At the Gallagher house, it was quite a sight: eight family members gathered, plus Steve...
It's hard to describe the scene, but overall, it was surprisingly harmonious, with a rare absence of bickering. Thanks to the shopping trip that day, dinner was quite a hearty spread.
After eating, Steve and Fiona did the dishes together. Fiona really enjoyed the feeling. Midway through, she paused and gave Steve a kiss.
Steve smiled. Having learned his lesson from the morning's drama, he decided he wouldn't bring up the other Gallaghers again. "What are you up to?"
Fiona gave a sly grin. "I'm up to something."
And that was that.
Forget the dishes—the two of them shot straight upstairs.
Seeing this, Monica happily commented, "They have such a good thing going. That's nice."
Carl snickered. "They're at it all day, every day. It never stops."
Monica reached out and patted Carl's head. "You'll understand when you're a little older. I can't wait to meet your girlfriend."
Hearing this, Lip raised an eyebrow, his tone annoyed as he asked Monica, "How long are you planning to stay?"
"I'm not leaving, Lip, I swear. I'm going to take care of you guys, make it up to you," Monica quickly promised.
Lip scoffed. "Take care of us? Looks to me like you're laid up right now and we have to take care of you. The second you can walk, you'll bolt."
"That's not true," Monica insisted, shaking her head frantically, her face crumpling.
Debbie cut in, upset with Lip. "Lip, why are you being like that? Mom said she's not leaving. Why are you talking to her like that?"
Lip was patient with Debbie. He spoke gently, "Debbie, I'm doing this for your own good. She's definitely going to leave again. Don't let her fool you, or you'll be heartbroken. I don't want to see you hurt."
Debbie's eyes welled up when she heard this. "Mom said she won't leave..."
Before long, the brief moment of harmony vanished instantly amid the sounds of intense activity coming from upstairs. The Gallagher house was back to normal.
"I'll prove it to you all with my actions. I promise, I'll make it up to you," the bipolar Monica declared, having even managed to fool herself with her emotional assurance.
Looking at Monica...
Ding!
In a flash, it was as if a switch had been flipped in his brain. Frank got that old feeling again. He unconsciously scratched himself and started getting ideas.
Time flew by quickly.
In the corner of the first-floor kitchen.
Frank easily managed to get Monica—who was as easygoing as Fiona—and the two started a noisy workout, hollering and moaning.
In the living room.
Lip and Ian exchanged exasperated glances when they heard the commotion. They quickly got up and ushered Carl and Debbie, who had also heard it, upstairs.
So, really...
In this environment, it makes perfect sense that Debbie would be so desperate for a guy, eventually making the bonehead move of getting pregnant. And the fact that Carl ended up becoming a cop and such a decent, moral guy? That's a miracle, plain and simple.
---
2113 North Wallace Street.
Kevin and Veronica's place.
"Why don't we just get married tomorrow?" Veronica really wanted to tie the knot.
Kevin looked stressed. "But my divorce isn't final yet. I have to find a lawyer and file the papers. It's probably going to take a while."
The minute that came up, Veronica got irritated and slapped the back of Kevin's head. "You've got a lot of nerve talking about it! You lied to me for this long!"
Kevin winced but had to take it. There was no way out. He apologized again, "Sorry, V. You're so understanding..."
Kevin poured on the charm, a full-on man-child begging.
Veronica really couldn't stay mad. "Fine, fine. So, when are we getting married?"
Kevin didn't hesitate. "I'll see a lawyer tomorrow. The minute the divorce is done, we'll get married... how about next spring?"
"By then, I'll have saved up, and you'll have saved up, and we'll throw a huge wedding! I'll buy you a giant diamond ring and the most gorgeous wedding dress!!!"
As Veronica listened, her eyes and face lit up with explosive excitement.
The moment Kevin finished speaking...
Boom!
Veronica, who had been sitting on the bed, instantly jumped to her feet. "Kevin Ball! You better not be messing with me again!!!"
Kevin immediately got up and gave Veronica a princess carry. "I promise, I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."
Veronica was thrilled.
In a flash, the two got down to business, neither of them giving a second thought to whether Dexter's restaurant would even be open by next spring.
---
A hotel room.
On the bed.
"?????????"
A business trip?
New York?
My dog?!
Dexter was stunned. He hadn't expected the game to pull a fast one like this.
He was silent for a while.
"Haha!" Dexter laughed. Going to the John Wick world? Awesome! How thrilling!
Dexter was actually excited.
So, he decided to save the rest of his Merit points and quickly earn as many new ones as possible. The more, the better.
Otherwise, just surviving in New York would be tough. After all, that's the home turf of John Wick, the guy who turns into a Boogeyman for a dog.
Dexter didn't hesitate; he made up his mind that this trip was mandatory.
So, after he calmed down a little, he started planning for what came next.
If he went on a business trip, he likely wouldn't be back for a while. This meant that even if Vivian could stand in as the chef and run Dex Restaurant as a regular joint for the time being, the restaurant's income would drop sharply... possibly to almost nothing.
The drop in income wouldn't be a big problem for Vivian.
But it was a huge issue for Veronica.
The Alibi Room renovation was about to start, and Kevin and Veronica had pretty much conned Carol out of her retirement money for it...
Plus, the fruit store was about to open...
He pondered silently for a while.
"I can't leave for a bit," Dexter muttered to himself. He wasn't too worried, though, and started calculating the time and brainstorming solutions.
Neither The Alibi nor the fruit store was a huge deal.
They were manageable.
Dexter thought for a long time, and only after he came up with a preliminary plan did he close his eyes and fall asleep.
---
It was a brand new day.
Today was Friday.
The Gallagher house was noisy and chaotic, as usual, first thing in the morning.
Not a single Gallagher knew that a storm was about to hit them soon.