Soon the entire family was walking towards the garage, surprised faces soon spreading across Watterson after Watterson.
"Wow! Gummypuss, did you and Tristan find this yourselves?! It's miraculous!"
Nicole soon walked inside the garage, with the rest of the family following suit.
"Well actually Mrs. Watterson, Gumball helped me search for my missing nightdress that I had packed for our hike. He located it in the attic and found a keychain that had once belonged to a previous owner, who presumably gave it to a spouse or lover as a gift. That keychain is connected to the car in front of us now!"
Penny was now standing next to the blue feline, and gestured towards the antique vehicle in front of them.
"Well you certainly found a gold mine! This could work out really well for us on this vacation, and the location is just perfect! Perhaps we can relocate the fire pit to this spot, it's not too far from the dock; and the lake is just a few feet away! You know what guys? A bit of sprucing up and minor renovations, we could really make this work to our advantage for a cookout tonight! What do you guys say?!"
Nicole had finished speaking, to be met with the rest of the Watterson family eager and excited to enact upon her wonderful idea.
"That sounds awesome Mom! Just one thing though...I was just about to take the little man for a drive to Reedsville for a bit of father and son bonding. That's not too much of a problem is it? I'm sure you guys can manage without the two of us in attendance right?"
Nicole smiled and held her paws to her chest.
"Oh that's no problem sweetie, Tristan has been wanting to check out Reedsville since we arrived; saying he wanted to check out a few stores that peaked his interest. Go have fun you two, and more importantly be safe!"
Nicole then softly paced over to the blue kitten standing next to his father, her now adopting a crouch position to whisper in his ear.
"Keep an eye on your father for Grandma, okay? Although he claims to be a well-rounded adult with moral and mature principals, he still very much is the rambunctious little cat he was nearly 20 years ago!"
Nicole then leaned back and winked at her grandson, causing the little feline to express an adorable giggle.
Gumball then crossed his arms with a curious expression and smirk, catching a few tidbits of the tips his Mother was giving to his son.
"I guess you have full confidence in me with Tristan, eh Mom?"
The female feline now rose back to a standing position.
"Oh of course, don't worry! Tristan has that same ambitious spark you once had as a kid! Not that I wish to imply that it's a bad thing, just..."
Nicole let out a hesitant sigh, then transitioned to a worried expression for the two cats.
"Please be careful alright? The last thing I need is to lose both my son and grandson on a family vacation in an avoidable car accident!"
Gumball's and Tristan's expressions then changed to one of wanting to comfort the female blue cat. On instinct, both went over to give her a warm hug; which eased some of the stress and worry that had overcome her suddenly moments ago.
"Don't worry Mom, we'll be okay. You guys get things situated on the home front here, we should only be a few hours. I have my cellphone if you guys need anything while we're in town, or something should arise with us."
Nicole then smiled, and wiped away a lone tear from her left eye.
"Okay, I trust you guys."
The family had already begun to situate a few things and clean the remnants of dust within the garage while they were conversing with each other.
Gumball and Tristan got themselves situated in the car.
Gumball started the ignition and pulled the gear shift into drive, slowly exiting the garage.
"We'll be back momentarily, I promise! Love you guys!"
Gumball was talking over the loud purr and roar of the engine, as he and Tristan waved to the rest of the family; who all waved back to them. Some wishing safe travels, and saying that they would see them soon. Nicole stood in the garage with Penny, who was currently helping Penelope with cardboard boxes that were left in the garage for years.
Penny noticed the worried expression the blue feline still had as she watched the car slowly drift from view on the dirt road. She slowly placed the cardboard box she had been holding onto the garage floor, and walked over to comfort the blue feline.
"Don't worry Mrs. Watterson, Gumball has grown so much since he left with me for college on that sunny day 20 years ago. He has shown so much responsibility and wisdom in his actions as a father to his children, and has got me through some tough times when I had to take care of the kids when he was taking long shifts at the factory. They'll be okay, I just know it!"
Nicole now turned her head towards the yellow fairy with a small smile.
"I trust your intuition Penny...thank you."
The two women were now looking out of the garage, as the 50's era vehicle made the final turn out of view of the lake house property.
The yellow fairy concealed her external expressions well, but deep in thought; her true feelings revealed themselves.
"Take care of our little man, Gumball. I love you both dearly..."
(If Drive by Alan Jackson is compatible with your device, please press play now)
Gumball sat in the driver's seat of the vehicle, Tristan to his right in the passenger. The father ensured that his son had his seatbelt tight and secured, he knew the importance of road safety; not to mention the repercussions should something happen to him from Penny and his Mother.
Gumball took glances at Tristan, the kitten was looking out the window with a smiling expression. There was not a cloud in the sky that day, and both cats' fur were glistening in the sunlight.
Gumball then got lost in thought.
"Alright Gumball, you're taking a big risk here. But your kid deserves a bit of fun on this vacation, plus he has expressed to you on multiple occasions of not being able to wait until he gets older to be able to drive. Alright...here we go..."
Gumball then initiated the right turn signal, and parked off to the side stretch of the dirt road.
"Dad what's wrong, why have we stopped?"
The small blue cat confused as to what his father was planning.
"Oh don't worry little man, everything is quite alright; remember how I told you back at the garage I would let you drive this car?"
The little kitten's expression then changed to one of excitement and anticipation.
"WAIT...YOU REALLY MEANT THAT?!"
The blue kitten was now frantically unfastening the seatbelt to hug his father.
"Heh, of course I meant it Tristan! It's an awesome experience and nothing beats the freedom of you and the road ahead!"
"Thank you so much Dad, but...how am I going to reach the pedals? I'm too short,,,"
Gumball ruffled his son's fur on his head.
"Don't worry, I'll control the braking and accelerating, you just focus on the steering; I believe that's enough for you at your age. But...on the other hand...if I deem you're driving adequately enough on these dirt roads my young apprentice...perhaps we can go a little bit fast!"
"REALLY!?"
"Ah,Ah,Ah no promises little man! You haven't even had your first crack at this yet. Alright then, scooch over to me and sit on my lap. I'll get us back on the main road, and once we're on our way; I'll hand the controls over to you"
The little kitten eagerly sat on his father's lap, grasping the steering wheel' with Gumball putting his larger paws over his son's.
They turned back onto the main road, and followed the stretch that led to the main highway to Reedsville.
"Okay, are you ready for this!?"
"I was born ready Dad!"
Gumball gave a heartwarming smile and let go of the steering wheel.
"Okay just keep the wheel steady, and don't make any sudden turns; it's very sensitive!"
They approached a turn.
"Okay this is a turn here, so make sure both lanes are clear before you make these when you're older okay?"
The small cat nodded.
"Alright the coast is now clear for us to go, gently turn the wheel to the right for me okay?"
Tristan then turned the wheel with precision and ease, impressing Gumball with how quick he caught on to his advice.
"Excellent work little man! Now there's going to be some slow traffic up ahead in which we may need to pass here, see this little indicator? That indicates a turn signal, you need to flick it to tell other cars that you're making a turn. Before you do this though, you need to check your rear view mirrors or else you can cause an accident, are you ready?"
Tristan once again nodded.
Heeding his father's advice, once again the small kitten passed the second test with flying colors; making a smooth transition to pass a vehicle which was only speeding 30mph.
"Excellent work again Tristan, now I believe you're ready for a bit of fun. Ready to go fast?!"
Tristan smiled but then turned to a concerned expression.
"But Dad, what about the police? Won't they get suspicious of a speeding vehicle? Not to mention this is just a random car we found in a garage at a lake house. If we get caught we'll be in big trouble...and not just with the police for that matter..."
Gumball then let out a hearty chuckle.
"Don't worry, it wouldn't be your fault should we get caught. I'd be the one in deep water with Grandma Nicole and Penny. Just do as I say and we'll be talking about this for years to come! Besides, we're in a national park, the most dangerous thing out here is the wildlife, not law enforcement. NOW ARE YOU READY TO PUT SOME PEOPLE IN THE DUST?!"
"YEAH!"
With that, Gumball applied extra pressure to the accelerator and the speedometer slowly rose in MPH.
The car spun in and out of traffic, as the two cats were laughing hysterically. Cars were honking their horns, some gave unpleasant gestures, but Gumball didn't care. He was finally providing some well needed laughs for his only son, who waited every night to greet him when he came home from the Rainbow Factory. This reason alone, was enough for him to be glad he became a father.
"DAD, THERE'S A TRAIN CROSSING AHEAD!"
Gumball saw a column of red flashing lights indicative of an incoming train.
He smiled and applied pressure to the pedal.
"HANG ON TRISTAN, WE'RE GOING TO BE CUTTING THIS ONE CLOSE!"
The car soon reached maximum speed and jumped over the speed bump, the car nearly pulverized by the oncoming train.
The car soon came to an abrupt halt on the other side of the tracks. Both cats clenching the wheel, their claws now out; fur frizzy.
"Dad...THAT. WAS. AWESOME!"
Gumball then gave a bear hug to his son.
"Yeah, but just between you and I, Never mention this to your grandmother or your mother; they'd crucify me!"
With that, the two cats laughed for what seemed like minutes.
"Alright, we're almost to Reedsville. Get in the passenger seat and strap in!"
Gumball started the car once again, and returned to the main road which led to the small tourist town of Reedsville.
Gumball glanced over to his son again, who was smiling from ear to ear.
"Now that's the face I wanted to see today!"
The antique car slowly rode into town, the residents still making some last minute preparations for the town's festival.
"Say, how about we find a parking spot and head for some ice cream first?"
"Yeah, I'd love some ice cream right about now!"
Gumball smiled, and slowly turned into a nearby vacant parking lot.
Both cats exited the car, with Tristan taking the paw of his father Gumball.
He reminds me so much of myself at his age, I hope he has a friend at school, Darwin was the guy to turn to when I had to find a shoulder to lean on...maybe I should ask him?"
"Hey Tristan, so how was this past school year? Did you make any new friends? I saw your report card, you certainly outrank your old man when he was in elementary school!"
Tristan turned to his father with a grin.
"Yeah Dad things are pretty cool at the moment, Jake is probably my closest buddy at the moment. He's been with me since you and Mom put me in preschool. He's a hawk, literally and figuratively, he pretty much can see things before I can and always manages to keep me from getting into unnecessary trouble."
Gumball was pleased to hear this, his younger self usually had Darwin taking some liberties to keep him in control, but usually they were futile.
"I'm glad to hear that, well hopefully when we head back home you can spend some time with him the rest of the summer!"
Tristan then scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah that would be nice, are you going to have some time off the rest of the summer though?"
Gumball then had his eyes lit up.
"I'm glad you asked that, last night I called the factory for some extra time off this summer and they said yes, with additional paid leave for being with them for 5 years now! So it's safe to say I'll be able to help your Mother more around the house, and connect more with you and your sister Penelope!"
Tristan then squeezed Gumball's paw from excitement.
"Really? Thank you so much Dad!"
"No problem kiddo, to be honest I should have been more assertive at work anyway, but I promise you'll be seeing me a lot more from now on okay?"
Soon Tristan spotted an ice cream stand just across the street.
"Oh Dad look! We can get some ice cream from that guy over there!'
Gumball then looked at the man who managed the stand, and noticed a certain familiarity to his appearance.
"What the what? Larry even works all the way out here too?!"
The two cats now crossed the street to greet Larry.
"Ah, the Watterson's! Nice to see you again, are you here to buy some ice cream?"
Gumball now retrieved his wallet.
"Nice to see you again too Larry! We would definitely like some ice cream if you don't mind!"
"Is this your son?"
Gumball then placed his paw on the shoulder of Tristan.
"Yeah, believe or not the troublemaker of Elmore settled down and had a family. Listen, I'm sorry for all the stuff we put you through Larry, we really had no clue what we were doing as kids honestly. Hey, I'll give you an extra tip on this order! I'll also mention to Darwin to give you a discount at his taco restaurant okay?"
"Oh thank you so much Mr. Watterson! Really! But I've retired, I just thought this would be a nice little job during the summer to keep me from getting bored."
"Glad to hear that Larry, really!"
Gumball smiling as he looked to the man who he had fond memories of causing mischief upon.
"Now, about that ice cream Mr. Watterson!"
"Oh uh, right, I'll have a rocky road and...which flavor would you like to have Tristan?"
"Butterscotch please!"
Larry smiled and picked out two ice cream cones for the two blue cats, carefully placing scoops in each.
"Here you go gentleman, hope you enjoy the rest of your day!"
Gumball gave the money and tip to Larry, and both Father and Son went off to enjoy more of Reedsville.
Gumball was sitting on a bench next to one of the shops, arm around his son sitting next to him.
"That was some great ice cream Dad, thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it, I'd give all the money in the world to see you and the rest of our family happy!"
The little blue cat then spotted a small comic shop across the street.
"Hey Dad, do you mind if we go check out that comic shop over there?"
"Absolutely! I loved comics at your age and still do. Let's go see what's in there to read!"
With that the two blue cats went inside, inspecting the various selection of comic books the store had to offer.
"Hey look at this one! "The Adventures of Lazerheart and the Smooch by Sarah G. Lato", and the main characters look just like you and Uncle Darwin!"
Gumball looked at the comic and chuckled slightly.
"Sarah finally published those stories, good for her..."
"That is pretty cool eh? Would you like me to buy it for you?"
"Sure!"
Gumball and Tristan made their way to the counter, but Gumball froze just as they were about to approach it.
"WHY IS HE HERE!?"
Standing at the counter was none other than Hot Dog Guy.
"Dad, is everything alright?"
"Ye-yeah everything is fine, look would you mind handing me the comic so I can pay for it real quick?"
The small kitten handed the comic to the larger feline, who slowly approached the counter. Sweating, he placed the comic on the counter to the hot dog who was currently reading a newspaper.
"Hello sir, what can I-"
The hot dog guy now realized who it was staring at him now too.
Hesitantly, the hot dog was able to say the total for the comic.
"Th-that will be $19.99 sir!"
"Here, keep the change!"
Gumball grabbed the comic and quickly exited the comic store, with Tristan grasping his paw.
"Who was that Dad?"
"Someone who I knew a long time ago...we have a very awkward history...say, it's been a long day, why don't we head back home?"
"Agreed!"
The evening sun illuminated the drive back to the lake house, with the roads and trees having a bright orange tint to them.
Tristan decided to have a nap next to his dad Gumball, and leaned his head on his arm. Drool from his sleep was making the fur of his father a bit wet, but ultimately Gumball paid no mind to it. He had a wonderful day with his son which he would not forget for years to come.
As the 50's era car pulled into the dirt road leading to the lake house, Gumball softly spoke.
"Hey little man, we're almost there. Did you have a good rest?"
Slowly the kitten opened his eyes to see his father's arm rested on the steering wheel, and the outside trees and foliage letting glimmers of orange sunset through the windows of the car.
"Yeah, thanks for asking. I wonder what the others were doing while we were away?"
"Well we're about to find out!"
The car pulled into the lake house property, the lights inside were off.
"Huh, they must be outside."
Gumball then turned into the dirt road towards the garage, to see a marvelous sight.
The garage exterior was decorated beautifully with lights and the garage interior was cleaned and organized beautifully. It had some of the furniture from inside the lake house attic, the bar area was filled with multiple beverages for kids and adults, and the T.V mounted on the wall was back in operation with the elders watching an older game show. But one thing caught the eyes of both cats in the car: Nicole, Carrie, and Penny were placing various food items on a long table just outside the garage entrance.
Gumball parked the car just outside the bushes next to the garage, and turned off the headlights. Both cats exited the car and walked in the direction of the garage.
"Guys, they're back!"
Nicole motioned everyone to greet the two cats, with her hugging them both first.
"Penny and I were worried sick about you guys, along with everyone else! So, did you enjoy your day together?"
"Yeah it was awesome Mom, Reedsville offered some nice sights and we saw Larry Needlemeyer again! The town is really getting prepared for that music festival, eh?"
Nicole smiled.
"As a matter of fact Penny, Carrie, and I were just discussing that very topic. We planned this little outdoor evening to celebrate the 4th of July early, so we could go to the festival the day of our nation's most important holiday!"
"That sounds like a great idea Mom!"
Penelope then ran over.
"Hey grandma Nicole I found this new puzzle from the attic, would you like to solve it with me in the garage?!"
Nicole then took the paw of the small fairy.
"Listen Gumball, I'll catch up with you after okay?"
Gumball gave a playful salute, which warranted an eye roll from his Mother.
Penny then came over.
"Hey Tristan, would you mind helping your aunt Carrie set the table?"
"No problem Mom!"
The small blue cat then joined Carrie in getting the necessary meal preparations made for the rest of the family.
Penny then gave a passionate kiss to Gumball.
"I knew you guys would come back safe, your mother was more worried than I was."
Gumball smiled.
"Well, after everything that happened with us as kids, I really don't blame her!"
The yellow fairy chuckled.
"Well I'm going to join the rest of the others in making the final adjustments for the evening. Your father was looking for you by the way."
Gumball smirked.
"What does he need help with?"
Penny giggled.
"The fireworks..."
Gumball had a slight frown and his ears piped downwards.
"Hopefully he has learned from Independence Day's passed..."
*END OF CHAPTER*