"Shall I give Jess a call?" Alyssa asked. She patiently waited for his response.
"You are in for a shock, Dad." Alec said. "It's true about the basement. Lyss didn't eve mention the game room they put in down there, too."
Dad gave out a loud gasp. "Well, my gaming days are well and truly over, but... if they have Pong or Pac-Man or something, then I guess I could give it a go, just like the old times..."
He then turned to Alyssa, and gave her a slow nod. "Yes dear, you may call her
."
Alyssa nodded back and then took the emergency phone from her father. She dialed Jessica's home number and then waited for someone to answer.
It just happened to be non other than Josh Nichols who answered. "Hello?" He said.
"Hey Mr. Nichols. This is Alyssa. I'm Jess's friend." She said. "We are having some problems here at our house. We had a break in earlier and we suspect that same person destroyed our staircase going to the second floor."
"You need a place to stay for awhile?" He asked in a kind voice. "You and your family are more than welcome to come stay as long as you'd like."
"Thank you, Sir." Alyssa said and she shot her dad a smile. "He said yes."
"Get what you need from there and come on over. Jess and Brian will be happy to see you." Josh said.
"We'll see you when we get there and thank you." Alyssa said.
"So, we're in?" Dad asked enthusiastically. "Let's get ready, then
!"
Dad made his way up the repaired stairway into his room, where he changed into a somewhat smart business suit which he hoped would impress Josh and his family. Then, he gathered together some photos and other personal belongings, in case anything more happened at his house while he was away.
"Okay," he announced, as he returned to the front landing. "I'm ready when you are
!"
Both Alec and Alyssa retreated to their own bedrooms to gather some personal belongings such as clothing and other necessities and then met back up with their father soon after.
"Now, we are." They both said.
"Let's go." Alyssa said and they then headed outside to their vehicles.
Alec said to his father, "I'll meet you guys over there."
"Are you sure it's wise for us to travel separately
?" Dad asked. "I mean, what if one of us gets lost or crashes? Granted, that's possible when we're all in the same car too - but then, at least it'll be all three of us together. I wouldn't want to be separated from you unnecessarily... we all know what's happened so far tonight
..."
"Dad, Brian is my best friend. I know my way over there." Alec said. "We'll all be fine."
Alyssa nodded in agreement. "Everyone knows where the Nichols family lives. It is party central every weekend."
Dad was still nervous about the plans for all three to travel separately - but, since his children seemed insistent on it, he gave in.
"Okay..." he agreed reluctantly, as he put on his coat and opened the door to leave. "See you two there..."
They both nodded and Alyssa joined Alec in his vehicle. Alec led their father over to the mansion. Alyssa had to hide a smile when it came into view a few minutes later.
Brian and Josh were in the driveway chatting, while Jessica was sitting on the front porch when they arrived. Jess waved to them when she spotted them pulling in.
Fortunately, Dad's fears were not realised - as the entire family made it safely to the mansion in their separate cars. He was so relieved to see Alyssa and Alec pulling into the driveway that, when they got out of their car, he gave them a big, loving hug.
"Well, we're here now!" he announced happily. "So, shall we go in
?"