Picnic

Bingo was in her bathroom trying to throw up, feeling her chest squeeze her ribs. She had her mouth open. In the toilet there wasn't much food, But her body tried to squeeze every last inch of anything she had in her stomach. She coughed and shut her mouth closed, She leaned her back on the toilet feeling exhausted and tired. Bingo tried to get up, her legs wobbled but she managed to get up. She looked at herself in the mirror, she no longer had the muzzle on her face, and the rash it had left on her cheeks were almost healed, but there were still long scars that would never heal. What she also noticed about her face was that her cheeks also began to cave in more, making it more noticeable. Bingo then looked down at her bandana around her neck, No matter what she would not let herself eat meat. Bingo turned on the water faucet and grabbed the water with her hands and touched her face with it, trying to wake herself up.

The red heeler left the bathroom and walked down the stairs, up to the front door. She opened it to see Dougie and his father standing in front of Judo, who was waiting for her father to pick her up. A month has already passed and it was time for her to leave, all she had was her purse. The young chow chow looked sad, She felt guilty for what she had said to muffin, Judo had never made the white heeler cry. Making her feel like a horrible dog, Bingo began to walk up to the group. "Hello Mr Cavapoo, Hey Judo". She said as she waved at Dougie, and then looked back at the chow chow. "I cant believe a month has already passed, I honestly wished you could have stayed with us longer". Bingo said to the Judo, she began to nervously scratch her arm. "I asked My father multiple times but he said no everytime, Plus I have to get back to my classes……Even then I would rather fail my semester and hang out with you guys longer". Judo said as a small tear fell from her eye, She wanted to cry so hard, But she controlled herself not to.

The dogs then heard a car coming up the hill, expecting it to be judo's father. Judo felt her heart skip a beat, But when she took a closer look it was actually Stripes' car. He parked his electric car in front of Wendy's house, The Blue heeler got out of the electric car waving at the group. Wendy then walked out of her house holding a pie that was covered in tin foil. The 2 middle aged dogs walked up to the group. "Hey Wendy". Said the blue heeler as he grabbed her shoulder as she leaned to give him a kiss on the mouth. "I Cant believe a month has already passed, Wish you could stay longer Judo". Stripe said, It bothered Judo to see Stripe touch her mother, But she did not want to make a scene before she left. "Me too….Uncle stripe". Judo said faintly as Wendy walked up to her, giving the chow chow the pie. "It's Just the way you like it sweetie". She said to her daughter, Judo smelled the pie, the delicious smell of freshly baked apple made her smile, It really was just the way she liked it. "W-Where's muffin". Judo asked as she looked up at the blue heeler. "Muffin said she wasn't feeling well, And that it might have been something she ate at the fair". Stripe said, Judo believed that's what muffin told him, She obviously did not want to see her.

"Tell her I said that I will miss her, I was really hoping she would come". Judo said, knowing that muffin most likely lied to her father just to not see her leave. "I Will Judo". Stripe said as he walked up and hugged her, Judo accepted the hug she was on the brink of tears. She then turned her head to the main road where a car was heading up the road. It parked near the curve and her father waited inside, not bothering to get out. That was the final straw. tears were now flowing down her eyes as she gently dropped the pie on the floor and went up to Dougie and bingo giving them a hug, not wanting to leave them. "I'll miss you guys".She said out loud, even though dougie couldn't hear it, he knew she would miss him. The 3 dogs squeezed each other a bit, as judo continued to cry. When she was done she picked up her pie and hugged her mother. "I'll miss you mum". She said as she left the hug she held her hand as she walked up to the car letting go of her mother.

Wendy tried not to cry, but tears left her face as stripe hugged to comfort her. Bingo and Dougie waved at Judo one last time as she entered the car. "We'll miss you". Bingo said as her ears dropped, they all watched the car as it went down hill.

"Sniff"

Bingo turned to her right to see Dougie crying, whimpering for his friend, Bingo looked down at her hand as she held it for a second. Bingo then hugged Dougie, The brown cavapoo returned the hug. She patted his back, bringing him just a bit closer. Tobias looked at the 2 friends hug, But in his mind he knew that they loved each other. "Soon". He said out loud to himself with a smile.

2 WEEKS LATER

Dougie and Bingo were at their school underneath the same tree they would always hangout. They didn't say anything and just stared at the tree. Bingo was playing around with her bandana twirling around the tip of it. She then stopped and looked at her friend, she tapped on his shoulder getting his attention. "You miss Judo"? Bingo said to her friend with her hands, Dougie nodded as he turned his body to talk to her. "I do, We text her and play games, But it's not the same. I wished she would live closer to us". Dougie said with his hands, Dougie then looked down at Bingo's stomach. It was so curved that it made him think she hadn't eaten in days.

"RING"

Bingo looked at her school, It meant that class was over. Bingo got up and waved at dougie to walk with her, The brown cavapoo followed his friend. Dougie thought she was gonna go back to the school to get lunch, But instead she made a turn on the sidewalk to her house. Dougie looked at his friend with a tired look shaking his head. He then walked up to the red heeler and tapped her shoulder, getting her attention. "Aren't you gonna get something from the cafeteria". He said with his hands, as they both continued to walk. "No I'm good, I'll eat something when I get home". She responded with her hands, Dougie Just shook his head and walked the opposite way. Bingo, surprised by the reaction, turned around and stared at her friend, as he sped walked. "Whats your problem". She said out loud raising her hands in frustration as she ran up to her friend. She grabbed him by his shoulder and forcefully turned him around. "What was that for". She said, as she pushed her friend on the chest. "The problem is that I'm tired of seeing you slowly killing yourself. I might be deaf, But i'm not blind. You are too skinny, Bingo you have to start eating meat, I don't know what happened to stop you from eating meat, But you have to grow out of it. Before you kill yourself". Dougie said aggressively moving his hands, as bingo stared at her friend, Her eye twitched.

"You wouldnt understand". Bingo said as grabbed the side of her arm, remembering the memory of the pitbulls death. "But It's none of your business anyways, I can do whatever I want, I don't have to listen to you". She said pushing on his chest, as he took a step back. "If you really did care, You would know that I will NEVER, EVER…..eat…..m…". Bingo's movement became slow as she began to feel her body become heavy. Her breathing became slower, her eyes felt so heavy, she leaned to the side. But Dougie reacted quickly as he grabbed her by the side, falling with her. The cavapoo began to panic, as the red heeler eyes slowly shut closed, feeling a pain in her stomach. As she slowly passed out.

Bingo slowly opened her eyes, as a light hit her eye, she shut and opened her eyes a few more times until she was able to see better.

"Good evening kid" Said Shaun the german shepherd looking at the red heeler straight in her eyes. The red heeler looked around to see that she was in the hospital, she was laying on a bed with the sheets covering her bottom half. "You wanna guess why you passed out"? He asked the red heeler, as Bingo got off the medical bed. "Where do you think you're going". He said as he walked in front of the red heeler. "I'm going home". She said as she looked Shaun in the eyes, as he took the time to think what to say. "Your father should be coming back soon, You can wait for them. Right now I need you to sit on the bed and talk to me". He said, The red heeler just rolled her eyes and headed to the door, trying to open it. But it wouldn't budge, She pushed and pulled, but nothing happened. The red heeler turned her head to see the monochromatic shepard holding a key. "This has to be illegal". She said to him, Shaun nodded as he put the key in his pocket. "You didn't listen to me last time, and look what happened, you passed out from a lack of protein in your body". He said, as he watched the young teenager walk up to the bed and cover her body with the sheets.

…………

I'm just trying to help you mate, I still don't get why you don't want to talk about it". He said walking up the red heeler, bingo just curled up in the sheets. The german shepherd just sighed and walked up to the door unlocking it. "Do me the favor of at least wait for your father". He said closing the door and leaving it unlocked. Outside near the entrance were seats and sitting on the far right was dougie looking down, playing with his thumbs worried about Bingo. Shaun walked up to the brown cavapoo tapping on his shoulder, Dougie looked up at the german shepherd. He stood up quickly taking his phone out and quickly texted". Shaun looked at the phone, He already knew that the brown cavapoo was deaf.

"Is bingo ok"

Shaun just placed his phone, and raised his hands. "You don't have to communicate with me like that, I know sign language". Shaun said with his hands, dougies eyes widened surprised, He placed his phone back inside his pocket and began to communicate. "Your friend is doing alright, she just passed out……But i assume you know about her eating issue". Shaun said with his hands, Dougie sighed and nodded looking back up at the german shepherd. "Well your friend is not gonna last long in this world unless you do something about it. I would want to tell her family about it, But I honestly fell like it would bring more issues. Since you know her, and I assume she trusts you, I hope you can somehow help her with her diet. But if it fails, and you at least tried, then let her family know". Shaun said with his hands, tapping on the kids shoulder as he walked away. Dougie looked back confused for what Shaun had said to him.

Why would it be his responsibility to help his friend out? He has tried a good amount of times but she would never want to eat any meat. But then again that was when she wore the muzzle. Dougie then had an idea, But he did not like it at all. Dougie then looked at the door, He sighed and opened it, looking at the bed where bingo was still covered in the sheets. He nervously walked up to her and tapped her on the head. Bingo thought it was Shaun so she took the covers off her head expecting to see the german shepherd, However surprised to see it was her friend. "Hey Bingo". Dougie worded with his mouth, as bingo took off the sheets. "How are you feeling"? He asked her, as she sat on the bed and put her knees on her chin.

…….

"I don't feel good to be honest……And I know you probably would blame me for passing out". She said with her hands looking away from the brown cavapoo. Dougie played with his fingers trying to think of what to say to the red heeler, He then used his arm and held bingo by her side bringing her closer to him. "I don't want to stress you out anymore, I didn't mean what I said to you, I was just worried for your….health". He said with his other hand, Bingo just laid her head close to dougies chest. "I was worried you were gonna leave me to be honest, you and judo are my only friends ... .Honestly if it wasn't for you……I don't know what i would have done". She said looking up to his friend, Dougie gave her an empathetic look as he began to scratch her neck to calm her. "Never leave me". Bingo said out loud.

1 week later

Dougie was in his bed, looking up at the ceiling, it was early in the morning. He had trouble sleeping last night, Mostly because of what he was going to do today. He looked at the sunrise from his window, The brown cavapoo got up from his bed and looked at the plushie bingo had given him at the fair. He even had bought a blue bandana for her, He walked up to it and gave it a long hug. When he was done he placed it back, and walked out of his room heading downstairs. He walked to one of the cabinets and grabbed a picnic basket that his mum used to use. He placed it on the counter and then walked up to the fridge where he taken out multiple vegetables and placed it on another side of the counter. There was kale, spinach, tomatoes and carrots. He grabbed a knife and began to get to work on preparing the food for the picnic he was going to go on with Bingo. He cut the vegetables into pieces and mixed them up in multiple bowls. He even put some mayonnaise and cheese to add flavor. It took him about an hour to finish, And when he was done he placed all the containers in the picnic basket.

But there was one thing missing, He sighed as he walked towards the fridge one last time taking out a container and placing it in the microwave watching it heat up. When it was done he opened the microwave and grabbed some paper towels from the counter. He grabbed the container with the paper towels and placed it inside the picnic basket. Dougie then put it on his shoulder and walked to the front door opening it and walking out, shutting it behind him. The brown cavapoo walked down the sidewalk, taking his phone out and texting his father, letting him know that he was leaving the house. He continued to walk as he looked around his neighbor, The sun was barely rising, making the surroundings orange, He eventually made it to the park, Luckily since it was early there was no one around. There was a playground for kids, and a hill that had a tree on top. He thought it was the perfect spot, and walked up to it.

He took out a picnic blanket and placed it down, He then began to take out all the containers and placed them on the blanket, only leaving one inside the basket. When he was done, He took out his phone to see if bingo had responded.

Bingo: I'm heading there right now, see you in a bit

Dougie then put his phone on the ground, and laid down on the ground, Thinking to himself. He did not want to do this, But it was his last and final attempt to help his friend. And if it were to fail, He would lose his bestfriend. But since this was about her health he was willing to do it. And if it didn't work then he would let her father know about her eating issue. Dougie looked at the clouds as they passed by, admiring the view and lost in his mind and thinking about all the good times he had with the red heeler. He eventually opened his eyes and looked up to see bingo's car park near the sidewalk. He sat back up and watched as his friend got out and waved at him, as she walked up the hill. Dougie sighed, knowing what he had to do. She slid beside him, playing around, giving him a hug, Dougie returned it as they both wagged their tails. "Hey Bingo, I made your favorite". He said with his hands giving his friend one of the containers, she grabbed it taking in the smell of the salad. "Thank you so much dougie, I really needed this". She said, the brown cavapoo grabbed a plastic fork from the basket and gave it to her. She began to eat it enjoying the taste of mayonnaise and spinach, and cheese.

Dougie looked down at her stomach, It still look like it was caving in. The brown cavapoo sighed as he took out his phone writing something. He then gave it to the red heeler, Bingo was a bit confused by this action. But she grabbed the phone and began to read the text, reading it outloud and placing the salad on the ground. "I hope you will forgive me for this". She said, turning her body back to see her friend.

"THUMP"

Out of nowhere Dougie jumped on top of her, placing his elbow on his neck. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING". She said out loud, as her friend looked uncomfortable, He took out his other arm and in his hand he had a sloppy joe sandwich. Bingo's pupils shrunk and she tried to get out of his grasp but she was sadly too weak. Dougie shocked his head as he brought the meat sandwich right up to her mouth. The red heeler squeezed her lips as the burger got on her mouth. She shook her head, making a mess, and throwing pieces on the ground. Eventually some of the meat got in her mouth, making her taste the juicy cooked meat, a taste she hasnt tasted in a long time. Bingo began to growl, hating the memories that the food was bringing her. Dougie saw this but he did not care.

"CHOMP"

She bit down on the brown cavapoos hand, giving Dougie the most hateful look she could give. Even though he was feeling the worst pain in his hand right now. He frowned at his friend, He was sad that he had to do this. He wished there could have been other ways. Bingo's scowl faded away as she began to also taste his blood, she opened her jaws and Dougie pulled his hand out. Groaning in pain, he looked at his hand as blood dripped to the ground. Bingo swallowed the meat in her mouth, at this point she wasn't thinking about her trauma. She was more focused on what she did to Dougie, If anyone were to find out. She would have to wear the muzzle again, Dougie was still on top of the red heeler. He looked back at her in her eyes, as he began to communicate with his bloody hand. "I did not want to do this to you bingo, But you left me with no choice. I'm doing this because of you. I don't know what made you like this, But it has to stop….Your killing yourself, I'm afraid Bingo…..To lose you, your my only friend……And I love you". He said with his hands as some of the blood dripped on the red heeler. Bingo then moved her left hand to grab some of the sloppy joe on the ground, And used her right hand to communicate with dougie.

"Prove It"

She said, as the red heeler shoved the ground beef in her friend's mouth. She pushed off his elbow and grabbed him by his arms, pulling him into a mess of a kiss. The brown cavapoo was shocked, as he felt the red heelers mouth on his. At first he was wide eyed, But slowly he closed his eyes and embraced bingo with a hug as they continued to kiss each other, feeling each other's mouth. This is what they both wanted, to be with one another.

After a while, the 2 dogs laid by each other, looking up in the sky, lost in the moment. They didn't know what to say to one another, until Dougie began to smack his lips, feeling a bit of his own blood in his mouth. He tapped on the red heelers shoulder getting her attention. "Did you have to bite my tongue?". He said to her with his hands, giving her a smile, Bingo blushed and smiled at her friend. "I was lost in the moment". She said smiling at the brown cavapoo, Dougie then scooted his back on the side of the tree, Bingo got up and laid down on her friend's stomach, looking him in the eyes "Did you have to get my bandana dirty". She responded by showing him the stains left on her flag, Dougie lifted his hand about to respond. But he stopped as soon as he saw the bloody bite marks on his hand. The bleeding had stopped but the blood had dried up, Luckily the marks were not noticeable since he had thick fur. Bingo then grabbed her hand bringing it close to her face, taking a look at the blood.

She began to lick it

Dougie was wide eyed for a second thinking that she was going to turn feral, But when he looked at her face he began to calm down. Her pupils were not constricted, She was gentle when she licked up the dried blood. In Bingo's mind that feral instinct she had years ago, was now gone. The memories of the dead pitbull were still there, But she now ignored it. Even though Dougie forced feed her food, He had good intentions. The only thing she cared about now was the only dog she loved. When she finished licking off the blood, she laid her head down on dougie. His hand looked normal now, except for being covered in dog slobber, He wiped it off on his side. And then laid his hand on bingo's neck, and scratched her neck. She wagged her tail, He would always do this when she was feeling sad, it always cheered her up. "So….Does this mean we're a thing". Dougie said with his other hand, Bingo grabbed the brown cavapoo by the side, turning him over; they were now lying down together. She wrapped her hand around him and placed her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "Guess that means, yes". Dougie said in his brain, as he hugged the red heeler closer, slowly they both fell asleep, in the shade.

The next day

Brandy was in the kitchen organizing the dishes, Bandit, bluey and mackenzie were out. The blue heeler had now genuinely bonded with the border collie, making it easier for him to hang out with bluey. Brandy eventually finished the dishes and took one last look at it. "Hey aunt Brandy". The red heeler turned around to see Bingo holding her arm looking embarrassed. "What's wrong Bingo"? She asked the younger heeler, walking up to her niece. "Can I tell you something And can you promise to not tell my dad, and especially bluey". Bingo said, tucking her tail between her legs, Brandy was a bit confused on why the red heeler would want to talk to her, But it made brandy happy to know that bingo wanted to talk to her about a secret. "Yeah go ahead Bingo, I promise not to tell anyone". Brandy said as she walked up to the counter and sat down on a chair lifting her leg up. The younger red heeler played with her fingers trying to find her words. "You see there's this boy…..And his name is dougie…..And we are datin-

"OH MY GO-". Brandy blurted out, But she stopped herself trying to contain her joy, She coughed and tried to hide her smile. "I'm sorry you were saying". She said, wagging her tail and waiting for her niece to continue. The younger red heeler was a bit annoyed by the reaction, But she ignored it. "He said that he wanted to invite me to his house, And have dinner with him….and I said yes……And I was wondering what advice you could give me for my…..first date". She said putting her hands behind her back. Brandy was beyond happy in her mind; this was a bonding moment with the young heeler. "Let me guess it's dougie". She asked Bingo, the red heeler just nodded looking defeated. "Alright well, since he is your friend, it shouldn't be hard to have a conversation with him. So I would just talk to him as if he was your friend, But you should try and flirt with him, nothing weird though. Just say he looks good and if he is wearing a uniform tell him it looks good on him". She said getting up from the chair and taking a look at bingo. "Maybe you should wear some chapstick, your still too young for make up. Also what do you plan on wearing when you see him". The red heeler said to her niece.

"I Mean I think I should just go normal, But I do think some chapstick would look good on me". Bingo said as she began to rub her lips. "Give me a second". The older red heeler then quickly walked up to the stairs, as bingo waited for her to return. And when she did Brandy had chapstick, and mirror in her hand. "Here you go, and don't worry it's Brand new". She said as bingo took off the plastic wrapping, and took a look at the chapstick. "it should match with your lips". She said as bingo took off the cap and applied the chapstick on her lips, it felt a little weird since she had never worn it. Brandy then lifted the mirror up to her face to see how it looked. It did blend with her lips making them seem shiny in some way. "There we go, you should also probably take your bandana off for tonight. You know since it's a date". Brandy suggested as bingo looked down at her bandana. She had cleaned it last night after what happened at the picnic. was faded and no longer bright blue, red or white.She had worn it for so long, as a reminder of what she did, it always felt weird for her not to have it on her neck. "Are you sure?". She asked her aunt as she took the bandana off, neatly folding it and putting it in her back pocket. "Yeah its just to look nice, since it is your first date". Brandy said patting her back.

"How was your first date"? Bingo asked genuinely curious about her aunt, causing brandy's tail to stop wagging and widening her eyes. "Well………It was honestly the worst one". She said scratching her neck, looking embarrassed. Even worse than hank"? Bingo said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yeah"

"What about jerry"?

"Him too"

"Frank"?

"Mhm"

"Henry"?

"Yup".

"Johnathen"?

"Yes"

"What about michael"?

"WE DON'T TALK ABOUT HIM"! Brandy said, that last name causing her to yell right in Bingo's face. The younger red heeler looked genuinely scared. "I-I-I'm so sorry bingo, I know I haven't told you about micheal or my first date….But maybe in time I will. It's just……It's really personal Bingo. And if i'm honest not even Bandit knows about it". She said scratching her arm thinking about her past, Mostly about her first date that ended up in the worst way possible. Brandy didn't see it, But Bingo was looking at her feeling bad for her aunt. Bingo had said bad things about her aunt right in front of her face. Some things that caused her to almost get beaten by her father, But No matter what brandy would always try to stop him. Sometimes even yelling at her boyfriend's face, Bingo knew that her aunt wanted to bond with her. But she would always push her away, and yet she was always persistent. And now Bingo was asking her for advice.

……….

"I'm sorry" Bingo said, walking up to her aunt. At first she wanted to give her a hug. But she hesitated for a second, until forcing herself to hug her aunt. "Im sorry, that i've been mean to you, And I'm sorry for calling you a whore. It's just everything is changing so fast and sometimes I wish everything could go back like the way it was. I used to think the stupid muzzle caused all this, But to be honest Even if i didn't wear it nothing would change". She said to her aunt as she squeezed her a bit, Brandy sighed and returned the hug. Bingo had never been this open to her aunt, making brandy feel a joy and comfort with her niece, that she had missed for so long. "Its ok Bingo, Like i said no matter what I will always love you". The older red heeler said as they stopped hugging looking at one another. "Anyways what time do you have to go and see him, I can give you a ride". She offered to the red heeler, Bingo then took out her phone to see the time. "In about 2 hours, And yeah thanks for the ride". She said smiling at her aunt, The older red heeler nodded as she went up to her niece giving her a hug. Bingo's face was at first frozen, but it slowly shifted into a smile.

DOUGIES HOUSE

Dougie was walking up to his house holding about 4 grocery bags, He placed them down on the ground and took out his eyes from his pocket opening the door. He left the door open and grabbed the grocery bags, taking all of them inside, and placing them on the counter. He then walked to the bottom cabinet and took out a large cooking pan. He took it to the sink and filled it up with water, when it was half full he turned off the water and placed it on the oven. Turning the burner on letting the water get hot, He then walked up the bottom counter again grabbing a pan, tinfoil and wooden board. He placed the pan on another fryer, and laid the wooden board, and tinfoil on the counter. The brown cavapoo grabbed a knife and sliced the potato in half. He then went into the fridge and used a spoon to take a slice of butter and put it between the potato slices. Dougie grabbed a sheet of tinfoil and wrapped it around the potato and put it on the pan turning on the other fryer. He took a peek inside the large pot, The water was starting to bubble. He opened the window in the kitchen and walked up to the second bag, opening it up and taking out frozen crab legs. He took a sniff at it, and shrugged his shoulders.

Bingo had once told him that when she went to America she met this family who once served them crab legs. She always told him that it was her favorite meal, That it was a taste she wished to experience again. Dougie didn't know how they cooked it, But he found a video on the internet he hoped would please her. And If it's not as good he hoped she would love his cooked potatoes. As he placed the crab legs in the large pot, The front door opened and the young cavapoo's father entered the house. "Long ass day". Tobias said as he placed his keys on a hanger, the older brown cavapoo then took a sniff in the air, His nose twitched as he took in the very delicious scent in the air. "Smells like the boys cooking". He said out loud as he walked into the kitchen to see his son stirring the crabs that were cooking in the pot. Dougie didn't know his father was behind him. Tobias gently slapped his son's shoulder, surprising him. "Whatcha cooking mate"? Tobias said with his hands as he looked down at the potato salad. Without even asking he used a spoon that was beside the salad and picked up a bit of it about to eat it. Dougie however grabbed the utensil, not even giving his father a chance to eat it.

Tobias gave him a confused look, as Dougie put the spoon on the potato salad. The older cavapoo raised his eye, as Dougie gave him a serious look, He sighed as he raised his hand to tell his father. "Dad, I don't want to sound rude, But I need you to leave the house for a bit. It's just well……I'm making food, because well……..Its a date". He said looking a bit shy, But tobias face slowly growed into a smile. Already knowing who he was talking about. "Who's the lucky Biter Girl". He said with his hands, causing dougie to blush and give him an annoyed look, Dougie just sighed in defeat. "Its Bing-

"ATTA BOY"

Tobias yelled as he hugged his son and picked him up from his feet, Squeezing him with his strength, as Dougie struggled to breath. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU SON, I KNEW IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME". Tobias yelled, as he brought his son back down, holding him with one hand by his shoulder. "Son, I'm so proud of you. It brings me joy to know that you have found someone. And especially a close friend, This is an important part of your life". He said with his hands and then brought the young cavapoo in for a hug. Dougie, annoyed at first from his fathers reaction, calmed down and hugged his father. Even though his father's actions sometimes annoyed the young brown cavapoo, He would always be there, and support his child. Dougie never took Tobias for granted. The older cavapoo stopped hugging him, and looked at his son straight in his eyes. "It's alright son, I'll leave right now. I hope everything goes well, Just remember Girls like to talk about themselves. Just let her talk and act interested, Even if it's completely boring". Tobias said, tapping his son on the shoulder, as he turned around and began to walk towards the door. He grabbed his keys, and opened the door about to head out.

Dougie then ran up to his father, Tobias turned around to look at him. "Thanks dad, this means a lot to me". He said to his father, Tobias just nodded, still proud for her son. "Any time". He said with his hands as he closed the door leaving the house. Was this really happening was his father giving him his space and was he really about to have a date with the only friend he ever had. The brown cavapoo took a deep breath and calmed himself. He returned to the kitchen to continue cooking. He took out his phone for a second to see the time. She was gonna be here in an hour, which should be more than enough time for him to finish. He continued to stir in the pot taking a whiff of the delicious scent, It made his stomach growl.

40 minutes had passed by, And Brandy was driving bingo to dougies house. Bingo could have driven on her own, but she really needed someone to at least be by her side to support her. Originally she wanted her father to be there to support her, But he was too busy with Mackenzie and bluey. So her only other option was Brandy, In the end she felt like it was the best choice. They haven't said anything much during the ride, but it wasn't because she didn't want to talk to her ain't. But because she was busy in her own mind thinking about all the ways the date could go. In one way all can go well and they continue to be a couple, and if it goes wrong. She worries that in some way she would lose dougie. The young red heeler played with her fingers as she continued to worry.

Brandy looked down at her niece, and saw how nervous she was. She gave her a worried look and placed her left arm on the younger heelers shoulder. "It's gonna be fine Bingo, you're thinking too much. Just remember to act like yourself, just because you're dating your friend doesn't mean anything has changed. It just means you guys are trying to see if maybe, and I'm not saying it could happen. That if you and him are compatible for marriage, and like I said it it might not happen. So it's better to just live in the moment than to think about those Ideas". She said smiling at the red heeler, hoping it would make her feel better. "But…what if we do get married"? She asked her aunt, causing brandy to stare at her for a bit. And then looking back at the road, a bit lost in her mind. "You'd be one lucky dog". She said smiling. "Honestly I never believed in the whole idea of the first boyfriend being the one that will be there for me for the rest of my life. I've had so many, and to be honest I lost hope and that I would be alone for the rest of my life". She said looking a bit down, she didn't want to go any further and talk about Bandit. Thinking it would ruin the moment, she stared at the road continuing to drive.

Bingo sighed, and looked out the window, thinking about what her aunt had said. "Just act normal" she whispered to herself as brandy parked the car in front of the brown cavapoos house. Bingo took in a deep breath and let all her stress out. She opened the door and got out, she turned around to see her aunt. "Thank you aunt brandy, Bingo Said holding the door with her hand. "No problem bingo, now get going your man is waiting for you". She teased her niece as bingo closed the door shaking her head, as brandy drove away. But yet she still smiled at the joke as she walked to the front door. She stared at the front door, she cracked her knuckles getting ready for tonight. "Just act normal". She said again, as she pressed the doorbell, waiting for him to open the door.

……………

"Oh my God Im retarded". She said to herself, realizing he wouldn't even hear the doorbell. She took out her phone and gave him a text, hoping he would respond. She waited a long minute but he did eventually respond, Letting her know he would get the door.

"Creak"

The door opened to reveal Dougie smiling at the red heeler, He then looked down and saw that she wasn't wearing her bandana. "Where's your Bandana"? He asked her using his hands, Which surprised bingo. "I took it off, But I still have it". She said taking the bandana out of her back pocket, showing it to the brown cavapoo. "You can put it back on if you want, I think it looks good on you". He said to his girlfriend, Causing Bingo to wag her tail. As he put the bandana on her neck, tying it with her hands. "Come in, I made you something I think you would like". He said inviting her inside, Bingo walked inside the house. Dougie shut the door behind, He then pointed to the kitchen letting her know to follow him. It wasn't the first time she was inside his house, they walked down the hallway making a left turn towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the lights were dim, And on the kitchen table were 3 candles all equally placed on the table. In the middle of the table was a large pot that Dougie used to cook the crab legs, and inside the pot was the crab legs. And near the pot, was the potato salad, cooked eggs, and bread. On both ends were plates that were filled with crab legs and potato salad. Bingo wagged her tail as she took in the smell of freshly cooked seafood, a smile grew on her face as she turned around to hug dougie. Even though she was malnourished she was still able to pick him up. It has been a while since she had eaten crab legs. But even then she had not eaten them in 6 years, But now that she was willing to try to eat meat, It made her happy.

Dougie returned the hug, And when they were done the brown cavapoo went up to the chair and pulled it back for her. Bingo walked up and sat down, as dougie pushed the chair. Dougie then walked to the fridge and took out 2 glass bottles of soda, He grabbed a bottle opener from the counter. Opening the 2 bottles, he gave one to bingo and walked back to his chair. Bingo took a sip of the soda, loving the sugary taste. Causing her stomach to growl, feeling hungry, she placed the soda down and looked at her boyfriend's face smiling at him. "You should try the crab. I hope it's just the way you want it". He said with his hands, Bingo just looked down at her seafood. She sniffed it, feeling nostalgic from the smell. Dougie had crab leg pincers to break the shell, he took the steamy meat out eating it and savored the taste. Bingo couldn't help but lick her lips, tasting the chapstick, She grabbed pincers and tried to break the shell. But since she was malnourished the red heeler did not have a lot of strength. She tried again, and again, But eventually she gave up and used her teeth to break the shell. Which was way easier for her.

She broke the leg in half, and took out the meat. She took a sniff of it, it smelled just the way Theresa made it back in america. She slowly opened her mouth moving forward, closing her eyes hoping the bad memories of the dead pitbull wouldn't come back. She then quikly took a bite, Her eyes opened wide. The memories of the pitbull didn't appear, But instead a sensation she has long forgotten. She realized just how she missed the taste of cooked meat, Causing her stomach to growl wanting more.

In an instant, Bingo dropped the crab leg shell, and grabbed another, tearing it apart with her teeth. Feeling desperate to eat, Munching on it with her mouth open. She was caught in the moment and started throwing the shells on the ground. Her stomach caved in wanting more, She was eating her last piece of crab leg. Until she looked up at her boyfriend, He had his mouth wide open. Shocked from what he had just seen, Bingo gave him an embarrassed smile, looking at the mess she had made. his mouth then formed into a smile, he didn't care that she made a mess. All he cared about was that she was now eating properly. Dougie then got up from his chair going to the middle of the table in front of the large pit. He grabbed the grippers on the table and took out a good amount of crab legs. Placing it on Bingos plate, He put the grippers down. And raised his hands. "It's ok bingo, you don't have to worry". He said with his hands and then went back to his seat. And started eating the same way as bingo was eating. Just not throwing the crab shells on the floor, Bingo smiled, feeling comfortable with her boyfriend. She continued to eat the crab legs, biting down with her teeth and eating the sweet and salty food.

For once bingo felt full.

End of chapter 8