Mr. Roboto
Chapter 4-New Year's Celebration
Time's Square. New York. December 31st, 1999. 11 P.M.
Nothing short of the most hyped excitement filled the air in Time's square as everyone and their mother was there awaiting the arrival of the twenty-first century.
"It's just so hard for me to believe that we've actually made it to the beginning of a new millennium." Rachel said awestruck at the realization.
"Just as hard for me to believe that we've been together since 1955." Richard commented while looking at his wife, amidst all the chaos of people around them."
"And it's hard for me to believe the world can fit this many people." Renée said sarcastically given the shear volume of people at Time's Square.
"Well dear sister, this is the place to be tonight," Gary replied just as excited as the rest of the crowd around them. "Man do I feel sorry for whoever has to work this evening. They're missing out on this beast of a party."
"Since when did you learn city dialect?" Renée asked confused by her brother's words, "And I thought you were proud of being a country boy, did that Fry guy give you drugs the other night?"
"If you call happiness and a sense of gratitude drugs then I already overdosed on those before we left home." Gary responded in a joking matter, "I just hope he isn't missing out on the night of the century."
"Considering at the start of last century," Richard began, "We were just beginning to learn how the air worked and someone thought it'd be 'cool' to call sarsaparilla something different. I can't tell you how much your great-grandfather Roy Dreyfuss told me how confused he was by it when he walked into the fountain one day in 1900 and his favorite drink had a different name. Of course that was back in the 50s when I was even younger than you two."
"I don't recall you tell one dad," Gary fascinated by his dad's stories from another time. "You really do learn something new everyday."
"Last thing I'll be learning tonight doctor." Renée joked on her brother's status. "Save the lecture for tomorrow."
"Oh you'll be surprised sister. Just like Grandpa Bucyrus told me my birthday night: 'Anything's possible in the future." Gary remarked on the last thing his grandpa told him before the trip. "Considering this time a century ago we didn't think flight was possible, but then just three years later the Wrights were the first to-."
"What's that?" Renée interrupted, "I can't hear you through the big noise machine beside me."
"Have I told you you're the best sister I could have?" Gary complimented countering his sister's attempt not to care about his knowledge. "And that there's no place I'd rather be than here?"
"Looks like you are smart enough to know when I'm messing with you." Renée admitted to not really blocking out her brother. "Takes a college education to figure that out now doesn't it?"
"Since we both have one, hard to tell what we can figure out without one?" Gary joked back.
"I'm pretty sure you two can figure out that there's only thirty minutes left until the new century." Rachel informed her kids. "At least we know Prince was wrong this time. Then again everyone from Minnesota is wrong about everything."
"Yeah I don't like the choices some of my colleagues made by going to Minnesota for college instead of staying home, but not everyone from Minnesota is bad" Gary responding to his mother's grudge over their neighboring state."
"I know Gary, but that left you lonely with smaller classes and some of those girls could've been yours." Rachel explaining why she was still bitter to Minnesota. "It's just how hard you worked at college and how their farmers get lots of credit for producing crop that your father is jealous of."
"Honestly I didn't know there was that much to it," Gary acknowledged about this grudge his family has had with the north star state. "And what did I say earlier about learning things?" Gary smirked to Renée about what she said earlier. Renée could only shrug back knowing he brother still had her beat sometimes. Just like every state fair since 1985.
"Guys," Richard catching the attention of his family, "They're playing something on the jumbotron out there." On the largest screen on the building side, it showed the stage where Dick Clark was hosting this huge event.
"May I have your attention people of New York," Began Dick Clark from the jumbotron, "We welcome over two million people to this once in a century event." The Hudsons couldn't believe what they just heard.
"Two, Million?!" Rachel shocked and astounded questioned.
"Told you this was the place to be." Gary, reinstating his claim from earlier.
"It is my honor to introduce: Mayor Rudy Giuliani." If the crowd was loud before, it now sounded like two million megaphones went off at the same time. Ecstatic to welcome their mayor to the event.
"Now that's the response you get from a mayor who treats his people right." Richard commented on the crowd's behavior towards the mayor. Rudy was shown walking up to the podium on the stage, flattered by the praise he was getting from the cheers from the crowd.
"My fellow New Yorkers," He began, "Could we have had a better night to welcome us into the new millennium?" Even louder cheers were the only reply heard, the only one he needed for an answer.
"Our reporters tell us we have a crowd of over two million tonight, more people than the populations of the smallest ten states. Looks like the folks up in Vermont were too crazy to keep them all so they all left." He joked about his conflicting options with Vermont's local government. "If so we'll gladly take them in tonight, cause who wants to be alone and cold tonight?" The crowd laughed some at his comments. "That's what I thought, now all joking aside, I'd like to say fortunate we are to be able to have the biggest growth in the city's history since the 60s. I think that's an accomplishment worth celebrating tonight, and with the cooperation of Governor George Pataki, the rest of the state has also seen tremendous growth." A round of applause was heard from his statistical summary of New York.
"Too bad the people won't know the real reason their state is doing so well." Rachel remarked knowing that this success would vanish the second another dem was elected.
"What a ways we've come since the start of the century." Rudy remarked as he continued his speech. "We've seen more tourists, the lowest crime in the city's history, and all while reshaping the city's identity from the grounds of scum that embarrassed the country, into one of sustainability for the common man and reminding the world that New York was the city of the American dream." Again, the crowd cheered as Rudy listed his accomplishments as mayor.
"That's what happens when you vote right," Richard said while wrapping his arm around his wife and bringing her close. "and marry right." Rachel just smirked in response.
"However with all that I've done for this great city," Rudy continued, "Tonight isn't about me or what I've done, it's about all of us gathering as Americans to celebrate the end of the greatest century in human history, and the beginning of the next chapter for mankind. With only fifteen minutes to go, neither I nor the everyone else could be more excited for this history in the making. Now just remember my fellow New Yorkers; Everything that happens within these next few minutes will be a part of history forever. Real shame Clinton won't be a part of that history." Even more cheers could be heard from the crowd from his joke about the president.
"Who's going to care about Clinton in the next century anyways?" Renée questioned Rudy's joke given what he said already.
"Let him have some fun," Gary responded to Renée's comments. "Besides with accomplishments that decimate any of our fair stuff when we were younger, he's got enough bragging rights to serve this crowd for the next century."
"Let's just hope there's enough to take home with us for the rest of the family." Renée replied humorously.
"Still don't have enough souvenirs?" Gary asked with the same humorous energy as Renée.
"Oh we have plenty already, so much so you'll be the one carrying them in the airport tomorrow." Renée informed Gary.
"Maybe in the next ten minutes we'll advance so much I'll discover mind reading and become famous all without leaving the city." Gary joked back to Renée's statement. "Assuming you haven't figured out how to block my mind reading by then."
"Were you able to read my mind and tell that I'm still cold even with this heavy coat on?" Renée asked Gary going back on his roast.
"How can you be so cold when there's two million people here, and we come from one of the coldest places in the country?" Gary questioning his sister's sudden intolerance to the climate since coming to New York.
"Must be something they put in the air, maybe they've already figured out how to read people's minds and make us all uncomfortable to buy more stuff."
"Says the one who bought nearly two-fifty worth of souvenirs." Gary smirked with delight.
"Why can't you two just settle down enjoy the moment?" Rachel questioned her kids, "Besides Rudy is still speaking and I'd like to hear his closing remarks."
"Your right mom," Gary acknowledged, "And I want to hear his closing too." Showing interest in what Mayor Giuliani was saying.
"It's almost time so I'll close with this." Rudy said signifying his speech's end. "I'll still be serving as mayor well into the new century, so don't expect this to be the end of the golden age for this city. Instead, think of tonight as only the beginning in what's sure to be a period so prosperous a thousand years from now we'll be looked at as the pinnacle of accomplishment in what will always be the nation's biggest city." Cheers again could be heard from all around time's square. "And by the time this night is over, and we see the first dawn of the century. It'll be the dawn of what is sure to be the best period in each of your lives, the lives of all the free-thinking American people who stood up in front of the world and said we are the ones to look up to and take example from. Who else but the people here tonight would be able to make such a brighter dawn than the one we are about to witness? The ones that will make the next down the brightest, and the last sunset another century from now equally as bright. It has been a privilege to be your mayor and I will make sure this next dawn will be one no American person here tonight, will ever forget. God bless you all and have a wonderful happy new century." And with that Rudy closed out his speech, leaving the podium, and with a roaring crowd of praise accompanying his departure.
"He couldn't have said it any better," Dick Clark remarked to the audience below, still cheering on their mayor. "And couldn't have picked a better time to stop either with two minutes to go." Looking at the large clock up on top of the building with the crystal ball right above it, ready to fall in a minute's time.
"Well, this is it family," Richard said to his family, "Let the finial countdown begin."
"Hey there's an idea," Renée thought up, "Let's go to Europe for out next big trip." Making a joke about the band's famous song.
"Not a bad idea sis," Gary not poking back at his sister for a change, "But let's worry about what's happening now instead, we've got a minute left." Seeing how the countdown began on the jumbotron.
The crowd around them all started to count down with the clock for the moment of the century.
"I'm so glad we came here at early," Rachel said regarding how long they've been waiting at time's square already. "Now we can all enjoy the last few moments of the century together." Looking lovingly at her family coming in close.
"This may juts be the last big moment we have as a family, the last big one before you two move out and start anew." Richard added while starting to tear up some, this surprised Renée and Gary since he didn't get emotional often.
"Now look what you did dad," Renée said happily, "Now you're making me all emotional too,"
"Seems like I was the missing gear that kept this family working all along, and maybe there is a place for me at the ranch." Gary noted with his family getting worked up.
"Maybe you're right Gary," Renée replied, surprising Gary coming from what she said at the start of their trip. "We wouldn't be the same without you." Renée then hugger her younger brother, even with all their rude comments at each other, they were still family.
"Where would I be without a sister like you?" Gary complimented, mending up any little cracks he may have inadvertently caused during the trip. He then heard the counting down get louder; these would be the final seconds. What a perfect way to end the century. He thought while looking up at the ball drop.
10,
9,
8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1,
With the vanishing of the giant crystal ball, 1999 was now over and a new century swept over the city. 2000 was here, the future was here.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR" could be heard from the millions around the Hudsons, with all kinds of noisemakers, horns, and fireworks to make this an even they could never forget. Then they heard Auld Lang Syne being sung all around them, the song everyone sings on the new year.
"This was incredible," Renée said extatically, amazed at all that just happened in such a few short seconds. "I've never had a New Year's Eve as amazing as this, and there's no one I'd rather be with than all of you."
"Second me on that sweetheart." Richard adding on his daughter's amazement, hugging her. Gary thought for a brief moment about what his first phrase of the century would be. Then he thought of the perfect thing to say:
"Of all the places in the world to be and all the times to be at that place. Nothing comes close to being here to experience this great big, beautiful tomorrow, today." And what a way to being the century, he thought.
"Now I know we're all having fun here but," Rachel interjected in everyone's good time, "We have mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral ten hours from now and you know it's going to be packed for the first mass of the century."
"Aw but mom," Gary wined sarcastically, "I wanted to see the first sunrise."
"Get up early enough to shave and be ready then you can see the sunrise." Rachel responded to Gary's desire.
"Either way with this new century coming in we've got a whole lot to pray about so I don't wanna be late for sure." Richard added regarding their plans for New Year's Day.
"Sounds good dad," Renée commented, "We'll be ready to get their early, early enough to find that one parking space." The family laughed some at her comment as they started to make their way back to the hotel. Gary was for sure ready for what the first day of the century would bring, after all with a night like he just witnessed who wouldn't be? But little did he know that morning mass would be the last mass he would ever have with his family.