermit’s mug of coffee and, for just a moment, she remembering filling his sippy cup with milk so very long ago. Her eyes brightened for a moment, but she hid it artfully by bustling back to the fire with the coffee pot.
“Thanks, Mom,” said Kermit. Breakfast was over, and the picnic baskets had already been packed and laid to readiness at the edge of the clearing. It was nice, Kermit thought, to have a moment of quiet with his mom. Kindof like old times, he thought, and was surprised to hear himself say it out loud. Jane stopped bustling and looked at him, seeing both her little tadpole and the grown frog he had begun.
“Sometimes it seems that way,” his mother said, then she put everything down and went to sit next to Kermit. She put her hand out, palm out, on her knee, and Kermit put his hand in hers like he had so many times before. Their little froggy fingers clasped, and Kermit noticed for the first time that his hand now dwarfed his mother’s the way hers had once dwarfed his. They didn’t say anything because it wasn’t necessary, but there was an almost palpable bond of pride and affection flowing between them.
“You’re going to come swim, aren’t you?” Kermit said.
“Yes,” Jane said at once. “James and I are going to walk down together after the baskets have been picked up.” She looked at Kermit quietly. “Piggy’s already gone on?”
“Um hum,” said Kermit. “She took the kids and went on.” There was an awkward silence, one of the only few Kermit could ever remember with his mother.
“I think you should—“
“I think I ought to—“
They stopped and smiled at each other, but Kermit’s eyes were sad. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll see if I can find her.”

The clearing looked deserted, but Kermit sat down anyway. He had a handful of smooth pebbles and he sat on a large rock overlooking the water and began to drop them in one by one. There was no sound other than the soft lap-lap of the water and the occasional plop of a stone into the water, but Kermit was aware that he was not alone. Apparently, today just wasn’t Maggie’s day for hiding.
“Bored with your pig already?” she said at last, a disembodied voice hovering over the water. Kermit shook his head without looking up, but held up his fist with the remaining stones in it.
“Nope,” he said calmly. “I brought you some rocks to throw. I figure that has to be your next move.”
There was a small sound of outrage and Kermit was able to hone in on the sound, but he did not look in Maggie’s direction.
“I would not throw rocks,” Maggie muttered, compelled to defend herself.
“Well, sticks then,” Kermit continued. “We’ve got plenty of those here in the swamp. But I feel it’s only fair to warn you—Miss Piggy’s got a pretty good aim. She’s liable to throw them back.”
“Kermit—“
“And if she lands one, that thick skin of yours isn’t going to be much protect—“
“Okay, okay,” said Maggie. “So I’m pond scum.”
Kermit did not rush to disagree. He pondered this flippant apology for a long moment, still staring into the water at his reflection.
“No,” he said at last, as though he had just decided something. “No—pond scum would have apologized.” He dropped in another pebble, watching the ripples spread. “You must be lower than pond scum.”
Maggie let out a little cry of embarrassment and anguish.
“All right! All right already. I’m—I didn’t mean, you know—I wasn’t—“
“No,” said Kermit quietly, but there was firmness in his voice. “I don’t know, Maggie—I can’t even imagine what would make you act like you’ve acted.”
Maggie had crept out of her concealment and slumped on a boulder, hugging her knees and not looking at Kermit.
“Me either,” she whispered, her voice carrying clearly in the still air. “I don’t know what made me—“ She forced her lips closed. “But I wouldn’t throw rocks,” she insisted.
“Well,” said Kermit sarcastically. “It’s nice to know you have some standards.”
“Stop,” muttered Maggie, her voice pained. “Don’t—I know, I know…”
They sat in constrained silence for what seemed like an eternity to the two unhappy siblings, then Kermit spoke again.
“You used to be my ally,” he said. It was not an angry accusation, but the wail of a child who has let go of their balloon. Kermit’s throat felt tight, and he stared into the water determinedly.
Maggie felt the hot tears slip down her face. “I am your ally,” she said. “Oh, Kermit, I just—“ She took a deep breath. “I just miss you sooo much.” She put her head down and began to sob.
Kermit had expected defiance—and had steeled himself for unrepentance. He had not expected this. “Mags—“ he said, but now that the genie was out of the bottle there was no stuffing it back in.
“You used to come home every chance you got!” she wailed. “Now you only come home when you have to!”
“No,” Kermit said. “No, that’s not—“
“You used to tell me everything—now you…now you just tell her….”
“But Maggie, that’s—“
“You have a whole life somewhere else—I just have here, and now I don’t have you to share it with.”
Kermit didn’t know what to say. Some hurts are too deep for words. Instead, he got up and went to Maggie, sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. Maggie turned into his chest and bawled.
“Mags,” he said softly. “Mags, don’t cry. I’m right here.”
“You left!” she said, accusingly. “I thought you’d come back, but you didn’t. You didn’t. And now you won’t.”
“What? Because I got married?” Kermit’s voice was gentle, trying to understand.
Mags pulled away and regarded him balefully.
“Because you…because you’re so happy wherever you are, as long as she’s there.”
Kermit felt a blush creep up his cheeks. So it did show.
“But Mags, that doesn’t mean I…” He stopped and tried to gather his thoughts. “Look, ever since I was little, I dreamed about, you know, making people happy.” He rubbed her back softly with the palm of his hand, trying to put words around his meaning. “And somewhere along the way, other people became a part of that dream, too. Jim, and Fozzie, and Rowlf and Gonzo and Dr. Teeth and—“
“And her.”
“And Piggy,” Kermit said firmly. “But just because they share my dream with me doesn’t mean you can’t,” he said softly.
Maggie had stopped crying, and she nudged him with her bony little shoulder. “What if I don’t want to share your stupid ol’ dream with you,” she muttered, but Kermit only smiled and pulled her tight against him.
“Then we’ll just have to find you a dream of your own.”
She made a little shrug of discontent, then burst out again. “Oh, Mit, sometimes I just feel so lost without you here,” she said. “I…I haven’t figured out what I want to do yet---what I want to be.”
‘Well, who says you have to decide now?”
“Only everyone,” Maggie muttered, and Kermit couldn’t suppress a smile. “Don’t you laugh at me!” she cried indignantly, but Kermit shook his head.
“I’m not,” he said gently. “I’m not laughing. I’m just, you know, remembering when everyone thought my dream was silly.”
Maggie looked up. “I never thought your dream was silly,” she said. “I always knew….” She trailed off, looking surprised. “I did—I always knew you could make it happen.” Suddenly, her arms surged around Kermit’s middle and she hugged him fiercely. “I’m so proud of you,” she said. “I so proud of you, Mit.”
Kermit returned her fervent hug, moved and surprised by his sister’s declaration.
“Look,” said the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. James The Frog. “I know you’re my sister and it’s your job to be a pain in the neck—“
Maggie made a sound of protest, but it sounded suspiciously like a giggle near the end.
“—but you can’t be mean to Piggy anymore.”
Maggie sniffed. “Not even a little?” she said, and it was Kermit’s turn to nudge her, hard, until she relented and put her head on his shoulder.
“I married Piggy because I loved her, and she loved me, and we want to spend out lives together.” He held up a hand to ward off any protests. “That doesn’t mean I love you or Mom and Dad or Robin or anyone else any less—it just means that I’ve added to the people in my family. And if you love me, you’ll respect my wishes—and my wife.”
Maggie nodded. “I will,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.“
Kermit’s arm tightened around her shoulders, then he dropped the pebbles into the water and reached over with his now-empty hand and gave his annoying little sister a first-class noogie. Maggie squawked in protest and tried to retaliate. The results of same dumped them unceremoniously into the water. They came up laughing, wiping water out of their eyes. Kermit offered Maggie a hand, pulled her to her feet and started up the bank, still holding her hand.
“Come swimming with us,” he said. “Everybody’s going to come for a picnic.”
But Maggie pulled her hand free and shook her head.
“No,” she said. “No, I’d—I’d make everyone uncomfortable. You go.”
Kermit hesitated.
“Go on!” Maggie teased. “That pig—“ She stopped. “Miss Piggy probably needs you.”
Kermit nodded, then turned and started back the way he had come, toward the rest of his family, both old and new. For a long time, Maggie just watched him go, then she climbed out of the water and sat on the bank.

 

[The Count]

Thank you Aunt Ru. Quick little blurb... The scene with Jane and Kermit made me shed happy remembrance tears. But the talk between Kermit and Margaret, that was the heartstabber this story needed. Look forward to whatever's next, and no, I don't mean Gonzo. Unless you... Well, let's just leave that for another day.

 

[TogetherAgain]

<GLOMP>

<<<<<<<<<REALLY tight hugs>>>>>>>>>

What can I say, Ru? Ya nailed it. You just plain nailed it. Very well done, indeed. (Understatement, yes, but far more concise this way.)

MORE PLEASE!

 

[Ruahnna]

(Aw--thanks, honey. I'm glad you enjoyed it.)

 

[BeakerSqueedom]

All right, I owe a comment!




Ruh, your brilliance is remarkable.
I truly don't know what to say--as you've heard it all!
Brilliant.
Brilliant.
BRILLIANT!