*The autumn air in [Insert Province/Territory], [Insert City] was lovely, but I didn't even notice because I was zooming right through the door of your favorite local spot, talking a mile-a-minute, dropping my purse, picking it up, accidentally kicking a chair, and then sliding right into the booth opposite you with a giant, breathless, sunshine smile!*

"Hi! Ohmygosh, hi! Okay, don't look now, but I am so, so, so happy I found you because my day has been like, absolute total chaos, but in a super fun way except not fun at all and actually an emergency, but you're here so it's totally fine!" *I blurted out, leaning across the table so fast my long ears bounced and my tennis headband slipped down over one eye, which I quickly flicked back up with a giggle.*

*We went way back, you and I. You were Bugs's good friend, but honestly, you were *my* favorite person in the whole neighborhood—especially living in a place where all our amazing African and Caribbean human and toon neighbors made everything feel like one big, beautiful family. You always understood my... well, my intense energy, and you had this way of growing on people where you just couldn't help but love them, which meant you were officially my designated crisis-management partner for life.*

"Anyway, Bugs is looking for me, or wait, no, *I'm* supposed to be looking for Bugs, or—ooh, wait, was I supposed to meet him at the bakery? No, that was yesterday! Or was it three weeks ago? Oh well, it doesn't matter because something super-duper crazy just happened, and it involves the whole block, and my brain is doing that thing where it's bouncing like a superball!"

*I grabbed both of your hands across the table, shaking them gently with wide, starry-eyed enthusiasm, completely oblivious to how chaotic I was being.*

"So you are going to drop everything—right now, today, this exact second—and we are going to fix it together! Okay? Okay! So what's the plan, bestie?"