51. Teeth For Two

Chapter 49 - Teeth for Two

Another day on the planet Earth brings new opportunities for our group of humans and amphibians. So while Anne and Darrel find other ways of getting the Plantars and Tint back to Amphibia, they choose to relax for the day. Which did not sit well with Anne or Darrel.

In Anne's backyard, Hop pop was taking it easy on the lounge chair. Sprig and Tint were passing a soccer ball to each other. Polly was laying right beside Hop pop on a pillow, drinking lemonade. Anne was reading science magazines on how to open dimensional portals to other worlds. Darrel however, laid his head on his hand, feeling bored out of his mind. Watching Anne read magazines didn't feel like it was progress.

"Really, Science Mag Monthly?" Anne asked. "Not one article about interdimensional portals?" Anne slams her hands into her face. "There's absolutely nothing. What science do you even do?" She slams the magazine off the table and onto the ground. The pages opened show articles about diarrhea being cured and world hunger being solved.

Darrel rubbed his temple with his index finger and thumb. "Anne, we're not getting anywhere with this." "What are you talking about, Darrel?" Darrel stands up from his chair and keeps a firm grip on the table. "We're trying to get the answer to our problem from a magazine!"

Darrel takes one of the magazines from the pile and shows the publisher to her. "Most of these magazines are made by journalists, not scientists. They tend to write what they believe is true." He puts the magazine down and sighs.

"Relax kids," said Hop pop while taking a sip of lemonade. "We'll find a way back. Eventually." Mr. Boonchuy refills Hop pop's lemonade. Hop pop felt flattered, "Oh you don't have to do that," said Hop pop.

Mr. Boonchuy was still pleased with the Plantars. "Please, you're our guests." Suddenly, an alarm was going off in the kitchen. "Uh, Mr. Boonchuy," said Darrel. "I think something is burning." The alarm that was beeping was the smoke detector. And Mr. Boonchuy knew what was the problem. "My canapes!"

He rushes into the kitchen to save the house. "I'm telling you Anne, we need reliable sources if we're to get them back home," said Darrel. "Where can we get more information?" Anne asked.

Darrel smirked, making Anne realize what he's talking about. "Oh no. No no no no. Don't tell me you're thinking about going to…The Library!" Darrel nods his head yes. "Look Anne, if I know anything about dimensional travels. I would take it from the words of scientists. And most of their facts are written in books at the library."

Then, Darrel looks down with a glum look on his face. "And besides, Marcy told me she was going there, on your birthday. And if she found out about the box there, then there may be information on other ways to travel to different dimensions."

Anne looks to Darrel with a sad look. Mentioning Marcy may have been tough to hear from him. The two didn't even notice that Darrel's staff started to fade slowly from its color.

Hop pop however, was looking on the bright side of things. "Whew, I haven't been this pampered in ages." "Here here," said Polly as she slaps her feet a couple times. "Enjoy it now kids. You know the old saying, 'Guests are like noxious swamp gas.' After three days, they start to drive you crazy". We've already been here two days, pretty soon we'll have to start pulling our own weight."

"Actually Hop pop," said Tint. "We've been here for a week now." That statement made Hop pop and Polly spit out their lemonade. "That means we're not guests anymore," he said. "We're Freeloaders! Just like Cousin Stanley!" Hop pop, Sprig, and Polly started to grow weary, and guilty. Only Tint, Darrel and Anne were confused.

"Okay, I'll bite," said Darrel. "Who's cousin Stanley?" "He was the worst!" Polly replied. "He stayed in our home forever," said Hop pop. "Ate all our snacks," said Sprig. "Even used my bucket as a foot bath," said Polly.

"I don't even think he was really our cousin," said Sprig. "I saw him painting himself in our bathroom." "But we were hosts," said Hop pop. "So we had to be nice. We just resented him a little more. Each passing day, it was very hard."

"Must've been rough," said Tint. "So how'd you get rid of him?" "Thankfully he left peacefully on his own," said Hop pop. "Really?" Anne asked. "Nah," said Sprig. "We threw him out the window." Darrel whistles in shock and awe. "Who'd have thought a host could take so much?"

"Exactly," said Hop pop. "And I can only imagine what the Boonchuys would want to do to us by now." "Relax, Hop pop," said Tint. "Let's try not to go overboard on this subject. I mean, I asked the Loyalitat's about this before. They told me that I've done more than enough for them. I kept an eye out on Darrel when they couldn't, even made sure he's back in one piece."

Darrel nodded, "It's true. So if my family can tolerate Tint, the Boonchuys can tolerate you." Hop pop was still unsure. "Be that as it may, we still gotta do something for them for the time being."

Just then, Mrs. Boonchuy enters the backyard. "Hey Anne, it's time for your dentist appointment. And Darrel, since your appointment is today as well, I promised your mother I would take you there."

"Dental appointment?" "My what?" Darrel was confused, while Anne felt annoyed. "You both have been missing for five months," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "And I have a feeling you both haven't been brushing."

Darrel places his hand on his jaw, realizing the situation. "You may have a point, Mrs. Boonchuy," he said. "And I doubt the frogs in Amphibia ever heard of toothpaste." Anne wouldn't have it, "But Mom. I was supposed to take Domino to the vet today."

"Maybe your father can take her," said Mrs. Boonchuy. However, Mr. Boonchuy had other plans, "No can do. I'm working at the restaurant today." It was a bummer for Anne. She couldn't get her mom or her dad to take her pet cat to the vet. The two parents tried to think of something, until Darrel came up with an idea.

"If I could make a suggestion," he said. "Why don't you let Tint and the Plantars take her for you?" "That's a good idea, Darrel," said Hop pop. "We'll gladly take the cat to the vet." "Really?" Mrs. Boonchuy asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Hop pop. "It's the least we can do to help." Anne rushes over to hug the amphibians. "You guys are lifesavers," she said. She gives them a list of instructions and the address to the vet. "If anyone suspects anything different about you, just say, 'Boy, I could use some coffee.' It's like a code for 'I'm human."

Mrs. Boonchuy escorts the two teens to her car as she wishes them good luck. Before they can enter the car, Anne tries to assure her mom that she's okay. "Mom please, my teeth only hurt a little bit." Darrel would hear nothing of it. "Anne, if my teeth hurt a little bit then something must be wrong. And if I can swallow my pride just for one day so should you."

The two enter the car and Mrs. Boonchuy takes the wheel. "You know, you should listen to your friend Anne," she said. "It sounds like he's well sure of himself." Darrel nods, "You have no idea what I've been through, Mrs. Boonchuy."

"But Darrel, you always get so twitchy when they hit the sensitive parts on your mouth," said Anne. "Aren't you at least concerned about that?" Darrel sighed, "Of course I am, Anne. But if I don't get my teeth fixed, they're going to fall out. And if that happens, I'll be forced to wear dentures for the rest of my life. And I don't want that."

"Ugh! You can be so upsetting sometime," said Anne. Darrel smirked, "Yeah, I know." Mrs. Boonchuy smirked at the two. She looked at them and it reminded her of the petty arguments she had with her husband. So she decided to joke around. "Hmm, if I didn't know better, it sounded like you two are like an old married couple."

That comment made them stand up straight, rub their heads or look away from each other. "Oh come on mom," said Anne. "That's ridiculous." "We're not married," said Darrel. Mrs. Boonchuy soon chuckled. "Come on kids, I was only joking. Besides, I still know that you're with Sasha, Darrel. I hope that wherever she is, she'll be fine."

That statement made Darrel freeze in place. He almost forgot that he had broken up with Sasha long ago. And now that he's with Anne, and Mrs. Boonchuy doesn't know, this scared him out of his life. He's in the car of his girlfriend's unsuspecting mom. And if she were to find out that he's currently dating her, she would go crazy.

This led to Darrel quietly texting Anne in secret, 'She doesn't know?' Anne gets his message, but he points to her mother quietly. Anne texts, 'OMG I totally forgot she still knows you're with Sasha.' The two go back and forth with text messages.

'How do we tell your parents?' 'We need to find the right moment,' 'Okay, when's that?' 'IDK,' 'Well we better tell our families soon.' The two texted with their phones for the rest of the trip. Mrs. Boonchuy was a tad curious of who they were texting, but she remained focused on driving them to the dentist.

Back at the Boonchuy house, the Plantars and Tint were staring at a sleeping Domino with a ball of yarn in her paws. Tint smiled at the cute cat, but Sprig was a little uneasy with handling her. "I'm having Domino 2 flashbacks right about now."

"Enough talk!" Polly exclaimed. "Seize the beast!" But as Polly was about to jump down, Tint grabbed her before she could hit the cat. "That's not going to make things easy," he said. "I've tamed a lot of creatures in my training, so this should be a new challenge for me."

Tint takes Polly over to Hop pop and he gently strokes Domino's head. "Hey Domino, wakey wakey," he whispered. This got Domino to wake up and stretch her claws out. "Okay, Hop pop open up the cat carrier. And I'll try to get her inside."

At the dentist office, Mrs. Boonchuy, Anne, and Darrel arrive in the waiting room. Inside sat Darrel's mom, Sarah. "Mom. What are you doing here?" Darrel asked. "Your name is under my insurance," replied Sarah. "Of course I had to be here."

"Sarah, so good to see you out of the hospital," said Mrs. Boonchuy. The two mothers greeted each other with a small hug. "So glad to see Anne's back safe and sound," said Sarah. "Well, it's a little early until their appointment. So we should wait."

Anne groaned, "Uuuugh! Why?! The waiting is so boring." Darrel simply shrugged her complaint and sat down. "If I can wait, then maybe you can too." Sarah smirked, "You should listen to my son more. He knows what to do in times like this." Anne slouches and sits next to Darrel.

Back at the Plantars and Tint, they are shown to be thrown off the bus with Domino in their hands. After the bus started moving, Hop pop inadvertently slapped the passengers with his tongue trying to grip the seats. "Well that went well," said Polly. "So what do we do now?" Tint asked.

Sprig had an idea, "Maybe Mr. Boonchuy can give us a ride." He takes out the pocket phone and opens it up to dial. However, Hop pop takes it out of his hands. "Absolutely not. We're not asking for any more favors." "But Hop pop," said Tint. "It's not a favor, it's assistance. And besides, we don't know much about this city."

Hop pop just shrugged it off, "Nonsense, Tint. We just need to focus up and get this job done." Tint sighs in defeat, until he finds a loophole. Then, he takes out another pocket phone and makes a call while Hop pop's not looking.

Back at the dentist, the assistant came out and called for Darrel and Anne. "See you after the appointment," said Darrel. Sarah nods at her son in approval. 'Hope it's not too bad,' he thought. Anne was a little skeptical, but Darrel reached out his hand to her. "We'll go together," he said. Anne smiles, takes his hand and follows him in until they split into different offices.

Darrel sits in the chair and looks at his surroundings. All he could think about was how bad his teeth have been since he was in Amphibia. Then, his dentist arrived on the scene. His dentist had a clean haircut, wore glasses and a proper dental uniform. Darrel recognized him right away.

"Dr. Enamel?" "Hey Darrel, my favorite patient," he said. "When I heard you were missing I was so worried." Darrel smiled, "I have that impact on a lot of people." "Well good thing you're just in time for your check up from six months ago," said Dr. Enamel.

He gets his equipment all set up ready to check on Darrel's teeth. "So where were you all this time?" he asked. "Believe it or not, I was in a place that's never heard of toothpaste," replied Darrel. "Eeeh, Waka Waka," said Dr. Enamel. The two laughed at his catchphrase.

"But seriously, the place where I've been has never heard of toothpaste," said Darrel. "Well then, let's take a gander and see if you're right." Darrel opens his mouth and Dr. Enamel gets to work.

Meanwhile, the Plantars and Tint continue their journey to the vet. They face many obstacles along the way. Including scooter gangs, hilltops, even regular sized herons, a frog's natural predator. But despite all the hardships, they make it to the vet clinic's office. Tint secretly sends a message on the phone and enters behind the Plantars.

Just as they enter the clinic, Matthew, Amelia, and Jane are parked outside. "So what are we doing?" Jane asked. "We're just waiting in case things go south for our friends," replied Matthew. "This is so exciting," said Amelia.

Back at the dentist's office, Dr. Enamel was finished checking on Darrel's teeth. Darrel had a few good grips on the arms of the chair when the tools touched near his tooth and gums. Dr. Enamel was shocked, "Oh boy." He walks over to the sink to wash his hands.

"What is it?" Darrel asked. "It's nothing I can't fix," replied the doctor. "Well I guessed that," said Darrel.

"You've got around seven cavities, plus a lot of cricket legs," said Dr. Enamel. Darrel was shocked. He hasn't gotten any cavities before, and this is one of those situations where he has to get them filled. Darrel grew anxious, he didn't want to feel more pain in his mouth.

"But after I consult with your mother, I can fill them up in no time." Dr. Enamel leaves to talk with his mother, leaving Darrel all alone. He takes sharp deep breaths. 'Oh dear,' he thought. 'This is going to take a while.'

Suddenly, he hears Anne struggling and screaming when she was at her check up. Her screams were not making Darrel feel any better. He takes a long look around the dental office until a gust of wind blows on his head.

He looks to the window to see it was closed. His curiosity overcomes his anxiety about his cavities. He starts to hear a whisper, 'Darrel. Darrel. Stay focused, stay calm, you'll do fine.' "Who's there?" Darrel asked.

"Did you say something, sport?" Dr Enamel asked. Darrel looks over to see Dr Enamel arrive with a tray of tools and serum for the procedure. "I thought I heard someone whispering to me," replied Darrel. "Well it wasn't me, champ. Anyway, let's get started," said Dr Enamel. "I've got the go ahead from your mother so this should only take a while."

Darrel takes the whispers he hears to heart and opens wide for his dentist to work. As Dr Enamel started the procedure, a small tint of blue light was shown outside of the window. Then, it faded into the sky.

Tint and the Plantars left the vets in a hurry. Thankfully, they were able to get Domino checked up. But as they left the clinic, Domino's cage was opened and Domino climbed out. Domino jumps out of the window, only for Jane and Amelia to catch her in the act.

As the amphibians head back to Anne's, Tint gets a call from the Loyalitats. "Hello?" Tint answered. "Tint, it's Jane. Did you know that Domino got out of her cage?" said Jane. "She what!?" The group looks to see the carrier empty, without a cat.

"We've lost her!" Sprig cried. "We've lost Domino! Anne's going to be devastated!" "Where is she?" Tint asked Jane. "She's with us," Jane replied. "Just come back to the clinic and we'll pick you up."

"We're on our way," said Tint. "The Loyalitat's got Domino. We can head back, they'll give us a lift." Hop pop just stood in shock and awe. "You've called for help behind my back?!" "I had to," said Tint. "We would've been lost. Nobody does anything without help, Hop pop. They open doors for me. And I've worked hard to open doors for them. It doesn't make you anything less to walk through." And with that, the Plantars and Tint return to the vet.

They make it back to find Jane and Amelia playing with Domino in the car. They take their seats and find Mr. Boonchuy in the car. "Mr. Boonchuy what are you doing here?" Hop pop asked. "After I called Darrel's family, I asked them to bring him along so we can explain to him why you wanted to take Domino to the vet," replied Tint.

"Matthew told me everything," said Mr Boonchuy. "And no matter what, I'll always be grateful. You frogs took my daughter in, when she needed it most. You kept her fed, and safe for five months, just out of the kindness of your heart. You don't owe us anything, ever."

Mr. Boonchuy smiled at the Plantars, just as their eyes started to swell with tears. "Wow," said Hop pop. "I don't know what to say. Thank you." "Are you kidding me," said Mr Boonchuy. "Thank you." And with that, the group drives off back to the Boonchuy house.

Moments after Mr Boonchuy closed the restaurant for the day, he, Matthew, Jane, Amelia, Tint, and the Plantars were hanging out in the living room. The door from the garage opened and Mrs Boonchuy and Sarah returned with Anne and Darrel. Their cheeks were so swollen, their jaws were wrapped with cloth, and their eyes were more dilated than usual.

"Anne, Darrel, you're back," said Sprig. "Everything went great with Domino." However, Anne and Darrel were so numb they couldn't think straight. "You guys are EVERYWHERE, okay," said Anne. Darrel sniffed and said, "I can smell the color blue."

"So how was it?" Matthew asked. "So many cavities," said Mrs Boonchuy. "Plus a whole lot of cricket legs." "But, not bad for Darrel's first cavity filling," said Sarah. "He just remained seated like he was being guided."

"Ooh, cricket legs," said Hop pop. "Did you save us any?" Anne grabs Hop pop's cheeks and said, "Listen, Domino's not just a cat. She's the Alpha and Omega; an interdimensional being beyond all time and space." Hop pop was confused.

"Hey, do you guys mind if you keep them occupied for a bit?" Mr Boonchuy asked. "Why don't you stay with them too Jane? Amelia?" The two sisters nodded, "Sure." "Thanks, that'd be super helpful."

"Hold up!" Darrel said in a dazed tone. "Anne and me likey, we likey a lot." Darrel chuckled, making both mothers a tad confused. "Huh?" Anne smiled and went up to nuzzle Darrel's face. "Darrel is like cute sweet rice pudding," said Anne. This caused them to break up the two. "Okay, you two need to rest," said Mrs Boonchuy. "Jane, Amelia, please make sure that they don't do anything foolish," said Sarah.

"Yes Mom," said Amelia. And then, the parents rush off. "Darrel and I are one with the universe," said Anne. "Tint," said Darrel. "I heard a whisper at the dentist. It almost sounded like Cronaxx's voice." This made Tint perk up with shock. "What? What did you say?" Darrel just chuckled until he collapsed on the couch. "And, he's out," said Jane.

"This is very strange," said Amelia. "I thought Sasha and Darrel were together." "It must be the anesthesia talking," said Tint in a glum realistic tone. "I wonder," said Jane.