Those with above average memory might remember the fact that Chouriço, tinyMovieStar’s companion since birth, somehow vanished in Istanbul.

A young child is seated in a car seat, holding a gray stuffed dog. The child is wearing leopard-print leggings.

It’s the one toy she still talks about, always with a sad face. Months have gone by.

movieStar, the greatest mom that ever lived, would not let this one go. We all tried to find another one, but the dog has been discontinued, and none shows up on the second-hand apps.

This week she finally found something that might do. Grey, not brown, and slightly smaller. Almost same model, from the same company. She ordered it.

We wrote a small card, letting the little one know this was Chouriço’s son. His father is still traveling around Turkey, but he sent his son to keep an eye on our daughter, if she wanted to. The new dog was placed in a bag, card stuck to it. The whole thing hanging from the handle on the front door.

We later picked her up from Judo practice, and walked home. She looked at the door, and asked if we’d made a mistake. She did not recognize the bag.

The card was read, her eyes widened, she took it out of the bag, held it close to her heart, and said “I’m putting it down on the bed, and it will never leave. Don’t want to lose this one”!

Of course she took it to school the following morning.