Mommy was quiet today. Zuma didn't like it when Mommy was quiet. He loved to hear Mommy laugh and tease Daddy. Daddy and Grandpa were quiet, too. It worried Zuma.

Mommy had insisted on giving him a bath last night. Zuma had reminded him that he just had one and had run to Daddy hoping he'd save him. Instead, Daddy had actually held him while Mommy washed him. The traitor.

Laying on the bed, Zuma watched them getting ready while he chewed his leather bone. Usually, they got dressed and ate breakfast and went about their day. Today, they had dressed, ate breakfast and then went up and were dressing again, this time very nicely in dark colors. Much nicer than they usually wore. Even grandpa was dressed up. Zuma wasn't sure he liked his humans in those outfits. The jeans, khakis, flannel and normal clothing were much nicer to snuggle on. While Mommy finished getting ready, Daddy took off his every day collar and put on the nice collar that Auntie Abby had bought. Zuma pawed at it. It wasn't as soft as his every day collar. Mommy had scratched his ears and told him how handsome he was so Zuma put up with it reluctantly.

Daddy carried him downstairs bit instead of sitting down and cuddling, Zuma was taken out to the car and placed in his PupSaver™. It was nice and soft and Mommy sat in back next to him letting Daddy and Grandpa sit up front. As he settled in he could see Daddy putting his walker in the back. They usually used that when they went to the park, but Zuma knew these weren't park clothes. Mommy handed him Rocky and Zuma decided that he would curl up with his raccoon. Rocky told him that the raccoon got a little sick when he watched the stuff moving by the window.

Zuma pouted a bit when Mommy took him out of his car seat. Rocky was getting a bit sleepy and he wanted Zuma to nap with him. Instead, Mommy put Rocky in his stroller while Daddy carried him. His leash was fastened to the collar and Daddy held the end, but thankfully, he wasn't expected to walk. There were a lot of cars and people, Zuma didn't really like it. Mommy pushed Rocky in Zuma's stroller as Zuma watched jealously. They were heading toward an open area with walkways. Here it wasn't as crowded.

Mommy stopped at a lady with a trailer and a whole bunch of colored flowers. He returned with two bunches. Zuma craned his head to sniff and Mommy obligingly held them for him. They reminded him of Aunt Breena and Victoria. Zuma sneezed. Mommy laughed a bit.

As they walked along the sidewalk, Zuma looked at the fence along the sidewalk. It was sloped and covered in writing. Here and there were flowers like Mommy had laid on Zuma's stroller top. They came to a stop and Zuma looked around curiously.

Daddy whispered that the wall had names of all the people who worked like Mommy, Uncle Tim and him. They had gone to heaven like Uncle Ron, Zuma didn't know him well, but the wall was so that everyone could remember them. Daddy set Zuma down and Mommy knelt down beside him.

"These are for Aunt Kate." Mommy laid flowers along the wall. "She would have loved you so much." Mommy touched the writing and then stood letting Daddy hug him. Zuma didn't like Mommy and Daddy to be sad. He looked along the wall, where flowers lay here and there. Maybe Aunt Kate wouldn't mind if he had just one of the pretty flowers. Carefully, he grabbed hold of one of the green sticks and tugged.

"Zuma, no." But Mommy was too late, he had tugged it free. Taking a few steps, Zuma used his nose to push it up against the wall where there weren't any flowers. Now these aunts and uncles were remembered, too. Mommy looked at Zuma with tears in his eyes. Zuma felt bad, maybe Mommy didn't want to share Aunt Kate's flowers.

Tony scooped up Zuma. He gave him a big hug and kiss and told Zuma what a smart pup he was. Tony looked up and down the monument and then back at the flower seller. Then he looked at Jethro, "Could we…"

"Dad, could you watch Zuma a minute?"

Jackson wordlessly reached for the pup and leash.

Zuma was confused. Mommy looked sad but acted happy. He looked up at Grandpa who was snuggling him and whispering that he was a very good pup and that he was proud of Zuma. Grandpa turned so that he could see Mommy and Daddy.

Mommy was still talking to the flower lady but Daddy had picked up a big tub of flowers. Every time, Daddy came to aunts and uncles that didn't have flowers, he would stop and lay some down. As he watched, the flower lady closed the trailer window and then she and Mommy each picked up flowers and started helping Daddy. Zuma cocked his head and watched them.

A gentleman in a uniform approached Daddy. Daddy talked and pointed to the walls. The man in uniform went to the flowers and picked up a tub and started down the other side of the wall. As Zuma watched other people approached Daddy or Mommy, then they, too, started carrying flowers. They were making sure that all the aunts and uncles were remembered. When Mommy got to where he and Grandpa were waiting, he stopped and gave Zuma a hug and whispered, "Thank-you. You are such a good boy." Then he placed a bouquet of red roses next to Zuma's single flower.

As Zuma watched, he was getting concerned. There weren't a lot of flowers left. Maybe he should help spread them out a bit. He started to wiggle to let Grandpa know there was a problem. Then he stopped. A big van covered in flowers pulled up and two men got out. They started unloading more flowers. Zuma was relieved. It looked like they would have enough now.

Zuma watched as here and there people were stopping the flower lady who pointed to Daddy and Mommy. The people would then go to either Mommy or Daddy and hug them. Zuma knew Daddy wasn't really happy. He only liked hugs from family. Zuma was proud of Daddy, because he wasn't using his second "B" like Mommy would say. Sometimes, they tried to hand money to Mommy or Daddy but they shook their heads. That usually got them hugged again.

Finally, Mommy came back for him. He carried Zuma and the other bouquet of flowers from the top of the stroller. Mommy carried him to where Daddy was waiting. While Daddy laid the flowers, Mommy explained that they were for Aunt Cassidy and her people. They like the people on the wall were heroes.

Mommy finally left him join Rocky in his stroller. Daddy opened the windows so he could look around. The flowers looked nice but Zuma was glad the statues weren't real. The lion cubs might be fun, but the mommy and daddy lions were too big. As they left the area, the flower lady was putting a big wreath at the entrance. It had lots of red, white and blue flowers. Zuma thought it looked nice and told her so. Daddy opened the stroller top and the flower lady had offered to scratch his ears and Zuma graciously allowed her. He was puzzled when she whispered a thank-you.

By the time they got back to the car, Rocky was a bit disgruntled about having his nap interrupted. Zuma barked to let Mommy know that Rocky wasn't happy. Mommy simply kissed his head and put him and Rocky in the carseat. As they started home, Mommy, Daddy and Grandpa started talking about a picnic. Daddy was going to cook on the big fire thing. All the aunts and uncles were coming, Zuma smiled and tried to tell Rocky about the good smells that came from the big fire thing but Rocky just wanted Zuma to lay down with him and close his eyes. Zuma did and drifted off dreaming of aunts and uncles who were heroes watching over everyone.