This was his favourite time of the day, of most days. He had been coming here for more than a decade now. The routine was so mechanical that he didn’t need the clock to get ready for the brisk walk down the newspaper stand, around the lane of stores, and to the pier. Once at the pier, he would wait till the sunset colours dissolved to darker shades, and then he would walk back home.
The walks had helped him calm down, almost meditate, through different life choices.
But since many months now, these walks had been slower and seemed to make him ponder more, about all the things he took for granted.
Having a dog helped; Ray took to the constant-companion role rather quickly, and to the daily routines. He and Ray would walk together, take in the evening noises and stand at the pier. When the night chill would set in, Ray would pull at his leash and they would head back home.
Most of the people saw this pair enjoying the sunset, but only the few who knew them closely, knew how Ray had not let his friend miss the walks, even after becoming his seeing-eye dog.
