Childhood Memories V

"Hello Grandfather" said Dom as he walked down the stairs and he walked into Ernest's office.

"Dominic, yes, are you boys done comparing your answers?" asked Ernest as he looked up and he saw Dom who was walking into his office.

"Oh… Umm, yes, yes we have finished Grandfather" said Dom as he smiled sheepishly, his Grandfather was too strict, which was one of the reasons he never closed his office door, so he could keep an eye on everything and everyone.

"Good, now where are your assignments?" asked Ernest.

"Ahh they are here Grandfather" said Dom as he opened his backpack and he brought out the assignments, luckily he knew that his Grandfather might have asked for them, and so he took them.

"Good, place them on my desk, I will mark them later" said Ernest as he sighed and he rubbed his eyes.

"Okay Grandfather" said Dom as he walked and he placed the assignments on Ernest's desk.

"You can go now" said Ernest as he waved Dom off.

"Okay Grandfather" said Dom as he was on his way to leave until he remembered something and he stopped right in his tracks and he turned back.

"Umm Grandfather" said Dom as he looked at his Grandfather.

"Yes, what is it Dominic??" asked Ernest as he looked up at Dom.

"Umm… Umm" said Dom as he hesitated to speak.

"Speak up Dominic I do not have all day, and you know that I do not like it when people hesitate" said Ernest.

"Yes Grandfather" said Dom.

"Grandfather, I wanted to ask you if me, Charlie, Dom, Michael and Zavi can go to the water park this Saturday?" asked Dom as he went straight to the point.

"No" replied Ernest very quickly.

"Aww but why not Grandfather??" asked Dom as he could not understand.

"Well because the monthly neighbourhood barbeque is also this Saturday" said Ernest as he looked at Dom.

"Oh yes, I forgot about that" said Dom as he face-palmed himself and he shook his head.

"Yes" said Ernest as he nodded his head.

"But Grandfather, can't you just allow us skip it??" asked Dom.

"We do have it every month" said Dom.

"Well no my boy" said Ernest.

"But why not Grandfather??" asked Dom as he could not understand.

"Well because I invited the new neighbours, and all of you boys must be there too" said Ernest.

"Oh we have new neighbours??" asked Dom as he seemed to be hearing this for the first time.

"Yes we do" said Ernest.

"They live up the street from us, and they just moved into the estate, so I invited them to the neighbourhood gathering" said Ernest

"Oooh" said Dom as he seemed to be thinking, yes he did know that there were new neighbours, he remembered the little girl that he and the guys had played with last week.

"Yes Dominic, and you know what I always say" said Ernest.

"White men must always be hospitable" said Dom as he said the phrase as if he was being chained.

"Correct, and you are a white young man, so you and the others must be there" said Ernest.

"Awww, alright Grandfather" said Dom sadly as he bowed his head to the ground, this was annoying, his Grandfather was not fair sometimes.

"Grandfather, can I stay for dinner?" asked Dom as he looked at his Grandfather with a smile.

"No, your mother will need you at home" said Ernest as he shook his head.

"Aww but Grandfather she will be fine, can I stay??" asked Dom as he pleaded with Ernest.

"No, that remains my final answer" said Ernest.

"Aww" said Dom as he was not happy at all.

"Go home Dominic" said Ernest.

"Alright Grandfather, fine I will go, but I will report you to Grandmother when she returns" said Dom as he nodded his head.

"Who will she believe??" asked Ernest.

"Her husband of many years, or her ten year old grandson??" asked Ernest as he chuckled, he found it funny that his young grandson was trying to scare him, it was hilariously cute.

"No, no, correction grandfather" said Dom.

"Your statement needs to be rephrased" said Dom.

"Of course she would believe her only sweet grandson, who is her favourite, rather than her old grouchy husband who she always disagrees with his methods on" said Dom as he smiled sweetly at his Grandfather.

"Oh Touché dear Grandson of mine, touché, you did well this time" said Ernest as he smiled and Dom smiled as he was proud of himself for finally combatting his Grandfather.

"But you better go home now boy, before my mouth slips and I accidentally tell her who broke the urn that contained her Grandmother's ashes" said Ernest as he smiled wickedly and Dom's eyes went wide.

"What happened my boy?? Cat's got your tongue??" asked Ernest as he laughed at the scared expression on Dom's face.

"It was an accident!" said Dom.

"Oh yes I know that boy, and she will forgive you, that is definite, but do you really want the wound to open up again?? So she starts crying??" asked Ernest.

"No" said Dom.

"Grandfather, you are mean, you are very mean" said Dom as he ran away and he ran from Ernest's office out the front door.

"Ahh my grandson, I am not mean" said Ernest.

"I am just teaching you to be tough" said Ernest as he sighed to himself, he did admit that his methods unconventional, but he wanted his Grandson to grow up into a fine strong businessman.

…

"Hey I just saw Dom running home" said Michael as he turned to look at Charlie as he was looking out the window.

"Gosh really??" asked Charlie and Michael nodded.

"The Grandfather must have said no to going to the waterpark" said Charlie.

"I told you guys that it was pointless to ask" said Zavi as he shook his head, he had told them all that asking would be a lost cause, but Dom being the optimist he was, said that there was nothing wrong with asking.

"Yes, but I don't think that Grandfather saying no to going to the waterpark would make him run like that" said Michael as he turned to look at Zavi.

"Hmm, maybe Grandfather was being mean again" said Zavi.

"Oh I can believe that" said Charlie.

"Maybe Dom tried to out show Grandfather, and he ended up loosing badly" said Charlie as he shook his head, Dom really did need to learn just to never challenge Grandfather, that was too experienced to be challenged.

"Oh and maybe because Dom did that, Grandfather brought up Grandmother's broken urn with her Grandmother's ashes" said Michael as he was sure that was what happened.

"Mhmm that sums it all up" said Charlie as he nodded his head.

"That sounds like something Grandfather would do" said Zavi.

"The old man is not to be messed with" said Zavi.

"He can be so scary at times" said Michael as he shuddered just at the thought of Ernest.

"No more than scary, terrifying, as in pee in your pants terrifying, but if you dare do, he would give you a mightily glare" said Charlie.

"No, don't talk about the glare" said Michael.

"If not for Grandmother I would want to run away, Grandfather is a strict monster" said Michael as he shook his head.

"Oh Grandmother is so sweet, I don't know what Grandfather did to make her stay with him" said Charlie.

"You do both know that he can walk up here and hear us" said Zavi.

"No he won't he only comes up to check on us at five, and it's only 4:30pm" said Michael as he pointed to the clock hung on the wall in their room.

"Whatever" said Zavi.

"I don't think that Grandfather could ever be sweet to anybody, he is just too hard" said Charlie.

"Tell me about it, the person must have to be an angel for Grandfather to be sweet at all" said Michael as he shook his head.

"Well good luck with finding one, because even an angel would find it tough to be with Grandfather" said Charlie.

"Ouch, that was a harsh one Charlie" said Michael as he laughed.

"Oh it's the truth Michael" said Charlie.

"We are on summer break, and yet Grandfather still gives us assignments every single day" said Charlie.

"Oh I hate those" said Zavi as he frowned.

"And so do I" said Michael as he shook his head.

"Anyway, I am going to ask Grandmother if we can all go and spend the day at Dom's house tomorrow" said Charlie as he smiled, he was sure that she was going to say yes, because she was sweet and she was the best unlike her husband.

"Good Idea, just don't ask her when Grandfather is there" said Michael.

"I am not stupid Michael" said Charlie as he laughed.

"Alright, Alright" said Michael as he laughed.