Reagan sighed. “Well, like I said, he was a little crazy. I liked to put that camera on him and go for walks to see what videos and pictures we could get. He got away from me a couple of times, and was gone for a day or two, but he always came back. Until the day before Thanksgiving. I was going to take him for a walk that night with my parents to see the balloon inflation, but before I could get the leash on him, he took off. I never saw him again.”

That’s it! The reason she never saw him again is because I got him back! Today’s the day!

“Brrrr! We gotta move.” Scratchy pulled the hood of his coat up over his head. “Let’s go watch some balloon action!”

We continued down Central Park West and ran into a huge crowd.

“We’ll never get close to the balloons now with the parade about to start,” Zoe whispered to me. “We need a better plan.”

“Or another Picture Post,” I said. “Come on, Loopy.”

Zoe took her phone out of her coat pocket and held it in her gloved hand so she wouldn’t miss any new notifications. Michael stayed by her side as we made our way through the crowds to find a good viewing place. Then, he grabbed her hand. “I know just the place. Come on, guys!”

We weaved and bobbed through many spectators. By the time we got to 66th, we were jammed in. No movement at all.

“Let me get in front of you,” Carlos said. “Stay close behind me. I’m about to part the Red Sea!”

We scrunched in close. As Carlos wheeled forward, people moved out of the way. Several even smiled and waved. “Hey, Carlos! Nice to see ya! Happy Thanksgiving!”

“Dude, you got a lot of fans around here,” I said.

Carlos nodded. “Yeah, I was a bit of a celebrity after my accident. Not the way anyone wants to become famous, but it is what it is.”

We followed Carlos’s path all the way down to Columbus Circle, where we met up with our pedicab friend, Elijah!

“Hello, friends! Happy Thanksgiving!”

“Hey, Elijah! Are you getting much business today?”

Elijah shook his head. “Today is not a working day for me. Today, I give thanks for all of God’s blessings.”

“Would you like to watch the parade with us?” I asked.

“I would love to.”

Carlos managed to clear a path for us to stand, looking out toward Columbus Circle. Twenty minutes later, the parade began. Everyone else in the giant crowd had their eyes fixed upward, on the massive balloons, but mine scanned back and forth between Zoe’s phone screen and the street—anywhere that a little fluffy dog might roam.