The Heeler brothers and Pat boarded their plane and it didn't take long for them to start their flight towards Lisbon. As it was a full-day flight, they would only arrive at the next day, so they put themselves as much comfortable as they could. However, that was easy said than done for Bandit. No matter what he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about Emily. She was in his thoughts… and even in his dreams.
In Bandit's dream…
They were in Bandit's room at the apartment. Emily was a beautiful husky with a black and white coat and bicolored eyes, one blue and one brown.
"You can't be serious, Emily…" Bandit said, with some despair on his voice. "You can't just… leave me. I love you."
"I love you too, Bandit, but…" Emily told.
"But why?" Bandit asked, while taking her hands. "If we both love each other, then why are you doing this to me?"
"Bandit, I… I just can't stay here any longer" she said. "I need to go back home… to America."
"Then I'll go with you" Bandit said. "It's no problem, I can just transfer to another college and…"
"No, I couldn't just make you leave your own family" Emily said.
"But they wouldn't mind, as long as I was happy, and I'm happy with you" Bandit said.
"Please, Bandit…" Emily said, while releasing her hands from Bandit. "Please, don't make this too much hard to do… I just… I just cannot be with you… Not right now…"
Having said that, she went to the door, with tears on her eyes.
"Emily, wait!" Bandit called.
He followed her to the living room, where she was heading towards the entrance door. Bandit was able to get there first and blocked her way.
"No, please, Emily, we can work this out" he said. "We can't just throw away what we have… our love is pure. I never felt for anyone what I feel for you."
"Please, Bandit, don't do this" Emily said. "I need to do this."
"You need to end our relationship and you won't even tell me why?" Bandit asked. "At least tell me why you're doing this. I have the right to know."
"Sorry, Bandit… I just can't" Emily told. "You just need to trust me."
"Trust you?" Bandit repeated. "How can I trust you when you don't even tell me why you're doing this?"
There was a pause and then Bandit said:
"You know what? If you so want to go so badly… just go."
And he moved himself away from the door and opened.
"But Bandit…" Emily started.
"Just go!" Bandit shouted, with tears on his eyes, avoiding to look at Emily.
Also with tears on her eyes, Emily tried to say something to Bandit, while wanting to extend her hand to him, but hesitating and instead getting out and closing the door behind her. Bandit then lean himself against the door and went down, while curling himself, closing his eyes and having his tears going down his face. He could only feel sadness and despair filling his broken heart.
It was then that he started to feel a soft light hitting. Raising his head, he got surprised when he saw the image of the same red heeler he had seen at the airport, smiling at him with a lot of tenderness and warmth and the same could be said about her sweet smile. She then extended her hand to him, hoping he would take it. But before Bandit decided what to do, he woke up…
End of dream…
Bandit woke up from his dream, finding himself sitting on his seat on the plane, right next to the window. He could see the clouds spiraling at the nocturnal sky.
"Are you okay, Bandit?" Pat asked, sitting next to him, reading a book.
Bandit didn't reply right away, looking around his surroundings. Most of the dogs there were sleeping, including his brothers, sitting on another part.
"Yeah, I'm okay, Pat" Bandit said, while trying to get comfortable on his seat.
"But you don't look okay, mate" Pat commented. "I noticed you struggling in your sleep."
"It's nothing really…" Bandit lied.
"Bandit, I know you since we were six, so I guess I can tell when something's wrong with you" Pat told. "Come on, you can tell me."
"You mean like when I told you about Emily and you ended up telling my brothers?" Bandit asked.
"I just did that because you were depressing in your room, in the dark… playing Blues" Pat said. "I feared your depression would get worse and worse. I mean, you're about to start your Honours degree and you need to be at your best. I was just looking out for you."
"I know that…" Bandit said. "Sorry, buddy. It's just… It pains me when I think about what happened. What Emily and I had was so… special and intense. She made feel the happiest and luckiest dog in the world. But she left me and all that change. And the worst part is that I don't even know why. And I can't stop thinking about that. It even torments my dreams."
"So that's why you were struggling so much…" Pat said, while Bandit nodded. "But, before you woke up, you were having a moment of tranquility, so that dream of yours must have not been so bad."
When Pat mentioned that, Bandit remembered the last part of his dream, something that made him release a smile and a small chuckle.
"What?" Pat asked, puzzled by that reaction of his best friend.
"It's just…" Bandit started. "No, I better not tell you. You're going to laugh at me."
"Come on!" Pat exclaimed. "You started it… you can't now let me hanging here."
Bandit sighed and then said:
"When we were back at the airport, checking in, I just saw… this beautiful red heeler. As soon as my eyes noticed her, I just… couldn't take them away from her. I kept staring until I couldn't do it anymore… And, just now, she appeared in my dream… extending her hand to me as I was curling in my despair for losing Emily…"
"Wow…" Pat said. "Bandit, my friend… why didn't say this before?! Here I was, worry about how you were feeling about losing Emily, and you are already looking up for a new girlfriend…"
"It's nothing like that!" Bandit exclaimed. "See, that's why I didn't want to tell you about it."
"Come on, Bandit, this is good" Pat said, while giving one of his friendly punches on Bandit's shoulder. "It means you're trying to move on…"
But noticing his friend's look, Pat realized something.
"Unless you don't want to move on…" he said. "Bandit, please, tell me you're not considering to try to reconcile with Emily."
The blue heeler didn't need to reply to that question for Pat to know the answer.
"You are… You really are…"
"Maybe if I try to reach her… Maybe if we talk… we can solve things up and…" Bandit started.
"No… No, no, no, no… And again, no" Pat replied. "You will not follow her like a needy puppy and beg her to accept you again. Come on, mate, have some dignity!"
"But… maybe she had good reason to do that" Bandit said. "She asked me to trust her, maybe there was a good reason for her to do that. Maybe…"
"Bandit, stop with the maybes" Pat told. "I know you love her, but now you're just trying to find excuses for Emily."
"I know…" Bandit said. "But I can't help but trying to find a reason for what happened."
"You'll be much happier if you just let it go" Pat said. "Even your subconscious is telling you that. Why don't you think of that girl you saw at the airport?"
"Please, Pat, I just saw her once…" Bandit replied. "Maybe I won't see her again."
"I know, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the moment" Pat told. "I mean, maybe, if you try to focus on that girl, you'll start to feel less… obsessed with Emily. And yes I said obsessed."
Bandit sighed, while letting his head fall on the headrest of his seat.
"Maybe you're right…"
"Of course I'm right" Pat replied. "Come on, mate, just relax and try to enjoy the trip. I mean, that's the all point of this bro trip, right?"
"Right…" Bandit replied, turning around to the window and contemplating the night sky.
Despite still being thinking on Emily, Bandit couldn't help but escaping to the part of his dream when the red heeler girl appeared to her. Could that be really a sign that he needed to forget about Emily?
