Behind the Scenes of “Pinkie and Polo”

“Pinkie and Polo” is a friendship story, and one I didn’t have to search far to find. In fact, I only had to look a few blocks away at our local school, where my dearest friend, let’s call him Jim, and I met as teachers. I perhaps should have put “met” in quotation marks, as it turns out we had known each other long before that— there are photos of us sharing the same limo at a prom almost a decade prior, unbeknownst to us. In fact, magical things always happened when Jim was around. One solitary gluten-free bagel would somehow show up just for me, so I could have a bagel at the faculty meeting, too. My classroom windows (too heavy for me to open or shut) would be open when it was hot, and closed when it got chilly. A special treat my students went nuts over— fish fingers and custard from the sci-fi Dr. Who—graced my 6th grade science fiction themed publishing party. Whenever Jim was around, joy, laughter, and adventure was there too. 

Like Polo, it was never cold enough for Jim, and like Pinkie, it was never warm enough for me, so we both adventured together the most in the fall, our favorite season. After starting off our school year together, we would spook ourselves with sightings of the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow, marvel at the pumpkins in gourd season, and beat our time escaping the maize maze at the Queens County Fair. When I left our school home first to pursue a children’s writing program and then to California, I missed Jim in fall most. The fall in California didn’t have the same tang to the air, and the craggy autumn leaves were replaced by palm trees.

Pinkie doesn’t stay away long, and neither did I, and we’re so excited to share this friendship story with you.

And to beat our time this fall at the corn maze.

We hope you enjoy “Pinkie and Polo”!

Love,
Lauren