During the next few days, the foursome group just had such good time in Nazaré. By morning, they would wake up early to surf and, after lunch, by the beginning of the afternoon they would go for a walk with Mel serving as their guide. After that, they would again go for another session of surfing, before returning to the houseguest to have dinner.
Bandit had to admit he was quite enjoying his staying in Nazaré. Rad was right when he decided to plan that trip. Surfing on the wild waves, walking around a new place, trying a brand new culture, meeting new dogs… All that was allowing him to keep his mind busy to not think of Emily and also have a lot of fun with his brothers and best friend. However, there were times when he would think of her, but when he did that, he just pushed the memory to the back of his mind.
Another good thing about that trip was Mel. She was starting to become a good friend to Bandit during the few days they have been there, one that he for sure intended to keep after he returned home. The others were always trying to set them up together, but Bandit always tried to avoid spoiling the good friendship he and Mel were building. He didn't find fair to use her as a way to try to forget Emily. But despite everything, he couldn't help but admire Mel greatly.
At their last night at Nazaré, on the 29th, the Heelers and Pat were having a lot of fun at the dinner. Mel had also invited some of her friends as well and together they made a small party. The boys were having a blast talking and drinking with them, especially with the girls. Rad was even flirting with one of Mel's female friends. Bandit, however, despite having fun, was trying to keep himself on the side. It was then that Mel appeared and sat beside him, asking:
"Not having fun?"
"Not exactly…" Bandit said. "I'm thankful that you did all this on our last night, Mel, I truly am, but… I'm not exactly on the mood."
"Unlike your brother Rad" Mel commented, while pointing to where Rad was.
Bandit looked and then saw that Rad was making out with the girl he was flirting with.
"Oh embarrassing…" he said.
But Mel just giggled.
"Come on, let your brother have some fun with my friend" Mel said. "You know, we, Portuguese girls, have a certain attraction for exotic dogs."
"You're saying we are exotic?" Bandit asked, with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.
"Having in count you four come from big continental island from the other side of world, full of many different environments, tropical beaches, not to mention your accent…
"Yeah, yeah, I get it" Bandit said. "I guess we can say the same thing about you."
The two of them both shared a laugh and then Mel suggested:
"Hey, what do you say if we went for a walk? It may be dark, but we have a full moon and there's nothing better like a nocturnal walk. I know a place I haven't taken you and the others."
Bandit thought about that offer of hers for a few seconds, but concluded that having a relaxing walk with a good friend was better than sitting there watching others having fun… or Rad making out with a girl.
"Let's go" he said.
The two of them then were able to sneak out of the party and went outside. Bandit followed Mel through the streets, with them going up. It was then that they arrived to a viewpoint that gave them a breath-taking view over the town and the beach.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Bandit exclaimed, while leaning forward and supporting his arms on the wall in front of him, right under the light of the light post.
"This place is called the Miradouro do Suberco" she said, leaning forward and supporting his arms on the wall as well, right next to Bandit. "It's my favorite in all Nazaré. I come here whenever I have some problem or trouble in my mind."
"I can understand why" Bandit replied. "This place… is beautiful. It can really make you forget about everything else."
"It sure does…" she agreed.
The two of them admired the view for a few seconds before turning to each other. They shared an intense look and then, in an instinctive moment, they came together and ended up locking their lips into a kiss. They remained like that for a few seconds but then both of them ended the kiss.
"I'm sorry!" they both said to each other, before sharing a laugh together.
"Looks like we both acted without thinking through" Mel noticed.
"I'm sorry, Mel…" Bandit said. "I thought I was over her, but… she just keeps coming back."
"Do you want to talk about her?" Mel asked.
Bandit then nodded with his head and the two of them went to sit on a bench nearby and he told:
"Her name is Emily. She's from Oregon. I met her when she came to study in Australia at my high school. It was love at first sight… It didn't take long for us to start dating. What we had… was so intense, so alive… I thought she was the one, the girl that would become my wife, the mother of my children… But then she… just broke up with me… and returned to America. She even didn't say why."
Tears came to his eyes, as he remembered that hard memory. Taking his phone, he looked at her photo he used as a background.
"I kept asking her to not do it…" he continued. "I insisted and insisted… but she wouldn't change her mind. She just kept saying I needed to trust her. I just snapped and sent her away. There's not a moment I think if I hadn't sent her away…"
But he was unable to end. Mel observed photo of Emily.
"She's pretty. No wonder you fell for her."
Bandit nodded to her and then said:
"I'm sorry, Mel… I tried to fill this void left by Emily with you and…"
"You don't have to apologize" Mel replied with her sweet smile. "Actually… I was trying to do the same thing with you."
"You were?" Bandit asked.
She nodded and then went to her purse where she took out a photo she showed to Bandit. In it was Mel together with an Estrela mountain dog with a long brindle coat with shades of black and a black facial mask that was iconic to his breed.
"His name is Golias" Mel told. "He is an Australian with Portuguese ancestry."
"An Australian, hein?" Bandit asked, with his eyebrow raised and slight smile.
"Yeah… apparently I have a type" Mel replied, with a chuckle. "Well, he was adopted by his Australian parents after they brought his birth mother to Australia to have him. He came here to get to know his Portuguese heritage. We met and… things just happened, we connected.
"What happened?" Bandit asked.
"Nothing, really" Mel replied. "We met, we fell in love, we had our little adventure… but then he left."
"Just like that?"
"He didn't do anything wrong, Bandit. Actually, he asked me to go with him, but… I couldn't just leave my life here, my dream… and I also couldn't ask him to stay. So we just… went our separate ways. It broke my heart doing it."
There was a pause and then Bandit released a chuckle and said:
"We're really messed up. I think that's why we hit off."
"I wouldn't say we're messed up" Mel told. "We're just… hurt. But all wounds heal."
"I don't know if mine will ever heal" Bandit replied.
"Not if you don't allow yourself to open to a new love" Mel told. "Bandit, if you keep holding to the past, you won't be able to move on and possibly find a new love. It may be hard to do it, but believe me, once you find your true love, you'll see that it was worth it."
Those words from Mel made Bandit to feel much better. She was right, if he wanted to move on, he needed to set himself free from the past. And so he proceeded to delete Emily's photo from his phone. Once he did that, he started actually feel better… much lighter.
"So… what about you?" Bandit asked, looking at Mel's photo.
"I guess… I'm not ready yet…" she replied. "Especially because… I can't stop imagine what would have happened if… I've decided to go with him. He left me his number and address… in case I changed my mind. I have in my possession the key to my happiness, but I can't find myself able to do it."
"You know, you don't have to give up your dream of being a vet just to have love" Bandit told.
"Well… things are a little bit… complicated" Mel confessed. "Bandit, can you keep a secret?"
"Of course" he replied.
"I… I'm pregnant" she said.
"You're… what?" Bandit asked.
"I'm pregnant" she said, while taking her hand to her belly. "Two months long… That's double the time has passed ever since Golias went away."
"So… he's the father" Bandit concluded.
"You understand why I hesitate so much?" Mel asked. "What if… he doesn't want to be with me after he finds out about my pregnancy? What about my family? I don't know how they will react and…"
Noticing Mel starting to panic, Bandit took her hands and told her:
"Mel, relax, everything is going to be fine. Look, you're going to be a mom and that's something to be happy about just for itself. And your family… I'm sure they will be there for you all the way. As for Golias… I think you'll have to do a leap of faith on that. But… if he loves you just as you love him, you don't have to worry about him not wanting that child. Yeah, everything will change, but… I think there's no decent dog that wouldn't want a child born from the girl he loves. At least… that's what I believe."
Mel was touched by Bandit's words. If she didn't love Golias, she would probably fall in love with him at that moment. Freeing her hands from Bandit's only to hold them, she said:
"You're one of the kindest and most caring dogs I've ever met, Bandit Heeler. I don't know whatever reason Emily had to break up with you, but she was a fool for you leaving behind. And I can only hope you find someone that is truly worthy of your love."
"Thank you, Mel…" Bandit replied. "So, what do you think if we went back? I mean, it's starting to get really chilly out here."
"Why don't you go ahead?" Mel asked. "I… need to make a call."
Understanding what she meant with that, Bandit replied:
"You got it. And don't worry, I think I can get to the houseguest by myself. Good luck."
Having said that, Bandit got up and started to move away. Mel also got up, but started to move around, while taking her phone and starting to dial a certain number. She started calling and waited. Her heart raced as she waited for an answer.
"Hey there… Golias. It's me… Mel. I know… I wasn't sure if I would call or not. Look, we need to talk. I have something to tell you…"
Note: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will be the closure of the time of Bandit and the others in Portugal. But don't worry, this story is still not reaching towards its end, because there's still the second part of their trip. I hope you have enjoyed the little surprise regarding Mel. Golias, Mel's love interest, is an Estrela mountain dog, another typical Portuguese breed that comes from the Estrela Mountains, where the highest point of Portugal Continental is located. Don't worry, this is not the last you've heard of Mel and Golias.
