Independence day was a big to do in America, The whole country was ringing with the sound of decorative explosives and the like. Each of the states put on a show once the sun had went down and some celebrations even spanned across afew days before or after. Tennessee absolutely loved it all. Holidays were a joyous occasion for her and the fourth of July was no different.
She spent the week before in such anticipation that she could barely sleep for wanting to be prepared. She had gone out and bought fireworks, probably more then needed. She had fished out something of appropriate colors to wear for the day, and had even exchanged her ever present strawhat with one that was slightly less shabby and had a red white and blue ribbon wound around the base.
It was almost dark enough to start the fun Tennessee saw as she stepped outside her home and stood on the front porch looking out at the sky, the stars were beginning to show up one by one now.
She turned and brought the big brown paper bag of fireworks out and set them down next to the steps along with a barbecue lighter. Retreating into the house to clean up abit to pass the time until the sun disappeared.
Once she was finished she stepped outside once and grinned. It was time, she could barely see if it wasn't for the lamp post at the end of her property. Picking up a red rocket from the brown bag by the stairs she walked a good ways from the house and out into the gravel driveway. Placing the firework firmly on the sandy ground she knelt down and clicked the lighter to life.
In a matter of seconds she had exposed the flame to the fuse and she backed away, walking backwards her eyes flickering back and forth as the rocket shot into the sky and with a loud pop exploded in a shower of colored sparks at a harmless altitude. She smiled as she watched it looking up into the sky with one hand shading her eyes to help her focus.
So it had started. One rocket led to another, led to sparklers, led to Tennessee going from merely smiling to her laughing incredibly loudly and shouting pride for her country.
"Your certainly being patriotic."
She stopped short with a sparkler in her hand as she heard the voice. Coming to a halt in the damp grass she stared at the great country before her. " I...I'm..I didn't expect to see you today." She shuddered out.
"Don't worry, I fully support your show of loyalty to the hero!" America said with a dramatic thumbs up to the smaller state.
Tennessee didn't seem phased by the hero act. " What I mean is, It's your big day what are you doing visiting little ladies in the middle of the night. Would think you'd have some big party to go to with the other countries." Her sparkler had long sense died out now, in her hand a useless stick of wire and hot ashes.
"Ah, I like to visit everyone and see what they're up to celebrate.I love all my states after all." America said, enthusiasm clear as Tennessee walked passed him and sat the used up sparkler in a pile of burnt things from that night. She picked up another few, a pleasant smile still present on her face. America watched her, admiring her cut off blue Jean shorts, red and white sleeveless top and strawhat. It was so like her now-a-days.
"Ya know, I remember when you weren't always so patriotic, Tenn." He had meant it harmlessly but she turned and gave him a blank stare. Memories of the civil war weren't always kind in the south. She ignored his remark and turned to face him holding two new sparklers, she held out one to him. He toke it alittle confused by the offering until she lit both hers and his, kicking off her shoes and running into the muddy grass arms flailing with the color pyrotechnic she had.
He toke off after her through the weeds and flowers, both of which were hard to distinguish from each other at some point. Tenn had the advantage it was her home and she knew the terrain well. She had been practically born running barefoot through dirt. She waved her sparkler proudly looking over her shoulder at America.
He wasn't having as easy a time, he had slipped one or twice and his glasses threatened to fall off when he skidded around trees. Even his jacket got snagged on a thorn bush once much to his dismay. Not to say that he was giving up anytime soon. Sparkler in hand he jumped over a low fence and waved it like a wand through the air, trying to draw a hamburger with the afterglow as he went. He laughed his heroic laugh, enjoying himself.
Tenn rounded the swingset in her front yard and giggled watching the country as her sparkler died out in her hand once again. She flopped down into the cushion of the swingset and threw the dead sparkler off into the yard.
When America had caught up he leaned over onto the swing post still waving his sparkler, even though it too had gone dead and all that was left was a glowing red dot at the end where the ashes hadn't completely burned out. Once he had grew bored with it he looked down at Tenn. She was examing her shins, they're were splattered with mud from the knees down. He looked down at his own pants and they too had gotten muddy at the ends.
"Come on, We can go clean up inside." Tennessee said standing up and stretching. As she did so the ribbon on her hat caught the wind and flew off. Her hands reached out for it but it was long away from her by then.
" Ah, I'll save the day." America said quickly as he ran after the fly away object without hesitation. Tenn just shook her head and followed. The hat had made a short trip into a nearby apple tree where is landed snuggly among the leaves. America stood under it, assessing the best and quite possibly most fantastical way to retrieve the hat when she caught up and without stopping grabbed a branch and swung herself up into the living structure.
"Hey, I'm the hero, Iet me get it." America said grabbing a branch himself and trying to out climb her but she was already sitting perfectly poised up in a high branch, hat in hand by then. America stopped then roughly opposite of her, slightly out of breath. He was glad though, Tenn just didn't look like herself without that weaved straw hat. It showed too, as she placed the piece back on top of her strawberry colored, twin braided hair, it looked at home.
America was not pouting at missing his chance to be her hero, it was almost childish but what else would she expect from the nation. Plucking an apple from the branch above her she toke it and held it out to America. "Happy birthday, Alfred."
The country had an ecstatic look on his face, he didn't care if the measly gift was an apple but just hearing Tennessee say his real name was a gift enough. " Oh, I knew you car-" he was cut off by Tenn shoving another apple into his mouth to stop up the excited speech he had been about to give. " and thank you." she added," For giving us freedom."
~Comedy Ending~
Afterwards the two had finally gone into Tenn's house to clean up as suggested before. Tennessee had shown America to the laundry room so that he could clean his pants and jacket off. She had felt sorry for getting his cloths so messy.
Meanwhile, she had gone to the bathroom and filled the tub up with alittle warm water. Stepping into the tub still fully clothed she started to wash the mud off her knees and ankles. She had done this numerous times before, it was an easy way to clean up without actually getting a full blown shower.
She stood there bent over with a rag in one hand when she heard a voice behind her. " Ahh, Tenn!. Close the door when your in the bathroom...Why are you in the tub with your cloths on?" There stood a confused America stretching his head at the sight of you bent over in a tub of dirty water. He didn't know wether it was a relief or a disappointment that you were still clothed but he was vaguely pleased with the sight of her ass in the air facing him.
That is until Tennessee noticed and threw the muddy rag at him over her shoulder. "Heyyy, What was that for? Your fault for leaving the door open." He whined. Tenn was going to retort something about not expecting him to be such a pervert, that even with cloths on she had to shut her doors but instead she thought of something better.
She simply replied, "Free Country."