The mannequin would never stop.
It would never leave him.
It would never hurt him, never shout at him, or get drunk and hit him, or say it was too busy to spend time with him.
It would stand there forever, silently petting him.
Of all the would-be people who came and went over the years, this thing, this machine was the only one that measured up.
In an insane world, it was the sanest choice