Today was Saturday, and Lyon and Rad went inside the flower shop to find flowers to leave at Lyon's parents' grave. Rad wanted to give the six year old the liberty of picking the right flowers for Marc and Audrey's grave. When they walked in the door, they saw a young adult female husky. She wore the store's flower apron uniform, which was green, and had beige cream and white fur. "G'day gentlemen. Welcome to my flower shop," said the shop owner.
"Hi there. We're here to pick out some flowers to leave at a grave," said Rad.
"I want to find the best ones," said Lyon.
"Then you're in luck. My shop has one of the prettiest and most vibrant looking flowers you can find for a loved one," added the owner. "You'll find the best ones near the store's window display. Feel free to ask me any questions." The two looked at the flowers near the window display. There were a variety of flowers in different shapes, colors, and types of flowers from daisies, lilies, carnations, orchids, roses, peonies, pansies, and more. Rad and Lyon browsed around the area.
"They're all so pretty," said Lyon.
"They sure are. Do you know which ones your parents might like," asked Rad.
"Well, mum likes those, and dad enjoys these," he said pointing at some.
"Okay, we'll definitely take those," he said. Rad grabbed two bags and selected the ones Lyon pointed out. Audrey's favorites were lilies of the valley, roses, and carnations, whereas Marc's favorites were lilies, hyacinths, and daisies. Lyon picked the colors in a cool fashion from blue, green, and light purple since he likes those sorts of pigment. He seems to be enjoying himself selecting the ones as Rad picked them out.
"These look great, Lyon," said Rad.
"Thanks. I really do know what they like by the way," he boasted.
"I'm sure they will love them," said Rad.
They went to the register to pay for them. Rad took out his wallet and paid with his debit card. The owner seems intrigued by their selection. "You boys picked out good ones. Who are these for," asked the owner.
"These are for his parents," said Rad.
"Oh, he isn't your son," asked the owner suspiciously.
"No, I'm his adoptive dad. The parents passed on several months ago. I took custody of him for some time now," said Rad.
"Oh dear, my apologies. I didn't mean to be so crass," said the owner looking at Lyon.
The wolf dog shrugged the flower shop owner's insensitivity. Rad gave a slight frown at the owner's comment before the apology. They both went out of the store with the pots of flowers with them. Lyon was carrying his mother's pot, and Rad had Marc's.
"I think we picked out the finest ones, sport," said Rad.
"I think so too. It was fun picking them out," added Lyon.
"Hey, so about that owner from the shop," mentioned Rad.
"Please, it's fine. Pay no heed to her," interrupted Lyon before Rad finished the sentence.
Rad was surprised by how fast he was cut off from his own son, but he couldn't argue with him ignoring insensitive comments. The two were walking on the sidewalk in the downtown area when they spotted a crowd surrounding the plaza.
"What's going on," asked Lyon.
"I was thinking the same thing," said Rad. The two duo saw many dogs surrounding something in the area. It sounded like someone was banging music in the area. They went through the crowd and saw an adult Brussels Griffon, who was playing music with a thongophone using pipes and thongs. He had dark orange, dark brown, and light brown fur with brown glasses, and a tuft haircut. He seems to be a musician as he was playing the unusual instrument skillfully. Besides him was a hat that had money inside it, presumably people leave him tips for playing his music.
"Whoo! Shake it," howled the musician. The crowd applauded the musician's musical talent. Both father and son gazed at the musician.
"Wow, he's good," said Lyon.
"Yeah, he beats a mean drum," said Rad.
The two decided to listen to the rest of the Brussels Griffon's song. Lyon was intrigued by his talented drumming as he kept beating each pipe with his thongs. He didn't know that his tail was wagging to the beat of the music. Rad also felt the rhythm when his tail was wagging along the song as well.
Once the song was done, the rest of the crowd clapped. Some folks tipped the musician for his performance. "Lyon, why don't you give the musician this dollar buck," said Rad while pulling his wallet for a bill.
"Sure," said Lyon as he grabbed the dollar bill from his father. He placed the money to the hat, and the musician grinned at the young wolf dog. Both father and son picked up the flowerpots and kept walking where they parked their vehicle.
"He was quite the drummer," said Lyon.
"Indeed, he was. I've never heard someone play that instrument before", complimented Rad.
The two drove away from the downtown parking area and went to the cemetery where the funeral happened several months ago. They found the building where it said Brisbane Legacy Funerals. The funeral home was in Fortitude Valley of Queensland. Lyon recognized the same building connected to the cemetery. The two dogs got off the ute, as they had both pots with them. They walked past the building next to the path that leads to the gateway of the cemetery. Lyon took a hard stare at the gate, reminding him the day his parents were buried to rest.
"Hey," said Rad softly.
Lyon looked at Rad with a serious look.
"You'll be okay, right," asked the adult heeler.
"Yes," said Lyon firmly. He held his father's paw firmly, bracing himself as he entered the gateway. "Let's go," he said.
The two walked past several graves; Lyon still remembered the time he walked past this route when he followed the adults carrying the caskets of Audrey and Marc. He took small breaths to keep his composure in check. Meanwhile Rad noticed how his son was breathing in and out. He's still somewhat concerned but understands how this place brings him bad memories. Just breathe in and out, he thought to himself. The trees lost almost all their leaves since last autumn, so it was a cool, breezy afternoon.
Finally, the two arrived at the same spot where the parents were buried near the stream. The tome looks just the same as before with the engraved dove. They crouched down near the grave, placing pots of flowers on each side. Lyon noticed some dead leaves near the grave area, so he cleared them out diligently. After that, he touched the gravestone with his right paw, giving it a gentle rub. He didn't say a single word.
Rad held his paw to Lyon's shoulder to show him comfort. Both father and son sat down near the grave in silence. Rad took notice of one of the workers in the cemetery, who was raking dead leaves around the area to keep it neat. He then turned his head back towards Marc and Audrey's gravestone. Rad took a deep breath while closing his eyes in a serious manner. You two have a strong son. You are very lucky to have raised a great kid. I only wished you were given the chance to raise him. Though, I understand life can be unfair. Just know I promise to keep him safe and love him just as you did the same for him, Rad thought.
He opened his eyes again, and still saw the kid near the gravestone. Just now, Lyon was about to say something. "Mum. Dad. It has been a while since I last visited. Me and Rad brought some of your favorite flowers. We went to the flower shop downtown and found a lot of pretty flowers. I'm sure you would have loved the place, Mum. I know how much you used to tend to the flowers back at our old home," said Lyon. "Dad. I want you to know I'm doing my best to stay strong. I'm keeping up with my French lessons at home. I've also made a few new friends at my new school thanks to Uncle Bandit, and my adoptive father, who were able to get me to attend there. I'm also thankful to meet my new cousins, Bluey, Bingo, Muffin, and Socks. I'm also thankful to meet the rest of my aunts and uncles, who are very kind to me since I first joined the Heeler family. Just know I miss both of you terribly so, but I hope you are okay that I am with a new family." Lyon then gazed at his adoptive father. "Do you want to say something to them," he asked.
"Oh, okay," said Rad sheepishly while rubbing his neck. He puffed, and looked up, trying to think of a good message to say to the deceased parents. "Marc and Audrey. I hope you are up there wherever you are. I hope you are resting peacefully. Your son misses you a lot, but you two don't have to fret. I'm here with him, and I will never lose sight of him. I'm new to parenting, but so far I have been doing awesome with it. Thanks to my brothers, they taught me great advice on being a good father. I hope to strive to become the father Lyon desperately needs."
Lyon smiled at his adoptive father. He was grateful for that moving speech. He then stood up and tended the flowers one last time. "Goodbye," he said silently. Despite his effort not to cry, he walked towards Rad and gave him a hug. Rad hugged his son back to comfort him. He could feel a few tears coming from the wolf dog. Both father and son shared this moving moment. None said a word.
Lyon remembered what he was told by Rad, Bandit, and his therapist. It is normal to express grief. No one is perfect, and they shouldn't hold back any tears or bottled-up emotions. He had a good cry while hugging his adoptive father for some time.
"Will you be alright kiddo," asked Rad.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Lyon while rubbing his eye. "I just had something in my eye."
"Remember what I said. Grief is a healthy way to cope," reminded Rad.
"Yes, I understand," said Lyon. The two dogs left the parents' grave and walked their way back to the funeral home's front entrance.
Later at night, Lyon was at his bed reading his fairytale book. Rad came in with a book album. "You still up, mate," asked Rad.
"Oh, sorry I lost track of time," said Lyon.
"No worries. I wanted to show you something," he said while showing his album book. He flipped the pages that had plenty of pictures. He flipped towards a page where it had a younger version of Rad, most likely in his high school teen years. Lyon spotted a familiar looking wolf near the younger Rad. "Is that dad," asked Lyon.
"You bet. Back then, Marc was an international transfer student. He attended school here in Australia as part of his study abroad program back in Canada. We met sometime around when I was in year 9. I was probably around fifteen or sixteen back then. We used to be a part of the school's touch football team. That's how we became good friends back then," said Rad.
"Dad did say he used to play sports when he was young," added Lyon. Lyon saw more photos of the young Rad and Marc in their football jerseys.
"As the years went by, we both graduated in the same grade. It was not long before we started working on the oil rig. I was following your grandad's footsteps. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after high school until I learned about my dad's job in the oil business. I thought for sure Marc was going back to his home country, but it turned out he enjoyed living in Australia, so he ended up living here from now on. He also went into the oil rig life as well."
"Wow, that sounds like a good story," said Lyon. "Can you tell me more about your younger life?"
"I'll save that for another time. It's almost time for bed, but I promise I'll tell you more what life was like growing up in the 80s," said Rad.
"Aw, but I'm not tired," yawned Lyon.
"Yeah, you are you sleepyhead," teased Rad. He closed his album book, and tucked his son in. Before he walked out of the room, Lyon was about to say something.
"Thanks. For today," he said.
Rad turned around and smiled at his son. "No problem." He turned off the light and closed the door. Lyon then closed his eyes, smiling in his sleep.
Note: I felt like writing two chapters today to give myself a small break from finals. I actually enjoyed writing chapter 15 the most. I'm happy Rad and Lyon were able to find time to visit Lyon's parents grave, and give them flowers. Let's hope things will become better for Lyon in future chapters.