Chapter 5: Wet dogs, wet kids and a muddy house can be okay.
Ziva opened the front door and called out, "I am home." She had been over at the McGee house going over the final guest list for Tony's sixtieth birthday party. Delilah had agreed to have the RSVPs sent to her, so the surprise could stay a surprise for Tony.
When there was no response from anyone, not even Asher coming to greet her, Ziva wondered where everyone had gone. Most rainy Sunday afternoons, the family played games on the Xbox or watched movies in the family room together. She walked into the family room; no family, just the four cats sleeping on two of the pet beds.
She heard a noise from the backyard and looked out to see Tony, all five kids and both dogs running in the rain. All of her human children were barefooted, the big one included. They had been in and out, judging by the muddy footprints by the deck door and the pet door. One trail of muddy prints led to the half bath between the offices; a second one to the laundry room. Two more sets went into and back out of the kitchen.
Ziva spotted the case for "Singing in the Rain" on the table by the sofa in the family room. Leave it to Tony to turn a movie into an impromptu party in the rain in the backyard. She smiled to herself as she removed her shoes. The floor could be cleaned up; kids and dogs could be cleaned up.
She opened the deck door and stepped out into the rain. Asher came running over and shook, drenching her with the water from his body. Ziva laughed; she could put up with mud in the house for the kids and dogs to have fun, and for the kids to have a memory that would last forever.
"Ima," Rivka called out, "We're singing and dancing in the rain!"
Tony grinned at his wife, "Care to join us?"
Ziva ran into the yard with the rest of the family, "What are we singing?"
