Chapter 26—Family Feud

There was silence after Patch’s decision. Puffball just shook his head at Patch and opened his mouth. He then walked over to Patch, and shouted, “You little spoiled brat! Your family cares for u so much...and you’re just staying with a couple of puppies u only met a couple days back!”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Patch told Puffball. “I know that my parents love us as their children, but Scamp and Angel love me for who I am.”
Pongo and Perdita whispered to each other. Then, Perdita nodded. She and Pongo then whispered to Lady and Tramp. Then, at last, Pongo told Patch, “See u son.”
And with those words, the parents left the yard, accompanied door Puffball, Lucky, and Penny.
“They left us?” Scamp asked, confused.
“They can’t be gone yet,” Angel told Scamp.
Angel was right. The parents and the puppies that stood with them stood outside the gate. “I don’t understand,” Lady cried softly. “Why are they this stubborn, anyway? Oh, I feel awful… what have I done wrong? They must hate me…”
“They’ll understand some day,” Perdita told Lady consolingly. “They just don’t know what it’s like to be a parent.”
“But I just want to keep them safe,” Lady cried. “And bring them back to our loving home.”
“Pidge, there might not be anything we can do,” Tramp sighed. “It looks like they really hate us. Maybe we should let them go.”
    Then, Lady sighed. “Tramp,” she told him, looking at him intensely. “I… think u just don’t want to tell them.”
    Tramp shook his head, and smiled. “You win,” Tramp told Lady uncomfortably. “But… I don’t want to talk about it. u see, er… I don’t want to hurt u about my past. And, uh, Angel would never forgive me if I told her… I don’t even know if I told u everything, Pidge.”
    “Tramp,” Pongo told him. “You better tell the truth.”
    Perdita looked at Lady worriedly. Lady opened her mouth, but then, she smiled at Tramp. “Tramp, you’ve proven that you’re faithful to me for months now,” she told him brightly. “And I…well, I’ll stand with u no matter what u say.”
“Lucky, Penny,” Perdita asked.
“Yes Mother?” Penny asked.
“Watch over the other puppies for us,” Perdita told her. “And make sure they don’t leave.”
“Right,” Lucky told Perdita, and he and Penny walked back into the yard.
“What about me?” Puffball asked. “Shouldn’t I watch them too?”
“Not yet,” Pongo answered. He then paused, before spluttering “Perdy, we didn’t tell Patch about Lucky,” Perdita explained to Pongo.
“I was afraid of that,” Perdita told him. “But we just couldn’t explain in front of him…”
“We have to mention it,” Pongo told Perdita, who agreed.
“Hey Puffball,” Tramp interrupted. “Where’s Peg? Weren’t u two going together to the yard?”
“She went off looking with me, but she told me she had some something else to do,” Puffball explained.
“Maybe u should go look for Peg, and make sure she’s safe,” Pongo recommended, but then there was some growling.
“Oh no,” Puffball exclaimed. He gasped… “I have to get in! It sounds like they’re trying to escape!”
Puffball hurried in to the yard. Then, the parents were alone.
“Pidge,” Tramp told Lady. “I’ll tell… but if I did, Angel might never forgive me.”
“She’s probably assuming the worst of u anyway,” Lady told Tramp. “You have nothing to lose… tell her. And I will always stand with you.”
“So, ready to go?” Pongo asked. The other parents agreed.
Then, the parents walked into the yard. Scamp, Angel, and Patch were trying to dig a hole to escape. Penny, Lucky, and Puffball, meanwhile, were trying to drag them back. Danielle stood alone, unable to make a decision.
“Let us go!” Scamp shouted, digging while Lucky tried kicking dirt back into Scamp’s hole, pushing Patch back in the process.
“Never!” Puffball exclaimed, biting Angel’s tail as she scratched him on the nose.
The parents returned, and then Pongo, and Perdita walked up to Patch.
“Lucky, Patch, Puffball, let go of them!” Pongo shouted.
“Puffball, u tell the others what to do,” Tramp told Puffball.
“Oh yeah, right,” Puffball told Tramp. “Come on guys,” Puffball told Lucky and Penny, and the three of them wandered off. The four runaway puppies returned under the couch.
“You’re back,” Patch told them. “Look, I told you. I love for u saving our lives and raising us. But… u don’t love us as individuals. u just love us as part of the ninety-nine puppies.”
“I need to tell u something… promise to never tell this to Lucky, okay?” Pongo asked.
“Well, all right,” Patch answered. “But u think I’m going to see Lucky again. You’re assuming you’ll take me home.”
“We're not assuming anything. It's just we didn’t respond to how u felt about Lucky,” Perdita told Patch. “We couldn’t with Lucky standing right door us. But we can tell u now. We’re very worried about Lucky,” Perdita explained.
“Yeah,” Pongo added. “We named him Lucky because on his first day, we thought that he died. But he ended up surviving against the odds. Since that day, we’ve always been worried about him. u might not have seen him on that day…”
“I’ve seen him!” Patch declared. “You carried him home pagina all the time!”
“So, yes u have,” Pongo responded. “Lucky suffered from the cold and fatigue greater than any other puppy. He’s pretty frail, and we had to help him out. If we didn’t help Lucky, he would’ve not been able to make it. u thought it was favoring Lucky, but really, we were keeping him alive and healthy because he needed the most help.”
“We love u so much,” Perdita told Patch. “And we don’t have a favoriete kid… because all of u are so different. Don’t tell any of them this, but none of your brothers and sisters have your spunk and determination.”
“I remember that dag when u wanted to maul that villain on Thunderbolt,” Pongo laughed. You’re special to us, Patch, as an individual, not just as one of the ninety-nine.”
“I’m still not going,” Patch told them flatly. “Scamp and Angel need me.”
Perdita sighed. She looked at Pongo worriedly. “Oh Pongo, what will we do?” she asked.
“Scamp, Angel,” Lady told them, hurrying to the couch. They and Danielle looked at Lady. She looked back at the gate before continuing, “I… I felt miserable when u two ran away. And Danielle…I didn’t actually see u leave, but I feel horrible seeing u out now.”
“Yeah right,” Angel scoffed. “You two don’t care for us.”
“We do,” Lady told her. “Why else would I run away? u know that I wouldn’t run away from Jim Dear and Darling unless I felt I had to. Right now, Junior is probably crying because he misses me. Jim Dear and Darling must be feeling awful right now… and I had to leave my other children in the care of Jock and Trusty…”
“Yeah,” Danielle laughed. “And Aunt Sarah.”
“Aunt Sarah?” Lady asked, nervously.
“Yeah,” Danielle told Lady. “And she threatened to chain me because I stal some food.”
Lady gasped, and sighed. “Oh… I’m so sorry… I had no idea,” Lady told Danielle consolingly. “She did that to me too.”
Danielle looked up at Lady. “She did?”
Lady nodded. “You know those Siamese cats?”
“Yeah!” Danielle blustered. “They framed me.”
“Well, they framed me too,” Lady told me. “They made a mess and I took the blame. Aunt Sarah muzzled me up… and that’s how I ran away and met Tramp,” Lady explained.
“Oh… so u didn’t make them come home, did u mom?” Danielle asked.
Lady shook her head. “It’s my fault though…I should’ve told Jock and Trusty about how horrible Aunt Sarah and those cats are…”
She paused, then continued, “Look, I care for u all,” Lady explained.
“Yeah,” Scamp scoffed. “If we do what u say.”
“And what do u mean door that?” Lady asked.
“You want us to act like you!” Scamp told Lady. “You’ve tried to make us all little versions of yourself!” Scamp laughed. “And you’re doing a good job. Two of them are acting just as prissy as you. And u won’t love us until we all act just like you!”
“But of course I do!” Lady told Scamp, crushed. “I… I don’t know where u got that idea.”
“By living with u guys,” Scamp told Lady breathlessly. “Every day, u always try to teach us manners. As though we want to learn! And u kept us cooped up there because u want to be cooped up!”
“Well, I would like u to have manners,” Lady told Scamp. “But… I won’t force u to. And I would still love u even if u didn’t. Tramp didn’t have any manners himself,” Lady told Scamp. “And well, he’s not exactly a gentleman, is he?” she laughed. “But I still love him anyways. And if I am confining you, it’s only to keep u safe. u should know door now that the streets are very dangerous; when I met…”
“But listen to me!” Scamp interrupted.“You never do. I don’t want to learn any meer manners! And I don’t want to be part of your confining family anymore! I’m tired of… of being pampered and cuddled and treated like I’m a maand old!”
“But you’re still just a pup,” Lady told Scamp sadly. “I couldn’t possibly…”
“Yes u could!” Scamp shouted. “Treat me for who I am!”
“Oh Scamp… I try to, but I just want to keep u safe… look what happened here?” Lady asked sadly. “You got caught.”
“But we escaped,” Scamp countered.
“But u nearly died,” Lady argued.
“Look Mom, we can take care of ourselves,” Scamp told her. “You didn’t need to worry and baby us, and u don’t need to now.”
Lady sighed. “Maybe… u guys can take care of yourselves. But no matter what u might think, I really do love all of u for who u are,” Lady told the puppies.
“Well, maybe u do,” Angel scoffed. “But even if u do, what about your husband?”
“Hey, Scamp, Angel, Danielle,” Tramp told them. “As your father…”
“I’m not your daughter!” Angel told Tramp. “Mama told me all about my dad. And he’s nothing like you!”
Then, Angel walked out from under the couch, and yelled, “You’re just a lying, heartbreaking jerk! I’m sick of everything you’ve done! u broke my Mom’s heart!”
“Yeah!” Scamp added in, also leaving the couch. “All my life, I’ve had to deal with nothing else but lies from you! First u told me u were a housedog all your life. Then u promised me we could have fun together and take me out. And then u lied to me all about your romantic past. Every dag it’s lies, lies, lies!” Scamp shouted. He and Angel then returned to going under the couch.
“Hey, come on, I’m sorry,” Tramp explained. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t take u out… it’s just that… well, your Mom didn’t trust me. She’d never let me out!”
“No, I probably wouldn’t have,” Lady explained sadly. “I was worried for him. I was afraid of losing him for good. But if I’ve learned one thing on this trip, it’s that your father really does care for me after all. He cares for u too. No one can take your place in his heart.”
“Look, if u guys come home… we’ll leave open the door for u to make your own choices. u guys have proven to us u can take care of yourselves. But… come home, where u have a family that loves you…” Tramp began.
“You didn’t even listen to what Angel zei before!” Scamp shouted.
“Yeah, you’re not my family!” Angel snapped toward Tramp. “No one in my family would treat my mother like u did!”
Lady looked at Tramp intensely. Tramp sighed. The time had come to reveal everything.