Chapter forty-two: Lunchtime Express
"So what do you kids want to play now?" Snowflake asked, looking around at everyone, still hugging Alex.
"I don't know." Aaron shrugged. "Anyone got an idea?"
"Hmmmm. Chase?" Snowflake asked as she separated from the hug she was giving Alex.
"Umm,.. yes?" Chase replied, uncertainly.
"I know! Let's play Red Light, Green Light." A boy said.
"Yeah!"
"Sure!"
"Let's do it!" called the other children in agreement.
"Sounds good!" Snowflake agreed.
"Ok?.. so.. Who's gonna be the traffic cop?" Chase wondered, and he realized some of the kids were looking at him funny. "What?"
"You of course! You ARE a traffic cop! You rest and tell the rest of us red light or green light," Snowflake told him.
Thank goodness! Chase sighed internally.
"Um,.. ok.. so,.. where are you guys starting?" He wondered, looking off into the open gymnasium.
"We're starting at... uuuuuuummmmmm. Good question. Kids? What's our starting place?" Snowflake asked.
"Well I would think we would start at the wall and have our traffic cop stand a small distance from the opposite wall." Aaron suggested.
"Okay?" Snowflake replied, slightly confused.
"Yeah but.. what?" Chase wondered, cocking his head. And looking around, Aaron could see everyone staring at him with various odd looks of confusion.
"Oh! So like,.. you guys way over there.." He pointed and they all began to head toward the far wall to their left.
"And as for you.." Aaron then took Chase by surprise in picking him up. And since he did so by picking him up from behind at the shoulders, he couldn't help but grunt and even wince. But because Snowflake was at a fair distance from them and at an odd angle, she just barely saw it, and still began to wonder.
Seeing Chase's facial expression, Snowflake wondered what she saw.
"Did he just.. wince?" Snowflake said to herself.
"What was that, Snowflake?" Alex wondered.
"Oh nothing." Snowflake replied lightly.
xxxx
Chase squirmed again, when Aaron went to put him down.
"You can stand right here." the boy said, as the pup turned around to face him. Chase then peered out around him to the kids on the opposite side of the gym, all waiting patiently.
"Ok." Chase replied with a shrug. Then Aaron nodded and headed off to join the others.
"Whenever you're ready!" he called, once he'd made it over and turned to face Chase.
"Um,.. ok,.. Green light!" Chase called, and the kids started to run.
Snowflake ran with the kids, but also gave them room so she wouldn't run into them.
"Red light!" shoes screeched, and some kids almost fell.
Chase smiled slightly in amusement.
"Green light!" Everyone started running again, as fast as they could.
"Red light!" Chase called again. And everyone stopped. Alex and a couple kids nearly fell.. Others took a couple more paces before they could securely stop.
"Green light!" away they went again.
Almost there! Was the thought on Chase's mind, and yet it was on everyone else's too.
"Red light!" he called after a long pause. Aaron, Julia and Julius stopped suddenly and a few kids crashed in behind them, but grabbing hands kept them all from falling over.
Chase just snickered to himself, trying not to let them in on his pleasure.
Snowflake stopped and ran based on the instructions. She soon saw Chase's snickering.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" the husky pup joked.
Chase perked up.
"How can you tell?" he asked, as if he hadn't done anything at all.
"Your snicker. You look amused!" Snowflake commented.
How did she see that?! He internally gasped.
"Well,.. maybe I am?" He said. "Green light!" They all started running again, and Snowflake ran with the kids as they continued toward Chase.
"Red light!" This time Snowflake tripped and tumbled forward. Chase restrained a snort.
"Green light!"
When did this game get so extremely hard for everyone? He wondered humorously.
'Ugh, really?!' Snowflake thought, before getting up to run again.
"Red light!" Chase called quickly, and he was amazed that everyone stopped firmly where they were.
Finally a red light where no one looks like they're gonna fall over. Chase snickered to himself.
Almost there! Snowflake thought to herself, smiling.
"Green Light!" Chase called, and she immediately took off again. Then summoning one last burst of energy, she surged across the invisible line that Chase's position marked for her victory.
"I win!" Snowflake called, turning back around to face the rest of the kids, all panting to catch their breath.
"Good game." she smiled, a little out of breath herself.
"Great calls." Aaron told Chase. "You really kept us on our toes."
"Coach Chase is on the Case, Aaron!" The German Shepherd replied brightly. "What can I say?"
"Take a break?" Aaron replied smoothly. Then suddenly the screechy bell rang out in the quiet gym.
"Ope- looks like recess is over, gotta go." Aaron called looking back over his shoulder from the opening door, from which a teacher soon came. "See you guys later!"
"Bye Aaron! Great to see you again." Chase called, as the kids all raced after him to line up against the wall next to the door.
Various biddings of farewell came back, and after each child said their goodbyes, they headed off through the door to their next period in class.
"Bye!" the two pups called, strangely in unison.
"Well that was fun." Snowflake said. "Want to get lunch at Mr. Porter's?" She asked, looking at Chase.
"Um,.. sure but,.. isn't it a little early for that?" Then he looked at the clock.
11 o'clock.
"Oh,.. ok, let's go." he said, walking on past her. "It'll probably be busy there around now anyway."
Snowflake thought for a moment, shrugged then followed.
xxxx
"Hello, pups." Mr. Porter greeted, as Chase and Snowflake arrived at the restaurant. "Coming for an early lunch?"
"How did you know we were coming?" Chase wondered, a bit surprised.
"He probably saw us walking over," Snowflake replied.
"Actually Ryder reached out to me to prepay your meal today, so whatever you want on the menu you can have." Mr. Porter replied, while carrying a tub of dirty dishes away.
"O-kay?.. So I guess we need to see a menu then.." Chase thought slowly.
"I have it right here, Chase." the restaurant owner replied, wandering back over holding the menu up. Then set it down in front of them as he continued. "Pick whatever ya like! It's all taken care of."
"Thank you, Mr. Porter," Snowflake replied. She then looked over the menu, before looking at Chase.
"See anything yummy on the menu?"
"Nothing jumping out yet.." Chase responded, studying the menu slowly. "You?"
"Not yet," Snowflake said as she kept looking. Soon, she saw a food option that caught her eye.
"Grilled cheese looks good." She said.
"Oo, that'll work." Chase perked up, and she was encouraged by his wagging tail and gently smiling face.
"Grilled cheese sounds good!" Snowflake agreed, her tail also wagging.
She looked a little longer before spotting something on the menu.
"Uhhh Chase? What are fizzy pickles? Are they pickles mixed with the fizziness of soda?" Snowflake asked, both curious and confused.
"Not exactly." Chase shook his head. "They're just pickles that have been infused with carbonation.. Kind of like soda.. but not the same thing."
"They're pretty good." Mr. Porter said, taking one out of a jar and biting into it.
"See for yourself." He added, placing a pickle in one of the dog bowls he'd brought out for them.
"Thanks," Snowflake said, before politely biting into the pickle.
"Mmmm. Mmmmm. MMMMMMM! Sweet and fizzy!" the husky exclaimed as she tasted the pickle.
"Glad you like it." Mr. Porter smiled. "Want one, Chase?"
"No thanks.." the German Shepherd shook his head. "After the rescue that one day,.. I'm all good."
"Ok." Mr. Porter complied. "Then have you decided on what you would like?"
"I'm ok with the grilled cheese." Chase shrugged, then looked at Snowflake.
"Grilled cheese, please. Can I get pickles on it too?" Snowflake answered.
"Coming right up, you two." Mr. Porter smiled, then disappeared into the kitchen.
Snowflake then turned to Chase once Mr. Porter walked away.
"So Chase, you like our bonding time, and are you feeling okay?" the husky asked.
"Um,.. it's been ok so far.." Chase shrugged. "Why?"
"Just making sure you're doing alright. Plus I want you to have a good time," Snowflake responded.
Chase looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and he almost looked dubious of this by the slight arch of his brow.
"I'm fine,.." he said. "Are you?"
"Yes. I'm fine. I was just checking. Why do you think I wanted to bond with you? To go on a date or something?" Snowflake said jokingly at the last part. "I've bonded with the other pups, and you deserve the same respect as them."
At the mention of a 'date' he hoped he wouldn't blush, as he slowly looked away hoping she wouldn't see his slightly widened eyes.
"Chase? You okay? I'm sorry. I promise this isn't a secret date. If you like me, then you can tell me. Friend, more than, or not at all," Snowflake replied.
Ok this just got awkward. The German Shepherd thought.
"Two grilled cheese sandwiches coming up!" Mr. Porter sang, while bringing two plates from the kitchen.
"Oh thank goodness." Chase mumbled to himself, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their food.
"One regular grilled cheese;" the restaurant owner said, dishing the hot sandwich into Chase's bowl. "One with pickles." And after setting the other sandwich in Snowflake's bowl, he straightened up and asked.
"Anything else?"
"Water please?" Snowflake suggested.
"Of course." Mr. Porter smiled, disappearing for another moment.
"Thanks!" Chase called after him. Then after a moment, he softly cleared his throat and bent down to breathe in the tasty aroma of the freshly cooked bread and gooey cheese, which enticed him to take a bite. But he knew it wasn't a good idea right now and resisted, so not to pay a price he didn't want to pay.
Snowflake raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"It's grilled cheese. Aren't you hungry? Or are you just waiting for the water?" Snowflake wondered.
"What? No, I just.. I'm waiting for it to cool off a little bit.. cheese can be hot you know." Chase replied.
"Oh, yes. Good point," Snowflake replied, not even thinking the cheese could be too hot to eat.
"So, after lunch I was thinking we can go hang out with Jake and Everest," Snowflake commented.
"Why?" Chase wondered. "Have you planned out every step of the way today? What if something spontaneous happens? Like, going to the beach, or jumping in on a Pup Pup Boogie dance-off, or.. taking a nap! Rubble takes naps all the time. How do you know we won't just conk out on the way to whatever it is you've got in mind?"
Snowflake blinked in confusion.
"Why would we fall asleep when bonding? I mean unless you need the rest. But you don't look THAT tired! Plus, we woke up not too long ago. We're suppose to bond, not be cuddle buddies during the day! Good thing I installed this…" Snowflake replied before pressing her pup tag.
HHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! came the loud noise of a blow horn through her pup tag. The husky pup then pressed her pup tag to turn it off.
Chase covered his ears from the horn blast, peeking one eye at her distastefully when it stopped.
"What? You asked about falling asleep. How else was I supposed to keep you awake? Kiss you?" Snowflake responded, giving a smug grin at the last statement.
"What?!" Chase cried, hoping he'd heard that wrong.
"Kidding! But seriously, I'm not letting you fall asleep. Besides, we... oops. Actually we're going to see Jake and Everest later. We're going to the Fun Zone after lunch, and yes, I did plan the whole day." Snowflake said calmly.
Chase just stared at her a moment, as if contemplating how to respond. But then he just bent down and took a bite of the grilled cheese, and remained silent and thoughtful.
"Something wrong? I'm sorry if I upset you." Snowflake said, before taking a bite of her own grilled cheese sandwich.
"Uhh,.." Chase's gaze looked up and he found the perfect response.
"Hey look, Mr. Porter's pies!" he gasped, taking off toward the rolling cart carrying various flavors of pie out to them.
"Which kind would you like?" Mr. Porter replied, as Chase hopped up onto a chair to take a look.
"Raspberry please," Snowflake requested.
"Yeah, um.. chocolate for me." Chase replied, looking around at all the flavors with a bit of distraction.
"Huh?" Mr. Porter queried.
"I mean!.." Chase gasped, shaking his head back into focus. "Cherry pie, please."
"Coming right up, pups." Mr. Porter smiled then rolled the cart away again to fetch the right slices of pie.
Then Chase looked down off the chair he was standing on. He paced left and right like he was contemplating jumping, but then just turned around and slid down off it instead.
Oh,.. hope she didn't see that! He hoped desperately.
"Ummm. Something's wrong. Chase, you can't eat chocolate. And why were you pacing in your chair like you were going to jump? I've seen you jump into your truck during and after rescues. The chair isn't that high! You'll be safe," Snowflake said, noticing Chase's behavior.
"And don't act like I didn't notice that."
"What? No! I.. I'm just.. saving my energy for.. whatever we're gonna do today.. that's all." Chase lied, hoping he was convincing enough. "Yeah, just preserving my energy to have so much fun.. 'Sounded like we're in for a very busy day."
"Then why are you sliding in your chair? You're not bored are you?" Snowflake replied, watching him. "Are you really saving your energy? Most dogs don't slouch to save energy. And yes, we are going to be busy. Sit back down, our pies will probably be here soon."
"Who said I was slouching?!" Chase countered, straightening up immediately.
"The pup who paced, then slid down in his seat like he was made of melted chocolate," Snowflake responded casually.
"Here's your dessert, pups." Mr. Porter announced, lifting the two small plates above his head briefly as he made his way over to them.
"Oh thank goodness." Chase sighed to himself, while standing in anticipation of what he was about to receive.
The two pups said thank you,.. and began to eat their dessert.
After a while, they got done eating.
"So Chase, want to hang out at the Fun Zone?" Snowflake suggested.
"Sure, right after I help Mr. Porter." Chase replied. He picked up his plate and set it securely into his bowl and then picked up the bowl. The German Shepherd headed toward the restaurant entrance, when he hit something on his shoulder and dropped the bowl. He grunted upon impact, but soon realized that the plate was gone.
"Oh hey, Chase," Chase looked up immediately to find..
"Maggie?" He vocalized. "What're you doing here?"
"Oh just stopping in to grab some quick dessert for the guys at the farm." Margaret Prescott shrugged, beaming brightly. "You know how Billy is about his banana cream pies."
Chase looked down though and realized that his small dessert plate was rolling away. He gasped, but Maggie continued.
"So what're you doing here?" she asked. "Are you on the dessert case too?"
"Um,.. you could say that." Chase shrugged, becoming a bit anxious. "Which actually I kinda gotta-"
"Oh Chase, don't be so wishy-washy." Maggie half scolded. "I know you live for stuff like this. After all, you do say 'Chase is on the case' a lot. Say, where's your brother at anyway? 'He still hanging out at the Lookout?"
"Yes," Chase replied quickly, cocking his glance down again, as he began to step around her. "Actually he is but-.."
"Well when you see him let him know we didn't pass up on his favorite snacks here either,.. He'll probably have some waiting for him when he comes home tonight."
"Great, thanks! Gotta go, Maggie! uh-Chase is on the case!" then taking off quickly, she just stared after him quizzically, then continued to patiently wait for her order to arrive.
What is up everybody! We are back with another chapter! And how fun was this! Bringing Maggie Prescott into the mix was a pretty fun touch for me! ;D
And all the awkward moments that made Chase squirm was hilarious! XD All this to say I hope you had as much fun reading this as we did writing it! And hopefully we'll continue to hear from you regarding this journey toward the end! And thanks be to everyone who continues to comment your support! And here's to hoping there's much more left to see.. Keep in mind we are officially,.. No joke, TEN chapters ahead in writing this! TEN! How crazy is that! And we're STILL not done!
And yet we're even exploring the possibility of adding yet another sequel to this. And this is the big one.. Probably the most.. Merry of them all.. Even if Christmas is in just a couple days..we might still go through with it! And given how this story went.. it might possibly fall along the lines of next year, but we'll see.. Only time and writing will tell. Till then,.. stay tuned and enjoy this new chapter! Thx!
p.s. A Merry Christmas to all and safe travels to anyone on the road this season! Especially with all the sudden snow in some areas!