Mimi and Debbie revel in fruity festivities amidst an impromptu rooftop dinner party. Featuring the dear friends I met in first grade, with whom I lost touch and then reunited a decade later, this piece is a celebration of rekindled friendships (namely, the childhood-besties-to-strangers-to-adulthood-besties pipeline). It is also an homage to Greg Tang, author of the eponymous number- and riddle-filled picture book “The Grapes of Math,” who visited our elementary school library as a guest speaker. He taught us an efficient technique for multiplying by 5, a shortcut I still employ to this day. It’s funny, the randomness of the little things that stick with you through the years.
