{"id":3547,"date":"2025-06-06T12:07:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T12:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=3547"},"modified":"2025-06-06T12:07:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T12:07:17","slug":"3547","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=3547","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Those words landed hard. He went on to tell me his dad used to say they\u2019d always have their dog, Max\u2014but then he stopped coming home. Since then, his mom had been working nonstop, and Max\u2014his one comfort\u2014was gone too. Now, the boy said, he just felt alone.<\/p>\n

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We talked for a while. When he said it was time to go, I offered to walk him home. His mom answered the door\u2014grateful, but clearly flustered. Eli looked up at me and asked if Koda could visit again sometime. I told him we\u2019d make that happen.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/ins><\/div>\n

A few weeks later, I checked in. This time, when Eli saw Koda, he lit up. His mom apologized for before and opened up a bit\u2014about how hard things had been since her husband left. I connected her with some local resources, and she was honestly thankful. Little by little, Eli started visiting the station more regularly. His mom joined a support group. They were rebuilding.<\/p>\n

One afternoon, Eli asked me, \u201cDo you think Dad ever thinks about us?\u201d<\/p>\n

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