The sun was beginning to set on a day that felt like a lifetime. The man sat on a boulder that bordered the park, with his phone pressed against his ear.

“Yeah.” He bowed his head as he spoke.

“Well I’m sorry to hear it Gray.” Said the voice on the other end of the call. “I really am. It seemed like you had a good thing going this time.”

Grayson shrugged to himself. “Oh what’s another few years alone? Don’t got too many good ones left anyhow.”

He kicked at the gravel, and looked over at the small dog sitting nearby. The park was quiet. Everyone else had probably gone home for dinner, to their waiting families, or spouses. Maybe to a friend, or a date. Someone to share their time with. The whistling wind brought him back from his thoughts.

“Ya know, at least I don’t have Cancer or nothing. You got the real problems Bob.” He looked up at the swaying trees. “You need to take care of yourself now. I mean it.”

The scrappy white dog sat lethargically in the grass, leash-less but seemingly unaware of this freedom.

“Lord knows I’m trying Gray. Shits really kicking my ass though.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I hear ya.”

Both men were quiet for a moment. Grayson watched a fly bounce around the dogs face — who didn’t seem to mind. Bob tried to suppress a cough.

“Well okay, see ya Bob. I’m going to go finish giving this boy a walk.”

The man flipped closed the phone and stood, but the dog didn’t budge — whether content or defeated, you couldn’t be sure. He watched the white fluff intensely, who was staring at the field with sleep in his eyes, blinking slowly.

“What do you wanna do?” He said. “Huh Wolf? What should we do?”

The frail dog lifted his head in no hurry at all. As if the man’s voice was of little interest to him. The man slid the phone into his pocket and walked the gravel path past his companion. The dog groaned as he made his way from grass to gravel. His legs dragged, as if being pulled through mud, or it seemed, propelled by an inability to stand straight.

“What’s the matter Wolf?” Said the man.

Wolf bobbed his heavy head, and prepared to stumble again, hoping only to miss the ground.

“Oh that’s enough of that. Come on, let’s go home.”