“She was always giving me grief about how much I worked or how much I went out. She thought a dog would give me a sense of balance.”

“I see. So your sister performed a dog intervention.”

“I guess she did. Anyways, I went to the shelter and it was love at first sight.” He then begins to prepare his pancakes, but not in the traditional way. Rather, he cuts the pancakes into pieces and pushes them all to one side of the plate. He then proceeds to pour a pool of syrup onto the other side and dips each piece in before every bite. A wistful look crosses my face as I watch the strangely meticulous process. I forgot he ate his pancakes like that.

“That’s really sweet,” I eventually say, focusing back on our Duke discussion. “And do you like having a dog?”

“I love it. We play out in the backyard before work every morning and a dog-walker comes by midday. There are usually two scenarios when I get home from work. One, he’s waiting for me by the door. Two, he’s in my bed, drooling all over my pillow while eating a treat.”

“I can picture that.” I chuckle.

“Yeah, he’s the best. When I drive home from work, it’s nice to know he’ll be there. He won’t get sick of me or leave.”

I start to smile but then stop as his words sink in. I look up and he looks down, taking a bite and giving the impression that he made some kind of mistake. With his seemingly boundless confidence, could Ryan have abandonment issues? Did I play a part in that? Did his parents? I’m trying to figure out what to say next when he quickly brightens back up and goes on, “He’s just awesome. If having a dog is a preview for what kids will be like, I’m ready for it.”

“Really?” I ask, choking on my food a bit. “You’d like to have kids soon?”

“I do. I want to be a youngish dad and after everything that happened with my parents, having a family of my own has become an important goal for me.”

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.

“What about you?” he asks. “Do you see yourself having kids?”

I take a break from eating, resting the edge of my fork against the plate. “I guess I’ve always imagined myself as being a mom. I don’t know if it’s going to happen soon but it’s definitely something I want. I’ve just been so focused on my writing for the past few years that family thoughts have been more a back-burner item for me than a pressing issue.”

“That makes sense. I’m sure you’ll be a great mom when the time comes.”