That's What Friends Are For

Second to Kato, Alden’s best friend is Monkey. Monkey is a gorilla.

Monkey has been Alden’s buddy since the early days, since the days when he was taller than she and weighed about the same. According to Alden, they share a birthday, and often when food (real or imagined) is consumed, a token amount gets set aside for him. He sometimes gets buckled in to the seat next to her car seat, but other times lives dangerously and rides on her lap, sans restraints. Most importantly, he spends every night snuggled next to her in bed, keeping her company and making sure that all is well.

On our recent vacation at Lake George, Alden discovered that in order to turn on the bathroom light, she needed a little help from her friend.

Poor Monkey! When I said to Alden that it was awfully nice of Monkey to help her turn the lights on, she replied, “Yes. He wasn’t very happy that I stepped on his face, but he’s okay now.”

Now that’s a true friend.