chance encounter.
tonight, i met a girl named taylor. i had stopped off at the bookstore to pick up a book i had ordered and couldn't help but spend some time wandering through the shelves. tonight, i found myself in the children's section, looking for books i loved as a kid. i looked for robert munsch. i looked for oscar wilde. i looked for those alexander books, but i couldn't remember who wrote them. i overheard this conversation near the beginning of my time in the section:smart little girl: um, ma'am? i hate to interrupt you again, but. oh. how old is she?
mom of girl being inquired about: she's six.
slg: what grade is she in?
mogbia: she's in first grade.
slg: well, when she's a little older, i really think she would like these books right here.
mogbia: okay, i'll remember that. thank you.
later, as i was looking at audrey woods' books, i heard this conversation:
slg: i really like your dress.
gbia: thanks. i really like your hair.
and later, as i was thinking about actually purchasing because of winn dixie (a fantastic little tale i have yet to own), she came up to me and asked:
slg: where did you get your purse?
me: my mom brought it back for me from indonesia.
slg: it's really pretty. i like it. (told you she was smart!)
i continued looking at books, as this sweet little girl walked behind me and around to the other side, casually touching a book or two.
slg: soo, what's your favorite series?
me: oohhh, i don't really have one. i just read a lot, you know?
slg: yeah, i totally do. you know, you just read and read and read and can't get enough.
me: exactly.
slg: are you going to get any books?
me: yeah, actually, i'm getting this book right here... it's called enna burning. it's the sequel to shannon hale's first book, the goose girl. have you ever read them?
slg: no.
me: actually, she wrote this book, too. (i'm pointing to the princess academy, of course)
slg: oh! that book was in our book order and my friend got it. that's why i knew the name! it said it was a tale of a girl who wasn't a princess but went to the princess academy. and she was trying to prove she was just as good as the princesses! (yes. she really did reverberate what likely was the description scholastic had in it's book order. i told you she was smart.)
me: she's good. and this book right here is a great one, too. (pointing to ida b.)
slg: oh, i have that one! i just got it.
me: i have it, too. and this author is great. (pointing to kate dicamillo's books) the miraculous adventures of edward tulane. because of winn dixie.
slg: i love that book. i have it. i also have the movie.
me: oh, i didn't see the movie. is it good?
slg: you know how when they make a movie that was a book and it's not anything like the book and it's not any good? well, this was, i think, the best movie like that.
me: so it stayed pretty true to the book?
slg: yep. it's good.
me: well, that's good. i don't like it when they wreck a good book.
slg: yeah.
at this point, i have settled into leaning against the shelf behind us, enjoying every moment of this conversation. any piece of me that felt rushed before was gone. i was praying it would go on. and it did.
slg: how old are you?
me: 28.
slg: ! (if there was a facial expression tied to the exclamation point, she made it)
me: how old are you?
slg: nine.
me: that's a good age.
slg: what's your name?
me: julie. what's yours?
slg: taylor.
me: that's a great name. i know a little girl named taylor, but she has short red hair.
pause.
taylor: maybe this is too personal of a question, but, ... do you have a husband?
me: (in a chuckly sort of way) no. i don't have a husband. do you?
taylor: (in a chuckly sort of way) no.
me: well that's good. you don't need husbands when you're nine. you don't need husbands when you're 28. who has time, with all the books in the world?
taylor: yeah. first, people go high school and maybe they have boyfriends. and then they maybe have some in college, but they just sort of let them go. then, a good time to get married is, maybe in your early thirties. and then you can start to have kids.
me: that's very possibly a good plan. it's a good thing you can get married whenever you want, huh?
taylor: yeah. when i grow up, i want to be (checking these things off on her fingers) a zoo vet, a regular vet and work at an animal shelter.
me: so you like animals?
taylor: oh, (slightly embarrassed) and a librarian. but people will have to leave me alone because i just want to read the books.
me: oh, you have to want to help people when you're a librarian. but i'm sure there'll be down times.
taylor: well, there won't be any books for them to read because i'm going to read them all first.
me: well, then you can speak intelligently about them when people have questions. that's a good plan.
taylor: yeah.
and then, we talked about how often she came, where she lived (she gave me a walking tour of the subway system to get back to her house. twice. though, i hadn't realized maple grove had a subway system. but she's only four stoplights away from the bookstore, at any rate.) i kept waiting for her to let on where her parents were, but she never did. she just touched the spines of books and captured my heart.
see, i think we are one in the same, this dear little girl with big dreams. i know why she touches the spines of books. i know how words consume her soul. i know her hunger. for i was her. and though it doesn't always show, i still am.
posted by julie @ 9:33 PM
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