Past-Part Fills Post 1 -- CLOSED
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“Probably so. You ladies wanna beer?”
Texas reached behind the fence post, under Bevo’s front legs, and pulled out a half-drunk six pack. Hawaii waved him off, but Vermont took the offer with an incredulous look.
“Three beers, Texas? There’s only three left, which means you must’ve drunk them. There is no way you aren’t drunk.”
“I’m not drunk!”
A bottle rocket whistled into the wide western sky, followed closely by a shriek of pain that they identified as Colorado. Texas jabbed his middle finger at the house. Cracking open his beer, the old cowboy leaned back against the fence and tipped up his hat. “Man, what a mess. Ever wonder why the hell we signed up for this in the first place?”
“Because being in a family is always better than being alone?” Vermont said softly.
“Because it was either join up with the big boys or die a miserable death?” Hawaii ventured with a smirk.
“Nah,” Texas said, though the things they mentioned were true in their own ways. “I think it’s all because of him.”
America.
Vermont sipped her beer pensively. Texas took a long final drag on his cigarette. Hawaii ran a restless hand through her hair.
“Yeah,” said the younger sister. “It’s all because of him.”
“Because we love him,” Vermont said, as cheese as a Hallmark card until a mischievous smirk crawled over her face. “Some of us more than others.”
Texas scowled as he ground out the cigarette. “Shut the fuck up, Vermy.”
“Well, well, well. I didn’t know the part was moving out here.”
The three adopted states looked up. America was saddling in their direction with a plate of barbeque in one hand. The brown Stetson on his head was stained with soot, presumably from the fireworks, but if he minded, his smiling face didn’t show it.
“What’re you kids doing out here, anyway?” he asked, plopping down in front of them.
“We’re not kids,” Vermont said, but she was really the only one who could talk.
“Wanna beer?” Texas offered, tossing the last can to his adoptive father.
America caught the offering with a huge grin. “Hey thanks,” he said, then curled around to look over his own shoulder. “Okay you two, don’t just stand there. Come join us.”
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As New Mexico sat down beside him, she glanced at Texas only briefly. “Happy birthday.”
“H-Hey, thanks,” Texas said with a heavy swallow. New Mexico looked away, and his smile slipped out of place, leaving a gaze full of drunken longing that encompassed her and America both.
Always oblivious, America cracked open his beer and gulped down about half of it in one sitting. Arizona, who was almost 13 in human standards and therefore too old to attempt crawling into his father’s lap, tried to do so anyway. Hawaii scowled at him in annoyance, shifting closer and closer with each passing second.
As America came up from his drink for air, his gasp was punctuated by the echoing argument of Massachusetts and New York, who had somehow gotten on the subject of baseball yet again. It brought a broad smile to the father country’s face. “Sure is nice to have the family all together like this, huh?”
Hawaii and Arizona began to squabble over their claim to America’s lap. New Mexico rolled her eyes tried to tug her half-brother out of the mess by his waist. Texas shifted closer to his Mexie, smiling at the back of her head with just a hint of drunken parental pride.
“It sure is, Papa,” Vermont said with a quiet smile. “It sure is.”
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Once upon a time (1777-1791) the Vermont Republic (Veronica Longfellow, named for author Ki Longfellow) declared its independence from British rule but was unable to join with the United Colonies/States because New York thought her land belonged to him. She was eventually admitted as the anti-slavery balance to slave state Kentucky. Because it was clear from the beginning that Vermont would join the US, it is sometimes called the “Reluctant Republic.”
Once upon another time (1836-1845) the Republic of Texas (Travis Cabeza, named for Colonel William Travis, commander of the Alamo, and Alvar Nunez Cabzea de Vaca, the shipwrecked Spanish conquistador that accidentally first settled the area) functioned as an independent country, having won that right from Mexico. His annexation eventually lead to the Mexican-American war.
Once upon a fairly more impressive amount of time (approx. 1795-1893) the Kingdom of Hawai’i (Kulani Lunalio, named for her last and most liberal monarch) united the island region into an independent, unified government. In 1893, the support of the Committee for Public Safety and a 1891 revolt against the monarchy finally lead to a long-awaited annexation into the US.
Despite her best efforts, she still looks like she’s 12.
You know, now that I think about it, I don’t think these states actually have anything to do with each other besides having once been independent. Still, I think their conversations on the subject would be amusing…
Texas’s Transition - there’s this odd dichotomy about people in Texas. Half of us spend all our time trying to deny the stereotype that all Texans are cowboy-boot-wearing ranchers with a love of meat and football and an oil well in our backyard; and the other half of us live in the west, where all of these things are at least partially true.
Bevo the Longhorn is mascot of the University of Texas football team.
Texas’s scars - In my mind, Texas actual has matching entry and exit wound scars, the entry representing the Battle of the Alamo, and the exit representing the lesser-known Battle of Goliad and the resulting massacre. Both were crucial moments in the Texas Revolution, but only one got the song. Oh well.
“Day off…” -Texas Independence Day (March 2) is still an official holiday in the state of Texas, but about 50 years ago, students and government workers used to get the day off. They don’t anymore. I’m not sure why.
“At least she was actually wearing one.” - I read somewhere once that the native Hawaiians never had a problem with women going topless until European missionaries landed on their shores. Kulani still runs around without a shirt if you’ll give her half a chance. Probably a good thing she’s stuck pretty young, then.
I’ve written here before about my theory that New Mexico is the result of an illicit affair between Texas and America when Tex was still independent. Half of the land that made up New Mexico was essentially sold to the federal government to cover Texas’s revolutionary war debts, and the other half was won from Mexico in the Mexican-American war, which was primarily a border dispute about where Texas ended and Mexico began. And I like the idea of America’s kids having as many diverse parents as possible. So Arizona is America/Mexico and New Mexico is America/Texas named after his sister and…yeah. XD
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I loved you characterization of them, you clearly wanted to try to show what they're famous for and where they come from. I especially liked the easy going flow of the story and interactions.
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One thing this NJ!anon wants to mention, to all those uninformed, is that people in New Jersey can't buy fireworks. If you want to set off your own for fun, you have to smuggle them in from the nearest adjacent state. Little interesting tid-bit that I was reminded of there...
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Thank you! ^ ^
OP is glad she asked for it - she's learning lots about America! XD
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