"I'm spending the afternoon, doing what?"
Renee stifled the smile that tugged at her lips as she stopped pouring the mugs of coffee and looked across the kitchen counter as she repeated herself softly. "Not you, us! And we're spending the afternoon with Charlie at a Wiggles concert."
"And just who or what the hell are the Wriggles?" Lou demanded, frowning.
"They're a popular Australian group who entertain one to five-year-olds with children's songs and dancing." she told him, enjoying the look of horror that flickered across Lou's face.
"A group who entertain babies and toddlers?" he managed to squeak out as he stared in disbelief at his wife.
Renee nodded, "I understand that a pirate, a big purple octopus-"
"A big purple octopus?" Lou's eyes grew wider.
Renee nodded, nonchalantly looking back down, and stirring a spoonful of sugar into each mug of coffee as she confirmed Lou's horror filled question. "That's what I said, a big PURPLE octopus and a big green dinosaur with yellow dots called…umm, Dorothy, I think, also joins them on stage."
"And you said we have front row seats?"
"Right in front of the stage. Danny said that they are the best seats in the house." Renee confirmed as she picked up one of the mugs of coffee and handed it across the counter to her shocked husband before adding, "And that's not the best part-"
"That's not the best part?" Lou asked, uncertain if he even wanted to really know what new horror that Renee even imagined was the best part of this nightmare.
"No, that's not even the best part," Renee smiled mysteriously sending a cold chill of dread through Lou's soul about what the best part could be as he watched Renee pick up her own mug of coffee and take a small sip.
"Well, are you going to tell me what you think the best part of our afternoon at a kid's concert is going to be?" He asked impatiently, ignoring untouched mug of coffee that he was holding in his hand as he stared at his wife.
Lowering her mug, Renee forced herself not to laugh as she smiled sweetly, "Well, after Danny told me just how much Charlie loves The Wriggles, when I booked my own ticket, I paid extra so that Charlie could get up on stage and dance and sing along with one of the songs with the group."
"Well, that's not as bad as I was thinking." Lou breathed in relief as he began to lift the mug up to his lips.
"But because of his young age, he has to have a parent or a guardian up on stage performing as well." Renee added innocently.
"Ohh, no!" Lou stared at Renee in absolute horror, his eyes as big as saucers as he realized just what Renee was proposing, "No way, Renee! Don't even think it! There's no way that I am getting up on that stage and making a fool of myself singing and dancing with a group of kid's singers and some damn purple octopus in front of everyone at a kids' concert!"
Placing her mug back down on the countertop a little harder than she meant to, Renee placed her hands on her hips as she glared across the narrow divide at her husband. "So, let's see if I have this right, Louis Benjamin Grover! It was okay for you to belittle and make Danny look like a fool by making him the butt of your jokes with your poor sense of humor, taking it to the point where you made the man who stood by you and reassured you in your darkest hour when our own daughter was being held by that crazy teenager no longer felt like a valued member of the Five 0 ohana. To the point that not only does he no longer feel part of the Five 0 ohana, but he also feels alone and abandoned by the four people whom he thought of as his closest friend and is now considering leaving Hawaii because of the treatment he received! And you're worried about looking like a fool by getting up on stage at some little kids' concert and to sing and dance along to one song?"
"But Renee-" Lou began softly.
Lifting her hand up as a warning for him not to say another word, "Don't you dare Renee me! If you don't want to find yourself couch-surfing for the next six months and you genuinely want to show Danny that you consider him as a part of our ohana. And if you really meant what you said and want to show him how sorry you are for the way that you have been treating him, may I suggest you go and get ready to go to The Wiggles' concert! And I suggest that as you are getting ready, if you don't want to look like a fool on that stage, that you google The Wiggles and their song 'Hot Potatoes' and not only learn the words but study the actions to the song as well!"
Lou swallowed hard, aware that he had lost this argument and having no doubts that Renee would carry out the threat of making him couch -surf for the next six months, if he was lucky, it would not be any longer then that! Placing down the mug of coffee onto the bench. he reluctantly nodded his defeat, "Okay, I'm going."
Renee nodded as she watched him turn and head towards the bedroom. Waiting until he was out of earshot, she picked up her phone and hit the number on speed dial. Waiting for just two rings until she heard Danny tiredly answer his phone, she whispered, "Danny, It's Renee, remember our phone conversation this morning about making Lou work for you to accept his apology." She had phoned him earlier this morning to make sure he was okay after everything that had happened the night before. Steve was taking a shower and he had told her about his decision to stay but his plan to make them work to get him to accept their apologies.
She heard Danny murmur a soft yes.
Unable to stop the soft laugh that escaped her lips as she heard Lou growl from the bedroom, "I have to sing this! And…"
Turning her back to the kitchen door, she grinned, "Well, guess who is taking Charlie to The Wiggles concert this afternoon and is getting up on stage to dance and sing with Charlie and The Wiggles the song' Hot Potatoes'."
Danny's laughter was music to her ears.