Being a single mother and a successful businesswoman wasn’t the dream job Marissa had listed on her college application. However, thanks to her now ex-husband Riley leaving her high and dry. Alone to raise their daughter. It was the job she had. Marissa juggled taking her daughter to violin lesson with making sure everyone was doing there job properly like a boss. It may not have been the easiest job, but over the years Marissa had gotten used to it and kicked ass at it.

Don’t get me wrong. When Riley first left Marissa had struggled. She spent days in her bed crying herself to sleep. On the days that she wasn’t crying herself to sleep she was drinking herself to sleep. And her daughter Renee had ultimately paid the price for those few months that she was in despair. However, after that early stage of drowning in self-pity. She had come out swinging on the other side. Now she was thriving. 

It wasn’t just her who was thriving. It was her daughter as well. Renee had just been a toddler when her father left. She had very little contact with him since then. However, she managed to cope with not having a father. Her mother and her best friend/lifelong companion Cosmo wouldn't let her ever be alone. Renee wasn’t the type of child who had many friends. She was shy and tended to keep to herself. That never bothered her though because she had music and Cosmo. Cosmo had always kept her company whenever she was feeling lonely. He was the best dog a girl could ask for. The violin, on the other hand, kept her alive. She ate, slept and breathed violin. You could catch her playing the violin at all hours of the day, and it was guaranteed that either Cosmo or her mom was watching her play. 

Cosmos really saved the Joyce family. He came into their lives right when they needed him. Marissa connection with Cosmo wasn’t immediate, but Cosmos’s connection with Renee had been instant. Even though Marissa wasn’t fond of the idea of having a dog at first. She had decided to cave for her daughter, which had been the best decision of her life. Cosmo brought the spirit's up in the house. He had made Renee so happy that that had, in turn, made Marissa happy. On those nights where Marissa used to cry herself to sleep Cosmo was there. Right beside her licking her tears away. He hadn’t only become Renee’s best friend, but he had become Marias's best friend as well, and a permanent member of the family.