Hey! Roxy Goth here. So, just a heads up, this chapter [as you might have got by the title] involves Veterans Day and therefore mentions of the War.
I have done some research into Veterans day and know it tends not to be celebrated on the day of, but the weekend around. However, as this is Toon World, I felt we could do things differently. Also they have Toons from all cultures, not just America, so:
Anyway, see chapter one for the disclaimer and let's crack on!
11/11/1992
I swear Veterans Day gets sooner every year. In theory this should be a great day for us, but I always feel nervous about the prospect of getting on a float and being part of a parade while people throw things at us and wave, this despite the fact I've done the same thing EVERY Veterans Day ever since the War. It doesn't really help that the kids are just a TAD to young to really understand the whole POINT of Veterans Day either. As far as they're concerned they're just getting a day off school, which leaves them hyper and jumping around the place like maniacs.
"OF COURSE." I said, over the sound of the kids play-fighting. "The whole point you've GOT this day of school is because WE, I.E. your Pop and me along with many others, fought in WW2-"
"-Take that!" Babs shrieked, clubbing her brother over the head with a wooden plank she'd got from AVERY knows where.
I sighed, pinched the bridge of my nose and muttered. "Why do I bothew?"
Bugs laughed and assured me that eventually the kids would understand what the whole point of V.D. is. [And as long as they don't learn to understand it through personal experience, I'll be happy.]
Then he clapped his hands together and announced we were going. Normally it takes a while to get the kids out the door, but they were so excited today they were in the car before Bugs had even finished the sentence.
So we had to go to the car, get them out of it and explain that we would be WALKING to the Parade, seeing as it's less than ten minutes away from our houses [If we take a short cut.] and that anything they got at the parade they'd be carrying back. [This is hopefully to stop them buying/winning things they don't really need. It was Bugs's idea. See what I mean about him being an eternal optimist?]
Anyway, we eventually got there and the kids immediately made a bolt for the nearest stall. "Wait a minute!" I snapped. "Myself and your Pop are due on the parade in about an hour, so you three are being left with Auntie Petunia, Sylvia and Penelope. And we don't want ANY trouble, understand?"
Halos appeared above the kids heads and they all smiled sweetly.
Me and Bugs exchanged a look before trying to find the aforementioned three. When we tracked them down it was clear they were, well, not quite STRUGGLING but pre-occupied with there own two. [Hampton and Fifi.] Junior was clearly having one of his more 'mature' days, being dressed in a suit and holding a newspaper [for some reason] under his arm.
"Awe you suwe you'ww be abwe to wook aftew them aww?" I anxiously asked Tunia.
It was Sylvia who answered me, with a big beam she indicated Junior and explained that he would be helping out with the kids. I had doubts about exactly how useful her son would be, especially as by this point he was actually READING the paper while ignoring the kids shrieking around him while playing tag with each other, but it was hardly my place to say so, especially as I wouldn't be involved with any of this.
So we left them to it and headed over to the parade. Despite the fact we still had 45 minutes, we needed time to get our act together and calm down. I had a quick look round when I got there and saw that the majority of the other toons were clad in there uniforms, which made me feel nervous because myself and Bugs weren't dressed in them. Admittedly they ARE optional, but it's hard not to feel guilty when you see the others wearing them.
The reason they're optional is because some of the other Toons get really bad flashbacks if they wear them, like Sylvester for instance. But he's had massive problems around Warfare ever since, well, the war. Originally he couldn't even watch anything that mentioned the war without triggering flashbacks, let alone go in a museum and stuff, but he has got better with Scratchy's help. Or your help, even, seeing as you'll be reading this. Anyway, that's why I don't wear the uniform, I mean, I'm usually alright but when I get in the uniform it just takes me back and it's better for everyone if that doesn't happen...
"Mr Bunny! Mr Fudd!" Beans [The Cat] headed towards us smiling and brandishing a clipboard. "Good ta see ya! Ah!" He shook our hands, ticked our names off his list and pointed to the first of the three LT float's, which was just in front of the Disney ones. [After about twenty years debate, we finally decided it was best to alternate the last spot, because that's the one that's the most 'important'.]
Nearly everyone else was there already. Sylvester was pacing up and down briskly, muttering under his breath.
"Eh, ya alright, Doc?" Bugs asked him, carefully.
"Fine." He muttered. "Thanks for asking however, but I'd rather just be left alone, if you don't mind? Although...if you SEE Dawg?"
So we left him and made our way to the side off the float. [We sit round the edges and wave at the civilians.]
I took a breath and tried to calm myself down, because I was feeling very anxious as I ALWAYS do on this day.
"Eh...ya alright, Fuddsey?"
I nodded. The shook my head. Then shrugged.
"...Wanna talk about it?"
I shook my head. There was certainly no way I was opening up a conversation about the war now. The last thing I wanted was my involuntary giving everyone a flashback to my experience during the war. Which could easily happen if I wasn't careful. [This is part of the reason we know so much about what happened to Sylvester, which I won't write here, just in case this falls into someone else's hands.]
The parade itself went well. The horn blared and we all got into position and then we were off. Granted, they were floats so we were hardly racing along, but it was quite a nice little journey.
We passed Petunia and Co, which was nice because I wasn't sure which side they'd be on. The three adults [and Junior, who was still reading the paper] looked tired, meanwhile the kids were leaping around and waving energetically at us. Although, I couldn't HELP noticing that Elmyra was clutching a massive teddy-bear about as big as she was, which would be a joy to get home.
Once you get going it's quite nice doing the parade. And at the end they play the beginning of 'The Wedding March' to signify that the confetti cannons were about to explode on us [In the past they tried a gunshot and a cannon, which didn't work and the beginnings of various classical songs, but the Wedding March was the only one that didn't startle anyone to the extend they started attacking stuff, and was vaguely nice to listen to.]
Afterwards we found the girls and Elmyra ran forward waving that teddy in the air and yelling. "Daddy, daddy, look what I got!"
"Gweat." I said, mentally calculating how much space it would take up. "And what did you think of ouw pawade?"
"It was good, but long." Elmyra said, scrunching her nose up. "Could it be shorter next year?" [To which several 'deep breaths' were needed.]
Bugs gently put a hand on my shoulder and smoothly asked if anyone wanted to come back to our house for a few hours.
Who knows, maybe in the future the kids WILL appreciate exactly what we did to help their modern-day country be what it is now, but we'll just have to see.