The next morning, Lyon was eating his cereal quietly. He was still at a loss for words after making up a fib that Muffin was entirely responsible for losing Frisky's ring. He shudders to think how the rest of the cousins will react after making up a story when in reality, he was the one who lost the ring, and the one that suggested to use the rings during their little game. Radley was in the yard searching for the ring several times. He checked beneath each bush, the fence, and behind the shed if the ring may be there. He even asked some nearby neighbors if the ring may be in their yards. No such luck.
Just as the wolf dog finished eating his breakfast, he decided to help his dad look for the lost wedding ring. Before going outside, the tablet was ringing. He checked and saw his cousins Bluey and Bingo were calling. He clicked the green answer button on the screen and saw serious looks on both girls.
"Lyon, dad told us Muffin was the one that lost the ring," said Bluey. Lyon twiddled his fingers, unable to explain what happened last night. "But that's not true, it was you," said Bingo. "I know," admitted Lyon. "Dad told us Muffin had the talk from Uncle Stripe. He was disappointed," explained Bluey. That widened Lyon's eyes; he did not intend Muffin to get in trouble. He knew Uncle Stripe well, and he did not mean for Stripe to be tough on Muffin. "I didn't mean for her to be in big trouble," he said. "Well, what do you think you should do," asked Bluey, despite knowing what he needs to do.
"I…do not know," said Lyon. "You have to tell your dad the truth. Even if it means you get in trouble. It's not fair for Muffin," said Bingo. Lyon hesitated by that idea. "I'm going to help dad. I'll see you later," he said, and then hitting the end call button. He sighed deeply, and went outside to check on Radley, who was benched down looking for the ring in each bush. "Dad?"
Radley hit his head against the bush and grunted. "Yeah, mate?"
Lyon really wanted to say what really happened yesterday but was too afraid to speak the real truth. "Can I help you find the ring? I know we're responsible for losing Frisky's ring. Please, allow me to help."
"I appreciate it mate. Mind going behind the garage to search for the ring," asked Rad. Lyon searched behind the garage shack, hoping he would find the lost ring. He sincerely doubts that the ring could have gone that far after tripping. Going behind the shack, he scrutinized the area.
Rad crawled through each bush on the fence, thinking it could have been buried underneath the soil. "Nothing," he muttered. "How could one ring have disappeared easily." Lyon asked some of the nearby neighbors if they may have found a ring in their yards but did not.
"Oh well, thank you sir," he said to a pug in glasses. Both father and son have been searching for the lost ring all morning. Rad decided they should take a break from the search, and take it easy so they can search for it again later. "How about we take it easy for now, kid? If we don't find it, I will have to make a call afterwards for a replacement," said Rad reluctantly.
The two were eating chicken salad for lunch. Lyon looked at a somewhat concerned Rad. "Dad, is Uncle Stripe really mad at Muffin," asked Lyon.
"No, mate. He wasn't mad. Just disappointed in her that's all. Why?"
"Bluey and Bingo told me she got the talk. I hope she isn't in huge trouble."
"Not necessarily. She just won't have visitors for a week."
"Oh, I see." The wolf dog hesitated. "What about Bluey and Bingo?"
"Well, your Uncle Bandit did speak with them. Just told them to be more careful next time." Even though Bandit's kids weren't given the same discipline as Muffin, Lyon can't help but feel responsible for them getting in trouble as well. "Mate, you look off. Are you sick," asked Rad. "If you need to tell me, please do so. I hate seeing you feeling off." Rad can tell something is bothering Lyon.
"No, I'm alright. I'm just worried we won't find the ring," explained Lyon. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find it. If not, I can always get another one," said Rad nonchalantly. After lunch was finished, the two kept on searching for the missing wedding ring. This time Rad checked for the front yard, hoping Muffin may have lost it there while Lyon searched in the garage shack.
But even though he is inside, he wasn't actually looking for it as he's reflecting on his bad deed. This isn't the first time he did a bad deed as he remembered his time running away from home and hitting Rad. He sat there silently, moving his legs. "If I tell him the truth, this would clear Muffin's name, but then, I will get in trouble the most. Not just losing the ring, but lying too," said Lyon. He was too conflicted to decide. He then heard the sound of thunder outside, and saw a few raindrops falling through the small window in the garage shack. "Oh, great," he muttered.
He rushed outside of the shack, and to the living room. Rad came back inside too after the sudden downpour of the thunderstorm. "I'm sorry dad," said Lyon. "No, it's okay. It's just bad luck," admitted Rad. "I'm sure this will clear up soon. I hope." But there was no telling when the storm will clear up, possibly washing the ring away even farther from home. They hung out in the living room, with Lyon coloring in his coloring book. Rad simply looked through the window, wondering if the rain will clear up soon before the end of the day.
Lyon carefully chose each color for his cartoon character in the book, making sure to not color over the lines. "You don't think the ring will be washed away and buried in this storm," asked the wolf dog, looking at his father.
"Given to how long this storm is lasting, it's possible," said Rad. His arms were crossed while watching through the window. This could be the perfect chance to admit the truth to Rad. "Dad, there's something I should tell you, "Said Lyon. "Yeah, go on," said Rad, listening carefully. The wolf dog twiddled his fingers, still struggling to tell his dad he lost the ring, but thought he needed to stall more time. "I hope we can find the ring soon. I mean it," said Lyon.
"Me too, sport. Me too," said Rad. Lyon went upstairs with his coloring book, colors, and the tablet. He wanted to call his littlest cousin Socks to check if Muffin is okay, despite her being punished. He called through Stripe's phone number on the tablet. As the phone rang, he saw his Uncle Stripe.
"Oh, hi Uncle Stripe," said Lyon.
"Hey, kiddo. Sorry, if you're calling to see Muffin, I'm afraid that'll wait until next week. She has to deal with the consequences," said Stripe.
"No, I just wanted to speak with Socks if that's okay," asked Lyon.
"Oh, alright. No harm in that," added Stripe. He handed the tablet to his youngest daughter Socks. "Hey Socks," waved Lyon. "Hi," said Socks. "Listen, ummm, is Muffin okay?"
"She's okay," said Socks. "Just can't have friends over."
"Ah, okay," said Lyon. "Was…uncle very mad?"
"A little," admitted Socks. Lyon places his hand over mouth. Socks was drawing through the tablet's digital screen, making flowers and stars. After hearing what Socks had to say, this has gone far enough. "Hey, Socks. Give the tablet to your dad for a moment. I need to tell him something."
"Why," asked Socks, confused.
"Just do it. Please," insisted Lyon. The one year old child handed the tablet back to Stripe. "Lyon, is there something you need to tell me," asked Stripe.
"Please, don't be mad at my cousin," said Lyon.
"No, mate. I'm not angry. I just have to teach Muffin from this experience," said Stripe.
"You can't because….I know what really happened," said Lyon silently. Stripe's eyes widened by that response. "I'm listening," he said. "Okay, I'll start from the beginning. The thing is, Muffin wasn't the one that insisted on using the rings during our practice. I did. I asked Bluey if I can use the rings for real life to treat it as if I was a real ring bearer. But for the few moments we kept practicing, Muffin accidentally tripped, and fell on me, and I was the one that lost it. It was not her fault entirely," said Lyon, holding his tears back. Stripe was shocked, and regretful for punishing her daughter yesterday evening. "Oh, so that's what happened," he said.
"Yeah," said Lyon bluntly. "So please, don't be hard on her anymore. I'll tell my dad too. It's the done thing to do," said Lyon. "Well, I appreciate you telling me, mate. You did the done thing. I promise to let Muffin know about this. She won't be punished anymore," said Stripe, smiling at his nephew.
"That's good," sighed Lyon in relief. He waved goodbye to his uncle and Socks. After hanging up, he flipped the tablet down on its screen in his desk. Before going back to speak with his dad, he also knew an idea to remedy the situation. He digged through his drawer where he keeps his clothes. Underneath the clothes he kept a precious keepsake of his mother. Her old wedding ring, which appears to be a silver ring with a sapphire gemstone on top. He kept it close to his chest, and his eyes closed, knowing what he had to do. "I can do this," he said.
He went downstairs to check up on his dad, who was about to make a phone call to Rafal, the ring shop owner. Lyon had his mother's ring behind him to surprise Rad. "Oh, Lyon. I was about to make a phone call to the store for a replacement. Was there something you needed to talk about?"
"Yeah, there is something I need to tell you," said Lyon. He sat down on the couch next to his dad. Rad was worried what his son had to say. "Look, I don't want you to be mad so I will come clean. It was me. I was the one who insisted on using the rings for our practice session yesterday. Not Muffin. I mean, yeah Muffin tripped, and knocked me over, which caused me to lose Frisky's ring in the process. But it was my idea the whole time," said Lyon. He calmly explained, despite letting out a few tears. Rad was surprised the whole time he kept this secret. "Oh, well that was not really the done thing to do, sport. After I said not to use them because I feared they would get lost easily, and then shifting the blame to your cousin," said Rad. "I understand. It was my fault entirely," said Lyon shamefully.
"But I could never be angry at you. Sure, I'm disappointed, but not angry. You know I will love you," explained Rad. "Really? I thought you would be cross," said Lyon.
"Never. I'm glad you stood up for your cousin and came clean. I imagine it wasn't an easy choice to make," said Rad. He was proud of Lyon for being honest and strong. "Trust me. I think I learned my lesson. Not to lie and get away with it knowing Muffin would get in trouble. It made me feel guilty when I found out she wasn't allowed to have us or friends over for a week."
"I'm happy you thought about Muffin. It shows you are a true cousin to her," said Rad. "Oh, and before you make a call to get a new ring, there's something else I should tell you. Rather, show you. Here." Lyon took out both hands and showed Radley Audrey's old wedding ring. "This is…"
"Yes, my mum's ring. I want you to have it. For Frisky," said Lyon. "Lyon, mate. I could never take something away from you that brings memories of your mum," said Rad. "Besides, it is her ring. I'm sure it will be better in your hands."
"No, I think you should have it. It would be a waste if I kept it under my clothes for a long time. I'm sure it will fit Frisky's finger, and the silver kind of goes will with your ring. Trust me I won't be sad if I give it up for the wedding," explained Lyon. "Think of it as my apology for losing the first ring."
Rad, despite his reluctance to accept the ring, carefully picked up the wedding ring that belonged to Lyon's mother. He looked at it for a moment, and then let out a soft grin at his son. "You sure?"
"Positive," said Lyon.
"Gee, mate. I don't know what to say. I think you may have saved my proposal. Thanks, Lyon," said Rad softly. Both dogs wagged their tails as a sign of happiness. Rad extended his arm to his son's shoulder as they shared this tender moment. Even Lyon felt proud for doing the right thing. "So, does this mean Muffin is not punished anymore, and no one will get in trouble," asked Lyon, looking intently at Rad.
"Oh, I didn't say anything about that. You did realize you thought you could get away with this. I would think you have to be given some sort of punishment. No friends, video games, or cousins over for a week," said Rad. Lyon's tail stopped wagging after being told that. "Oh….great," he said looking away at his dad.
Although Rad was proud to hear his son speak the truth, he wanted to make sure his son learned a hard lesson behind all this, and that he wouldn't commit an error like this again. Despite his tough love, he wanted to make sure he was teaching his son good life lessons. "Come now. A week goes by quickly. Besides, your Nana used to give me and your uncles much worse punishments back in the 80s than this."
"Yeah, I guess. At least I wouldn't have to worry about Muffin being punished anymore," said Lyon. "I hope she's not mad at me after all this."
"I wouldn't worry too much mate. She'll understand," said Radley. He reassured his son that things will work out. Lyon smiled back at his dad. "Now, how about we get ready for dinner," asked Radley. Lyon nodded and decided to go on to the kitchen to clean his hands for dinner. Rad smiled at Lyon, proud that his son did the right thing in confessing his wrongdoing. He took out his phone and looked through the app. He not only was making plans for a new ring order but was still in the lookout for his son's extended family members, who live far away. He's been googling the surname and location in Canada if the person search lookup matches closely to Marc's surname and history. "It's been several months since the last time I spoke with Dana. And yet, no success in finding Marc's family. I wonder if I did the done thing in telling her off and pursued the search on my own. This is harder than I thought," he muttered to himself. "I really hope we can find them soon."