Once Minnie was clean, Marcus, with a strong but gentle hand, scooped up Matthew and headed toward the villa.

Matthew, a mix of sheepish pride and affection, rested his head on his dad's shoulder, his fingers unable to resist reaching out to pet Minnie once more.

Downstairs, Melissa had slipped into more comfortable clothes and joined them, just as Matthew began to protest-why couldn't Minnie dine with them? Marcus, ever the patient explainer, tried to lay out the facts gently.

Minnie sat on a chair, wearing an expression of pure innocence, as Matthew made his heartfelt plea.

"But Minnie's part of the family. Why can't she have dinner with us?"