Roni jumped out of the Explorer and stretched. It was approaching dusk and the sunset had turned the world into a land of deep purples and pinks. She and Amy went up the stairs and inside. Roni turned on the radio and got started with the job at hand, picking up the house and cooking dinner for some hobbits, an Elf, and a King. Amy started on the living room, because she hated to do the kitchen. Roni started in the kitchen, because she hated to do the living room, and she could clean while watching the thick, from-scratch spaghetti sauce she had going.
Amy had the news on while she cleaned. It was the standard CNN stuff, war in Iraq, this guy going to jail for something. The normal junk. But then, there was something out of the ordinary.
"Now here's something for all of you Lord of the Rings fans." The news person, a lady, said. "Two young women from the USA are in New Zealand this year putting together a park made from the actual sets used in the movies. We go now to our field representative," The screen flicked to an on-screen camera, with LOTR Land behind the well dressed male covering the story.
"Hey Roni, get in here!" Amy called.
"Wha?" Roni walked in with a towel in one hand and a spoonful of spaghetti in the other. "Does this taste alright to you?", she thrust the spoon of spaghetti in Amy's face.
"It's fine." Amy said, pointing to the t.v. "Look at this. We are on the news!"
Both of them turned to the t.v. and watched the guy out in front of the gates they had locked behind them less than an hour ago. He talked about the park, then, surprisingly, the two girls.
"We have information that the young enterprenuers are originally from Louisiana, one of the southern-most states in the United States of America. We do not know of their ages, but we do know that this endeavor of their is going to bring New Zealand nearly 12 billion dollars in new jobs and tourism. The whole island thanks these ladies for their experiment. This is..."
Roni turned to Amy to find a matching look of awe on her face. She dropped the spoon and towel before jumping up and down, screaming, "We were on the news....We were on the news!!!!"
Amy, ever the practical one, calmed down first. "But, how did they know who we were and where we came from?" She asked.
"Who cares?" Roni was still excited. "We were on the news!"
Amy gave Roni a shove toward the kitchen, then handed her the dropped spoon. "Be glad I'm not making you sponge up the spot on the caret." She said, going to the bathroom to get cleaners before the spaghetti sauce stained the carpet.
There was a knock on the door at 15 til 8. They were early. Roni dashed out of the kitchen and answered it before Amy could make it out of the bathroom, where she was getting some dirty clothes to make a load of laundry.
"Hey!" Roni screamed as she flung open the door for Billy, Dom, Elijah, and Sean.
They all responded in kind, along with hugs, then came in through the door. Amy met them all in the living room, for her own hugs.
"Ahh...my spaghetti!" Roni cried before charging back into the kitchen.
"What on earth is wrong with her?" Billy asked.
"She's a little light headed 'cause we were on the news tonight. You know, the whole Lord of the Rings Land and how we're the masterminds behind it." Amy said, her eyes dancing to the wet spot in the carpet.
"Yeah, that happens to the best of us, the first time." Billy said.
Another knock on the door, and Elijah was the closest. Viggo and Orlando walked in. Roni called from the kitchen,"Hey! Spaghetti is almost done!"
Amy went back to the bathroom to finish up her laundry. Elijah, Billy, and Orlando went into the kitchen and were put to work by Roni, setting the table. Viggo, Dom and Sean had found a football game and were watching it, debating and betting against players and teams.
"Spaghetti is done! Come and get it!" Roni shouted from the kitchen. All 7 of the guests crowded the kitchen, clamouring for plates of food. After her foot was stepped on for the fifth time, she called over the group, "HEY!! Get in line! Stop pushing! AHHHH!!!!"
The crowd stopped bum-rushing the stove and stared at the screaming person in the middle of them. Dumb-founded, they formed a crazy looking line, with Dom in the front. Roni started to pile loads of spaghetti on plates and top it with marinara. She handed Dominic the first plate and the basket of garlic bread. Gradually, everyone was armed with plates and sitting at the table, waiting for the last two, Roni and Elijah, to come out of the kitchen with their own spaghetti. Finally, everyone was sitting down with food, wine, water, or whatever else they wanted to drink.
Amy asked, "Who'll say grace?"
"Grace?" Roni asked. "Do we have to?"
"Yes, we do." Amy said.
"Fine, then you do it." Roni, at the head of the table, shot back.
"Then I will." She bowed her head and said a quick grace. "Amen! Let's eat!"
"Yay!" Dom shouted before tucking into the noodles and sauce.
Everyone was silent for a few minutes, eating and drinking. Viggo broke the silence first, "This is fantastic! Where did you learn this recipe?"
Roni slurped up some noodles, "Hm..." She chewed for bit, then answered, "My best friend is Italian. His dad taught him the recipe, and he taught it to me."
Billy shouted, "I wanna be Italian!"
Dom reached over Billy's plate and took away his wine glass. "No more for you, Mr. Scot."
"Hey...hey!! Give that back to me! You little thief! I will not stand for this." Billy tried to stand, but that didn't go over well. He ended up back in his seat, and a little unstable.
The people at the table laughed at him. Sean spoke up in his quiet voice, "Dinner and a show!"
The people at the table laughed again.
Amy stood. "A toast." She said. "To good friends, good times, and Lord of the Rings Land. May Gondor ever flourish."
"And The Shire." added Billy.
"And the lands of Mirkwood and Lothlorien." added Orlando.
"Yes. May our friendships, our memories, and all the lands of Lord of the Rings ever flourish." Roni added.
"Here, here!" shouted the table, with clinks of glasses sounding around the room.