Chapter 2 - Missing the Puppies
Later that night, Vinny sat alone in the living room couch, still wearing his sad expression.
"We now return to Ben and Me: Pop-Up Edition," the announcer on the TV said.
Ben Franklin was inside the church Amos Mouse grew up in, pleading to Amos.
"I need you Amos," Ben begged as a pop-up annotation appeared, in the style of VH-1's Pop-Up Video. "You've just got to come back."
As you can tell, Ben is desperate. But Amos, still thinking that he can't be trusted, tries to refuse.
"On my own terms?" Amos sarcastically asked.
Ben answered, "Yes, Amos. Yes."
"If I draw an agreement," Amos replied, "will you sign?"
"I'll sign it," Ben agreed. "I'll sign anything!"
"Very well," Amos crossed his arms as another annotation popped up. "You shall have the agreement first thing in the morning."
Said agreement, and their resolution, would later become the Declaration of our nation's independence.
Vinny looked sadly as he watched this half-hour film.
"Boy," he thought. "If only Barbs and I made an agreement..."
Lois came into the living room with a laundry basket, and noticed the expression on Vinny's face.
"What's wrong Vinny?" she asked, getting his attention.
"Oh," Vinny sighed, "I'm miserable, still thinking about the puppies. I tried to be a good foster father to them, but they just wouldn't accept me. Maybe I..." He got up and walked away, starting to go upstairs. "...I'm just not cut out to be a father."
As she saw Vinny walk upstairs slowly with his head hung, Lois couldn't help but feel sad for him.
The next day, during breakfast, Vinny hasn't changed, and he looked depressed over his meal while the rest of the family ate theirs.
"What's wrong, Vinny?" Peter asked. "You haven't touched your food the whole time."
"I'm sorry, Peter," Vinny replied. "I just ain't hungry, that's all."
He then got up from the table and walked away, leaving Peter confused.
"Was it something I said?" Peter shrugged.
Vinny has been like that all week, especially during one night while he was in the attic when he started writing on a sheet of paper. While he wrote, he looked sadly at the photo of Brian and Barbara on their wedding day on the edge of the table.
"I'm sorry, Barbara," he whispered. "I tried real hard to take good care of your puppies. But even after you died, they still wouldn't accept my care." He sighed then. "Forgive me..." he continued, "...for breaking my promise."
And with that, he continued writing. And while he finished, he went to sleep on Brian and Barbara's bed.
Little did Vinny know that Stewie was watching. He tiptoed to the table trying not to wake him up, and he read what was on the sheet of paper. As he read, Stewie couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"You must really miss the puppies, don't you, Vinny?" Stewie thought. "I can't blame you."
The following morning, while Vinny was called to breakfast, he saw the Griffins sitting on the table.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Vinny," Lois began, "we know how much you miss Barbara and the puppies, but this new you just doesn't seem to cut it."
"Yeah, Vinny," Meg agreed. "You need to let it go with them. They're no longer part of our family."
"And you missing them has only made your condition worse," Lois added. "You couldn't eat, you couldn't sleep, you couldn't even smile for one second. So, be happy with what you have now, Vinny...and that's us. We're your family now. And nothing is going to change that. No matter what happens, we'll be your family, now and always."
Vinny shed tears of joy because of what Lois said, and he smiled.
"Thank you, Lois," he said. "That really means a lot to me."
And with that, he hugged his family.
"I'll try to move on without the puppies...for a while, at least."
Vinny was happier since.
Author's Note: In case you're all wondering, the program Vinny watched at the beginning of the chapter was a Pop-Up version of the classic Disney short film, Ben and Me.