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are!  I'm so glad you're not in first grade! That would have been – not good.” He never stopped talking, until he got back to me. He looked at the desk across from me and the one in front of me. He chose the one across from me and set his book bag on the seat.
    “Okay, don't let anyone else sit there. I need to go to the office to transfer from Mr. Daniels' class. I'm really glad I found you.” He was already moving toward the door, walking backwards and glancing behind as he went. I didn't know what to make of him at all.
    “Oh, I'm Erik Thulukan, but everyone calls me Thulu.” He gave me the warmest, biggest grin I'd ever seen, with dimples. It was like he had just won a big contest or something. I couldn't help but smile back.
    “Oh good, you found it!” he said from the doorway.
    “Found what?”
    “Your smile.” And as suddenly as he had appeared, the mass of energy masquerading as a boy was out the door. A tightness deep inside me opened up and released.
    He solved some of the mystery at recess. Thulu was a finder. He could find anyone or anything. He told me he woke that morning and knew he needed to find someone very important. He said he hadn't known why, but the moment he saw me he knew he'd found the right person.
    I didn't ask him what I was right for, though. Somehow, I didn't need to. We knew we belonged together; it was that simple. It was a level of comfort that I don't think we truly understood, but being kids we simply accepted it.
    I didn’t know how he was able to pull off his class transfer either, but he did. I asked him later, and he said he asked if he could and they said yes. I doubted it had been quite that simple, and he eventually admitted that he used every trick in his not-so-inconsiderable bag of tricks to pull it off.
    Thulu had thick brown hair with streaks of blonde from the sun. His eyes were a soft, warm brown with gold flecks in them. In some lights, they almost looked gold. His face was open and friendly, with even features and those deep dimples. He was tall and thin and carried himself with a grace and confidence beyond his years. Teachers adored him because he was smart, well-behaved and charming. Kids liked him because he was kind and helpful. Bullies stayed away from him because he practiced Karate and was not shy about giving them personal demonstrations.
    When Nana came to walk me home that first day, I was almost skipping down the stairs and out to the sidewalk, with Thulu right alongside me.
    I gave Nana a big hug and a bigger smile. She looked at me with a shocked expression, which she quickly smothered under her own smile.
    “Nana, this is Thulu. He finds things.”
    Seeming nonplussed, Nana gave Thulu a smile and said, “Nice to meet you, Thulu. Interesting name.”
    “I'm really Erik Thulukan, but everyone calls me Thulu.” He glanced around. “There's my dad. Hey, come over and meet him.”
    He danced backwards, and we went with him as he turned to go to a pleasant looking man. The man had Thulu's brown hair and sparkling eyes, and you could see the genes had run strong from father to son.
    “Hey, Dad, this is Fiona and her grandmother, Mrs. –”
    “Fae Roberts,” filled in Nana with a smile.
    “Hi, I'm Erik Thulukan, the Middle.” Nana raised her eyebrows questioningly as they shook hands. “My dad and son are both Eriks,” he explained. “Nice to meet you.” He had Thulu's smile too, with straight, white teeth and dimples. He turned to Thulu. “So, a good first day back?”
    Thulu smiled at me. “It was the best day back ever.”
    The adults sensed something special was up. They exchanged looks, a measuring up of each other. I think they liked what they saw because both gave a nod of acknowledgment.
    “Well, son, we need to get moving. Mrs. Roberts, it was a pleasure meeting you. I guess it won't be the last time, either.”
    “Yes, I expect so, Mr. Thulukan.”
    “Erik, please.” He and Thulu turned to walk away.
    Nana's face was