Love and Old Books...Part 1

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Love and Old Books…Part 1

It’s the computer age right? E-mails and Facebook, Twitter and e-books. I guess I’m as techy as most average people but for me.

For me there’s nothing like a good book.

Even the smells, actually especially the smells. There’s nothing as brain tickling as the smell of books, especially old books. Not like old aged books but like the smell you get when you walk into an old bookstore.

Plus there’s a comfort in books for me. I guess like most people that don’t fit into the cookie cutter ideas held by people of who people should be and how they should be. I didn’t fit. I still don’t but I’m older enough to care a lot less about that now.

I’m not normal, well I’m not abnormal really just…I was raised in a home that was sort of on the poor side. Not destitute but wood heat, gravity fed water for our house from a spring up on the back hill…no, no water pump no well. We heated our water on the wood stove most of the time and bath time took awhile since we filled these really big pots and used the propane stove.

We had a house, no basement just a frost wall the place sat on and that was just about the only factor keeping us from falling into the category of trailer trash.

That and three miles from actually being in town we were country poor.

That impacts you as a kid when you go to school with a whole lot of the haves and you’re one of the few have nots.

So…enough about that stuff.

I was talking about me and books.

Books took me out of myself, away to other places and they showed me things. A lot of good things and my outlook too I guess. Fantasy books, Science Fiction and even some fiction and non-fiction all showed me a better world than the one we live in.

Took this lonely person and made a romantic dreamer out of them.

And contrary in my opinion to the Emo people and the Gothlings out there being either or even both isn’t a bad thing. I like being that kind of person. I like being a nice guy. And yes I’ve experienced the whole nice guys finish last thing.

A lot.

Been emotionally stepped on a few times.

Been friend zoned.

(Big Frown.)

Okay…I get it I didn’t float your boat, there wasn’t enough there to make your heart race. But you put me in the Friend zone…Well I actually ask them. “Are you sure?”

Yeah….

See, I have about five good friends only one is an ex girlfriend. She if we’re friends and you’re being an ass or some other thing…. I’m your friend, I’ll tell you. I don’t like your new BF I’ll tell you.

Most ex’s that want to still be friends can’t handle the truth.

Oops.

Well…..actually not so much.

The only reason Morgan and I are still friends is we broke up as tweens when she moved to Ontario to live with her mom for awhile. We dated when she moved back but it really never took and for some reason she was just twisted enough that she liked the fact I don’t bullshit my friends.

Morgan’s hot, her dad’s Korean and his family owned this multi business place…a motel but in the front there was a Chinese food place. Yes Chinese because back then if you tried to open anything else Asian people just never bothered to even try to like it.

Well they had that and the dry cleaning place and her dad. “Ricky” because he sort of looked like Ricky The Dragon Steamboat…old wrestler. Well he was this little Korean horn dog and ended up with Susan. A hot blonde waitress he had hired. They divorced but they had Morgan first. So when I say hot think five six, with Asian hair inn this nice brown shade and enough of her mom in her to give her great hips and butt and a set of C-cups at like a pretty early age.

She left because of her grandmother. “Ricky’s” Mom didn’t approve of the mongrel devil child. She moved back when she got preggers and stuff.

Anyway, she’s plenty hot enough that a lot of guys just turn on the bullshit factor to get in her pants.

Me…not so much.

It’s not that I’m blunt or rude and yes I’m straight and like girls just fine it’s just. I’ve gotten to the point where I just try. I want to date someone I’ll ask them. Yeah I usually get told no, or something but sometimes I’ll get a yes.

Morgan being my friend sort of taught me that some girls like that lack of bullshit, and that life’s to short not to try.

God and y’know sometimes I really just love to try.

Yes I know, I ramble.

And I think too much.

And I’m a hopeless romantic.

And a head in the clouds dreamer.

And I’m back home after about fifteen years of being away ad have just moved into my house…pre-fab one floor and within my means but not remotely paid for…but comfortable payments…Like I said I’m home and kind of a stranger at this point. Things have really changed, the city…barely…the city seems smaller.

Well comparing Bellton to some of the places I’ve lived it is small.

Small’s good.

But I’m driving out where my old house was back in the old days and it’s all changed, we didn’t have streets back then…just the road. Now it’s all sub divisions and nice homes and I can’t help but shake my head. There were farms out here. I should know I lived on one of them.

I stop for a drink or I was going to stop for a pop or something that was at one point I think the local convenience store but isn’t now.

It’s a used bookstore.

I get out and head inside and you can see the changes, whoever ran the place loves books there’s these handmade wooden shelves everywhere all stained and even some old cabinets too and like a bookstore the place is labeled off in sections.

“Valentine books.” I say to myself after seeing the sign out front. “Huh…okay that really fits.”

It fits because as I look through the sections some of the books have valentines day cards in them right in behind the front cover. I look at them and they say. “Why I loved this book.” Then there’s this little blurb by someone likely a former owner but most of them are written by Val…

“Cute…nice play on words.”

I her cards she will sometimes blurb but she’ll also write page numbers and paragraphs. Her favorite parts…I’m smiling and laughing at some of the things she’s show me.

And honestly the stuff it shows me…all this stuff…she’s really well read, funny, quirky, artistic. I’m collecting an armful of books that honestly I never intended to get and I find myself hoping she’s here.

I make my way to the counter and I’m kind of struck by her.

God it has to be her.

She’s wearing a tee-shirt and her arms are pulled into her sleeves except for her wrists and hands and she’s reading Jurassic Park.

With T-Rex hands.

She’s a shoulder length haired brunette with some red highlights and glasses sort of my age so mid-thirties I’d say. Cute, cute in this bookish nerd girl kind of way I remember from some of the quiet girls I went to school with. Small breasts…just really cute. There’s something else too about her…

Oh…okay I see it now.

She looks up and blinks at me. Then she seems to remember the way she’s reading the book and slides her arms sheepishly out of her shirt.

She blushes and does this sort of face palm with the open book. “Sorry, god that was embarrassing.”

I laugh. “Actually it was pretty cool, you have to be Val.”

She smiles a little really shyly. “Yes, I guess I sort of stand out.” she has a nice voice, soft and quiet but there’s some warmth there. I can hear some of the other there but y’know it doesn’t detract from her. Actually it’s sort of giving this kind of cute quirky girl this Saturday night radio girl D.J. voice…and cadences and inflections, she doesn’t talk like a guy.

“Hey, standing out’s actually cool by me.”

She smiles. “Thanks, it’s always good to hear actually.”

I smile back. It’s actually kind of automatic too. It’s the smile a guy gets when a nice pretty girl will actually talk to him when he’s not one of those perfect guys. Actually I’m a big guy…kinda hairy…not really bad, a modest beer gut to be honest and really aside from school and manual labor I’ve rarely hit a gym for regular exercise…I’d love too but life’s life and stuff.

Needless to say whatever some people might call her Val’s a pretty girl…okay, that’s my opinion…smiles at me and is actually kind and nice it actually makes my day.

I pay for my books putting them on my Visa and she bags them for me and not knowing what to say I head out.

I do stop at the door. “I think I’m going to enjoy reading these thanks….”

“Sure and Ryan?”

She knows my name? Wait…duh, my credit card. “Uhm…yeah?”

“It’s Valerie.”

“Oh…. cool.”

She smiles and me again and sits back down with her book and pulls her arms into her sleeves waving at me with those little T-Rex arms.

I head out after waving too and get in my car with this really huge smile on my face.

It’s kinda been awhile.

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Comments

I was kind of going for that:)

I nice slow warmth like a candle.
*Great Big Angel Hugs*
Bailey...A Proud Big Brother.

Bailey Summers

Lost

I totally don't get the T-Rex arms thing. Does she have a birth defect?


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

I take it you never played dinosaur?

She had her arms tucked into her shirt so they'd be short like a T-Rex. It was a flight of fancy to read Jurrasic park like that.
*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Karen, I thnk she had her elbows tucked inside her T-shirt...

IE they stuck out to the rear but from inside the shirt. Thus only her forarms and hands were exposed.

In other words she was playing, pretending at being a T-Rex.

Hell of an imagination.

I'm also assuming from her description she is TG and likely a male to female in transition.

Or I may be totally wrong.

Charming stuff.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Totally right John:)

I'm really glad that you enjoyed this so far:)
*Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

T-Rex

220px-Marc_bolan_plaque.jpg

well I've been picturing Val as some sort of Marc Bolan character since T-Rex was a British Rock Band.
I'm sure there's lots to come and all will become clear.

Jules

T-Rex

Not really. You reminded me of a someone I met who loved Marc Bolan and T-Rex. I got distracted from the storyline and I checked how long it was since Marc Bolan died. I was totally surprised. Then I re-read your first chapter. That's the thing about reading. It can bring back memories of all sorts of things.

Jules

a good start...

with a different perspective, this ought to be interesting.
thanks

Yeah LoneWolf, You're right there.

I thought I'd try something a little different.
*Hugs and Howls*

Bailey Summers

So this.

Jemima Tychonaut's picture

For me there’s nothing like a good book.

So this. I have a kindle gathering dust because when it comes down to it I love having a book in my hands, which I know sounds odd given the medium I'm reading this story in!

I also loved the way in which you described Val in a way that made it clear she was trans without actually saying it. :-)

Looking forward to seeing where you take this Bailey.



"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

I love books too:)

And here's always been something kind of magic about books store but used book stores have this feel and smell to them. Like incense to the mind and imagination.
*Great Big Hug*

Bailey Summers

Re: I love books too :)

Used book stores are why I have roughly 4,000 paperbacks in my 200 sq. ft. bachelor apartment. I truly love to read, and I enjoy some stories and series enough that I'd rather own the books so I can read them when I want than have to go look for them at a library.

I can't really say that I've ever noticed a particular scent in a used book store, but my sense of smell is very weak.

Liking this so far...

Though you had me at books ;). My lifelong love affair with books will never end... i love the feel and smell and the power that books have to transport me to new and wonderful worlds. They fire the imagination and make you run the gamut of emotions.
I want to know the reader Valerie so much more now.
Love and Warm Hugs,
Moon

Again I have to tout the used book stores:)

There are some that have always been romantic to me...old books, in a intimate nook like place valentines as book markers and a cute sort of nerdy cool quirky girl...

*Great Big Angel Hugs*
Love You Moon!

Bailey Summers

Books

Hey, Bailey
Love the new story, Hun. I love books but I carry them on my macbook now, Yes I admit I am a geekett and at this point I have around a thousand books on my macbook, it keeps the weigh down in my back pack.... I love all your other stories as well, I just don't write as much as I should.

Love And Hugs Hanna
((((((((♥)))))))((((((((♥)))))))((((((((♥)))))))((((((((♥)))))))((((((((♥)))))))
Blessed Be
2889.jpg

So Bailey.......

Did Ryan ever get that soda pop he was looking for?(LOL). Seems like it could be the start of something nice With Valerie, guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Not Yet Taarpa:)

But I'm writing more now:)
*Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Love the Lord your God with

Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.' this can be the primary and greatest commandment. and therefore the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.short and status love quotes

Pinn Road Books.

As a kid I started reading early on. When I knew I was different it helped to escape into books. So as early as ten I would take the bus about an hour trip to Pinn Road Books. The place was small had these floor to ceiling shelves made of 2x4 and plywood, packed with old books. I read everything mainly sci-fi but anything cheap, I even snuck a few romance novels into my house. This where I found D.A.W. and later Tor books that I would cherish forever. And where I discovered Piers Anthony, Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, and Asimov. That place felt safe and accepting something I don't feel in the new book superstores. I try to find these lovely places when I can but they are getting harder and harder to find. So I keep my old books in boxes and go back and visit old friends when I can, and remember those wonderful worlds I found. Love and Old Books indeed. Jenn.


I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

My Favorite was Lapis Books in Fredericton:)

It was this lovely little hippy bookstore up a narrow back staircase that sold used books classic records and had pieces up on the walls from the art school.
But like you the only used bookstore around was the next city over and a half hour away by car.
*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers