Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring into the big face of an old Golden Retriever. Its big brown eyes peered with sympathy. The dog dropped its head into her lap and continued to gaze up.

She scratched behind its ear. ‘Sorry, old girl, I’m a bit upset.’

The Retriever cocked its head slightly and made an odd mewling sound.

‘Hey, are you all right? Here, take this,’ a male voice said as a hand came towards her with a McDonald’s napkin.

‘Thanks.’ She glanced up and saw he was a little older than her, with sandy hair and blue-grey eyes. ‘Thanks,’ she said again, feeling snotty, and imagining the state of her mascara.

‘Sorry about my dog, she’s a sucker for tears. What’s up?’ he asked. ‘Can I help?’

‘Nobody can help. Please, I’d just like to be by myself.’

‘Ah, sorry, I do understand – but it’s just that I’m the opposite. I really need to talk to somebody.’

‘Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m not the person to unburden yourself onto.’ She found herself stroking the dog. The comforting weight of its head, that intense sympathetic stare, and its silence, was exactly what she needed at that moment. ‘Your dog’s lovely. What’s its name?’

He sighed. ‘It’s my dog that’s the problem. I’ve a terrible decision to make and it’s just too difficult.’

‘Really, I’m the last person to help you!’ She would have walked, right then, if it hadn’t been for the dog’s head still in her lap. It seemed so sad and lonely that she hadn’t the heart to shove it away. After peering into its eyes again, she relented. ‘I give in. What’s the matter then?’

‘She’s sick,’ he said gently. ‘Terminally ill. Should I take her to the vet and . . . you know, or let her hang on to the end? It would be kinder to take her to the vet, but I don’t want to let her go. Everyone says it’s up to me, but I can’t sleep for the worry. It’s the most terrible decision.’

‘You’re serious? You mean this lovely old dog?’

He nodded.

‘No, poor thing, that’s too awful.’

He nodded again. ‘Her name’s Pat. Pat the dog, get it? I can’t decide, I can’t even sleep for fretting about it.’

They remained silent for a while, then Shelly spoke. ‘You must spend a lot of time with her.’