"I hope everyone's hungry", Lois said as she served dinner. "I made plenty of food."
"I am starving!" Barbara smiled as she helped herself.
Ollie watched as his mother started eating. Sure, she looked happy, but he knew this was just a cover to keep everyone from worrying about her. The puppies all knew she still slept with Brian's shredded collar under her pillow. Barbara had started eating away her sadness. Ollie didn't know which was worse. Her being depressed or her eating to deal with her depression.
The puppies ate in silence as they watched Barbara stuff her face with the food. The Griffins didn't see anything wrong with what she was doing.
"My, someone's hungry", Lois said as she smiled.
"You bet I am", Barbara said.
Ollie looked at her worried. He didn't want his mother to get fat like this. He pushed his plate away, unable to eat anymore.
"Can I be excused please?" he asked.
"Is something wrong?" Barbara asked. "You hardly touched you food."
"I guess I just don't have an appetite tonight."
Ollie got up and walked out of the kitchen. He walked outside and sat on the porch, looking out at the backyard. If only Brian was here. Maybe Barbara wouldn't be acting like this. Not unless she wanted to let herself go. Ollie sighed as he walked to the fence looking around the neighborhood. It was so quiet with everyone on the street in their homes, enjoying dinner.
Ollie walked through the backyard and sighed. There was nothing for him to do at the moment. He wished Brian was here. The boys always had fun together, digging in the backyard, then filling in the holes before Lois could yell about it. Ollie giggled as he started digging in the backyard, trying to relive the good old days. He stopped when he felt something solid in the dirt.
As Ollie brushed the dirt away, he gasped when he found what it was. He pulled out an old rusty golden trophy in the shape of a clam. Ollie sniffed the trophy and smiled, recognizing Brian's scent on the trophy.
"Dad!" he said looking up at the sky. "This is your trophy, isn't it? Hmm, I wonder what else is down here."
He continued digging deeper and gasped to see the body of a person. He looked very recognizable. He was on TV many times before.
"Rod Serling?" Ollie gasped. "I wonder what he's doing here?"
Ollie looked around and covered the body back up, never to speak about it again. He looked at the trophy and wagged his tail. He held it close and smile and he sniffed Brian's scent. He put it back in the ground where it belonged and covered it up.
"There you go, Dad", Ollie said patting the dirt. "That trophy's back where it belongs with you."
He smiled and walked back inside to see Barbara with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.
"You were outside digging, weren't you?" she asked. "Look at you, you're filthy. Upstairs, in the bath with you, mister."
Ollie sighed and walked up the stairs to the bathroom. He still hated baths.