May 14, 2004 - From Mr. Vegas to TML:
Hi, Ms. Tara,
Ms. Mary said you were in New York when she was there and she was supposed to bring me with her. I was really sad, and Ms. Mary felt so bad. She saw one little purplish tear that I couldn't quite keep back. Please, Ms. Tara, will you tell me whenever you are going to see Ms. Mary so I can climb into her carry-on bag? Ms. Mary is going to Minnesota soon. Are you going, too?
Guess what? Guess what? Ms. Mary bought a little white bear in New York at the airport. He's smaller than I am when he's sitting down. In red letters on his chest it says "I love NY." A heart means "love," right? He really has a heart instead of the word. And he is too small to have room to write all the letters in "New York." But you know what the guess-what part is? Ms. Mary put the little bear by me -- by me! -- so I could look after him and introduce him to the others. And my little puffy blue feet started dancing, and my silky orange tail started switching, and I shook my silky orange mane. I was so proud! And Patriot Bear SIR did the "HARRUMPH" that means he approves. And then everybody smiled at me. Oh, boy! When I think about it, my little puffy blue feet just start dancing all over again.
Ms. Mary says you are going to do a walk tomorrow. Is it too far for you to walk here to California? Maybe if you had four legs like I do, you could walk twice as far as you can now. Could I walk to Boston without being away from my little bear friend too long?
TaraBear sends you her love, too.
Love,
Vegas, I mean, Mr. Vegas -- that was so exciting for you to call me that. TaraBear told me not to get a swelled head, but that's maybe because you never called her Ms. TaraBear. Oh, I shouldn't say that, should I? Just Ducky says it's not nice to talk like a cat. Is that why we don't have any cats on the bookshelf? A lion is different, right? I liked the way our pink lion talked.