Page 26 of Authentically, Izzy
Penelope:You’re gross, Luke.
Penelope:BTW, which one do we talk about to distract Izzy from hyperventilating? Brontë, sea urchins, or Chris Pine? I can’t remember, but I know that one of those would causemeto hyperventilate, and it’s not the artist or the fish.
Luke:Penny-girl, you’re gross. Don’t mention Brontë, particularlyWuthering Heights. We know how that impacts Izzy.
***
Heart-to-Heart
Date: March13
Izzy,
Some would say that speaking only when one has something to contribute is a sign of wisdom, which, to my mind, says a lot about you. Though the pressure of speaking in social settings can lead to the greatest of blunders from which no pun can save someone. Not that I speak from personal experience, of course. However, I will conclude that silence is only golden for so long within social settings before it descends into the depths of humiliation. Getting through those first few conversations, especially with a woman of interest, has always been my downfall, and I’m not certain why. I have an admirable command of the English language (or Caedric), but the world of small talk baffles me into a stupid state of near-muteness.
For some reason I believe your full name suits you much better than you realize. Or at least the you I’m coming to know through this online medium. Perhaps you haven’t grown into it yet, but I’ve always found the name Isabelle pleasant, especially when spoken aloud. It has a lyrical quality to it. And the way you write, the wit and charm, fits well the name of Isabelle Louisa Edgewood, I think.
We have very few Isabelles here. There are Fionas and Bridgets,Elaines and Brennas, Erikas and Ionas aplenty, but I don’t know a single Isabelle except you. And, you are right, I am rich in treasures of the measureless sort.Blessedis the perfect word, though I shouldn't mind a bit more marketing knowledge to help with the family business.
I am captivated by your great-grandmother’s sentiment about knowing someone’s soul first. I should think it would certainly help with small talk. In the same spirit in which you shared it, I feel this unique way of “meeting” provides a glimpse into the heart of someone without the distraction of “in-person-ness,” as you called it. Of course, we could be pretending. I’m not very good at pretending, though, and I would wager neither are you. But this is all conjecture from what I’ve learned about you through these notes thus far. I see no point in pretending, especially in this mode in which we communicate. To me, it lends itself to authenticity, if one wishes it.
I’ve researched your Blue Ridge Mountains and they are lovely. I can’t imagine seeing such layers of mountains. The Alnors are vast, but since the island is rather small, the mountains usually spill into the sea at some point. It appears that your weather is rather temperate than more northerly or Midwest locations in the US. Is that so?
In reference to “predictable” lives, I would say that we are both stepping out into a very unpredictable adventure by corresponding, wouldn’t you? And I’m quite pleased with this adventure thus far, even though my hobbit-ish nature raised a wary eye at first. Bookish friends are always worth an adventure, I think.
What do you enjoy doing most in your occupation as a librarian?
Brodie
PS: I never laugh at dragons, living or dead.
PPS: May I call you Isabelle?
Chapter5
From: Izzy Edgewood
To: Penelope Edgewood, Luke Edgewood
Date: March13
Subject: Hobbit? Or not?
His mountains “spill into the sea at some point.” Who is this man?! He can’t be real, can he?
And he writes with such eloquence and feeling! I don't know anyone within our age group who would EVER write messages like this. EVER! Most of them wouldn’t even know what the wordsadmirableortemperatemean, let alone use them in deliciously beautiful sentences!
I am so afraid that this is one giant hoax and when it all surfaces, he’ll be some eighty-year-old professor of ancient literature that smells of mothballs, lives in a hovel, and writes maudlin poetry under a female pseudonym.
I feel like I’m teetering on the brink of something terrifying.
Can it be true?
Izzy
PS: He asked to call me Isabelle! Who does that?
PPS: I wonder what his voice sounds like.
