It was the afternoon, and Chilli was picking Bluey, Bingo, and Lyon after school; Rad had to work a little late so he wouldn't be there until evening to pick his son up so Chilli agreed to have Lyon come along to play with her children. All three children were seated behind Lyon in the middle of the girls. Bluey and Bingo were eager for their playdate with their cousin today.
"So, what do you want to do when we get home, Lyon," Bluey asked eagerly.
"I'm not sure. What do you have in mind," inquired Lyon.
"We could play sandwich shop, what's the time Mr. Wolf, hotel, or butterflies," suggested Bingo.
"I'm sure Lyon would appreciate any game you girls have in mind," said Chilli while looking through the rearview mirror. "Enjoyed your day at school, Lyon," she asked.
"Yes, it was fine. Same as always," said Lyon while yawning.
"You look a bit tired. You didn't skip your sleep, did you," asked Chilli with a concerned face.
"No, I'm alright. I just woke up a bit earlier that's all," explained Lyon.
They arrived back to the house; the girls, and Lyon came off carrying their backpacks with them and Chilli unlocked the door to the house. "I'm going to do a bit of housework. Let me know if you kids need anything," she said to the three. The three kids took note of it and went to the backyard.
"So what should we play," asked Bluey.
"No idea. Any ideas Bingo," asked Lyon.
"Um, I don't know. Think, Bingo, think," added the four year old.
While the three were pondering what to do, a next-door girl popped out from the fence watching the three. She appeared to be a chow chow breed and seems to be around the same age as Bluey and Lyon.
"Hey, Bluey and Bingo," said the girl.
"Hi Judo," said both the girls.
"Who's this," asked Judo looking at Lyon.
"Oh, this is our cousin. His name is Lyon," said Bluey.
"Cousin? I didn't know you had a new cousin."
"Well, he's only been with us for about a month. He's my Uncle Rad's adoptive son. He's here for a playdate until Uncle Rad comes home from work in the evening."
Judo glanced at Lyon and smiled. Lyon simply waved back with an amicable smile. "Are you the next-door neighbor," asked Lyon.
"Well, kind of. I usually am around here on some days with my mum. I just got back from school," said Judo. "Can I come over to play?"
"Yeah, sure. We were thinking of something to play right now," added Bluey. Judo ran back inside to ask permission from her mother and raced towards the Heeler's house. She arrived shortly in the backyard.
"We could play nail salon," said Bluey.
"I'm a boy. Why would I play nail salon," asked Lyon with a slightly annoyed face.
"Oh yeah. Good point. Well, how about hide and seek?"
"Hide and seek is so boring," said Judo rolling her eyes. "I know. We could play truth or dare."
"What's truth or dare," asked Bingo.
"It's where you ask questions in this game. The question can either be based on a true or false question or you can dare someone to do something for them," said Judo with a playful grin.
"That sounds a bit cheeky," said Bingo.
"I know. That's what makes it so fun," said Judo. "So will we play that game?"
The three, while not very familiar with the rules, decided to play along with Judo's idea. "Where did you learn this game, Judo," asked Lyon.
"Oh, from my older brother and sister. They like to play this game with their friends."
"You have an older brother and sister. Are they with you?"
"No, they're actually with my dad right now."
"Ah. So, they must be out of the house right now," said Lyon.
"Well, not exactly. But back to the game," said Judo trying to change the subject. The four circled around in the lawn. Judo is explaining the rules of the game to the three. "It's simple. Think of a number I am thinking right now. The closet one or the one that gets it right will be the first to play."
The three looked at each other, still unsure, but they decided to go with the flow for now.
"Four," said Lyon.
"Seven," added Bluey.
"Ten," said Bingo.
"Good. The number I was thinking of was three so Lyon is the first to go since four is closer to three," said Judo pointing at Lyon.
"Me? So how do I start," questioned Lyon while scratching his head.
"Just pick someone to do the truth and dare. Your choice. Oh, and you need to ask them truth or dare," said Judo. Lyon thought to himself for a moment with his paw under his chin. He then looked up at the three girls deciding who to pick. Finally, he thought of his decision; "Okay, I pick Bluey. Truth or dare?"
Bluey's eyes widened when she was chosen. She wanted to know what the truth does. "Truth," she said.
"Now ask them anything, and also ask them if it's the truth," explained Judo.
Lyon then thought of a good question. Not before long, he spoke, "Have you ever fibbed to your parents before?"
Bluey was surprised by that kind of question. "Um, no I don't think I ever fibbed to my parents before," she said with a slight cowl.
"Never," asked Lyon.
"Never," reiterated Bluey.
"Okay, fair enough."
"Alright, the next turn goes to Bluey. Who do you pick," said Judo to Bluey.
Bluey looked at the three and chose Bingo. "Truth or dare, Bingo?"
Bingo felt a bit nervous; she was unsure if she wanted to tell the truth or dare. For curiosity's sake, she thought dare would be fine. "Dare."
"Now you tell Bingo to do something," said Judo.
Bluey pondered about what to dare for Bingo to do something. She looked at Chilli who was scrubbing the deck. She then thought of a playful dare. "I dare you to make mum do a silly thing." Bingo glanced at her mother, then thought of a superb thing. She walked up to Chilli.
"Mum," said Bingo
"Yes, Bingo," asked Chilli.
"Open the lid," said Bingo while using her paws.
"OK," said Chilli.
"Stick your finger in."
"Oh." Chilli sticks her finger inside Bingo's hands.
"Now wiggle it around."
"Uh... OK."
"Take it out and close the lid." Chilli took out her fingers, and closed Bingo's hand which was a lid.
"Thank you for cleaning my toilet," said Bingo with a mischievous look.
"What," said Chilli with a shocked face. The three kids laughed at Chilli while Bingo ran off laughing. Chilli smiled and rolled her eyes, knowing it was part of the kids' game.
"Oh, so this is Truth or Dare," said Bingo.
"Yeah, it's fun isn't it," said Judo.
"It is," said Bluey. "It's your turn, Bingo."
"Alright, I pick Judo. Truth or dare," asked Bingo.
"Truth," said Judo.
Bingo then thought of a question to ask to Judo. "Have you ever done something cheeky?"
"Actually, there was this one time when I was at dad's house. I hid my brother's mp3 player to trick him, and he got so angry that day. You could say that was cheeky," said Judo with a sly smile.
The three kids were amazed by Judo's prank on her brother. "He must have been so angry," said Lyon.
"Oh, he was, but I did say sorry afterwards. I know that wasn't very nice," said Judo. "Now, it's my turn. Lyon, truth or dare?" Lyon rubbed his neck while thinking about his decision. "Dare."
Judo's face had a very sly look. She knew the perfect dare for Lyon. "I dare you to touch your nose with your tongue. If you can't, you must touch another player's nose with your tongue."
"What," Bluey, Bingo, and Lyon in unison, not believing this dare.
"This is outrageous," said Bingo.
"He has to do it. It's the rules," said Judo in a demanding tone.
"Aw, come on. Give me an easier dare," pleaded Lyon.
"Nope. They're the rules, or you can't play," said Judo. Lyon sighed while rolling his eyes. He did his best to stick out his tongue and let it touch his nose. While he tried his best, the three girls were giggling at the wolf dog's struggle to touch his tongue to the nose. "I can't do it," he said with a muffled voice with his tongue in the way.
"Oh well, I suppose you have to pick one of us to touch our noses with your tongue," said Judo. Lyon groaned, knowing this was probably the most humiliating dares he had to do. He wasn't sure which one of the three he should pick for the dare. "Who wants to get their nose touched," he asked to all three girls. Bluey, Bingo, and Judo looked at each other in silence. The thought of a boy touching their noses with his tongue is somewhat of a weird dare. "Um, how about Bingo," said Bluey.
"No way. I don't want to be the one getting my nose licked. Judo should since it was her dare," complained Bingo.
"Wait, what? No, I think Bluey should. She's Lyon's cousin," added Judo with her arms crossed.
"Uh-uh, I don't want to," said Bluey with her paws in her hips.
"Then what should I do? I can't really get my tongue to touch my nose," said Lyon.
"Someone has to do it, but neither of us wants to do it," said Judo. The four kids were at a loss for this dare. They didn't know how to figure it out since neither girl wants to have Lyon lick their nose. Lyon was too reluctant to even lick a girl's nose. "Let's ask mum. Maybe she might help us out," suggested Bluey. All four agreed and went to go see Chilli; she was in the living room watering the indoor plants.
"Hey, kids. What are you all up to," said Chilli.
"Mum, can we ask you a question," asked Bluey speaking on behalf of the group.
"Yeah, is there something on your mind?"
"Well, what if you have this problem with your friends while playing a game. You have to do something in a game, but nobody wants to do it because the first someone doesn't couldn't do what he was told so he has to ask someone from the group to do it," said Bluey in a descriptive explanation.
Chilli raised a brow in confusion. "I'm not sure if I'm following what you mean, Bluey."
"What she means Aunt Chilli is that what if you ask someone to do the dare, they tried to do the dare, but they need someone to help them with the dare. However, no one wants to volunteer to do it because of the dare's weirdness," said Lyon bluntly.
"Ah, I see now. You're playing truth or dare. That explains why," said Chilli. All four were shocked that she figured it out at an instant. "How did you know," asked Judo.
"I used to play that game all the time with my sister back then. We did a ton of crazy stuff back then. So many dares that ended up as one of the cheekiest things we ever done," chuckled Chilli. "So what happens if no one wants to do the dare," asked Bingo.
"Well, sometimes it's better not to do the dare. Even the cheekiest dares can get someone in trouble," explained Chilli. "I speak from experience."
"Oh," said all four children. They understood Chilli's wisdom, and thought it was better to drop the licking nose dare. It would probably be too much to ask Lyon to lick one of the girl's noses. They went back to the backyard.
"I think we should just drop that dare. All in agreement," said Lyon. All three girls said yes in unison.
"Sorry, Lyon. Maybe that was a bit too cheeky for me to ask you to lick someone's nose," said Judo.
"It's okay. I'm glad we asked Bluey and Bingo's mum first before I attempted to lick a nose," said Lyon in relief. Judo blushed a little when he accepted her apology. She seemed to be interested in Lyon at first sight and wished to get to know him more. Just then, she heard her name called out on the other side of the backyard where she came from. Wendy, who was Judo's mother, popped out of the fence. She bears a striking resemblance to Judo.
"Judo, your father is here," said Wendy. "Oh, my dad's here to pick me up. I must go," said Judo.
"Bye Judo," said Bluey and Bingo.
"Bye Bluey and Bingo." Judo then looked at Lyon.
"It was nice meeting you. I hope we can play again soon," she said while blushing again at Lyon.
"Sure," said Lyon. The Chow Chow ran back to her house. When Judo mentioned that her dad was here to pick her up, Lyon suspected that the girl may have two parents living separately, but he didn't know the full details that her parents were truly divorced. He was also oblivious that Judo seemed to develop a crush in him.
As the afternoon ended, Bluey, Bingo, and Lyon were in the living room. Bingo was reading her book while both Bluey and Lyon were coloring in their coloring books. Chilli was preparing dinner in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Bandit came home from work just now. "Dad's here," said Bluey and Bingo excitedly. They ran up to greet their father at the entrance.
"How are my two little tackers," he said while scooping them up. He then saw Lyon just appearing now.
"Oh, and how's my favorite nephew," said Bandit.
"I'm your only nephew," added Lyon.
"I'm just teasing with you mate," chuckled Bandit. "Dad's still at work by the way. He said he'll be here in the evening," said Lyon.
"Oh, yeah that's right. How's your play date with your cousins?"
"It went well. I met this girl next door to you guys."
"You must have met Wendy's daughter, Judo."
Lyon nodded, recalling the name from today. "We played truth or dare. Judo taught us how to play," said Bingo.
"Really? I bet you little reprobates did some cheeky behavior in that game," added Bandit.
"Well, maybe a little, but we knew when to say no to cheeky dares. Mum said it's best to not always do a dare if it gets us in trouble," said Bluey.
Bandit was proud this his kids and nephew were able to distinguish what's right and wrong in truth or dare. He was also glad that Chilli was able to help explain to them about it.
"Say kids, why don't you go wash up for dinner? I want to talk to Lyon for a minute," said Bandit to his girls. Bluey and Bingo agreed and went to the kitchen to wash their hands. Lyon was somewhat worried on what his uncle wanted to talk about.
"So what did you wanted to say, uncle," asked Lyon.
"Your father told me you had some trouble sleeping during the nights. I thought maybe if you want to talk it out," explained Bandit, showing his concern to his nephew. Lyon was somewhat conflicted; he didn't know Rad had been secretly telling Bandit about his conditions.
"It's um…a bit complicated to explain," said Lyon twiddling his fingers. Bandit can understand the six year old's reason. After what Rad told him about his parents, not wanting to cry, and holding it in, he knew he wanted to help his elder brother's child. "I know it's hard. You've been through a lot, but it's worth the extra effort to talk to those around you."
"I make everyone uncomfortable when it comes to this. I don't know how to carry on a conversation," explained Lyon.
"We're having one right now. And don't worry about it, I'm not uncomfortable. I'm happy that you're choosing to talk it out. We're worried about you lately," said Bandit. "So don't worry about me, and it's okay to be quiet sometimes, but try to find a middle ground."
Lyon nodded and took note of Bandit's advice. He still struggles to open his troubles to others, but for some reason, he feels a bit more at ease when he talks about this to his uncle. "I still miss them. My parents I mean. I still think about them, especially when I am sleeping during the nights."
"I know you do. It must be difficult not to try to think about them, but I know you still love them. I bet they're still watching over you, and just know your dad, me, and everyone in the family is here for you." Bandit seems to be able to comfort the six-year-old wolf dog. "I hope my adoptive father isn't upset with me. About me hiding all of this from him."
"No, mate. He's just concerned for you. Believe me, I would be worried too if Bluey or Bingo were going through tough emotions and not telling me or your aunt about their troubles. I think your father would be happy if you told him what you're going through, so he doesn't have to worry so much. He truly cares about your well-being," explained Bandit.
"Okay, Uncle Bandit. I promise I won't hide anymore secrets from him. I know he just wants to help," said Lyon.
Bandit smiled at his nephew. He was glad he was able to get through to him. Just now, the doorbell rang; Bandit opened the door and Rad was here to pick up his son. "Hey there, sport," said Rad.
"Hi," said Lyon calmly.
"What are you two up to," asked Rad.
"Oh, we were just having some uncle and nephew bond time," said Bandit.
"I'm going to say bye to Bluey, Bingo, and Aunt Chilli first if that's alright," asked Lyon.
"Sure thing," said Rad. Lyon ran to the kitchen to say his goodbyes to his cousins and aunt. Just now, the brothers had a quick chat.
"So, what did he say," asked Rad.
"He said he struggles to converse to others about his troubles, but I let him know it's okay to confide in us. And that you show your care to him when he knows he's struggling," said Bandit. "I think he'll learn to open to you. It just takes time."
"I sure hope so," sighed Rad. "I just don't want him to go through with this alone. I can understand where his pain his coming from."
"And that's why we're here to help him, brother. I think you picked a wonderful kid. I'm proud you're trying to connect to him," praised Bandit.
Rad gave a light smile at Bandit. "Thanks, Bandy. I really do appreciate your help in this."
"That's what brothers are for," said Bandit. Lyon came back with his backpack with him. "Ready," he said.
"All right, let's vamoose," said Rad.
"Uncle Bandit, thanks," said Lyon calmly.
"Anytime, Lyon," said Bandit. Both father and son drove away from the Heeler house. Lyon then thought to himself about what Bandit had told him about confiding in his father on the way home. He knew it will be a struggle, but he should attempt to try to talk to Rad about his troubles. "Did you enjoy your day," asked Rad.
"Yes, it was fine. The same as every day," added Lyon. Both father and son conversed on the way home about their days as the evening passed on.