In the present…
"And so, after I dropped the girls with you, I met with Rad and Stripe here and we got everything ready" Bandit told.
"Well, almost everything…" Stripe said. "We don't have dinner. We were supposed to have fished it… and Bandit and I managed to catch some. But someone knocked the buckets with fish into the lake."
They were talking about Rad.
"Hey, it was not my fault!" he protested.
"Let me guess…" Bob said to Rad. "The ibis again?"
"Those things must have a problem with me" he protested, while his brothers and nieces chuckled. "Seriously, why do they always come to me?!"
"Come on, Stripe, don't be so hard on our big brother" Bandit said. "After all, he really did an amazing job cutting the logs for the fire to last the all weekend in no time."
"Thank you, Bandit" Rad replied, with his confident look.
"At least he did it before we went fishing, otherwise he would focus on fighting a bird than cutting" Bandit commented, causing Stripe to laugh, while Rad gave him an angry look.
"You don't have to worry about dinner, boys" Bob said, causing the brothers to stop messing around with each other, while kneeling beside Bluey and Bingo and putting his arms around their shoulders. "These kids caught some for all of us."
"Daddy, look at the fish I caught" Bingo said, showing Bandit the fish she caught with her grandad.
"Wow, that's awesome, Bingo!" Bandit exclaimed, while rubbing his hand on her head.
"It's even bigger than your first" Rad commented.
"So that means we have a new record" Stripe said, while giving a playful shovel on Bandit. "Looks like you were surpassed, Bandit."
"Well, she is my daughter, after all" Bandit replied, proudly.
"Okay, who is ready for my famous fish strew?" Bob asked to both his sons and granddaughters.
"We are!" they shouted at the same time.
After some time cooking at the fireplace, Bob finished his stew and served everyone. As Bluey and Bingo tasted it, they said:
"Hummm, delicious!"
"Oh, man, I missed this thing so much!" Bandit exclaimed, after tasting the stew.
"Yeah, me too" Stripe said.
"And me" Rad told.
"It feels really good having you all here" Bob said, both to his sons and granddaughters. "Look at us… Three generations of Heeler, now that's a weekend I was asking for…"
"And we promised we'll make sure next year we can all come" Rad said, while his brothers nodded.
"Oh, that won't be necessary" Bob replied, much to his sons' confusion.
"Wait, what?" they all asked at the same time.
"These weekends will now be to the young generation" Bob said, while rubbing both Bingo and Bluey's heads. "Besides, next year, it will Muffin's time to come and we all can agree it would be pretty tight in the boat with all of us."
The three brothers couldn't help but agree. Bob then continued:
"But after what you three did… I just decided to have another weekend… just for the four of us, one we all can attend… without excuses."
Bandit, Stripe and Rad traded a look and the nodded to each other, with the former said:
"We're in."
"Good" Bob said. "But don't think that means we can't spend time together besides that. Especially after a decision I made."
His sons traded another confused look and then Bandit asked:
"What decision?"
"This last trip I did with the cargo ship was my last one" Bob replied. "I've finally decided to retire."
"What?!" Bandit, Stripe and Rad asked at the same time.
"But, dad, you love the sea" Rad said. "That has always been your passion."
"Yes, but… after a lifetime at the sea, both in the Navy and in the cargo ship, I think it's time to get back to land and stay there" Bob replied. "Especially because I want to spend the most time with my family, be present in birthdays and Christmas… and because your mother is always insisting for me to retire."
After a chuckle shared by his sons, Stripe said:
"If that's what you want, dad, you have our support."
Both Bandit and Rad nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, boys" Bob replied, while getting up to hug his sons.
"Does that mean we will see Grandad Bob more often?" Bluey asked, getting up with Bingo, both wagging their tails with excitement.
"Yes, squirt, that's what it means" Bandit confirmed.
"Hurray!" the two girls exclaimed, while going to hug their grandfather. "We love you, Grandad."
"And I love you too, girls" Bob replied, hugging them back. "Okay, now, what if we get some fun around here?"
And he went to a part of the cabin where he got…
"Your guitar!" Bandit, Stripe and Rad exclaimed at the same time.
"Yeeup" Bob said, while preparing the guitar. "So, are you ready?"
"Not just yet" Bandit said, while getting up. "You don't think you're the only that thought of that too."
And so Bandit also revealed having a guitar.
"Bandit… you brought your guitar" Bob said.
"Of course I did" Bandit replied, as he approached Bob. "You were the one to teach me how to play it. And this was also a gift of yours. It's only appropriate I brought it to your surprise party."
Bob expressed a smile to his son that was replied with another from him.
"Wait, dad can play the guitar?" Bluey asked, as she and Bingo approached.
"And he can play it like no one" Bob said.
"Well, it has been some years…" Bandit replied, preparing the guitar. "But I guess this is like riding a bike."
"So, son, ready to amaze everyone with some tunes of ours?" Bob asked him.
"You bet, dad" Bandit replied.
And so the two of them started playing, while they, the girls, Stripe and Rad proceed to sing camping songs and dance.
They spend the rest of the weekend making the best of it: fishing, swimming, playing and singing…
At the beginning of the next week, Bluey and Bingo went to their grandparents' apartment, with the girls being with Chris on the couch, as they saw the album where grandad had placed the photos of that weekend on Bingo's chapter of the album of the first trips.
"And then when I turned around, Bingo was eating the earthworm" Bluey told.
"Oh, you don't tell!" Chris exclaimed, turning to Bingo. "I'm sorry, Bingo. That must have tasted so bad."
"It did…" Bingo replied, a little sad, only to make a big smile. "But then grandad and I caught a very big fish!"
"Oh my… that must have been great" Chris said.
"It was!" Bingo told.
"But the best part was the song dad and grandad played" Bluey said. "Hey, Grandad, can you show Nana that song?"
"Of course, Bluey" Bob said, while getting into the living room holding a portrait. "Just let me put this here…"
And he placed the portrait on the table at the entrance, taking a step back to contemplate it with a smile.
"Grandad…" Bluey called.
"Coming" Bob replied, while going to the living room.
That portrait he had just placed contained a photo of Bob with his sons, Bluey and Bingo in front of the cabin where they had spent one great weekend…
The End