He walked away slowly, steam curling from the bowl, while the dog trotted behind him with the same quiet confidence. Joshua sat by a wall near the alley, ate in silence, and tossed the dog a crust of bread. It caught it mid-air and wagged like it had won the lottery.
Afterwards, he tried to shoo it off. “Go,” he muttered. “You got your piece.” But the dog didn’t move. It just wagged again, tongue lolling, sitting like it belonged. Joshua looked at him for a long time. “Alright then… Lucky. That’s what I’ll call you. Because today, we both were.”