Fifty Nifty United States

*Bonus One Shot*

Happy birthday, Papa, was written on an envelope in Georgia's pretty handwriting. I woke up to complete silence, which worried me, so I ran throughout the house to find the states. Our house was completely empty. Finally, I found this envelope on the kitchen island. Inside was a generic ticket to a show on Broadway.

The ticket showed that whatever my kids wanted me to see was at noon, which was still three hours away.

Until that time, I tried contacting every single one of the states, who all let me go to voicemail. That took almost two hours, even though it got me nowhere. I killed another half hour by watching the news. I smiled at all the people who were celebrating their country today.

Happy Fourth of July, I mumbled under my breath.

I switched off the TV and got on the subway so I would make it on time to the show.

Oddly enough, there were no shows listed that started at noon. I just shrugged and walked up to the ticket booth.

The woman working smiled at me. "Hello Alfred," Michelle said. New York and I come and see shows on Broadway all the time, so almost all the workers recognize us. After all our trips, I know them all by name as well. Before I could say anything, she started talking again, "Go ahead in."

I frowned, but listened to her directions. The theater was eerily quiet; I'd never been in that building when there weren't at least a few dozen people there. I followed my ticket to the right door, then to the right seat. I was right in the middle of the front row: the perfect place to watch the show.

The lights in the house dimmed and music started playing to a song I knew very well. The curtains opened to show all fifty of the states standing in a line.

Then, they started singing.

"Fifty nifty United States."

The thirteen oldest states stepped up here and and sang, "from thirteen original colonies." They joined their siblings again.

"Fifty nifty stars on the flag that billows so beautifully in the breeze.
Each individual state
Contributes a quality that us great.
Each individual state
Deserves a bow, we salute them now.
Fifty nifty United States."

Again, the thirteen moved out from their line, "from thirteen original colonies," and went back.

"Shout 'em, scout 'em, tell all about 'em,
One by one till we've given a day to every state in the USA."

It was only now that I realized that they were in alphabetical order. As the song continued, they stepped out as they each sang their name, just like they did when I introduced them to someone.

"Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut;
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana;
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan;
Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada;
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio;
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas;
Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
North, south, east, west
In our calm objective opinion," I hear a mixer of all fifty states being called, "is the best of the...
Fifty nifty United States."

"From thirteen original colonies."

"Shout 'em, scout 'em, tell all about 'em,
One by one till we've given a day to every state in the good old USA."

I clapped as they finished their song, the sound echoing in the empty room.

My kids started moving around on the stage, though there didn't seem to be an order to their groupings. But as the song started, I noticed they were in five groups of ten, most likely in the order they became states.