When Dexter and Boss got out of Cracker Barrel, Dexter asked, "Do you
want your surprise now?" Boss thought for a minute and replied, "Let's
wait a few minutes 'cause I need time to digest." "OK, Boss," he remarked.
After at least thirty minutes, Dexter asked again, "Do you want it now?" Boss reflected on what Howdy had said about the big box and four metal rods. He was not completely ready but said, "OK. I will now."
Boss followed Dexter to the park entrance. "It's a surprise, so...," Dexter said as he took a blindfold out of his pocket. "You sayin' this is just your surprise?" Boss questioned as Dexter put the blindfold on him. "Yup," he replied proudly.
Dexter held Boss's paws as he led him through the park. Instead of taking the rocks across, Dexter took the human bridge across the river. "Why are we taking the bridge?" Boss inquired as Dexter took him closer the red cross behind the Bad Hams Place. "So you won't fall in the river," Dexter answered smoothly as he saw the red cross come into view.
The red cross appeared closer and closer as Dexter continued to lead Boss toward it. "Are we goin' anywhere particular?" he queried as Dexter brought him closer to the destination. "We're almost there," Dexter remarked. "Great, so, I can take the blindfold off, right?" he questioned. "Not yet," Dexter replied smoothly.
When the red cross was only a few inches away, Boss stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" Dexter questioned as he looked back at the red cross. "I smell trouble," Boss muttered as he sniffed the air. "Are you leading me this way because someone told you to?" "Of course not!" Dexter scolded. "I'm just taking this way!"
When Dexter and Boss reached the red cross, the two heard a whistle sound. Dexter jumped against the tree as Bad Hams jumped from above. "Wha?" Boss inquired before he felt anything. The Bad Hams practically smashed him against the ground before Mike and Stella came up to him.
Dexter got behind Mike and asked, "I thought you had me a gift..." "What are you complaining about?" Mike shouted. "We are! Not you! Yours is coming up! Just follow us!" "But-" Dexter started, but Mike demanded, "Just follow us!"
The Bad Hams pulled Boss up off of the ground. Dexter raced over to him and questioned, "You knocked him out?" "Well, kiddo," Number 1 returned, "when something falls on your head unexpectedly, you are supposed to be knocked out. You're lucky you ran to the tree."
The Bad Hams pushed past Dexter and went inside the Bad Hams Place. "W-wait!!!" Dexter screamed. "I don't want to be hated by Pashmina! I want to be loved by her!" Stella walked over to him and remarked, "She will fall in love with you if you keep with us. If you stop now, we're gonna hate you and they're gonna hate you, too. But if you stay with us, you'll be officially a Bad Ham."
Dexter turned pale and fussed, "B-but I want Pashmina to-" "She will, already!" Mike came up and shouted. Dexter followed Mike reluctantly.
When inside, the Bad Hams set the unconscious Boss in a wooden chair. They trussed him down to the chair and walked away. "Wh-what?!" Dexter shouted and jumped up and down. "How's that a gift?!"
Mike glared at him and replied smoothly, "Look, if you hadn't come along, this wouldn't be happening. But it's your fault." "Wha-what do you mean?" Dexter questioned. "See," Mike explained. "On the list yesterday, I added the counter because Number 1 wanted one in the living room. And Number 14's a blacksmith, so I added metal rods. I added those two items so you couldn't figure out anything."
Dexter turned into a panic and yelled, "Then what did you do for me? You said Pashmina would fall in love with me!" "I'm so sorry, kiddo," Mike retorted. "I thought I was your friend...," Dexter muttered. "No, I was yours," Mike replied.
Dexter thought a minute and realized that Mike had lied the whole time. "Then you didn't try to help me? You got me to help you?" Mike nodded in reply. "But," he remarked, "I still have a gift for you to give him."
Mike handed Dexter the softball bat. "Fifty licks," Mike demanded. "NO!" Dexter yelled. At that moment, Boss became conscious again. "Wha?!" he shouted. "Dexter?! Why the heck am I here?"
Dexter bowed his head and replied, "I was told to bring you here. I thought Mike was going to make Pashmina fall in love with me." He held up the softball bat and glanced back at Mike. "What do you mean by 'fifty licks'?" Dexter questioned. Mike glared at him and inquired, "Do you want me to give him your gift for you?" "NO!" Dexter shouted. "I want you to hit him with that bat fifty times to make him learn his lesson," Mike replied roughly.
The softball bat seemed to be heavy in his paws as Dexter raised it. "I'm sorry, Boss," he muttered as he swung it slowly. Dexter slightly patted Boss on the head with the bat. "OK," Dexter shouted. "That's fifty really quick." "Give me that bat!" Mike demanded. "OK!" Dexter yelled. "I will!"
Dexter swung the softball as hard as he could at Boss. He stopped after fourty and mumbled, "I need a break..." "Then give me the bat and I'll finish it," Mike ordered. Dexter shook his head and swung the bat ten more times. After his fiftieth time of swinging, Dexter collapsed in front of Boss. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Mike grinned and demanded, "What do you say, kiddo?" Boss stared at Dexter and mumbled, "Thanks..." "Now," Mike said, "I have my own gift for Dexter for helping me out."
Dexter looked up at Mike and asked, "What?" "Come, Dexter," Mike demanded as he walked out of the room. Dexter glanced back at Boss one more time before he exited the room behind Mike.
When Dexter exited, Boss thought, I wasn't sure about Howdy, but I now believe him. He usually jokes about fake birthday presents, but this one is real. But what am I to do now? Dern, what will Caitlin think when I come back to the clubhouse with her dad's jacket ripped?
After a few minutes of thinking, Boss finally knew what Dexter had done. He had run out of the clubhouse during Pashmina's birthday party and told Mike everything. And that's where his model went. Dexter had stolen it and given it to Mike.
After a few more minutes, Boss saw a letter on the ground. He had seen it fall out of Dexter's bow tie. He squinted to see it since he couldn't bend forward. That must be the list Mike was talking about, Boss thought. Man, I now know that Dexter didn't actually mean this to happen...but I'm still mad at him.
When thinking got boring, which was only about five minutes, Boss thought, Well, you never know, they could've done something wrong when they tied me down to this chair. He tried to press up against his burden, but the ropes didn't budge. Dang, he thought, They've gotten better at this.
After at least thirty minutes, Dexter asked again, "Do you want it now?" Boss reflected on what Howdy had said about the big box and four metal rods. He was not completely ready but said, "OK. I will now."
Boss followed Dexter to the park entrance. "It's a surprise, so...," Dexter said as he took a blindfold out of his pocket. "You sayin' this is just your surprise?" Boss questioned as Dexter put the blindfold on him. "Yup," he replied proudly.
Dexter held Boss's paws as he led him through the park. Instead of taking the rocks across, Dexter took the human bridge across the river. "Why are we taking the bridge?" Boss inquired as Dexter took him closer the red cross behind the Bad Hams Place. "So you won't fall in the river," Dexter answered smoothly as he saw the red cross come into view.
The red cross appeared closer and closer as Dexter continued to lead Boss toward it. "Are we goin' anywhere particular?" he queried as Dexter brought him closer to the destination. "We're almost there," Dexter remarked. "Great, so, I can take the blindfold off, right?" he questioned. "Not yet," Dexter replied smoothly.
When the red cross was only a few inches away, Boss stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" Dexter questioned as he looked back at the red cross. "I smell trouble," Boss muttered as he sniffed the air. "Are you leading me this way because someone told you to?" "Of course not!" Dexter scolded. "I'm just taking this way!"
When Dexter and Boss reached the red cross, the two heard a whistle sound. Dexter jumped against the tree as Bad Hams jumped from above. "Wha?" Boss inquired before he felt anything. The Bad Hams practically smashed him against the ground before Mike and Stella came up to him.
Dexter got behind Mike and asked, "I thought you had me a gift..." "What are you complaining about?" Mike shouted. "We are! Not you! Yours is coming up! Just follow us!" "But-" Dexter started, but Mike demanded, "Just follow us!"
The Bad Hams pulled Boss up off of the ground. Dexter raced over to him and questioned, "You knocked him out?" "Well, kiddo," Number 1 returned, "when something falls on your head unexpectedly, you are supposed to be knocked out. You're lucky you ran to the tree."
The Bad Hams pushed past Dexter and went inside the Bad Hams Place. "W-wait!!!" Dexter screamed. "I don't want to be hated by Pashmina! I want to be loved by her!" Stella walked over to him and remarked, "She will fall in love with you if you keep with us. If you stop now, we're gonna hate you and they're gonna hate you, too. But if you stay with us, you'll be officially a Bad Ham."
Dexter turned pale and fussed, "B-but I want Pashmina to-" "She will, already!" Mike came up and shouted. Dexter followed Mike reluctantly.
When inside, the Bad Hams set the unconscious Boss in a wooden chair. They trussed him down to the chair and walked away. "Wh-what?!" Dexter shouted and jumped up and down. "How's that a gift?!"
Mike glared at him and replied smoothly, "Look, if you hadn't come along, this wouldn't be happening. But it's your fault." "Wha-what do you mean?" Dexter questioned. "See," Mike explained. "On the list yesterday, I added the counter because Number 1 wanted one in the living room. And Number 14's a blacksmith, so I added metal rods. I added those two items so you couldn't figure out anything."
Dexter turned into a panic and yelled, "Then what did you do for me? You said Pashmina would fall in love with me!" "I'm so sorry, kiddo," Mike retorted. "I thought I was your friend...," Dexter muttered. "No, I was yours," Mike replied.
Dexter thought a minute and realized that Mike had lied the whole time. "Then you didn't try to help me? You got me to help you?" Mike nodded in reply. "But," he remarked, "I still have a gift for you to give him."
Mike handed Dexter the softball bat. "Fifty licks," Mike demanded. "NO!" Dexter yelled. At that moment, Boss became conscious again. "Wha?!" he shouted. "Dexter?! Why the heck am I here?"
Dexter bowed his head and replied, "I was told to bring you here. I thought Mike was going to make Pashmina fall in love with me." He held up the softball bat and glanced back at Mike. "What do you mean by 'fifty licks'?" Dexter questioned. Mike glared at him and inquired, "Do you want me to give him your gift for you?" "NO!" Dexter shouted. "I want you to hit him with that bat fifty times to make him learn his lesson," Mike replied roughly.
The softball bat seemed to be heavy in his paws as Dexter raised it. "I'm sorry, Boss," he muttered as he swung it slowly. Dexter slightly patted Boss on the head with the bat. "OK," Dexter shouted. "That's fifty really quick." "Give me that bat!" Mike demanded. "OK!" Dexter yelled. "I will!"
Dexter swung the softball as hard as he could at Boss. He stopped after fourty and mumbled, "I need a break..." "Then give me the bat and I'll finish it," Mike ordered. Dexter shook his head and swung the bat ten more times. After his fiftieth time of swinging, Dexter collapsed in front of Boss. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Mike grinned and demanded, "What do you say, kiddo?" Boss stared at Dexter and mumbled, "Thanks..." "Now," Mike said, "I have my own gift for Dexter for helping me out."
Dexter looked up at Mike and asked, "What?" "Come, Dexter," Mike demanded as he walked out of the room. Dexter glanced back at Boss one more time before he exited the room behind Mike.
When Dexter exited, Boss thought, I wasn't sure about Howdy, but I now believe him. He usually jokes about fake birthday presents, but this one is real. But what am I to do now? Dern, what will Caitlin think when I come back to the clubhouse with her dad's jacket ripped?
After a few minutes of thinking, Boss finally knew what Dexter had done. He had run out of the clubhouse during Pashmina's birthday party and told Mike everything. And that's where his model went. Dexter had stolen it and given it to Mike.
After a few more minutes, Boss saw a letter on the ground. He had seen it fall out of Dexter's bow tie. He squinted to see it since he couldn't bend forward. That must be the list Mike was talking about, Boss thought. Man, I now know that Dexter didn't actually mean this to happen...but I'm still mad at him.
When thinking got boring, which was only about five minutes, Boss thought, Well, you never know, they could've done something wrong when they tied me down to this chair. He tried to press up against his burden, but the ropes didn't budge. Dang, he thought, They've gotten better at this.