But he’d felt more sympathy for the hungry dog than he did most people, had spotted the half-eaten sandwich the creature was trying to reach up and snatch, all the while falling inches too short. Didn’t seem like much trouble really to pick up the discarded meal and toss it to the mutt; he knew how deep the ache ran when your stomach was hollow and empty. 

Didn’t expect the dog to trot after him and flop near the low wall he’d stopped to lean against, he figured it was harmless though and he could run the mongrel off later. Digging through pockets for a cigarette, coming up short, it just made his headache worse. May mumbled under his breath and reached down to scratch at the animal’s ears when the dog crept closer to his dangling fingers.   He noticed someone approaching, assumed it was probably whoever owned the scrawny dog. 

“You lose something?”