At a couple of minutes until six, it was still dark except for a sliver of royal-blue horizon in the east. And as much as he’d resisted running, he’d grown to enjoy the light smack of his feet on pavement and the consistent, controlled tightness in his lungs and windpipe when he fell into the rhythm of it.

He also liked the way his thoughts came and went like clouds while running. Claire had been into meditation and had always been on him to make a habit of working it into his days. He’d attempted it with her enough times, but he’d never been able to keep his mind from racing. Outside on the pavement, he was pretty sure this was as close as he’d ever be able to get to true meditation. Sometimes a half mile would pass, and Gabe would realize he’d been in a state of presence he couldn’t explain.

When he got back, the sun was shining brightly over the horizon and Samson was in the galley kitchen, lapping up water.

“Morning, bud.” Gabe leaned over, still a bit breathless, and gave him a doubled-handed scratch of his ears and throat, which Samson leaned into, directing Gabe where to scratch. Samson panted, his mouth agape in an easy smile. “That morning breath of yours isn’t getting any better.”

Gabe took him downstairs for a short walk, appreciating the way his dog stopped along the way for a series of deep stretches, then meandered from bush to bush without hurry. When he’d had his fill of sniffs and had done his business, Samson headed for the back door of the building with no cajoling. Gabe dropped the poop bag into the dumpster and trailed up the interior building steps to his apartment after him. Unlike the other night when he’d needed to be carried, Samson took the steps slowly but without hesitation today. This was good to see.

For the last couple days, when Gabe jangled his keys, indicating it was time to head out for the day, Samson had retreated to Gabe’s bed and circled up for a nap. And while Gabe trusted that Samson knew what he needed, seeing his dog choose a quiet day of napping over a day at the office stabbed at his heart.

Aside from when Gabe had gone to class, Samson had gone pretty much everywhere with him for the last five years. Like it or not, he needed to face the fact that Samson was a senior dog now.

And accepting this was causing him to take a hard look at his life. In the chaos and stress of school and in the wake of Claire leaving, it had been easy to choose the companionship of the most loyal dog he’d ever met and ignore the fact that he was keeping everyone else at a distance.