The day we met Andy was already sitting in branch council when I slid into a seat on the other side of the room. While we were getting ready for the meeting, I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was whispering something to his friend sitting next to him. As it turns out, he was trying to figure out who I was and why everyone seemed like it was only natural I was there. "Tommy, who is that?" "That's Clara. Clara Egan." He looked at Tommy a bit dumbfounded, "Who?" "You know. From institute!" More dumbfounded looks. "Ahhh, you were on your mission." Andy shook his head before refocusing on the meeting. I had been going to the branch off and on since February of that year (this was late-September), but hadn't really interacted with many people yet. Since I don't attend the YSA branch frequently, I had one goal and one goal only that day: get everything done as much as I needed to so I was set for the rest of the year. And in order to accomplish this, I needed to hunt Andy down after the meeting. It wasn't hard to do. I was easily able to get a tithing settlement appointment set up for right after church. While we were waiting for the Branch President to finish his current appointment Andy and I talked about our missions and our shared love for reading. While we were talking, Andy mentioned how hungry he was and that he was eager to get home and eat leftover pizza. "I've got a granola bar in here somewhere." I reach into my bag, ready to fish out the scrumptious treat. "A granola bar? I live only five minutes away. I'm going to be fine! Do you need me to grab you some food?" "Nah, I'm okay." "Are you sure? I really don't mind!" "I'm really okay - I actually have two granola bars!" I laugh. "Two granola bars? That wouldn't be enough to fill me up even on a normal Sunday, let alone on a Fast Sunday!" I lean in and glance around conspiratorially, "Can I tell you a secret? My home ward fasted last week so I'm not fasting today." Shortly after that, Andy left to go home but he quickly returned with a bag of twizzlers. He coaxed me into eating some as we talked more while waiting for people to arrive to the church building for a carpool to a fireside. We ended up in different cars heading down, but after the fireside, he invited me to squeeze into the table with him and his friends where we were able to keep talking. That evening, amidst the laughter and shared stories, I realized Andy and I had effortlessly become friends, marking the start of countless conversations and adventures to come.