It was early in the morning, and the Boonchuys stepped into the dining room
where they found a table with freshly cooked food and their daughter and her boyfriend in the kitchen.
"Morning Mom, Dad." spoke Anne. "Me and Ollie got up early and we decided to make breakfast again."
The two adults inhaled the air, and exhaled blissfully at the pleasant aroma.
"That is very thoughtful of you Anne...and, you too Oliver." said Oum.
Olivier could only smile in response.
As Anne's parents sat down to eat the food on the plates, they looked at one another.
Bee gave a simple nod. Oum nodded back, and then looked over at her daughter.
"Anne...Dear, could you go check on your frog friends for a minute?"
"Okay, mom. Be right back." said Anne, as she walked away.
Olivier was about to follow Anne, when Bee spoke up. "Ollie?, Could you get some Boba Tea from the fridge?"
Olivier nodded. "Right away, Mister Boonchuy, sir."
Olivier proceeded to do as he was ordered, and opened the refidgerator door.
Taking out the pitcher of tea and a pair of glasses, he closed the door and approached the adults.
"Here you are-"
"Sit with us, please." spoke Oum. "We'd like to talk to you about something."
Olivier grimaced, his face turning pale. "Whatever it is, I *SWEAR* I didn't-"
"You're not in trouble, Oliver...we just want to talk." said Bee, kindly.
Deciding to trust the two, Olivier sat down between the adults. "okay...what's the word?"
"well...me and my husband have been thinking about something." began Oum.
"Regarding YOU, and your relationship with our daughter, Anne."
Olivier began sweating bullets. dreading where this conversation was going.
"Anne is our baby girl...and we've always been concerned about her future." continued Oum.
"And after her disappearance five months ago, our concern over her only grew."
"And we have to admit...when she first came home with a boy, we didn't know what to think." spoke Bee.
"On one hand, we were grateful that you brought her home. But as parents, we were still wary about you."
Olivier frowned. "I understand."
"But after getting to know you this past week...we fully trust you without a shadow of a doubt." said Oum.
"It's why when we found you and Anne sleeping together in your room...we let you be." added Bee.
Olivier blushed bright red, recalling that last night he did sleep with Anne.
But ONLY because of her nightmare, AND it was on the couch while sitting up.
STILL, the fact that Anne's parents HAD seen them like that made Olivier wish he could just disappear right now.
"I swear there is a good reason for-"
"It's okay, Oliver...We know you would never try anything." said Oum.
"Phew!" exhaled Olivier, relieved.
"We trust you to always take care of out little Anne." said Bee.
"Which is why...we have decided to give you something very important to us."
It was then that Oum placed something on the table and scooted it to Olivier.
Removing her hand...Olivier looked at a small, black box with a velvet texture.
Olivier reached for the box...and slowly opened the lid.
He then gasped at seeing an aged copper ring with gold paint that was chipping off.
Said ring bore a gemstone, however it was clearly fake with visible cracks and chipped edges.
Olivier looked at the Boonchuys, puzzled.
"That was the ring that I offered Oum when I first proposed to her." said Bee, his tone soft.
"I was poor, and couldn't afford a *real* engagement ring. I had to make one with whatever I could find."
Oum smiled warmly as she recalled the memory of when Bee first proposed to her.
Like Bee himself at the time, the ring wasn't much to look at, but she didn't care how either of them looked.
She loved them all the same.
"We know that the love you feel for our daughter is genuine." began Oum.
"And, we would be proud if when you do propose to our Anne...you use OUR ring to do it."
Olivier froze as he stared at the engagement ring again.
To anyone else, it would look like Junk...but not to Olivier.
It was THIS ring...that led to Anne being born. So to Olivier, this cheaply made, junky ring
was more valuable to him than the shiniest jewel in any kingdom's treasure trove.
This simple trinket...is what brought Olivier happiness.
Olivier finally closed the box, and clutched it tightly.
"I...am honored that you entrust this to me." spoke Olivier. "I will try and be worthy of it."
Bee and Oum smiled at the boy. "we wouldn't had given this to you if we believed you weren't."
Olivier breathed out as he pocketed the small box...JUST as Anne returned.
"Okay, everything is okay with the Plan-"
Anne paused as she stared at her parents and boyfriend. "Is everything okay here?"
Anne's parents smiled as if nothing was wrong.
"Of course, dear." said Oum.
"We were just having a friendly chat with Oliver, is all." said Bee.
Anne looked at Olivier...who smiled at her, alleviating her worries.
"well...OKAY, Then." said Anne. "Ollie, could you come with me? and grab your laptop."
"Why?" said Olivier (just as Anne pulled him out of his seat.)
"I need you to help me research interdimensional portal stuff." explained Anne.
"We really do need to find a way to return the Plantars and Maddie home...AND to get you back home, too!"
"uhh...Okay, Annie. just give me a minute." said Olivier.
"Thanks, dude." said Anne, as she gave Olivier a quick kiss on the cheek. "love you."
Olivier blushed. "love you, too."
As Anne left, Olivier heard his girlfriend's parents chuckle. "What?"
"If you two weren't still teenagers, We'd wear you and Anne were already married." joked Bee.
Olivier blushed again. "Are we...REALLY like that now?"
"Ollie, you and Anne are practically like mini versions of me and Bee now." said Oum, with a grin.
"You cook food together, you give each other pet names and have casual PDA's..." continued Bee
"oh, gosh. We really *DO* act like a married couple." spoke Olivier, in stunned realization.
"Then you better keep that ring someplace safe until it is time to make it official...in Five or Ten Years." said Oum.
"Oh, I will!...I promise." said Olivier, as he walked away. "Thank you Mister and Mis-"
"We're practically family now, Ollie." spoke Bee.
"You can call us by our real names (*grins*) but, you can also call me "Mom & Dad", if you want."
Olivier blushed hard at this. "um...I'll still to your real name for now...B-Bee."
Olivier finally walked away to go find his laptop computer.
[Later That Day]
Domino the Cat runs around Anne's bed...then chases a fly, eats it, and spits it out.
She drops down the stairs, makes a mess in the living room, and plays with a ball of yarn.
Fleetwing is resting on a perch, and takes one look at Domino
before rolling it's eyes in annoyance and returning to it's nap.
Domino then looks outside the back door when she hears her owner' Anne yelling outside in the backyard.
"Really? Science Mag Monthly?" Exclaimed Anne "Not one article on interdimensional portals?
There's absolutely nothing! (*slaps the magazine*) What science do you even do?!"
In the backyard, Sprig is playing with a soccer ball, while Hop Pop and Polly rest in the sun on beach chairs.
Maddie is inspecting some insects in the grass, and Olivier as typing in an old laptop computer.
"Relax, Anne. We'll find a way back..." spoke Hop Pop, as he drank his lemonade. "...eventually."
Olivier glanced over at his angry girlfriend.
"To be fair, interdimensional travel would be rather revolutionary by human standards.
It seems unlikely it would be printed in an on-the-rack magazine for anyone to see if it DOES exist."
Anne scowled. Hating that her boyfriend had a point.
"Have YOU had better luck finding anything, Ollie?" asked Anne.
Olivier sighed. "not yet...but I'm on the right track. I found some webpages on "ParaScience",
and encountered a few topics on interdimensional portals. Nothing solid, but it's a start."
Anne shrugged. "better than nothing, I guess."
At that moment, Bee Boonchuy walked into the yard with a pitcher of lemonade.
As he poured some fresh, cold liquid into Hop Pop's glass, the old frog smiled.
"Oh, you don't have to do that." said Hop Pop.
"Please, you're our guests." said Bee, politely.
Just then, blaring Beeps are heard and black smoke comes out of the house.
"What's that high-pitched beeping?" asked Olivier.
Anne's father then gasps in horror, and runs back into the kitchen. "My Canapés!"
"Whoo!, I haven't been this pampered in ages." exclaimed Hop Pop
"Hear! Hear!" said Polly, as she slaps her feet a couple of times.
"Enjoy it now, kids, but remember: "Guests are like noxious swamp gas..." began Hop Pop.
"...After three days, they start to drive you completely crazy".
"We've already been here two days, pretty soon we'll have to start pulling our own weight."
"Mister Plantar, sir. I think we've all have been here for a whole week." said Maddie.
Hop Pop coughs up in sudden surprise and spits his lemonade at Polly, both spit-take at each other.
"No!, That means we're not just guests anymore. We're freeloaders!" exclaimed Hop Pop. "JUST LIKE COUSIN STANLEY!"
Polly gasps.
"Well, I'm sort of family now." spoke Sprig, unbothered. "so..."
Both Anne, Olivier and Maddie stared in confusion. "Who?"
"He was the worst." spoke Polly (*as the Plantars all started to get flashbacks.*)
"He stayed forever." spoke Hop Pop.
"Ate all our snacks!" mused Sprig.
"Even used *MY* old bucket as a footbath."
"I don't even think he was really our cousin." said Sprig, as he recollected the time
he saw Stanley paint his skin "Plantar Orange" in the bathroom of his home.
"But we were hosts, so we had to be nice." spoke Hop Pop, as he too recollected the time
He and his grandchildren held hands while Stanley relaxes on a long chair, slurping his drink.
"We just resented him a little more... (*Time passed, and the Plantar's faces are shriveled with bloodshot eyes.*)EACH DAY."
The Plantars soon returned to reality, and they demeanor softened.
"But, Thankfully, he eventually left peacefully on his own." spoke Hop Pop, trying to keep a straight face.
"...Just kidding. We threw him out the window." said Hop Pop bluntly, as he recalled when he and his family had enough
and finally kicked 'Cousin' Stanley out of the house from the second story, and into a small pond.
"Whoa!, What?!" exclaimed Anne, stunned.
"Exactly! And I can only imagine what the Boonchuys wanna do to us by now." exclaimed Hop Pop, panicking.
"We got to find a way to contribute to this household, OR WE'LL BE ON THE STREET ANY DAY NOW!"
Olivier rolled his eyes. "Don't you think you are overreacting juuust a bit, Pops?"
Before the orange frog could give a response, Anne's mother walked into the yard.
"Anne. It's time for your dentist appointment."
"My what?" spoke Anne, confused.
"You have been missing for five months, and I have a feeling you haven't been brushing." said Oum, sternly.
"Aaaw, but, Mom! I'm supposed to take Domino to the vet today!" said Anne.
As Bee Boonchuy returns with a plate of (mildly burnt) Canapés, Oum looked at him.
"Maybe your father could take her to the vet."
"No can do. I'm working at the restaurant today." said Bee.
"Oh, well. Mmm..."
"We'll take the cat to the vet!" exclaimed Hop Pop, suddenly.
Oun Boonchuy stared at the orange frog. "Really?!, Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. It's the least we can do to help." said Hop Pop, confidently.
Anne then grabs Hop Pop and squeezes him. "You guys are lifesavers!"
Anne then quickly writes a note.
"Here's the address to the vet. And, If anyone suspects anything froggy about you,
just say "Boy, I could use some coffee." It's like code for "I'm human."
Olivier stared at Anne with a doubtful look on his face.
Oum then grabs Anne by the back of her shirt. "Thanks, guys."
"And I'll be heading to the restaurant." said Bee.
Olivier closed his computer. "Hang on, I'll come with you-"
Before Olivier could finish, Oum grabbed him as well. "oh, no you're not: YOU'RE going to the dentist, too."
"WHAT!?" exclaimed Olivier, surprised.
"Until we can get back in contact with your mother, *I* will have to be your mother for the time being." began Oum.
"And I feel you haven't brushed your teeth any more than Anne most likely hasn't."
"Well, I-"
"This isn't up for debate, Oliver." said Oum, holding both Olivier and Anne together.
"I've already set up appointments for BOTH of you: You're BOTH going, and that is final."
Anne and Olivier gave each other worried looks...and then held hands like they were going to their own executions.
"Okay. as I was saying..." spoke Bee, as he knelt down to the frogs.
"If anything go wrong, just- (*offers Polly a clam cell phone*) -give me a call."
"Sweeeeet..." spoke Polly, as she opens the phone to check it. "Burner."
At the front of the Boonchuy residence. Oum is dragging both Anne and Olivier to the family minivan.
"Moooom, please." whined Anne "My teeth only hurt a little bit!"
"There is nothing no Dentist can do that I can't fix with healing mag-"
Oum ignores the two teens, and (quite literally) throws them both into the van,
closes the door with a slam, gets in the driver's seat, and begins to drive off.
At the same time, Bee is on his 'Electric Motorcycle' and waves to his wife as she leaves.
"Have fun with Domino, guys." Said Bee to the frogs, as he rode off and out of view.
[End of Part Forty-One]