A week ago…
Bingo and Bluey were playing together with blocks in the living room. Chilli came out from the garden with a basket full of clean and dried cloth. As she was passing through the living room to go upstairs, Chilli told to her daughters:
"Okay, kids, just a few more minutes, then it's time to tidy-up the living room. Mommy got to clean it. You can go play to your room."
"Okay, mom" they said at the same time.
At that moment, someone rang the doorbell.
"I wonder who that is" Chilli said, while putting down the laundry basket on the sofa and heading towards the door.
After she opened it, she got surprised when she saw…
"Bob?" she asked, as she saw her father-in-law, and went to give him a hug. "What a great surprise! I didn't know you were in town. Chris didn't say anything."
"Well, my ship arrived earlier than expected and I decided to make a surprise" Bob replied, as he got in.
"Grandad!" Bluey and Bingo shouted, as they run to give Bob a hug.
"Oh, there they are!" Bob exclaimed, as he received a hug from Bluey and Bingo. "Two of my favorite kids."
He then proceeded to rise and hold them.
"Did you miss your grandad Bob?" he asked.
"Yeah!" the two pups exclaimed.
"Come on, kids, try to mind your grandad's back" Chilli said.
"Nonsense" Bob said. "I used to hold three pups at the same time. I think these old bones of my can still handle two adorable furballs. So, where's Bandit?"
"He's in the study having some work done" Chilli replied. "I can go there call him, while you catch up with the girls."
"That sounds great, dear" Bob replied, while putting down the little ones. "Thank you."
While Chilli went upstairs, Bluey and Bingo grabbed their grandad's hands and pulled him towards the living room, with the former saying:
"Come on, grandad. Come see what we get for Christmas."
"Oh, I can't wait for that" Bob said, as he followed them.
As Bingo and Bluey were showing their grandad their toys in the play room, Bluey showed the toy her parents had given her on Christmas.
"And this is Bartleby" Bluey said, while holding her favorite toy. "Mum and dad gave him to me."
"Oh, hello, Bartleby" Bob said, while waving and shaking the toy's hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Bartleby, this is grandad Bob, he's my dad's dad" Bluey said, proceeding then to pretend hearing what her toy was telling her. "Okay, I'll tell him. Bartleby says he liked to meet you."
"And I liked to meet him" Bob replied.
At that moment, Bandit got in the toy room with Chilli, saying:
"Dad, I can't believe you're here!"
Bob went to hug his son and then Bandit continued to say:
"I thought you would only in a few more days."
"Well, what can I say?" he replied. "I did everything I could to arrive as soon as possible. After all, it's that time of the year…"
"What time of the…" Bandit started, while thinking what his father meant. "Oh, you meant the lake trip."
"Of course I meant that" Bob said, while putting an arm around Bandit's shoulders. "My favorite time of the year where I and my family sail on the lake to get to the cabin where we spend the weekend bonding with games and fishing."
"Oh, yeah, lake trip!" Bluey exclaimed. "I love lake trips!"
"Ah, yeah, dad, about that…" Bandit said, while moving out of his father's hold. "I don't know if I'll be able to go…"
"What?" Bob asked. "But, Bandy, we don't go on a lake trip for years. I already talked to your brothers and they said they can't come. Come on… It would be a lot of fun! Besides, this will be Bingo's first trip."
"Wait, my first trip?" Bingo asked.
"You bet, kid" Bob said, kneeling before Bingo. "All the members of the Heeler family go on their first lake trip when they're five."
"Yeah, Bingo, we're coming with us!" Bluey celebrated. "You'll love it. You get to see a lot of little animals."
"Oh, I love little animals" Bingo replied.
"I don't know, dad…" Bandit said, as Bob got up. "I have a lot of work to catch up with and I was really count on this weekend to finish it… Why don't you take the girls? Believe me, that would help me a lot."
Hearing that really left Bob disappointed, as he sighed:
"Okay, if that's your decision…"
Turning to Bluey and Bingo, while expressing his playful smile, he said, while tickling them:
"See you two next week…"
After that, he shared a hug with both his son and daughter-in-law and started heading towards the exit, while saying:
"Maybe next time, then…"
As she saw him moving away, Chilli couldn't help but feeling pity for Bob. He was expecting so much that Bandit could go to the lake with him and the girls, only to have him turning the invitation down. However, she was determined to change that.
"Bandit, could you come with me" Chilli said to her husband. "I need to talk with you."
Bandit could tell by the look on Chilli's face the talk was serious, what made him say:
"Oh boy…"
Chilli took Bandit to the living room, where she asked:
"How could you have refused your father's invitation like that? He got heartbroken."
"Come on, babe, you know I have a lot of work to catch up" Bandit said. "With the kids at home, it's not like I can even have time to breath. Besides, my dad is tough, he can handle a few lake trips without me."
"Oh really?" Chilli asked. "Then tell me, when was the last time you and your father went on a lake trip."
Bandit was to answer that, but then he realized he could barely remember that last time.
"Oh… I guess it was… right before I… went to college" he replied.
"And when was the last time you two did something together?" Chilli asked again.
"Well, hein…" Bandit started to say, before realizing that, despite it was not very long ago, it has been sometime. "Wow… I guess we really haven't got that much of father-son bonding lately."
"And it must be the same with your brothers" Chilli said. "It must be hard for your father. After all, he gets a lot of time away, working, but when he has time to be with his family…"
"We just… don't have time to spare" Bandit said. "Oh man… Now I feel pretty bad…"
Chilli placed a hand on her husband's arm tenderly and told him with her soft smile:
"Then I think you know what to do. Don't worry about the job you've accumulated. I can deal with the girls so you can focus on it when you get back."
That caused Bandit to express a happy smile and said, while embracing his wife:
"Babe, you're the best."
"Don't need to remind me of that" Chilli said, as they ended the hug.
"But, if we're about to give my dad the best weekend he ever had in years, I'll need some help" Bandit said.
In the present…
"Ah, that Chilli…" Bob said, after hearing Bandit telling that part of the story. "She really knows how to handle you, Bandy."
"I can say the same thing about you and mom" Bandit replied, while Stripe and Rad chuckled.
"Touché…" Bob said. "But I still don't know how you were able to get your brothers into this…"
"Well, let's just say Bandit was very persistent…" Rad told.
"Then we got into a squabble…" Stripe added.
"Which only ended with laugh…" Rad said.