Bingo hasted to grab the rod, with Bob right after her. As she grabbed the rod, she started to reel in, all while pulling.
"That's it, Bingo, give it some fight, but not too much" Bob said, beside her.
"I'm trying…" Bingo replied. "But this is hard!"
Bob tried to help her, securing the rod with Bingo, as they tried together reel in the fish. Bluey took that opportunity to get Bob's camera and take a photo of him and Bingo. It was then that the two of them managed to get a fish, a big one, causing Bingo to express a big smile, as she and Bob pulled the fish to the boat. Bob sit down, with Bingo sitting on his lap, with the fish hanging on the line.
"That's my girl" Bob complimented Bingo, while rubbing gently her head. "You did! You caught a fish."
"Yeah… I did" Bingo said, happy to see that her luck was really starting to turn around.
They saw a flash that came from the camera, as Bluey took another photo.
"That was amazing, Bingo!"
"Thanks, Bluey" Bingo replied.
Bob chuckled and then said to his older granddaughter:
"Come here, Bluey."
She did so and Bob, taking the camera, took a selfie with Bluey and Bingo, with the latter showing the fish she had caught.
A few moments later, as the girls were hugging, happily, with the fish Bingo had caught in the bucket nearby, Bob took a picture of them. He then observed the photos that had been taken during that trip, especially the ones where he and his granddaughters were having so much fun together, and he couldn't help but feeling some sadness in his heart. It was a sadness that have been around for some time. Sighing, he started heading towards the cabin.
"Hey, grandad, can you…" Bingo started, turning around.
But the girls didn't see him anywhere.
"Where is grandad?" Bingo asked.
Bluey shrugged her shoulders. But then they found him in the cabin, sitting at the table looking through his photo album. They could see him expressing a slight smile and a tear on his eye.
"Grandad?" Bluey asked. "What's wrong?"
Noticing their presence, Bob quickly cleaned his tear and said:
"Nothing, mate."
"But… you were crying" Bingo said, worried, as she and Bluey got closed.
"Your grandad was just… remembering happy simple times" he said, as Bluey and Bingo came and sit next to him. "Seeing you two there, all happy together, made me remember… your dad and uncles, of our fun times together here, at the lake."
The girls noticed the album he was seeing was the same one he had showed them before.
"Grandad, but this is album with the embarrassing photos" Bluey told.
"Yes, Bluey, not there's more into it than that" Bob told. "Look, there are other photos, each with great memories… even the embarrassing ones. Have you forgotten what happened when I got you out of the water?"
Two years ago…
After Bob took Bluey out of the water, he started to dry her with a towel. The young pup was saddened after what happened.
"And here we go…" Bob said, finishing drying Bluey, with her becoming fluffy. "All clean and dried."
"Grandad, can we go home now?" Bluey asked, softly.
"What?" Bob asked. "But why? I thought you wanted to come."
"I did, but… now, I'm not up to that" she replied.
Noticing she was a little embarrassed for falling into the water, Bob realized what he needed to do to bring back the happy and giggling Bluey.
"That's a shame…" he said. "Because you're going to miss the best part of the trip."
"What?" Bluey asked.
"The appearance of the tickle monster of the lake!" Bob replied, as he proceeded to tickle his granddaughter.
With all those tickles, it didn't take much for Bluey to forget all about the sadness she was feeling, only to release a lot of laughs.
In the present…
"Oh, I almost didn't remember that" Bluey replied, as she watched the photo they took after that moment. "I love the tickle monster of the lake!"
"And he loves you" Bob replied, while tickling Bluey, making her laugh.
"But, grandad…" Bingo said, making Bob turn to her. "If you were remembering nice things, why were you crying?"
"Well… it's complicated" Bob told. "But I guess it can be said that the reason why I was crying is because… I miss these moments… the ones I used to have with your father and your uncles."
"You mean you don't like to be with us?" Bingo asked.
"Of course I do" Bob replied. "I love every single moment… But I also used to love the moments I had with your father and uncles… my sons… We laughed, we played… But after they grew up… I started to have less time with them. Maybe because of my work… it keeps me away for a long time and makes me miss some special occasions: like Christmas and birthdays. But they also started to not have time for me too. But… I guess that's life. At least, I can spend quality time with my granddaughters… and that's everything I could have asked for."
And he hugged them, with the girls doing to the same, with their tails wagging.
"We love you too, grandad!" Bluey and Bingo replied.
For the rest of the day, Bob and his granddaughters continued to fish, all while sharing good moments and laughs. Bluey even managed to get a fish as well. And, as the sun started to set, Bob steered the ship to their destination: his cabin by the lake. However, as they got closed, he noticed that there was light inside the cabin, with smoke coming off the chimney. That meant someone was inside.
"Grandad, what's wrong?" Bluey asked, seeing his grandfather's serious look.
"Nothing, mate" he replied. "But let's be quiet for a little while, okay?"
After they arrived there and the boat was moored, Bob approached the cabin quietly, while securing the bucket with the fish Bluey and Bingo had caught.
"Why is grandad acting like that?" Bingo asked Bluey, who just shrugged her shoulders.
And so Bob placed his hand on the knob of the door and opened it. Despite expecting some intruders, he clearly was not prepared for what he was about to face…
"Surprise!"
Inside, waiting for Bob and the girls, were Bandit, Stripe and Rad. They had lit the fireplace and decorated the place with some party decorations.
"I can't believe it…" Bob said, without any words, while putting down the bucket. "You… You three… You're here…"
"Well, yeah, I hope you're not disappointed" Bandit replied.
"Disappointed?" Bob asked. "Of course not! This is the best surprise I could have ever get. Come here, you rascals!"
He went and gave a hug to his three sons who hugged him back. Bluey and Bingo, getting in, got very happy to see their grandfather as happy as he was at that moment.
"Did you like the surprise, grandad?" Bingo asked.
Breaking the hug, Bob turned to his granddaughters and asked:
"Wait, you knew about this?"
"Dad told us he would make you a surprise, but to not to tell you" Bluey said.
"And you've been keeping it the all trip?" Bob asked. "That's impressive. You tricked your old grandad very well."
"Well… the earthworm thing was real" Bluey said, while Bingo made her disgusted look while thinking on the taste of the earthworm. "But, yeah, we did a really good job keeping a surprise."
"The earthworm thing?" Stripe asked. "Looks like another funny first trip story Heeler family style."
"You can bet on that" Bob replied. "But I still want to know… How…?"
"How we put this together?" Rad asked. "Well, that's a long story…"
"But it can be said it is all thanks to me" Bandit said, with his confidant posture.
However, both Rad and Stripe made him a serious look that made Bandit said:
"Okay, it's all thanks to Chilli…"