I placed fresh flowers beside the stone.
“You knew him?” I asked quietly.
The dog tilted his head.
I almost laughed.
It was the first thing at that cemetery that had made me want to smile in months.
After that, I started noticing him more often.
Sunday after Sunday, there he was.
Sometimes he curled up in the grass.
Sometimes he sat upright.
Sometimes he slept peacefully with his nose resting between his paws.
He never approached me looking for food.
He never begged for attention.
He simply stayed near Caleb.
Eventually, I started bringing dog treats in my purse.
He accepted them cautiously.
“You’re getting expensive,” I told him one morning.
His tail tapped the grass once.
That tiny movement stayed with me for the rest of the day.
Still, his presence botheredme in a way I couldn’t explain.
Not because I disliked him.
Quite the opposite.
