Whittington and Boo met several years ago at a swap meet in Fullerton, California near Cal State University. At the time, Whittington was collecting old music albums and vintage toys, and Boo had an interest in classic guitars and model train sets. There was always plenty to see and do there, all sorts of geegaws, from furniture to antique board games. The food vendors were terrific -- from fancy foods like caviar crudites to cotton candy and corn dogs from Iowa. It felt like the aisles of stuff went on forever. It was surprising they ever made contact at all.
The first Sunday of every month, they both headed from their respective homes, located in totally opposite directions, to see what bargains they could find among all those items. Boo, being a littler shorter than the average ted, was at a bit of a disadvantage and sometimes had to push other bears out of the way to climb on top of the tables to get a good look, while Whittington was more patient and would bide his time and strike up conversations with different dealers, figuring if he was on a first-name basis with the sellers, he might be able to get himself a good price. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes not.
The October day they met, it turned out they were there for the same reason: Picking out birthday presents for their significant others. Whittington was hoping to find a classy rhinestone necklace for his girlfriend Rey, short for Audrey, while Boo was looking for the perfect hat for his beau Hortense, nicknamed Hoo. Providentially, they arrived at the same booth at the exact same time. Whittington spied a beautiful choker he thought Rey would adore, and Boo found a felt cloche hat with a silk hatband and matching silk scarf which would suit Hoo.
As Boo watched Whittington examine the sparkly jewelry with a loupe, he couldn't help but notice how sharp the other bear was, asking all the right questions and negotiating to a good price. And when Whittington observed Boo trying on the hat and scarf, he may have raised his one eyebrow just a little bit, but he admired Boo's fashion sense.
Boo caught Whittington's eye. "I'm shopping for a birthday present for my honey," he shyly explained.
"Same here -- my girl's birthday is tonight," Whittington admitted.
"And we're going out for an elegant dinner this evening," said Boo.
"We are too," Whittington said.
"At the River Cafe," said Boo.
"I know it well. Maybe I'll see you there," replied Whittington.
"Seven p.m. reservations?"
"Why, yes!"
"Name's Boo," said Boo, reaching out his paw.
"Whittington P. Bearsford. Pleased to meet you."
And so, a friendship was born. They discovered not only were their girlfriend's born on the same day, but the two bruins had the same taste in music, sports and politics. Every year thereafter, they'd meet at the same vintage booth, pick something up for their mates, and wave to each other while eating at the same fancy restaurant, and their girlfriends would ooh and aah over each other's presents. The two couples became close, eventually opening up a vintage Teddy bear clothing shop, Hoo-Rey's, on the main avenue in town.
If you should drive by in the evenings, you may see the two lady bears' heads together, discussing the most recent fashion trends while sorting the clothes, but in the back of the store, you'll find two Teddy bear best friends, one playing an old music record, the other playing along on his classic guitar.
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