Bluemoon1 had waited anxiously for this special day...the day that she would finally meet Semper Fi and SummersBreeze face to face. This would be the day when virtual hugs turned to real ones.
Weeks before, she had started cleaning her house, which had become a disaster area while she was chained to the computer in the basement; a victim of Firefly Addiction. She ventured off the path that ran from her bed to the kitchen and down to the basement. Climbing through the eyeball high piles of trash, she discovered a living room, a hallway, and two bedrooms containing her two children.
"Hi...uh...Heather, yeah that's it! My how you've grown! Nice to see you, remember me? I'm your mom. How old are you now? 14?! How long have I been down there?? This must be your little brother, Michael! Did you ever learn to tie your shoes? You did? Great!" She made her way to the front door and retrieved all the snail mail and newspapers dating back to October, 1996....oddly enough, about the time she discovered the Internet.
Using high tech cleaning equipment (a shovel and large green garbage bags) she immediately started working her way toward the floor, discovering nice carpeting, house plants, and two friendly cats. She had to resist urges to run back downstairs and check her E-mail, at times these were so strong that she got dizzy and started shaking. But Bluemoon1 persevered and soon the house began to look less like a cave and more like a home.
Next came the washing and waxing of the lawn, polishing the curb where they would park, dressing all the chipmunks and squirrels in cute little outfits, and then off to the zoo to wash all the animals and put bows in their hair. She wanted to be sure that Semper Fi and SummersBreeze were impressed with the Milwaukee Zoo when they spent the day there.
Now it was the fateful day and Bluemoon1 waited on the front porch watching all the cars going by. Every time a couple would pull up to the park across the street, she would jump up, run to them, and give them a huge hug. Unfortunately, they were all strangers just coming to the park for the day. Bluemoon1's neighborhood now has the reputation as the friendliest neighborhood in Milwaukee!
Finally, a black pickup truck with Michigan license plates pulled up to the wrong side of the house. Despite Bluemoon1's careful directions, Semper Fi relied on his manly instincts and totally ignored them. After wandering aimlessly around the surrounding area for about an hour, they finally found the house. Semper Fi stepped out of the truck, adjusted his hat, and was immediately tackled by Bluemoon1 with a huge bear hug. She had forgotten about the traditional way to meet people...sticking out your hand, shaking theirs, and saying, "Hello, nice to meet you." Everyone hugs online, but real human contact was just a fading memory for Bluemoon1.
Next out of the truck stepped the lovely SummersBreeze with a halo of reddish golden hair framing her beautifully wholesome face. She floated gracefully toward Bluemoon1 and was also tackled with a huge hug. Picking herself up off the ground, she turned to Semper Fi and said, "You're right, she is much bigger than we imagined!" SummersBreeze held out a gift box to Bluemoon1. "We brought you a little something from the U.P."
Bluemoon1 greedily tore at the paper and opened the box. Inside was a genuine Yooper outfit: a red flannel shirt, hip waders, a fishing pole, and a hat with earflaps. "Oooo!" she squealed. "Just what I always wanted!"
"What don't yous try it on, hey?" asked Semper Fi in pure Yooperese. "Yous could wear it to the zoo." Bluemoon1 tore off her clothes right then and there and tried it on. It fit like a dream.
"Oh, thank you! I'll treasure it always," she cooed as she clumped her way back toward the house, trailing the fishing pole behind her. Heather greeted them at the door and invited them in. Semper Fi and SummersBreeze marveled at how cute and tiny the house was. Heather took a picture of the three new friends all squeezed together on the tiny couch built more for three Barbie Dolls than three humans. The fishing pole was positioned in such a way that Semper Fi has a surprised and uncomfortable look on his face in the picture.
Desperate for air, and hungry for some lunch, the three amigos left for the zoo. After a delicious meal in the cafeteria, generously paid for by Semper Fi, they started their tour of the exhibits. The zoo animals did their part to pose in Bambi-like fashion with huge eyes and cute birds fluttering about their heads. All the other zoo visitors were obviously impressed with Bluemoon1's new outfit because they all stopped to stare and point.
"They're just jealous!" said Bluemoon1 in a proud, smug voice. Sweat was starting to trickle down her face as the August sun beat down on her warm hat. It trickled down into her boots causing her to make squishy noises as they continued to hike around the zoo. The zoo trip ended abruptly when Bluemoon1 attempted to use her new fishing pole in the Rare Fish Aquarium. They were escorted from the zoo by two security officers. They had to wait until the zoo closed and everyone went home before they found the car...the only one left. They went to Denny's for dinner, which was fairly uneventful until Semper Fi attempted to pay for it with a counterfeit $50. After Semper's security check and delightful strip search, the threesome were back on the road to Bluemoon1's little dollhouse.
SummersBreeze asked to sit out in the backyard for a while where the folding chairs and unlimited supply of air was more attractive than squeezing on the couch again. Bluemoon1 brought out a wardrobe carton packed to the top with family photos and proceeded to show each one. SummersBreeze, always at the height of politeness, put up with that until it was proper to mention that they needed to get back on the highway and head for home. Bluemoon1's lip started to quiver but she bravely let them go.
As their truck quickly disappeared in the distance, Bluemoon1 smiled knowing that she'd made some friends who liked her in spite of herself. They had extended an invitation for her to come up to their house sometime soon, a sure sign that they had as much fun as she did (or else they just wanted to get a small measure of revenge). Bluemoon1 squishily clumped back to the house and returned to the basement. Scooting herself up to the computer, she signed on, ready to tell all of her virtual friends about this great day.
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