I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I like what's in it, but it all feels like it's come together too clumsily. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. :)

Chapter 18- More Trouble in Paradise

Ramone's POV

Dear Charlotte,

I'm glad you loved the photos I should sent you. You should definitely come here sometime. You'd love the Freewheeler Islands. And hey, if you stay at the Rearview Mirage, see if any of the pictures in the gift shop look familiar.

Your mom and I are having a great time, but I'm not sure I can say the same for everyone else. I know Fudge was, but she's upset right now. Luigi has just stopped talking to her and she doesn't know why. I feel sorry for her.

Anyway, I hope you and the family are all right and I hope to see you soon.

Love, Dad.

The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was checked up on Fudge. She was still fast asleep by my tyres and she looked a lot calmer. Most of us had known Fudge since the day she was born and we'd been dealing with her terrible nightmares for about ten years now. We all knew the signs to look for by now. Fortunately, right now, there were none.

Both she and Flo were still asleep and I didn't want to disturb them. So, I just parked there. Even though there was yet another beautiful sunrise, for once, I couldn't really focus on it. I was too lost in thought.

I felt really sorry for Fudge. The night before, she had looked so hurt, so confused. She had even looked scared. I just didn't understand what was going on. Luigi was normally so insanely overprotective of Fudge, so why would he just give her the cold fender like this? Besides, I had been mad at my own daughters plenty of times, but I'd never done anything like this. Obviously, Fudge had done something to upset Luigi, but she swore up and down that she had absolutely no idea what. So, even though I was sure that Fudge wasn't exactly an innocent victim, I still felt sorry for her.

Next to me, Flo stirred.

"How's Fudge?" she wondered once we'd kissed each other.

"Seems to be okay", I reported. "Much calmer than she was last night."

Flo nodded. Then she shook her head. "That poor girl. She was so upset last night. Why did this have to happen now? Why couldn't we have all just had a nice vacation?"

"Yeah, some vacation this is turning out to be", I groaned.


Flo and I eventually decided to leave to let Fudge get some sleep. (Fudge had probably had more sleep than we had, but since the accident, she did sleep a lot.) We made sure to leave a note for Fudge; we didn't want her thinking that we'd abandoned her too.

Anyway, we met most of the others at the buffet for breakfast. Apart from Fudge, of course, Luigi and Guido were the only ones absent. So, we filled Lightning, Sally and Sarge in on what had happened the night before. They seemed just as surprised, confused and sorry for Fudge as the rest of us. They couldn't think of anything that Fudge might have done to upset Luigi either.

That was when Guido and Luigi showed up. A second earlier, we had all been talking at once, about how we didn't understand it, wanting to know how Fudge was and reporting on that. Then, when we saw Luigi, everyone's voices died down immediately.

"Buon giorno", he greeted us half-heartedly. He looked like he didn't get any sleep.

"Mornin'", we all responded, trying to sound a little cheerier than we felt.

"Buon giorno", Guido replied in a similar tone to the rest of us. He turned to Luigi and spoke in Italian. Luigi replied before parking at the table with the rest of us while Guido headed to the buffet. (I understood what they were saying: Guido asked if Luigi wanted anything. He said he wasn't hungry and just wanted some coffee.)

I knew Fudge was worried that her dads would be mad at her for throwing cake at their door, but they didn't even mention it.

"So, I hear you're not talking to Fudge right now", Lightning began.

"I would rather not talk about it", Luigi muttered.

"Oh. Okay."

We sat there in silence for about a minute or two. The only sounds were Sally scraping butter onto her toast and Mater chewing his bacon noisily. Most likely, we were trying to think of something to talk about and make this less awkward. Then, right when I opened my mouth to ask what everyone wanted to do that day, Luigi started talking.

"I don't know who she thinks she is! I have tried so hard to be the best father I can be and then she does this! She appreciates nothing!" He turned to me. "I suppose you are right. I should not be so overprotective of her. I am sorry about our fight."

Deep down, I was glad he'd apologised, but I couldn't really think about that just then. I couldn't believe that Luigi was saying this. "What did she do?" I wondered.

"I said I don't want to talk about it", Luigi reminded me.

"Well, you're the one who brought it up", Sarge pointed out.

Luigi just made a face.

Finally, Guido returned with some food for himself and the coffee for Luigi, who drank it quickly and hurried out of there. That was a relief. He was making things very awkward for the rest of us.

It was just bad timing that Fudge showed up almost immediately. The first thing I noticed was that she had shorts on for once (I guess she had other things on her mind besides her scars). The second thing I noticed was that she looked like she'd just been slapped in the face.

"Hey, sweetie", Sally greeted her gently. "How you doing?"

Fudge shrugged.

Sally could see that Fudge was devastated by what was going on. "Oh, Fudge!"

"He's still mad at me", she reported, sliding into a chair at our table. She turned to look at Lightning, Sally and Sarge. "Wait, do y'all know what this is about?"

They all nodded.

"So, I saw him on my way in and I called him", Fudge continued, "but he wouldn't even look at me. I still don't know why."

"Well, he's more than a little upset, soldier", Sarge reasoned. "You must've done something."

"I don't know!" Fudge moaned.

Sarge raised an eye frame.

"Sorry", Fudge apologised contritely. "I didn't mean to talk to you like that. I'm just frustrated about this whole thing."

"Well, why don't we try to forget about it for a while?" Flo suggested. "Fudge, go get something to eat and we'll start planning our day."

So, that's what we did. Fudge loved food, so she seemed a little better by the time she had a plate of sausages, poached eggs and toast, plus a glass of orange juice.

Most of us wanted to go to the beach, but Lightning said he wanted to go to Splash City again.

"Why don't you come with me, Fudge-O?" he encouraged. "It'll be fun."

Fudge smiled. "It would", she agreed. "I just hope you don't mind that I ain't exactly in the best of moods right now."

Lightning smiled. "You won't be by the time we get back."

Luigi didn't join us at the beach. I can't say I minded too much. Much as I was worried about Fudge and felt sorry for her, it wasn't really my problem and I was determined to forget about it for a while.

Well, we had the right conditions for a great day. The weather was perfect and the sand and the water looked inviting. Most of us had a blast messing around in the water for a while. Then, sometime after lunch, I decided to start building sandcastles. I guess I kind of felt funny doing that. No other grownups were doing that- unless they were with kids, of course- but I've always loved all kinds of art, including making sandcastles, so that's what I did.

"Ramone, baby!" Flo exclaimed. "Those are fantastic!"

I smiled. "Thanks!"

Of course, who should come rolling along just then but Sir Tobias Proudwheel! He rolled right over my sandcastle, sending bits of it crumbling.

Now, personally, I didn't mind the actual act. For me, watching the destruction of sandcastles is part of the art. However, this guy was getting on my nerves, thinking that just because he was powerful, rich and successful, he could have, say and do whatever he wanted.

"Do you mind?!" I snapped.

"What?!" he demanded.

I gestured to what he'd done. "Oh, grow up! Only children make sandcastles!" he scoffed.

"Dad!" the yellow Porsche with him, who was about Fudge's age (I think Fudge said her name was Avery) hissed, completely embarrassed.

"That's not the point", I informed him, trying to stay calm, despite how angry he made me. "The point is, everyone is sick of your disrespect and thinking you're better than everyone else."

"I am better than you", he insisted. He looked past me at all of my friends. "I have more money than all of you combined."

"Well, I bet you don't have any friends, do you?" I retorted coolly. "You may have a lot of money, but I would never wanna trade places with you!"

First, he looked shocked. Then he looked angry. Then he looked hurt as he drove off.

I turned back to my castle, several witnesses applauding. It felt good, but I was focused on taking pictures of the crumbling of my castle with the clear blue water in the background.

"Wow! That is just incredible!" a voice, a southern accent, behind me exclaimed.

I jumped, startled. Then I turned around to find a sleek black Mercedes Benz parked there. I recognised him right away: Glen Hartwell, the owner of the resort! He was American, having grown up in Miami, Florida, but moved to the Freewheeler Islands to open the resort and was now a multimillionaire.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you there. I just couldn't help noticing what amazing pictures you're taking."

"Wow, thanks!" I was grateful to hear such praise, especially from a rich and successful man, after my spat with Sir Proudwheel.

He reached out to grab the camera. "May I?"

"Sure", I agreed.

Mr. Hartwell took the camera and went through the pictures I had taken while on vacation. There were photos of the beach; of the sunrise from my room with the golf course and the ocean in the distance; of the vibrantly coloured plants and animals we'd seen on our nature hikes and of our snorkelling trip. Mr. Hartwell was impressed with every single one.

"Absolutely amazing!" he declared. "You really are an artist!"

"He is!" Flo spoke up. "He does all his paint jobs himself."

"Really?" Mr. Hartwell eyed my island themed paint job. "Well, I can believe that! Anyway, I love your photos and I think lots of other people would too." Then he cut to the chase. "Have you considered selling your photos?"

The idea had never occurred to me. The only professional work I'd ever done was painting (mostly cars, obviously, but I had also done a mural for the children's hospital after Fudge's accident)."Well, I-" I began.

"Because I think they could be very popular if we sold them in the gift shop here at the resort. I'll give you most of the profits, of course."

I turned to my wife and friends who were all staring at me with wide eyes and smiles, nodding encouragingly. I knew that they weren't gonna come right out and say it, but they all thought I should do it. I guessed I had nothing to lose.

"Sure", I agreed.

"Wonderful!" Mr. Hartwell beamed.


We had everything taken care of in an hour. I sent Mr. Hartwell the photos and he went to get blown up copies done.

"I'm sure I can get them in the gift shop by morning", he assured me. "I like to get things done fast."

"Great!" I grinned.

"Oh, honey!" Flo squeezed my tyre. "I'm so proud of you! This is so exciting!"

"Hey, guys!" a voice called out. "What's going on?"

We turned around to find Lightning and Fudge heading towards us.

I told them.

"Wow, that's great!" Lightning declared. "Good for you."

"Yeah, it's very cool, Uncle Ramone", Fudge added, amazed.

"Thanks, chica. You feelin' better?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"You had fun today", Lightning pointed out.

"Yeah... Have you seen Papà?"

"Not since this morning", I replied ruefully.

As if on cue, Luigi rolled into the lobby at that moment.

"Hi, Papà!" Fudge greeted him, trying to sound cheerful. "What did you do today? Uncle Ramone has some exciting news!"

"Then he can tell me himself", Luigi replied shortly, stunning his daughter. She stormed off back to her room. "But, first, I need to tell you something, Ramone. I am sorry about our fight. I would very much like to be friends again."

"Sure, man", I agreed. "And I'm sorry too. I never should've thrown your phone in the pool. And I promise, I really will buy you a new one when we get home."

Luigi sighed. "Maybe you were right to do that. My daughter does not seem to appreciate my concern."

"Seriously, man! What did she do?" I wondered.

"Ask Fudge!" he retorted.

I decided to let it go. "Hey, Mr. Hartwell told me about this great restaurant on the other side of the island. I was planning on treating everyone to dinner tonight. You wanna come?"

Luigi agreed, so I thought that for once, we could all be together on this vacation. However, this time, Fudge decided not to come. I guess I can't blame her, though, after the way Luigi just spoke to her.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" I asked her worriedly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll order room service, watch a movie, probably go to bed early. I'll be fine."

"All right." Even though I understood, I kinda wished she'd come.

Still, dinner was nowhere near as awkward as I thought it would be. Luigi didn't mention Fudge and neither did anyone else. We asked what Luigi had been up to that day and it turned out he'd been to the spa again. Mostly, though, we just talked about my photos and how we hoped that they would sell.


We found out the next morning. The first thing I did was check out the gift shop, even before we'd had breakfast. (By the way, Luigi was still giving Fudge the silent treatment that morning, but Flo and I insisted that we all had breakfast together.) Just as I'd hoped, several people were admiring the prints. It was pretty exciting, especially when I saw my name in small white letters at the bottom: Ramone Rivera.

"Let's each buy one!" Sally suggested.

I decided not to, but Sally, McQueen, Mater, Sarge, Fillmore, Guido, Luigi, Fudge and Flo all did. They each got a different photo. I was glad to see that my friends were being supportive. I was also happy to see that they weren't the only ones buying them.

The biggest satisfaction of all, however, came from seeing Sir Tobias Proudwheel genuinely impressed with one of the snorkelling trip photos and purchasing it.

Even though there were some parts of that chapter I didn't like, I hope you enjoyed. I guess that was mostly just a filler chapter.

Please don't forget to review. :)