Old faces

They finished having breakfast and now Brandy was getting ready to go and get some groceries and run a couple of other errands.

"Auntie Brandy..." Shyly said Bingo.

"Yeah?" Responded Brandy whilst searching for her car keys.

"Do i have to go?"

Brandy thought for a few seconds as too what to say.

"Well, why do you ask?"

"I- i just don't wanna."

Brandy finds her car keys then looks at Bingo and asks

"Well, why don't you wanna go?"

Bingo looks at the car keys.

Brandy puts the two together.

"Okay Bingo, if you don't wanna go, then you don't wanna go." Said Brandy in an understanding voice while she gave a small smile.

"Well i can't leave her here alone, i gotta find someone to take care of her for a bit." Brandy thought to herself before remembering a lot of the neighbouring dogs that came after the day of the incident to give condolence to Brandy and the kids.

Brandy decided to go and ask the labrador dog to look after Bluey and Bingo.

*ring* *ring*

A kid answers the door.

"Hey." Brandy said akwardly. "Where are your parents?" She looked inside the house.

"Oh... Uhh... My mum is at work and my dad is... Ummm..." The kid wasn't sure if he should say what was happening.

"What?" Brandy was concerned about what could be happening.

"Well... He has been really sad for some reason..."

"Oh, well can i come in and talk to him?" Brandy asked politely.

"Okay, but i don't think he will talk much..."

"That's fine."

Brandy comes in the house and finds Pat laying down on the couch, sleeping.

"Hey." Brandy tries to wake Pat up. "Are you okay? Hello!?" Brandy slaps Pat in the face.

He gets up confused on what happened and on who slapped him.

"Huh? What? Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?"

"You're... Oh wait, you're Brandy. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to ask you for a favour, but it seems you are not doing so well, tell me, what you are feeling?"

"I... Well the same as you basically, just... Bandit, oh god, i miss him so much, all the memories and the fun times we had... And now he is gone, in an instant, no warning, no nothing..." Pat sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Brandy sat down on the couch and looked at the floor.

"Yeah... i know what you mean."

There was an awkward silence in the room.

"But you can't always sleep on couches, you can't give up on what you built." Brandy looked at Patricks eyes trying to help him.

"What did i build?"

Brandy chuckles. "What do you mean by 'what'? You built a family, they love you, they cherish you, but if they see what you are doing, do you know what it does to them? Nothing good."

"I... I... Well maybe you're righ-" He was cut of by Brandy.

"I know i'm right and i know it's not easy, you know i'm now taking care of two kids with absolutely no parenting skills, but i somehow manage, not only to take care of then, but to also grieve, even with the low, low chance of succeeding, if i can, then you can too. Be strong and try your best, your family loves you, never forget that." Brandy put her hand on his shoulder.

Pat was quiet for a few seconds. Brandy got up, said goodbye and started going towards the door.

"What is the favour?" Patrick said quietly.

"Oh, don't worry about it, just remember what i told you and try your best." Brandy said as she closed the door.

"Well... What was i expecting? Anyways i guess i'll go ask... Doreen, i think that's her name." Brandy started walking to her house, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Wendy moping around outside in her front yard.

"Great... Okay i guess i'm the therapist today." Brandy thought to herself before going to her.

"Hey, not doing so great i imagine..." Brandy said awkwardly.

"What? Oh... Yeah..." She said quietly.

"Well, tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Everything you're thinking about, i'll listen, i promise."

"Well i think you know what im thinking about."

"Yeah, it's hard, but it doesn't mean you should always feel sad about it, think of all the good memories."

"Well, if i think about them, i will just think that i will never be able to make more of them."

"That is life, no matter what, one day you won't be able to make memories, death will always catch up, but we don't always think about that, we think about our friends and family, about all the fun times, then something happens and it won't be like it was, but we always have to keep trying, you just find something to fight for, no matter what it is."

"It's not as simple as you say..."

"Of course it isn't, it's life afterall, but if i can, then you also can, you have a daughter to take care of, so you have a reason to fight, to live. Never give it up."

"How are you... like... how can you manage and give advice, your sister, my friend, died, but you still have strength to come here and give advice."

"It's not the first time i experienced this. After a while you realise what is what and that you are spending your precious time doing nothing, life is short, don't waste it."

"That's not the only reason... is it?"

"No, it is not. I never thought i would be a mother, let alone raise my sisters kids, they give me strength, i... i don't know quite how to explain it, but they do and so will your kid, raise them and raise them right, i don't have a clue of what i'm doing, but im certainly am trying to do the right thing, it's not easy, but you just have to try."

Wendy sighed and then hugged Brandy.

"Thank you, i.. Just thank you." Tears came out her eyes.

Brandy returned the hug. It was quiet, they didn't say anything, they just gave a nod of approval and continued their days.

"Okay well, i hope Doreen will be able to look after them, this day has certainly been interesting, didn't expect any of this, hope they will feel better, i don't want them to repeat what i did, all those damn years i wasted, i will always regret that... Always."

Brandy made her way to Doreen's house and knocked on the door. Doreen opened the door.

"Hey Brandy!" Doreen said with a smile.

"Hi Doreen. I'll get straight to the point, i need a favour."

"Depends on what it is."

"Well i need to go and run some errands, so can you look after Bluey and Bingo, it won't take too long."

"Oh... Well why can't you bring them with you?"

"Uhhh..." Brandy looked around, thinking of an excuse, she then noticed her car. "I don't have the kid seat things."

"Oh yeah, they still need them."

"Yeah, soooo..."

"Yeah i can look after them."

"Thanks Doreem." She awkwardly reaches her arm out for a handshake.

They have an awkward handshake and then go to the Heeler house.

"Okay, Doreen will look after you while im out and about, don't give her trouble now."

"Oh it's okay, i'll manage." Doreen said.

Brandy led Doreen to the door and quietly said.

"I gotta say this, they probably won't do anything, they are still grieving so just-" Doreen cut Brandy off

"It's okay, don't worry, i won't bother them, it must be hard loosing your parents at such a young age."

Brandy just looked at the ground before closing the door behind her. She sighs and gets in her car.

"Okay, first i have to get my stuff out of the apartment, then groceries and such and the kid seats, Bingo is... Ah whatever." She starts the car and starts driving.

At the Heeler house

"Why didn't you wanna go?" Bluey asked Bingo.

Bingo just looked at the ground. Bluey didn't pry further, she didn't understand why her sister didn't wanna go, but she understood it was her choice.

Doreen walked in the room. "I won't bother you, i just wanted to say if you need something ask me, i will be in the living room."

The sisters just gave Doreen a nod.

"Brandy was right, they don't seem to be doing much, hope they will feel better." Doreen thought to herself.

Bluey tried to talk with Bingo about anything that came into her mind.

"I don't want to talk right now." Bingo said quietly.

"But, why now? during the morning it was okay, but why don't you wanna talk now?" Bluey asked trying not to sound rude.

"I don't know, i just don't..." Bingo picked up floppy and walked out of the room.

Bluey sighed. "Okay..."

Brandy arrived at her apartment

She got out of her car.

"Oh! Hey Brandy! Where were you?" Brandys neighbour asked her.

"Just some family stuff, i'm moving out."

"Wow, moving out? That's surprising, you lived here for so long."

"Yeah... Life happens i guess... Anyways i gotta go and pack now."

"Okay see you!" The dog waved.

Brandy took out her keys and unlocked the door. She looked around her apartment that she has been renting for so long. It felt weird for her to leave this place. Brandy starts packing up then notices a picture of her and Chilli in their childhood, she picks it up and looks at it, she lets out a single tear and then puts it in her bag. She doesn't want to keep thinking about it, she wants to remember the good times, not the event that changed everything for her and her nieces.

"Okay i think im done packing everything." Brandy stared at her packed bags. "Never knew packing your stuff could say so many things, just made me realise i barely own anything, pretty much all this stuff is the landlords." She thought to herself.

She texted the landlord, then went to her car, put her bags in the trunk and drove off.

She only kept thinking about two things. The years she isolated herself from everyone, she knows she will always regret it, she only hopes not to constantly think about it and to live the life she now has and she worries about her nieces and how they will grow up, and the challenges they will face, she hopes she will be able to help them, the only thing she really has is hope.

Brandy arrives at the grocerie store and heads inside, she grabs a cart and goes over the list of what to buy.

"Hmm, how didn't i add ice cream on here? Better go and get some." She reaches the ice cream and thinks on what flavour the kids would like.

"Well, i mean, i should have asked, ah whatever, i will take chocolate, who doesn't like chocolate? Oh right, some mint chocolate chip for me-"

*bang*

Brandy jumps a bit when her cart collids with someone elses.

"Oh sorry didn't see you there." said a familiar voice.

Brandy looked at who it was and was shocked to see. "John?!"

"Hey Brandy..."

"What the fu-" Brandy takes a look around the store then proceeds to lean down of her cart and quietly say. "What the fuck are you doing here?" She leans back. "The last time i heard, you were getting married and were moving to Sydney?"

"Ah... Well you know how life is... Never a straight road anywhere." John said.

"Tell me about it, anyways... God i missed you."

"I did too, for a long time, i still have nightmares from that night."

"I don't blame you, it was... well it was nothing good. Do you know how Mia is doing?"

"I haven't heard anything about her ever since then."

"Yeah, i hope she's still alive."

"If it weren't for you-" He gets cut off.

"Yeah, i know... Look, i don't wanna think about it anymore then i already did, let's just leave it at that, okay?"

"Okay. So..."

There was an awkward silence.

"Maybe we should go and get a coffee sometime and catch up, i gotta get back home soon."

"You gotta get back home? That's a new, i'm guessing you found someone?" John winks.

"Yeah... No." Brandy said unamused. "As i said, let's grab a coffee sometime, you still have the same number?" She asked

"Yup."

"Okay well i'll call you later and we can arrange."

"Okay and as i said, i missed you." John opens up his arms for a hug. Brandy hugs him.

They said goodbye and Brandy continued shopping. After she was done with the groceries, she had to get seats for Bluey and Bingo, she got them and was ready to return back to her now, home.