The First Year: A "Bluey" Story

This chapter of 'The First Year' is called "Advice"

"MAN! THAT GAME WAS CRAZY!" Yelled Stripes excitedly. Stripes and Bandit both got in the car after watching a touch football game in person. Bandit had been waiting to watch this game in person all week with his brother. Especially to help his brother take a break from planning his wedding with Trixie.

"Stripes, there's no need to yell in the car, mate!" Bandit whimpered as he flinched and grabbed his ears.

As they started the car to driver back to Stripes house, the radio was playing a classic tune that they had both remembered from the 80's. Both of the blue Heelers started to hum along to the tune and tried to sing as much of the lyrics as they could remember.

"Seeing the game in person is so different than watching it on the TV." Bandit said reliving the moment and excitement remaining from the game.

"Yeah, those fans are absolutely nuts." But as Stripes had said this, and the bridge of the song started, he got unusually quiet. The only sounds were the car on the highway and the radio. Bandit looked over at stripes who looked like reality just hit him across the face and it was time to go back to the real world.

"Hey mate, you ok?". Stripes looked over at Bandit and took a deep breath.

"Yeah mate, I mean things are so different now. I'm planning a wedding, I have bills to pay. LOTS of bills, Trixie and I found the house before we got married and not a lot of people are too happy about that. To be honest, I hate how people view us sometimes. I know mom and dad are fine with everything, but Trixie... her parents are indifferent. They have a lot of opinions about the wedding and I don't want to be the one to let them down. You know? And because of this, they are putting a lot of pressure on Trix."

Bandit looked left to right and scratched his head, "Oh man, that's a lot."

Bandit took a deep breath and glanced over at his younger brother. "Listen mate, I think the thing that is important is that you are doing what you need to be doing. What other people think about isn't important. This is your life, not theirs. You and Trix are going to make those decisions, not parents. Yeah, mom and dad support you and everything but it's because they know in the end, it'll all work out. You have a plan."

Stripes started to listen to everything his older brother was saying and started to internalize it. He sniffled a bit

"Oh no, don't go crying on me Stripes. I'm just trying to help!"

"It's not that," Stripes continued. "It's just that you use to be the one to come to me for advice. You were the one who always had gotten in trouble when we were younger so you would come to me. But now, it's changed. Look at you. You have everything figured out in your marriage, your life, job-"

"Ok don't go that far" Bandit chuckled. "I still have a lot of balancing left to do."

Stripes nodded a bit "Well I know that, but I'm just saying like, things seem so much easier for you guys."

"Mate," Bandit started out. "We haven't even been married for a full year yet. Yeah, we've had our ups and downs, but I feel like there's so many more struggles we have to go through before we can feel secured and safe. You know?"

Stripes looked straight ahead at the road in front of them thinking about what may lay ahead of the road for him and Trixie. We wanted things to go back like they were when they were dating, when things seemed easier. So why was there so much pressure on him and Trix and why couldn't he just grab it off of himself and throw it away? Far away where no one could pick it up.

"If you want my honest advice mate," Stripes snapped out of his tunnel vision. "She's good for you. I mean, she pulled you out of a dark place. Remember when I first got Chilli and you were very depressed? Well, she got you out of that funk you were in. If you remember correctly, you were listening to a lot of sad music at that time talking about how you felt so lonely that Rad finally got his new job and he left, then I got Chilli so I would be leaving soon."

"Oh man, always bringing up the past are we?" Stripes chuckled.

"Well that's what you get for bringing up dad's motto a few weeks ago"

Both of the blue heelers gave a laugh about the event in the car with both of them a few weeks ago.

Bandit and Stripes both looked at each other for a few seconds and stuck their paws out for a paw-bump. The road ahead was going to be rough for both Stripes and Trixie. Bandit knew it was going to be difficult for the both of them just like how it originally was for him and Chilli at first too. But he knew that Stripes and Trixie would both make it. He had faith they would. They just had to run their own race and not worry about what others said.
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By the time they got back to Bandit and Chilli's house, Chilli and Trixie were still talking to each other. From what Bandit could hear, it sounded like they were having the same conversation as they were earlier. Bandit thought 'it's funny how some couples seem to have the same conversation even when apart from their significant other'. He shrugged it off as he went upstairs to put away his hat and shirt from the game.

After coming back downstairs and going into the kitchen, Bandit could see Trixie and Stripes laughing about as if they didn't have a care in the world. He smiled at the sight of them having a good time joke around and talk to Chilli. Chilli turned around to face Bandit and lean in and give him a kiss. 

As Stripes and Trixie left, Bandit and Chilli got ready for bed. It was 10pm by the time they were finally ready. As they got under the covers and finally in bed, they turned to fcae each other. As they stared into each other's eyes, Bandit pulled Chilli in closer for a real tight hug.

"What was that for?" Chilli asked.

"Well, after seeing everything others are going through, I'm just so happy to have you in my life."

Chilli looked at her husband with a smile across her face. "I'm glad I have you too. I'm glad we are running our own race." She whispered and closed her eyes.

"I promise I'll always love you" Bandit whispered to her ear and fell asleep.

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Years into the future:

"Mum, am I better at the monkey bars than Bingo?" Bluey asked her mother as she climbed closer to her going from one bar to the next.

Bandit sat on a bench close to the playground looking at the newspaper but overhearing the entire conversation between his wife and oldest daughter.

"Well, you are two years older than her, Bluey" Chilli responded with a slight shrug.

"Am I better than Judo?" Bandit had a flashback to the previous months when Judo and Bluey were playing at he house chasing each other around while ignoring Bingo, the youngest. He rolled his eyes behind his news paper, but would give her many more chances to redeem herself from her previous actions.

"You're about the same as Judo" Chilli replied.

"I'm not" retorted the smaller blue heeler. "Judo can't do skipbar or backwards one bar!"

"Well, she'll get there one day." Chilli said as she adjusted her hold on Bingo to reach for the monkeybars.

"But am I better than her on this day?" The blue heeler was full of questions today. 'I can see we're going through a comparison phrase' Bandit thought to himself with a small chuckle and smirk on his face.

"Bluey, just run your own race." The words from his wife reminded him about the time in the car with his brother stripes.  'Running your own race'. Bandit glanced down at his phone to reveal a new wallpaper for the hour. He looked down to see an older photo of himself with his wife next to  younger Trixie and Stripes at their own wedding. 'Proud of you mate,' Bandit whispered to his phone. 'You made it.'