Over the weekend, I was on a walk with Ramona, and a child came up and asked if she could pet my dog.
“Yes,” I told her. “She’s really shy around kids. You have to be patient.”
“I can be extremely patient,” she said. She crouched down and stuck out her hand and waited for Ramona to come to her.
The sun was slipping in and out of the clouds.
A crow flew overhead.
Ramona took a single step forward.
The girl waited—hand extended. Ramona took another step toward her.
The girl looked up at me without moving and said, “I wish I had some peanut butter. It’s easier with peanut butter.”
“Everything is easier with peanut butter,” I said.
The girl laughed, and Ramona stepped close enough to get her ears scratched.
The sun appeared, disappeared.
The crow flew by again.
“Good dog,” said the girl to Ramona, and all three of us were happy.

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