Giving Thanks
Scooter was waiting outside the boarding house when they got back.
"Alright, so what's this great news, Scooter?" Kermit said as he got off the bus.
"You're gonna love it, boss! We got a television network to air the show!"
"Really?" Kermit said. "Well, that's great!"
"What is?" Gonzo asked.
"We got a network!" Kermit said.
"Really?" Fozzie said.
"Oh! That means we can start the show soon!" Miss Piggy said.
"Like, wow!" Janice said
"Alright!" Floyd said.
"A network of what?" Gonzo asked.
"Gonzo!" they all said.
"I was just asking..."
"There's just one thing," Scooter said.
"What's that?" Kermit asked.
"Well, they want to start the show on Tuesday."
"TUESDAY!?!" Kermit shouted. "But that's just in a few days!"
"Well, it's either then or never," Scooter said.
And so the next few days were spent throwing together the first episode. Somehow, they managed to sell out the entire theater, get a guest star, and a few acts for the show. Before they knew it, Scooter was announcing fifteen seconds to curtain. It was all downhill from there.
Statler and Waldorf had an absolute field day. The opening number was scheduled to be "Oh How Lovely" done in a round, like they had once done with John Denver. But once the second group started to sing, the first group got muddled, and it got even worse when the third group joined in. Once Kermit herded them off the stage, it was time for Gonzo's act: walking half way across a tightrope, then jumping into a wheelbarrow, all while reciting the Gettysburg Address. He did fine until the jump, when he landed on Rowlf's piano in the band pit. Then Fozzie came on, but he completely forgot his monologue, so he stood on stage and tried to get the audience to guess what he was going to say. The Electric Mayhem went on to play "We Didn't Start the Fire," but as soon as they got to the chorus, Crazy Harry joined them on stage and, well, started the fire. Vet's Hospital didn't have a patient, and Link had been late for Pigs in Space. And worst of all, the guest star never even showed up.
It was great to be back.
And now, somehow, they had been home for a week, and it was Thanksgiving Day. So the entire cast of the show was having dinner at the theater. A long table crossed the full length of the stage, and extended into the wings on both sides. Everyone was bustling around, some setting the table, others destroying it. With all the noise coming from the cafeteria where the Swedish Chef was cooking, Kermit wasn't quite sure he would want to eat any of the turkey. Or anything else. But eventually, they all found themselves sitting around the table with piles upon piles of food in front of them.
From his seat at the head of the table, Kermit looked around at the crazy family they had all become. Then he stood and proposed a toast.
"What are we drinking to, boss?" Scooter asked.
Kermit smiled. "Guess."
They all had ideas.
Sam started. "To this fine country of the United States of America, founded in 1774 by some of the most upstanding men in history..."
Floyd lifted his glass and cut off the history lesson. "To music!"
"Fer surely!" Janice said.
"I think we should drink to the ladies, hokay," Pepe said.
"DRUMS! DRUMS!" Animal shouted.
"Why bother? Let's just eat," Rizzo said.
"To gettin' gigs again," Dr. Teeth said.
"Nu, ve-a shuoold dreenk tu cuukeeng!" the Swedish Chef said.
Zoot blasted a few notes from his saxaphone.
"To the future of Science!" Dr. Bunsen Honeydew said.
Beaker meeped loudly.
"Wouldn't it be easier to drink until our glasses are empty?" Beauregard asked.
"To friends!" Sweetums said.
Crazy Harry blew something up.
"Let's drink to good insurance!" Gonzo said.
"I say we drink to the show being cancelled!" Statler said.
"I'll drink to that!" Waldorf agreed.
"How about we drink to the show
not getting cancelled," Clifford said.
"Or, just to getting the show in the first place!" Scooter said.
"Hey, how about, to not doing Galt's movie," Fozzie said.
"Yes! And to never seeing a man dressed in grey for the rest of our lives!" Miss Piggy said.
"To sleeping in our own beds," Rowlf said.
"To being home," Robin said.
Kermit was shaking his head.
"Well were we close?" a penguin asked.
Kermit didn't say anything, just lifted his glass. The others followed suit. He smiled.
"To Us."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here's to following your dreams, connecting your rainbows, finding your way home, and most importantly, to keeping a family of friends close to you, no matter where your life may lead you.
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{There are no wow's in that, only a t, an h, a t, and an a}regard