One Saturday morning, Dave brought Charlie to the park, but his mind kept drifting back to the shepherd. He thought about how lonely the dog looked, sitting there by himself, and how determined he was. He thought about what it would be like to wait for someone or something, day after day, with no guarantee that they’d ever come back. When he got home, he decided to do something. He started asking around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and stopping people on their walks. “You seen this dog before?” he’d say, describing the shepherd’s mahogany coat and white chest patch. “Do you know who owns him?”
Most people shook their heads, but Mrs. Henderson, who’d lived on Willow Street for 20 years and knew everyone’s business (in the kindest way possible), recognized the dog immediately when Dave mentioned him. She was out on her porch, hanging laundry on the clothesline, when Dave approached. “That’s Max,” she said, her voice softening as she set down her clothespin basket and leaned against the porch rail. Her gray hair was pulled back in a scarf, and her eyes, which usually crinkled with a smile, looked sad. “Belonged to Clara—Clara Bennett. She lived in the yellow house two doors down, with her mom, Margaret. Moved last month, right after Margaret passed away. Terrible thing—Margaret had cancer, fought it for two years, but… well, you know how those things go.”
Dave nodded, his throat feeling tight. He’d seen Clara around—quiet girl, always carrying a book, walking Max in the evenings. He hadn’t realized she’d moved. “What happened to Max?” he asked. “Why’s he here, by the drain?”
Mrs. Henderson sighed, wiping her hands on her apron. “Clara’s mom gave her that ring—silver, tiny blue stone, looked like a piece of the sky. Got it for her 18th birthday, last year. Clara wore it every single day—never took it off. Said it was the last thing her mom ever gave her, ‘fore she got too sick to go out shopping. Then, two weeks before she moved, Clara was walking Max right here, by this drain. She stopped to tie her shoe, and when she stood up, the ring was gone. Just… vanished.”