It was another day at the Petrie house when Laura and her neighbor and best friend Millie Helper were in Laura's kitchen.
"I forgot to tell you this, Laura! I have four tickets to this awesome theme park in New York!" Millie exclaimed.
"And Rob and I are invited to come with you guys!" Laura finished.
"Well, that was originally the case, but then we got invited to spend the weekend with Jerry's family to go to Peru for a vacation. I'd much rather be with you though," Millie explained.
"Peru? Jerry doesn't have any family in Peru," Laura pointed out.
"I know, they want to go there just because they want to be out of the country," Millie told her.
"But there other countries better than Peru! There's France, Italy, England, and I could name so many beautiful countries they could've visited instead of Peru," Laura replied.
"That would've been great, if only Jerry's parents were willing to spend their money to go to a country like that," Millie told her.
"Well, what am I going to do with the other two tickets?" Laura asked.
"I have an idea! How about if Rob could give them to Buddy and Sally!" Millie exclaimed.
"That's a nice idea! I'll ask him to do it when he gets home," Laura said.
"Honey, I'm home!" Rob called.
"Speak of the devil," Laura added.
Rob then walked into the kitchen.
"Hi honey! Hi Mil!" Rob exclaimed.
"Hello Rob," Laura and Millie simultaneously replied.
"I have to go now, make sure you tell him about the tickets," Millie told her as she was leavingthe house.
"Tickets? To what?" Rob asked as his face lit up.
"Now Rob, you're getting too excited!" Laura exclaimed.
"Well, I will stop getting too excited if you tell me what's going on," Rob said.
"Millie dropped by and gave me four tickets to a theme park! She invited us to go, but they can't go because of some family vacation so you can take two tickets to Buddy and Sally," Laura explained.
"That sounds like fun, honey! When are we going? Are there any roller coasters" Rob asked.
"This weekend and yes, there is a roller coaster ," Laura replied.
"Then I'd love to go! I'll see if Buddy and Sally are free!" Rob exclaimed as Laura smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek.
The next morning in the office….
Surprisingly, only Buddy and Sally were in the office and they were waiting on Rob.
"What's keeping Rob?" Sally asked.
"How should I know? I don't know what Rob does at home," Buddy replied.
Just then, Rob came in.
"Good morning gang!" Rob exclaimed.
"Hey Rob, why are you so late this morning?" Sally asked.
"Yeah, why are you so late this morning?" Buddy repeated.
"Well, I have a surprise for you guys and I almost lost it on the way here," Rob explained.
"A surprise? Oh Rob, you didn't have to!" Sally exclaimed.
"What's the surprise?" Buddy asked.
Rob gave his two friends the tickets to the theme park.
"Tickets to the theme park? Rob, I'll have to decline the invite," Sally said.
"Me too," Buddy added.
"What, why?" Rob asked.
"What's the surprise?" Buddy asked.
Rob gave his two friends the tickets to the theme park.
"Tickets to the theme park? Rob, I'll have to decline the invite," Sally said.
"Me too," Buddy added.
"What, why?" Rob asked.
Sally tried to come up with an excuse.
"Uh, I-I have a date w-with M-Mr. Deefenfailer!" Sally lied through her stuttering.
"I know you're lying, Sal! There is something that you're hiding from me," Rob said.
"Well, I have a better excuse than that! I have a date too!" Buddy exclaimed.
"A date? With who? You're married!" Sally replied.
"Now I know that both of you are lying," Rob said.
Buddy turned to Sally.
"Let's just tell him, even though he'll laugh at us," Buddy whispered loud enough for Rob to hear.
"First of all, I heard that! Second of all, I won't laugh at you guys if you tell me why you won't go!" Rob exclaimed.
"Last weekend, Buddy and I went to that theme park for his birthday! Remember being invited to it?" Sally asked.
"Yeah, but I couldn't make it," Rob replied.
"So, we went on the roller coaster and it was so scary! The ride was fast and the loops were insane! We don't want to go back!" Buddy explained.
Rob tried not to laugh.
"You guys, roller coasters are so much fun!" Rob told them.
"Fun for you! To me, it's a bad birthday memory," Buddy replied.
"Can you guys please come with me to the theme park this weekend? It's going to be fun!" Rob begged.
Buddy and Sally hesitated. They weren't interested in going, but the only reason they would go is for their co-worker and friend.
"Tell him we'll just go! That was just our first time, so why don't we give that roller coaster another chance?" Buddy whispered to Sally.
Sally nodded, agreeing to the idea and turned to Rob.
"Rob, we'll go!" Sally told him.
This made Rob smile.
"You will?" he asked and they both nodded.
"Sweet!" Rob shouted walking out of the office and then coming back in smiling.
At the house…..
Laura was telling Ritchie a story about the dangers of a roller coaster.
"So, that can really happen?" Ritchie asked.
"Well, not all the time," Laura replied as Rob came home.
"Hi honey! I've got some good news!" Rob exclaimed.
"Really? What is it?" Laura asked with excitement.
"Well, first you have to give me a hello kiss," Rob ordered and she did so.
"What's the good news?" Laura asked again.
"Buddy and Sally are coming with us," Rob announced.
"That's great, Rob!" Laura exclaimed.
"That is because I convinced them to," Rob added and Laura's smile faded.
"What do you mean you convinced them?" Laura asked.
"Well, Buddy and Sally didn't want to go and I changed their minds," Rob explained.
Laura was now mad at Rob for making his friends do what they didn't want to do.
"Rob, Buddy and Sally simply told you they didn't want to go and you're making them go! That's not very nice! What kind of friend are you!" Laura yelled.
"Now honey, don't get so excited! I'm sure they're going to have a wonderful time! They're doing this for my sake!" Rob replied.
Laura calmed down and smiled.
"Well, let's hope they do, even if they don't like roller coasters," Laura said, giving Rob a kiss on the lips.
Ritchie overheard the conversation and came in the living room.
"Mommy, you and Daddy are going on a roller coaster this weekend?" he asked.
"Why, yes dear," Laura replied.
"Why can't I go?" Ritchie asked.
"Because, you have to be at a certain height to ride the roller coaster," Rob explained.
"And I'm not tall enough to ride it," Ritchie finished and Laura nodded.
"That's right! Now, wash your hands for dinner," Laura replied as Ritchie went to the kitchen.
"Do you know why Buddy and Sally didn't want to go?" she asked.
"They both recently had a bad experience involving a roller coaster," Rob told her.
"What was Sally's? Being dumped by a fella?" Laura asked in response.
"No honey," Rob chuckled in response.
"Then what is it?" Laura asked.
"Remember when I got invited to go to the theme park for Buddy's birthday and we couldn't go?" Rob asked.
"Yes, keep talking," Laura said.
"Buddy and Sally went on that roller coaster and they were scared to death," Rob explained.
"Wow, I could never imagine them being scared of something like that! Well, maybe Buddy, but not Sally!" Laura exclaimed.
"I know," Rob replied.
"Well, people are afraid of different things," Laura said.
"Honey, it's going to be a lot of fun," Rob said.
"Rob, I think you repeated that so many times! I know I'm going to have fun!" Laura told him.
A few days later at the house…
Laura and Rob were having dinner in the kitchen, talking.
"Rob, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to force Buddy and Sally to go to the theme park," Laura said.
"Well honey, they want to go now! In fact, we were talking about it this morning at the office and they were telling me that they weren't going to worry about the roller coaster. They were going to go on that roller coaster for me," Rob replied.
"Maybe they're just saying that to your face so they don't hurt your feelings," Laura added.
Rob got confused.
"Why would you think that way?" he asked.
"Trust me, I've had experience in this area. I had a friend in grade school who wanted to go tightroping with me and I did not want to do it because it was scary! I told her I did not want to do it, but then she convinced me and I pretended to change my mind and act excited about it when I was still scared to death! I only pretended to be excited just so I wouldn't hurt her feelings," Laura explained.
"Well, did she find out you were lying to her?" Rob asked.
"Yes and she held that against me," Laura replied.
"What am I getting out of this?" Rob asked.
"The point is, Buddy and Sally could be lying to you about wanting to go on that roller coaster.Just don't hold a grudge against them when you find out they're pretending to be excited about the roller coaster," Laura told him.
"Well, Buddy and Sally told me they were still scared to go, but they still wanted to go for me and they knew it would make me happy if they went," Rob said.
The next day at the theme park…..
"Rob, I don't know if it's a good idea!" Buddy cried.
"Yeah, I wish I brought my cat!" Sally added.
Rob was annoyed with both of his friends complaining.
"Will you guys quit complaining? This is going to be fun!" Rob told them.
"Yeah, just don't look down," Laura added.
"She's right, you guys! Don't look down," Rob said.
"I'll be right back! I have to see if I can get Ritchie something before we get on," Laura said as she left the line.
"Can you sit with us?" Buddy asked.
"Well, sure!" Rob exclaimed.
"Buddy, I'm sure he's going to want to sit with Laura," Sally told him.
"I'll sit with you! Laura will understand, I told her about the bad experience you had with roller coaster," Rob told them.
Rob got out of line to get Laura's approval for sitting with Buddy and Sally. He found her winning a prize for Ritchie.
"Hey Rob, I won a prize! What should I get for Ritchie?" Laura asked.
"Hey honey, I need to talk to you," Rob told her.
"I hope it's nothing serious," Laura said.
"No, it's not," Rob replied.
"What is it?" Laura asked.
"Buddy and Sally want me to sit with them on the roller coaster because they're scared to sit by themselves," Rob explained.
Laura was not happy to hear the news, but she pretended to be understanding because she didn't want to make a scene.
"Oh, well I understand. I guess you'd rather sit with a couple of crybabies instead of me," Laura bogusly chuckled.
"Trust me, honey! I'd much rather sit with you!" Rob exclaimed.
"No no, it's fine! I'll sit by myself," Laura told him.
Rob shrugged in response.
(Time skip)
It was now the writers' and Laura's turn to get on the roller coaster.
"Now you two, this fear is ridiculous," Rob told Buddy and Sally, closing the door.
"Rob, sit in the middle," Sally ordered.
"Sit in the middle? Why?" Rob asked.
"So we can have someone to lean on when we get scared," Buddy replied.
"Alright," Rob sighed, moving to the middle.
Laura sat behind the writers all by herself and she was still not happy. Rob turned to Laura smiling while Laura in response gave him a fake smile.
"Honey, I don't have a choice," Rob whispered to her.
Laura with her fake smile on her face shrugged in response.
"We are going to start this ride soon," the speaker said.
"Rob!" Sally cried, clinging onto his arm and Rob turned around.
"Oh come on, it hasn't even started yet!" Rob exclaimed.
"I wish I prepared my last words," Buddy said.
"Buddy, you're not going to die from a roller coaster," Rob told him.
"You can get a heart attack from being on a crazy roller coaster like this one and die from it," Buddy explained.
"Now Buddy, that's false information-," Rob got cut off from the speaker.
"Make sure you're buckled up! The ride is about to start," the speaker announced as the roller coaster was going up.
"Wow, my stomach already has knots," Sally announced.
"Same with mine," Buddy replied.
"Now you guys, just don't look down! You'll be more scared if you look down," Rob told them.
Buddy looked down, screamed and clinged onto Rob's other arm. In response, Sally shushed him.
"I thought you were just as scared as I was," Buddy said.
"Well, I am! But you scream like a girl," Sally teased him.
"Very funny," Buddy replied in annoyance.
Just then, the roller coaster was about to go down. Buddy and Sally squeezed Rob's arms much tighter than before and their heads buried into his shoulders.
(Another time skip)
The ride was over and the gang was still at the theme park. Buddy and Sally were still shaky and clinging on to Rob.
"You guys, the ride is over! Can you please let go?" Rob begged.
Buddy and Sally shook their heads no in response.
"Don't force them, Rob," Laura told him. She still wasn't happy about Rob sitting with his friends instead of his wife.
Rob had enough of his friends acting like children so he decided that he would show them the roller coaster wasn't as bad as they thought.
"How did you like the ride, honey?" Rob asked.
"Well, it wasn't bad! Tell that to the ones who are attached to your arms," Laura replied.
"You two heard Laura! It was not that bad!" Rob exclaimed.
"Who are you talking to?" Buddy asked.
"Who does it look like I'm talking to?" Rob asked in response.
"Buddy, I think he's talking to us," Sally told Buddy.
"Will you two let go of my arms! I think they're numb now!" Rob exclaimed as Buddy and Sally let go of the head writer's arms.
"Now, how bad was it?" Rob asked.
"It was bad!" Buddy replied and Sally nodded.
Rob face palmed himself. He couldn't get his friends to realize a roller coaster isn't as bad as they thought.
At the house….
The gang was still together having coffee after a day at the theme park.
"It was so scary when we were upside down, I thought I was going to fall out," Buddy said.
"Buddy, we had seatbelts!" Rob exclaimed.
"Can we please talk about something else? On the way here, that's all you've been talking about," Sally begged.
"She's right!" Laura exclaimed.
"Yeah, let's move on," Rob said.
"Yeah, we should," Buddy muttered.
Just then, Ritchie came home from playing with one of his friends.
"Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"Oh, hi Ritchie!" Laura replied.
"Hey Ritch! Say hello to some guests we have," Rob added, referring to Buddy and Sally.
Ritchie said his hellos to them.
"How was the roller coaster, Mommy? Did you like it? Did Daddy like it?" Ritchie asked.
"Yes dear, we loved it," Laura replied.
"Loved it? If you loved it so much, why don't you two marry it!" Sally teased.
"Yeah, so then it'll be a triple marriage," Buddy added.
"What about Uncle Buddy and Aunt Sally?" Ritchie asked.
Buddy and Sally thought about how to answer the question.
"Um, it's fun for those who love to hang upside down and love to go fast," Buddy replied.
"Buddy, don't scare him," Laura told her.
"What's there to be scared of? Those kinds of rides are fun!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"Wow, I guess the love for fast and crazy roller coasters run in the Petrie family," Sally said.
Just then, everybody began laughing.
-Hello everyone! This was my fourth story I've worked on with Fiddlegirl! I've decided to post this now because summer is going to end soon! I'm a little sad about that, but I'm very excited for fall! It's my favorite season! QOTD: What's your favorite season? That's it for now and I'll see you later!
-oldhollywoodbaby