I woke up the next morning with a case of dry mouth rivaling the Victoria Desert. The digital clock on my night stand read a nice and "early" 11:00 AM, much later than I would ever let myself sleep in. I groaned and sat up in my bed, wiping the drool from my face where it had collected and matted down my fur, an inevitable consequence of sleeping on my side. Speaking of which, my shoulder was throbbing. I let out a long sigh as I stood up from the bed and crossed the old hardwood flooring of my room. There was only a small amount of light casting on the floor and the drab blue walls, indicating that the sun had almost completed its trek to high noon. I made my way to the bathroom, cleaning my teeth and brushing my fur in the places it'd become tangled overnight. Though I wanted to shower, I'd need something to cover my cast before I could do so.
Finally feeling good enough to face the day, I exited the bathroom and started down the hallway. The house was dead silent, so I decided to keep it that way. Maybe Brandy is still asleep, I thought to myself as I crept down the stairs and into the living room where my suspicions were confirmed. Brandy was fast asleep on the couch, snoring lightly, a thin blanket draped over her. The Red Heeler had clearly fallen asleep watching T.V.; The Pawflix "Are you still watching?" message was flashed up on the screen, where it had probably been for a number of hours. Her phone lay on the carpeted floor, having fallen from her hand sometime during the night. I chuckled as I quietly entered the kitchen opposite the room (turning off the T.V. before I left), and I made myself a small breakfast of toast with jam and passed the time by doing some cleaning. I figured with how much I'd stressed Brandy out the other night, it was the least I could do. The memory of our interaction was still fresh in my mind and served as a fresh thing to cringe at. It had been mortifyingly embarrassing, especially the crying. I'd always been told growing up that "Boys don't cry." It was a common sentiment among the many families I stayed with, though in hindsight they probably just didn't want to deal with me. Nonetheless, it was a fundamental rule I held to myself for a long time, and I'd broken it. The cleaning products were easy to find, under the sink like they were in most homes. I had already scrubbed the oven, cleaned cabinets, and was halfway through wiping the counter when there was a knock on the door. Brandy stirred at the noise but resumed her snoring. I walked over to the front door and opened it to reveal Chilli standing on the doorstep.
"G'day Aunt Chilli," I said quietly as I stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. She seemed surprised to see me, but did as I directed. As she stepped inside she glanced around, quickly noticing Brandy's sleeping form on the couch. A look of understanding crossed her face as she turned towards me.
"Good morning Oscar," she said, mimicking my voice level, "How are you feeling?" She took a fleeting glance at my tail, where the bright white cast had been applied the previous night.
"A lot better now, thanks," I responded, "What brings you here?"
"Well, first I wanted to return this to you," she answered as she held out my school bag, which I had somehow failed to notice she was holding. To be honest the thought of it hadn't even crossed my mind. She continued as I took the bag from her, "I also wanted to talk to you and Brandy about something, though I guess it couldn't hurt to run it by you first."
"Go for it," I said as I took a seat at the kitchen table, a look of curiosity presenting itself on my face. Chilli did the same, positioning herself across from me before continuing.
"The girls are crushed that the sleepover didn't work out. They were so excited to have you spend the night," she explained, "So I was thinking we could arrange something else. Next weekend, I'm taking the girls to see their Grandad Mort, Brandy and I's father. I was wondering if you'd like to come along."
"I mean, I wouldn't be against the idea, but I'm pretty sure Brandy works next weekend," I said as I scratched the back of my head, contemplating the offer. If Brandy couldn't go, I wasn't sure what option there would be for myself.
"I think she does too, but that's alright; It can just be the four of us. I'm sure Brandy would want you to meet our Dad, even if she isn't there to introduce you," Chilli said. I didn't know exactly how to respond. On one hand, spending more time with Chilli and her daughters sounded like a blast. On the other hand, I wasn't sure how comfortable I'd be meeting more family without Brandy's presence. Then there's the thought that, given the circumstances, I might not have much of a choice anyway. "Plus, it's really pretty up there this time of year," Chilli continued, noticing my indecisiveness, "You ever seen Autumn in the countryside?" I hadn't. In fact, I'd never been outside of central Brisbane besides picking up Bluey from her school the previous week.
"I've seen pictures," I said simply.
"Ah, the pictures don't do it justice," Chilli responded with a warm smile, "The trees are simply stunning this time of year." I look down at the table, breaking eye contact with the Red Heeler as I weigh the decision.
"I-I guess that could be fun," I finally said, "Alright, I'm up for it." Chilli's mood visibly brightened as I gave my answer, seemingly ecstatic that I agreed to go.
"Great!" she exclaimed a little too loudly, "I'll run it by Brandy of course, and hopefully she'll clear you to go, though I don't see why she wouldn't!" As if on cue, a groan rang out audibly from the living room. Chilli and I glanced towards the source of the noise just in time to see Brandy rise from her slumber. She sat up on the couch and yawned, stretching her arms out above her head as the blanket fell to the floor. She looked disheveled to say the least, her bleary eyes focusing on nothing in particular.
"I really gotta stop falling asleep on the couch," she remarked as she scratched the back of her head, "I feel like shi-." The Red Heeler noticed Chilli and I sitting at the kitchen table, watching her from the other room, and cut her sentence off. I stifled a laugh as Chilli raised an amused eyebrow at her older sister. "Oh…Morning you two."
"Actually," Chilli glanced down at her phone, "Afternoon."
"Yeah yeah," Brandy chuckled, "After last night's fiasco, I deserved a good long rest, though I wish I'd done it in a bed." She dramatically pressed her arm into her back, as if to correct her spine. The mere mention of the night before saw my mood darken immediately. I still felt bad for putting Brandy through that, even if it wasn't my fault. I did my best to not let on to what I was feeling, but somehow I think Brandy knew.
"So…What brings you here Chilli?" Brandy asked, changing the subject as she sat next to me at the kitchen table. Chilli explained her idea to the other Cattle Dog, who listened intently. After the younger sister had completed her proposal, Brandy stayed quiet for a few seconds as if weighing the decision in her mind. "Well, I'm definitely not against Oscar going to Dad's for the weekend, but I'd really hoped to be there when they met for the first time. It's not everyday you get to introduce a new grandkid."
"I know," Chilli said, "But I think this'll be good for Oscar. See the countryside? Build bonds with the girls?" It was weird watching this conversation, to be discussed without being part of the discussion. The two sisters went back and forth for a little bit before I finally jumped in.
"Brandy," I interjected, gaining her attention, "I think I want to go. I've never seen the countryside this time of year, and it sounds like fun!" Chilli beamed at me while Brandy let out an audible sigh before cracking into a smile.
"Oh alright!" she exclaimed, "At least I won't have to worry about you while I'm working." After another half hour or so of hammering out the details, a plan was set. Chilli bid us farewell and Brandy went about her business, leaving me to figure out the rest of my Saturday. I reluctantly dragged my backpack upstairs to my room and sat at my desk to sort out that math packet, which took a number of hours.
"Dinner!" I heard Brandy call from downstairs. I got up from my bed, where I'd been listening to music and reading my book for the last couple hours once the packet was completed. As I made my way down to the ground floor, I was met with the scent of herbs and melting cheese. Brandy gave me a warm smile as I entered the kitchen, which I returned. The kitchen table was already set with two places, piled high with cheesy potato bake, a suspiciously familiar cheesy potato bake.
"Where'd you get this?" I asked the Red Heeler with a smirk.
"Chilli gave it to me before she left," Brandy answered, "She told me you helped make it."
"That I did, can't wait to give it a try." I poured myself a glass of milk in the kitchen before taking my place at the table, Brandy joining me shortly with a beer for herself. The food was good, really good, even though it was reheated. I'd have to ask Chilli for the recipe some time, because there was no chance I would remember how to recreate it.
"This is really good!" Brandy said as she glanced up at me from the other side of the table, "I recognize it, this was our mum's recipe. You two did a great job on it."
"Thanks," I responded, "Speaking of, you and Chilli never mentioned her. Does she not live with your dad?" Brandy's demeanor shifted ever so slightly, not much, but enough for me to notice. A slight frown crossed her face, and I knew I'd touched a sore subject.
"No…" she sighed, "Our mum passed away a number of years ago, before any of your cousins were born." I felt really bad upon hearing this. To be honest, I had expected divorce, maybe estrangement, but not death. She couldn't have been very old, I estimated.
"Oh, I'm sorry for bringing it up," I apologized.
"Don't apologize, there's no way you could've known. I grieved for a while, and then I moved on. Unfortunately, that's just part of life." I knew exactly how she felt, though in my own case I hadn't exactly moved on, as much as I told myself I had.
The following Monday was exactly as you'd suspect. Every other person I talked to just had to know what happened to my tail. Eventually, I'd gotten tired of explaining and started giving short simple answers, saving the details for only the people I cared to let know. Bryce was one of them, the short Dachshund bombarded me with questions as I assembled my saxophone. I answered them freely, obviously omitting all the emotional bits that I hoped no other soul besides Brandy would ever be aware of. When his appetite was sated, he asked the question I'd been expecting,
"Can I sign your cast?" He gave me a hopeful expression, one I rarely saw and knew I couldn't refuse.
"Yeah, righto," I snorted as Bryce produced a felt pen from seemingly thin air. He did his thing, signing his name on my cast before returning to his rightful place on the other side of the room. Bryce set a precedent, and I received a few more similar requests throughout the day.
But, as with anything in school, it became old news fairly quickly. By the time Friday rolled around once again, no one gave my tail a second glance, though I did still occasionally find myself on the receiving end of some teasing remarks. All in all, It was another uneventful week, and I was actually looking forward to getting out of the city, if only for a weekend. In the same fashion as the previous week, Chilli was waiting for me at the curb in the Heelers' red SUV. As I strode towards the car, my school bag hanging on one shoulder, I noticed the mountain of bags stuffed into the boot. Evidently, the Heelers didn't pack light. Chilli and I exchanged greetings before setting off to pick up Bluey and Bingo.
The kids were absolutely stoked to be seeing their grandad, especially because I was coming with them; They were literally bouncing up and down in their seats. The excitement radiating off of them was infectious, and I couldn't help but break into a smile myself as we took our last stop, Brandy's House. There was barely too much stuff for me to just bung it in my school bag and call it a day, so an after school pick up was necessary. Luckily, our place (still feels weird calling it that) was on the way. I hopped out of the car and walked briskly to the front door, unlocking it with the house key Brandy had given me. The Red Heeler herself was already at work, so the house stood quiet and empty. I dropped my school bag inside the door and grabbed the waiting duffel and sleeping bags that had been lent to me by Brandy. I quickly locked the door and jumped back in the Heeler SUV, stuffing my bags down by my feet in the passenger seat.
The drive was absolutely amazing. As we made our way out of the city, the suburban neighborhoods and industrial areas slowly thinned into fenced pastures and forestry. For the entire ride I just stared out the window, watching the last remaining colors of the season rush by me. Beautifully stunning reds, oranges, yellow, and browns danced in the branches of trees and across the ground. Chilli was right, the pictures really didn't do it justice. In the backseat, Bluey and Bingo were recounting a story from the last time they'd been to their grandad's place. The two of them were excitedly throwing bits of information back and forth, and Chilli would butt in with her own perspective every few seconds. Something about canoes, pumpkin seeds, and grandad needing to rest. It was hard to follow, but I did my best to crack a smile and laugh at the right moments.
"So, how are you feeling?" Chilli asked once the girls had gone back to playing with each other.
"About the scenery?" I asked, "You were right, it's beautiful."
"Well yes, that, but I was more asking how you feel about meeting your grandad."
"Oh, right," I glanced over at the Red Heeler for a moment before returning my gaze to the window, "I'm nervous, like I always am with meeting new people."
"Well, I don't think you need to worry," she reassured, "I think he'll be excited to finally have a grandson."
"Yeah, I guess I'm just worried I'll mess it up, especially without Brandy there. I have a track record of bad impressions." Chilli lets out a short laugh before quickly apologizing.
"The man fought in Vietnam, there's not much you can say or do that'll surprise him."
Well that's reassuring, I thought sarcastically to myself, But on the other hand, if this guy raised Brandy and Chilli, how bad can he be?
Chilli pulled into a long drive that took us up to a large, one story house. The property was pretty basic, surrounded by woods on all sides with a large hole in the ground being the only identifiable landmark. It had probably once held the stump I'd heard about on the way there. Parked alongside the house was a small blue ute that looked like it'd seen better days. Any stereotypical thing you can imagine about the countryside, this place fits. Sitting on the front verandah of the house was an older looking Red Heeler. The man was a spitting image of Chilli, with some added grey hairs of course and a green fishing hat. The kids were unbuckled and out of the car pretty much as soon as Chilli stopped it.
"Grandad!" They screamed as they ran up towards the verandah, where they were greeted by the old Red Heeler. Chilli got out next, and I followed once I'd taken a nice deep breath to calm my nerves. The two of us walked towards the house, Chilli taking the lead. The kids had just finished breaking off a hug with the old Red Heeler as we arrived,
"Chilli!" the dog exclaimed as he stepped off the verandah to meet us.
"Hey Dad!" she greeted as the two wrapped each other in a tight hug. As they broke the embrace, the old Red Heeler turned his attention to me. It felt sort of awkward, just standing there as he sized me up. After a couple long seconds he broke out into a wide grin that I imagine could lift the mood of just about anyone.
"You're Brandy's boy!" He said as pointed a finger towards me, "Oscar, right?"
"Y-yes sir," I stammered. I wasn't sure what to call him, "Grandad" felt too personal and I wasn't sure how he'd react to being called by his name. Considering what Chilli had told me in the car, he seemed like the kind of guy that would demand respect, so I defaulted to "Sir."
"Ah, don't give me any of that 'sir' nonsense," He deflected, "Name's Mort, or you can call me 'Grandad' if you want. Whatever you're comfortable with." Mort stuck out his hand for a handshake, which I gratefully accepted.
That wasn't so bad, I thought to myself.
"Right!" he exclaimed as he clapped his paws together and turned towards Chilli, "Let's everyone set up."
The four of us returned to the SUV, where everyone took a number of bags. I grabbed my sleeping bag and duffel, Bluey and Bingo each had a backpack, Chilli had a large tote bag, and Mort grabbed anything that was leftover. The old Red Heeler led us up the steps of the verandah and through the front door into the house. The interior matched the exterior perfectly. Immediately inside the front door off to the left was a large family room. It had a couple beat up leather sofas, a decently sized fireplace, and a large air mattress (which I assumed would be mine). To the right was the kitchen. It had an older architectural style, being almost completely closed off besides the doorway, and it had a large island in the middle of the room with a small table set near the far wall. Straight ahead there was a very long hallway with a number of doors.
"Nice place," I commented as I admired the features.
"Glad you like it," Mort replied with a smile as he turned to face us all, "Okay, I know three of you know your way around, but let's take a tour for the new arrival." He started down the hallway, opening the first door on the left. "There's the dunny." Chilli rolled her eyes as we continued walking. The next room on the right was Chilli's old bedroom, where she'd still be staying. Then there was the spare, which apparently used to be Brandy's room before she moved out. That was where Bluey and Bingo would be staying. Finally, Mort's room was at the end of the hall. "Oscar, I've got an air mattress set up for you in the family room. I hope that's alright," he said.
"That'll be fine, I've slept on worse," I responded. With introductions and tours out of the way, it was time for dinner. We sat at the table in the kitchen and ate a nice meal of pot roast that Mort had spent all day preparing. While we were eating, we all exchanged various bits of small talk. Bluey and Bingo rattled off about what they had gotten up to with their friends, and Mort asked me some more general questions about my interests. It was easy to see where Chilli and Brandy had gotten that sense of warmth, because he had the exact same thing. He was just the easiest guy in the world to talk to, and in my opinion, we hit it off.
By the time dinner was over, it was already pretty late in the afternoon. Chilli checked her phone before rallying her kids.
"Okay girls, bed time," she said. Both kids immediately started groaning and complaining, Bluey being the first to contest.
"But we want to stay up and play with Grandad and Oscar!" the little Blue Heeler exclaimed.
"You'll have the whole day tomorrow to play," Chilli reassured, "And if you don't want to be cranky the whole time, you need to go to bed." The kids huffed and puffed some more, but after a stern look from Chilli, they conceded. The three female Heelers made for the bedrooms, leaving just Mort and I at the table.
"Well," Mort spoke first as he stood and grabbed the plates from the table, "We've got ourselves a few hours before I'm turning in for the night, what do you want to do?" I know it's the polite thing to ask a guest what they want to do, but I honestly hated being put on the spot like that. In moments like this my brain just freezes up, and no new ideas flow.
"I've no idea," I said honestly as I followed him into the kitchen, "I'm up for anything."
"Y'know how to play chess?"
"Sure, but I'm not very good."
"Let's have a game then!"
After placing the dishes in the sink, he strode back into the family room and started rummaging through a few drawers. I was a little apprehensive about playing chess. As one might expect, it's not an especially popular game among younger kids, so I had little practice with it. After a few minutes of muttering and silent curses, the old Red Heeler produced a wooden chess board. "Here we are!" he announced as he placed the game on one of the side tables and opened it up, revealing all the little pieces. The table sat at the corner of the couch and an armchair, forming a 90 degree angle. Mort took a seat in the armchair, claiming white for himself, and I sat at the edge of the couch across from him.
"Go easy on me," I joked as the Heeler cracked his knuckles.
"Not a chance."
He. Absolutely. Flogged. Me.
Like, it wasn't even close. He had an immensely satisfied look on his face as he took a 3rd three pointer and checked my king in less than 10 moves. I realised pretty quickly, after blundering half my roster, that I never stood a chance in the first place. Halfway through the game, which only lasted about 15 minutes, Bluey came bounding into the room with Chilli in close pursuit (wielding a hair brush).
"Are you guys playing chest?" the Blue Heeler inquired as she put her paws on the side table. Her mispronunciation of the word caused me to chuckle as I turned to face her.
"We sure are, do you play Bluey?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Dad tried to teach me once, but I didn't really understand."
"Well that's alright Bluey," Mort butted in, "You'll get there one day." She smiled at the old Red Heeler and started examining the board.
"Who's winning?" she asked.
"Mor-Grandad is," I said, stopping myself from calling him by his name. I figured that might confuse Bluey, "And by a lot."
"Yeah, I don't think I ever won against him," Chilli commented as she continued brushing Bluey's fur. With that, the two girls retired to the bedrooms to finish their nightly routines. Mort and I played a few more games, all of which he won. He even let me play white a couple times, not that it made any difference. It wasn't disheartening though; with each passing game I felt like I got a little better, which I guess is all you can ask for. While we were playing he told me about the property: how long they'd had it, how big it was, etc. He told stories about Brandy and Chilli when they were little (hadn't realised they'd both been such bush kids). Some were funny, some were downright insane, and all were worth listening to.
After a couple hours of clustered small talk and landslide chess games, Mort announced that it was time for the "old man" to get to bed. We cleaned up the game, said goodnight, and he disappeared down the hallway. I wasted no time setting up my own bedding, which consisted of that borrowed sleeping bag and a pillow from home, but it was comfortable. I shut off all the lights except one of the lamps closest to me, so I could do some reading before I went off to sleep. As I read my book, I realised something was missing. I had neglected to pack the stuffed tiger my parents gave me when I was little. It was a silly thing to even think about, and honestly I was sort of glad I'd forgotten, because I didn't want to be caught sleeping with the thing anyway. That would be mortifyingly embarrassing, but it was weird at the same time. I came to the realization that this would be my first night without it in over a decade.
So what? I thought to myself, You don't need some stupid tiger to fall asleep. Those things are for babies anyway. I was right, I didn't need the tiger, but boy was I unprepared for the "sleep" I would be met with.