Between the two of them, the joke has always been that there’s been a mistake—that God had really created dogs (with all of their obvious purity and perfection) in His image, and man had bodged the story. To start, it’s the spelling: “dog” spelled backward is, perhaps, the most cemented sign from Divinity if ever there was one. Second, they acknowledge that it was through His employment of a dog that the entirety of their prayers have been realized.

The year 2015 had been nearing its end, and Nick had been adjusting well to his new home in Florida. Despite having moved over 2,500 miles across the country, away from California and all he knew, he was glad to feel within his element. He’d enjoyed spending time outdoors with his favorite, his dog, Xixi, and, quickly, Florida had begun to feel very much like home.

All the while, Gabby had been living alone in a house that’d been an anchorage to her family for three generations. She enjoyed the quiet, and, when she wasn’t working or studying, she’d spent her time reading in the sun at a nearby pond. She was already home; she knew every inch of the neighborhood, but hadn’t yet known that her entire future was now there, just one street away.

One particular evening had evaded the usual, clammy quality that typifies the Florida air. Knowing his dog would enjoy the cool weather, Nick had decided to go for a walk.

Meanwhile, having just come home from a day at work, Gabby had decided to linger outside for a few moments before turning in.

Nick had just rounded the street corner with Xixi when he had noticed a girl standing in the empty street. Xixi had already begun pulling on her leash, dragging Nick toward the figure. Reflexively, Gabby moved to meet Xixi halfway and had asked him, “Do you mind if I pet your dog?”

As neighbors, they spent the next two years bumping into each other on the sidewalk, at the gas station, at the voting polls, at her treasured “reading pond.” By the same Power that kept propelling them toward one another, they both began to crave each other’s company. With a blanket and a steady supply of, genuinely, very terrible beer, they made frequent visits to the beach at the edge of the road. There, they spent many nights settled comfortably atop a lifeguard tower, talking to each other for hours on end—until, one night, at long, Dog-blessed last, he kissed her.