On a Friday afternoon, Rad picked up Lyon from school; he decided to drop his son with his brother Stripe since Bandit was occupied on a work trip to Longreach, and Chilli had to bring the girls to their after-school activities in gymnastics and karate. "I have to do an important errand right now, so you'll be spending the afternoon at your Uncle Stripe's house," stated Rad. "Why can't I come with you," asked Lyon. "Uh, well this is something for grown ups only. I don't think you want to come along," said Rad while trying to make up an excuse. "Are you sure you're not lying," asked Lyon suspiciously.
"No, mate. I'm serious. This is something that only involves me."
"I mean, I don't mind coming along," asked Lyon.
"Sorry, but that's a no. C'mon kid, quit asking," said Rad with a serious voice. Lyon was surprised; he'd never heard Rad speak out like that before. "Alright," he said quietly. "At least I get to hang out with Uncle Stripe's family." The two arrived at Stripe's house; they rang the doorbell, and Stripe opened it with Muffin following her father.
"G'day guys. Glad you came to visit," greeted Stripe. "Thanks for offering to look after Lyon, Stripe," said Rad. "It's no trouble. I'm sure he would like to spend time with the girls," added Stripe. "How was your day at school," he asked looking at his nephew. "It was good. We did show and tell, and I brought my favorite book today," said Lyon. "That sounds awesome. You must have a really good book to show to the class," added Stripe.
"Can we play in the backyard now," demanded Muffin. "Of course, Muffin. You two can go on without me, I want to speak with your Uncle Rad for a minute," said Stripe. Muffin took Lyon's paw and dragged him to the backyard. "I really do appreciate this. I think you know why he needs to stay with you," said Rad silently.
"Yeah, no worries. But if I may ask, why does this foster worker not want to have him listen to your conversation," inquired Stripe. "That I do not know. But that was her request. If this is something serious, maybe it is best for Lyon to stay with you while I hear her out," added Rad while scratching his head. "Whatever it is, I hope she has a good reason. I don't want to give the impression to Lyon that I'm hiding secrets from him." Stripe nodded, acknowledging his big brother's dilemma. "Well, have fun," said Rad. "Thanks. I'll make sure the three have a good time," said Stripe. Rad decided that both him and Dana were going to a coffee shop in downtown Brisbane to talk over Lyon's family ties. He drove downtown to find the destination and parked near the coffee shop's parking area. He saw a sign that said Urban Grind with a dark green font in a retro style font. He walked towards the shop and saw through the windows if Dana was inside. Rad then saw a familiar looking white terrier sitting by the coffee shop's bar counter.
When he went inside, the white terrier was going over a vanilla file with detailed documents. She was engrossed in the papers while Rad slowly approached her. "Hey," he said. Dana looked up and saw Rad immediately. "Ah, so you came. Excuse my rudeness. I was just going over these papers," she said apologetically.
"No worries. You seem absorbed in those documents," remarked Rad "So I'm here. I think you know why." He sat down next to her at the counter. "Yes, I do think you are aware of what I'm about to tell you, but first I want to ask. How has Lyon adjusted to his home life?"
"I believe he has grown accustomed to being in the Heeler family. There were a few setbacks at first, but we're overcoming those little by little," said Rad honestly. "That's great. I'm glad you are being honest and accommodating to him," added Dana appreciating Rad's honesty. The Keeshond barista came over to check up on the two. "Would you two like anything to order," she asked. "I'll have the vanilla latte please," requested Dana. "Okay, and you sir," inquired the barista to Rad. "Give me the dark roast coffee with two scoops of sugar and cream. Oh, and I'll pay for her drink as well," said Rad. "Oh, no you don't need to," added Dana. "It'll be my treat for today. I don't mind," insisted Rad. "Very well, coming right up," said the barista as she went to the kitchen to prepare the drinks. Dana was appreciative of Rad's chivalrous act of kindness.
The two dogs faced each other as they're about to begin their conversation. "I'm amazed that Lyon is comfortable being with you. It's the first time I heard about this," said Dana. "He is an amazing kid. I couldn't ask for a better son," complimented Rad. "So where is he right now," Dana asked while closing the file with papers.
"He's at my brother's house. I asked if he could watch him over while we are discussing about our conversation. Don't worry, he doesn't know what I am doing," explained Rad.
"Well, that's a relief to hear," said Dana. The barista arrived with both drinks; Rad scanned his card to pay for the latte and coffee. After that, the two were about to begin their conversation on Lyon's family history. "Now, is there something that I should know in regards about Lyon's family? He did ask if he had anyone living here in town, so I figured you are the only one that may have any clues. Also, is there a reason why you need him to not know," asked Rad. Dana sipped through her latte, steeling herself to unveil the truth.
"I fear this day would come. Lyon is way too perceptive to ask these kinds of questions, but I won't try to overcomplicate this. I believe you have every right to know this," said Dana. "You see, the truth is Lyon technically does have family members here in Brisbane. However, what you're about to hear is a very shocking, yet depressing story. After the passing of his parents, we were going over his family history if he had any family connections. It turns out that Audrey's parents live in New Farm, Queensland. To put it simply, when we found out about them, it turns out Audrey comes from an extremely opulent lifestyle. It turns out her father is the head of a finance organization. Her mother is the one who aids him in his work and hosts parties at their private estate. Judging by their home, they live in a ridiculously lavish mansion."
Rad was amazed and yet shocked by hearing this out from Dana; apparently Lyon's mother must have came from a rich family. "So is he unaware of his grandparents? Not that I'm saying he needs to be with them, but I am curious why didn't he stayed with them after his parents' passing?" Dana was silent for a moment. She couldn't find the right words to explain to him the real reason. "Please, say something. I need to know why," added Rad. Dana sighed, not knowing if Rad is able to stomach this. "It all started out like this. When we first met the parents, they were, how should I say….very ill-mannered and condescending."
Dana's Flashback:
Dana and Amelia arrived at what appeared to be an extremely large mansion estate. They parked near the large brick fence with the metal gate doors. "To think she would have parents with this much money," stated the white terrier. "Well, he is related to them. I'm not sure how they would bear the news," said Amelia. The terrier and poodle walked toward the gate and pressed on the intercom. "And who might this be," asked a gentleman's voice.
"We're from Queensland Foster Care, a foster home in Banyo. We wanted to speak to the parents of Audrey Laurent," said Amelia. A Bloodhound butler came to open the gate. "This way," he said. The two walked through the massive front yard. It seems that the path is paved in stone grey stone with a large fountain in the middle of the yard. The grass appears to be much greener with a bunch of shrub sculptures of huskies. There were also rose bushes as well. When they arrived at the mansion, the appearance of it looked very big; it appeared to be a large house with at least ten bedrooms, and eight bathrooms. The exterior was white stone with the roofing to be synthetic orange cedar shake roofing tiles. The windows and front door appeared in be in a Victorian style appearance. The butler led the two foster workers inside the home.
The home appears to have marble flooring with a golden chandelier with tiny glass ornaments dangling from it. The lobby appears to be extravagant because it had a bifurcated staircase in the center of the lobby. "My, aren't they enjoying themselves," remarked Dana. "Keep your witty comments to yourselves," added Amelia. "The master and mistress will be here shortly," said the butler as he dismissed himself to the stairs. "I don't know if this is a good idea," whispered Dana. "Well, we came all this way to let these elderly couple know about their daughter's death, and the fact she has a son. What choice do we have," said Amelia.
Just now, two older white huskies appeared at the top of the staircase. The male husky had white fur with somewhat visible greying hairs. He had a smoke pipe in his mouth; he wore a dark maroon bathrobe and had grey eyes. The female appeared to have white fur with a Monroe looking hairstyle. She had a white pearl necklace around her neck and had bright blue eyes. Along with the necklace she wore gold bracelets around her paws. "Mr. and Mrs. Snow," inquired Amelia. The couple had smug looks as they stared down at both Dana and Amelia. "Lucius, who are these two ladies," asked the dapper looking husky.
"I believe these two come from the foster home, sir. They wanted to discuss something very important," said the butler. "This had better not be a waste of our time," said the posh looking husky lady. "Please, with all due respect, we wanted to speak to you the matters of your daughter, Audrey and her son," added Amelia. The smug looking couple were silent for a moment. "Bring them to the living room," demanded the male husky.
The four were sitting in a larger room. The sofas appeared to have an elegant design with white wood trim followed by velvet blue sofa material. The living room had large windows that led to the backyard. The room itself had various bits of expensive furniture such as statues, vases, and a very large library with the picture of the dapper looking husky. "Well then, what did you wanted to discuss about," asked the male husky.
"I'm sure you're well aware that your daughter has encountered a fatal accident, thus resulting her death," said Amelia with a calm voice. "Yes, it was rather tragic. However, I do not see how this relates to her son," said the male husky. "Well, you are the grandparents. You must have some sort of connection with him," added Dana with a somewhat crossed look. "But more importantly, since we are aware you have some sort of connection to your daughter, we wanted to let you know if you were aware that you are the only blood relatives to the son, and that we believe you may be able to take custody of him," explained Amelia.
"Us? Take the boy in? This is a joke, right," retorted the female husky. "I do not see any reason why we should take in a brat in the estate."
"Excuse me," asked Dana with a low growl. "I said we do not take brats in our own home," added the posh husky. "I'm sorry, but he is your grandson. You are related to him; you must have some sort of righteousness in your heart to let him stay," said Dana angrily. "Dana, calm yourself. We are not here for heated discussions," reminded Amelia. "I'm sorry, but I do not see how this concerns us. We are extremely busy in our own affairs with my company, so we don't have the time to child rear," said the male husky coldly.
"But as stated he is your related blood. May I ask why you refuse to take him in," asked the poodle while fiddling her reading glasses. "I will not take any defect child in our own homes. Not after what our daughter did to us. She was supposed to set a shining example in the family, and what did we received? Betrayal," said the posh lady while crossing her arms.
"Betrayal? What do you mean by that," asked Dana suspiciously. The posh husky looked away from the two foster workers. She closed her eyes with anger. The husband decided to explain the situation; "A long time ago, before graduation from secondary school, she was the star student of the class. We know everything from her school: all her activities, her social life, her grades. We had high expectations for her to achieve. That is our family motto. Greatness leads to eternal success. Failure is intolerable. We even had an arranged engagement with one of my fellow partnered employers from another company. We believed if she were to marry to their son, our company would prosper greatly. However, she refused to marry him, and went with some other dog instead. The nerve on that girl to betray us like that," said the pompous male husky.
"But she is your daughter. You're not going to take in her son all because of some petty squabble for not marrying the intended suitor," asked Dana. "No, I would imagine the very sight of that boy will remind us of whoever she decided to marry with instead. How she failed to bring up our image of an ideal relationship," said the posh husky. "Edward, I cannot stand the very sight of these two ladies. They must leave." The male husky blew his pipe again and sighed. "Ladies, I believe we are done here. We clearly do not want to take in the boy, and you have also upset my wife, Matilda. I think you should both go," requested Edward.
"But you can't-" said Dana before Amelia interrupted her. "Let it go, Dana. They're clearly not suitable to take in the boy," added Amelia. "Lucius, please escort these two outside," demanded Edward to his butler. "As you wish sir," said the butler, giving the gesture for both foster workers to exit the door. Both left respectfully, but with Dana giving a slight scowl to the couple. After they were taken to the front gate, they discussed about the couple's behavior. "Based on their attitude, I don't think their environment and personalities are well suited for the wolf dog boy to live with them," said Amelia. "You're telling me. The audacity," stated Dana with an annoyed face. "What should we do?"
"Well, what we normally do. He has no choice, but to stay with us until we find a suitable family to be with," added Dana. "So, are these his only relatives? What about the father's side," asked Dana. "Unfortunately, he has no family from his father's side here in town," said Amelia. The two drove away from the mansion and headed back to the foster home.
Present:
"So that's that," said Dana while sipping through her latte. "The two showed no interest in taking in Lyon." Rad felt a shiver through his spine by how cold and unemphatic the grandparents were. He had no idea that Marc's wife had extremely strict, uncaring parents all because she married to Marc instead of the arranged suitor. "I can see why you refused to let them take him."
"Well, we had no choice, but to take him in. On top of that, we decided it was best not to tell him about them. Not after what they said to us. I can't imagine his reaction the first time he meets them," explained Dana. "But he wants to know. What am I supposed to do with this information," asked Rad sipping through the last of his coffee. "I strongly advise you don't mention them at all. They're way too pompous and discourteous towards anyone lesser than them. I can't imagine how Lyon's mother grew up in a house like that."
"I did promise to tell him if anything turns up in regards about any family from either of his parents. Do you just want me to lie and hide this from him," inquired Rad. "If it means to protect him from the ugly truth, yes," insisted Dana. "What about his father's side? Are you certain you couldn't get a hold of any information about them?"
"Well, from my sources, I know they live somewhere in Canada, but I don't have the full details yet. I may be able to find a way for you to establish contact with them," explained Dana. "All I ask is you never mention Audrey's parents to him." Rad wasn't quite confidant about that resolution. "Don't you think he deserves to know the truth about them?"
"No, and I stand on my word. I know you made a promise with him in regards about finding his parents' relatives, but I would urge that you reconsider hiding the details of his grandparents from his mother's side of the family."
"Well, can you at least tell me the names," asked Rad.
"Edward and Matilda White. Edward is the CEO of White Financial Solutions," stated Dana. "Even so, I ask that this stays between us." The sun was already setting, and both dogs went outside, thus concluding their discussion. "Dana, thank you for telling me this. I…will need time to process this and try to find a way to use this information," said Rad. "I do hope you consider my request. I know, a little selfish of me, but I only want to protect Lyon's innocence. He had endured the death of his birth parents, and I do not want him to suffer even more when he knows about the Whites," explained Dana honestly.
"Yeah. I kind of understand why," said Rad somewhat sheepishly. "I should probably head back to my brother's place to pick him up."
"Yes, do be careful. And you're doing a good job taking care of him," said Dana. They both said their goodbyes and went on their separate ways. On the way to Stripe's house, he rang the doorbell. His little brother opened the door. "Oh, Rad. Welcome back," said Stripe nervously. "How was it?"
"I'll talk about it later. I think these needs to stay between us," said Rad. "Wait, what's wrong? Why are you showing your nervous smile," asked Rad. "What? No, nothing is wrong. Everything went well," he added while rubbing his neck. "Where's Lyon?"
Stripe sighed and decided not to hide the problem. "He's in the guest's room." Rad raised a confused brow. "Why?" When both brothers came in the living room, they saw a saddened Muffin and Socks while Trixie was comforting her daughters; what appears to be near them is a torn-up book. "Wait, isn't that," asked Rad recognizing the book. "Yeah, Lyon's book. He refuses to come out of the room," explained Stripe.
"What in the world happened," asked Rad. "We didn't mean to, Uncle Rad. Socks was chewing on Lyon's book. I tried to get it back, but we tore it," said Muffin. "Muffles tried to get the book, but both girls were tugging it so hard that the pages ended up being torn," said Trixie. "Oh, man. And I assumed he didn't take that well," asked Rad. "Afraid so," said Stripe. "Let me go see him. I'll have a word with him," requested Rad. He went upstairs through the hallways and tried to find the guest room. There was a closed door with he other rooms' doors opened, assuming that might be the guest room. Rad knocked the door to see if Lyon is okay.
"Go away, I don't want to see anyone," cried out the wolf dog. "Lyon, it's me mate," said Rad through the door. "Dad? You're back," asked Lyon while wiping his eyes. "Yeah, I'm back from my errand. Tell me what's going on. Why do you refuse to come out?" Rad sat down on the ground near the door to listen to his son. "Because I will never forgive Muffin and Socks ever again! I hate them," said Lyon angrily. "Whoa, hate's a strong word, mate. You better reconsider that attitude of yours," said Rad both surprised and crossed by his son's language. "That was the book my mum gave me. It was special, and they ruined it," retorted the wolf dog. "I know you are upset about it. Trust me I know what it is like when someone breaks or tears something you love. But it was an accident. I'm sure your cousin Muffin didn't mean to break it. You know how Socks can be when it comes to things lying on the ground. She is one after all," explained Rad. "Can you please come out so we can talk it out?"
"Never," said Lyon angrily. "Not until I get an apology!" Rad let out a heavy sigh. Stripe then came up to check up on the father and son. "So how did it go?"
"He's not coming out until he gets an apology. He said it clear as a bell," added Rad. Trixie, and the girls came up as well. "Muffin. I think you need to say you're sorry for tearing Lyon's book," explained Stripe.
"But it wasn't my fault. I tried to get it away from Socks," said Muffin.
"I know, but Lyon isn't going to come out until he receives an apology."
"How come Socks can't say sorry," complained Muffin.
"She's only one, Muffles. She doesn't know any better. You know how she can be," explained Trixie while comforting her children. Muffin slowly approached the door and knocked on the door. "Lyon, I'm sorry we tore the book. I know it must be your special book."
The door opened with a pouty Lyon with both arms crossed. He didn't say a word. "Are you going to accept her sorry," asked Rad. "Nope," said Lyon sticking out his tongue. "Lyon," admonished Rad. "Fine, I accept your apology," grumbled Lyon. He didn't made eye contact with the three year old despite accepting her apology. "She really does mean it, Lyon," added Stripe, urging his nephew to reconsider his cold behavior. "That book was special, remember? My mum gave it to me. My real one," said Lyon. There was a discomforting silence in the room. "I think it's time we should go," said Rad quietly. He said goodbye to Stripe's family while Lyon said nothing, and they both got on the truck. On the way home, Rad gave a lecture to his son. "Mate, you really need to drop that cold attitude. Muffin said sorry, you refused her apology the first time, and you never made eye contact after we said our goodbyes. It's just a book. We can go find another one," explained Rad. "How can you say that, dad," questioned Lyon angrily. "You knew mum gave this to me. It brings so many memories of her, and it's gone." Lyon wiped his eye, and sniffled. The wolf dog kept his arms crossed on the way back to their house. Rad showed a worried expression, hoping his son would reconsider his actions from today. Moreover, his mind is still heavy on what Dana has revealed to him about his grandparents.
Later at night, Lyon was sound asleep in his bed; he refused to say goodnight to his adoptive father while Rad stared at his son across the room. I wish I could tell you the truth, but knowing what I was told, I'm not sure if you're ready to find out. He sighed and walked away from the room with the tattered fairytale book in his hand. He then opened his phone's message app, ready to reveal what he has learned today to his brothers as the night was silent.