The book lady

            There's this sweet older woman that lives in the apartment next door to me. I've never seen anyone come or go from it but her in the last year and a half that I've lived in the building. We share the fourth floor with three other tenants and, to be honest, I don't think I've ever seen anyone come or go from two of the other three either. There hasn't been any foul smells emanating from either of them, so I think it's safe to say that no one has died within the last few weeks or so. We all just seem to live like hermits in our luxurious top floor apartments. Anyway, this older woman, however, seems to have a Jekyll and Hyde persona. To me she is as sweet as pie, but I can hear her on the stairs now and then nagging and complaining about this or that to the super downstairs or the neighbors on the first and second floor. A few months ago she saw me come home with an arm full of books that I had ransacked at The Strand and we struck up a conversation about literature. Once she discovered that I love to read I suddenly became her new best friend and I'm sure this was my saving grace. Now, every few days or so, when I come home from a hard day's work and finish climbing the Mount Everest of the four flights of stairs to get to my apartment I'll find a nice little stack of books sitting by my door, just waiting for me. The first time I found these little presents, it felt like I was being wooed by Santa Claus. I was so excited I nearly knocked down her door to give her a big bear hug at one o'clock in the morning. Now, I don't know how to get her to stop without hurting her feelings. I have more books in my apartment then I'll ever be able to read in my lifetime. I've taken most of the murder mystery books she can't get enough of to the bookstore and traded them in for credit or books I would actually read, but the others, I have all piled up against the wall next to my overstuffed six-foot high bookshelf. I could start my own bookstore with the collection I now own.

            This afternoon, when I returned to my apartment, an enormous stack of Dean Koontz books were threatening to topple over and spill out onto the landing. The book lady struck again! I grabbed as many books as my hands could hold while trying to unbolt my intricate, double lock fortress of wood and steel door and pushed my way in. I scanned through the books and kept a handful, then collected the throwaways from last weeks drop and shuffled back out the door. Next destination...The Strand.

            I think I spend too much time at The Strand. After trading the book lady's recent deposit for credit, I must have lingered a good two hours scanning the floor to ceiling shelves for new and used books. That was when a pudgy book clerk by the door nodded to me and said, "Nice to see you again. Marcy, right?" How does he know my name? He must have heard the cashier say it when he gave me back my credit card, I reason. Err, maybe I should spend more time doing other things, like actually reading the books I have, and give this place a rest for a while. All this book buying is not only going to crowd me out of house and home, but it's also attracting stalkers. One day I'll breakdown and just purchase a Kindle or Nook. I suppose when I start traveling more this will be more practical for the purpose of traveling light and saving space. Especially since most airlines charge you an arm and a leg for any checked luggage. Books are heavy and cumbersome to carry around everywhere. However, I just love the nostalgia of a book. The smell and feel of paper is almost mouth watering. They're great little ego boosters too. When I'm feeling even slightly down or discouraged, I'll just look up at my shelf and see all of my little trophies. They're the monuments of the knowledge that I've collected in life, a trophy for every conquest. Since I've never won a medal for any of the marathons or sports activities I partook in during my grade school days, this collection slightly dulls the sting of that nuance. I know that I'll eventually have to keep up with the times someday. But until then, I'm just going to enjoy my "Oscars" for now.