Page 31 of Authentically, Izzy
I think you should ask him to have a video call with you. At least then you can determine whether he’s old or not. Or wearing a wedding band. OR has an indention on his finger from having worn a wedding band. And if he doesn’t use a fake background that makes you believe he’s in some tropicalsetting, then even better, because he’s confident in his own surroundings.
Plus, it will allow you to look for clues in the background of the video. I always do that on video calls. It makes me feel like a spy. One time I learned that a guy actually owned a dog, even though he’d never come visit my house because he said he was allergic. Come to find out, he only spent time with me because I helped him with his calculus homework! Oh my goodness, Izzy, that sounds exactly like HWLMATA, except I hadn’t talked about marriage with Dawson yet. Just calculus and model cars.
Plus, it’s easier to tell if someone is lying by seeing their face. Lots of grooming gestures and lack of eye contact are sure signs... or that’s what my psych professor says anyway. And nose twitching. No, wait. That’s something else. Never mind.
If all of these things pan out, I think he’s perfect for you. Absolutely perfect.
And I’ll totally take you up on the pizza and bookstore when I get home. I haven’t had Larenzo’s pizza in two months!!
Penelope
PS: Do you think they wear wooden shoes where he lives?
***
Heart-to-Heart
Date: March15
Brodie,
Your grandfather sounds delightful. I’ve always been fond of slow-to-warm-up people. It gives me the sense of overcoming an obstacle to get to the worthwhile parts.
When I was younger, we had a neighbor who could have portrayed Miss Havisham in any Dickens retelling. She lived in a narrow gray house that resembled something you’d see on the streets of Victorian London, so it fit perfectly into my recent literary discovery. One day when she walked out in a white dress, I crossed the grass to see if she only wore one shoe. Thankfully, after I stumbled right into her path, she helped me to a stand and quite begrudgingly asked me in for cookies . . . which became a regular Tuesday afternoon treat from then on.
There’s such a poignant message about the devastation of bitterness in Dickens’s stories, don’t you think? I feel certain that is why they impacted me so deeply, especially when I was tempted to hold on to my anger about my parents’ death. I think, as a child, God used the power of fiction to prick my heart to a healthier mindset, even though the ache remains. I guess that is always a fixture because the place where my parents lived within my heart is still being held for them, like a bookmark of sorts—waiting to see them again. I like to think of their deaths in that way because it doesn’t feel like forever. Just a pause before the end of the story.
No matter what the “critics” say, there is so much truth housed within fiction.
Your islands look beautiful (if Google can be trusted). One particular photo filled my screen, and I could almost taste the salt-sea air rushing over the cliffs. If I was ever tempted to write a novel, this looks like the perfect place for inspiration. I’ve always had a fascination with cliffs and looming manor houses and a broody ocean. Not that I’ve ever seen any of those things in real life, but my imagination conjures up all sorts of ideas. (I have seen a brooding ocean. We live close enough to drive, even if it takes about six hours to get there. I just have not seen the combination of the three things together, IRL.)
I’m attaching the photo of the sea and sky of Skymar so youcan confirm it's an actual existence near you. Oh, I hope so. What a beautiful place to live! It really does remind me of some of the scenes inThe Lord of Rings. And the names! Elri? Skern? I’m grinning as I think of them. So storybook-like!
Speaking of stories... Storybook reading at the library is a weekly and quite momentous occasion made up of various stories (usually related to the season or a theme) and celebrated by children in various ages (we have three different story times based on ages). My aunt began these about ten years ago, but I took them over about five years ago because (as my aunt tells it), I can make better voices than she can. I have to admit, as much as I enjoy my solitude, I have the best time bringing these books to life for children. Their eyes light up, they laugh or gasp at all the right places, and I fall in love with the stories all over again. The only problems I’ve noticed so far are the occasional child who screams out the ending too soon, a rabble-rouser, or... little fingers who want to steal my reading paraphernalia. I’ve lost one princess hat, a rubber frog, a golden pirate earring, a scarlet apple eraser,andan arm-size pencil. I’m still not sure how a child escaped unnoticed with that pencil.
Of all the things I do at the library, this is my favorite, even more than opening up a book for the first time and smelling its newness. I just have this overwhelming love for the creative wonder with books and people.
I loved learning that your family is in the book business. What sort? I suppose there are various types of book businesses, but the only ones I really know about are libraries and bookstores.
I adoredFrankensteinandDracula, much to my aunt’s and Josie’s dismay. I can’t understand why! I only tried to resurrect one animal during a thunderstorm, because the little dwarf hamster had barely lived a month. It deserved more time. Needless to say, the only thing I succeeded in doing was short-circuiting the microwave.
As far as lighter book recommendations . . . Do you preferclassics or modern suggestions? Oscar Wilde’s more humorous tales are a quick and witty read for me when I need something lighter, and they have enough sarcasm and cleverness to brush off the chill of any gothic horror, in my opinion. (Assuming you like sarcasm.) I recently finishedThe Truth According to Usby Annie Barrows, and found it a poignant and fun book with wonderfully quirky characters. I just startedA Walk in the Woodsby Bill Bryson and nearly spit out my tea I laughed so hard at one point. (It’s always a detriment to lose one’s tea in any form, but laughter might be the most forgivable.) Bryson’s book involves his journey hiking through the Appalachian Mountains, so I already feel at home (and don’t even have to leave my reading chair to enjoy them).
Where I actually live (in a duplex owned by a cattle farmer who has enough acreage to create a resort) is picturesque for the most part. The mountains line the horizon on two sides of me and then a gravel road leads through a field toward the main highway to the town of Mt. Airy. It’s actually a wonderful example of small-town charm, with “old” buildings running alongside the quintessential old-fashioned Main Street. There’s even a vintage barbershop, ice-cream shop, and sandwich place. Plus, it’s the birthplace (and celebrated home) of actor Andy Griffith. You may not have heard of him, but he’s pretty popular in these parts.
I’m attaching a few photos... without thumbs.
Izzy
PS: I’m glad we speak the same bookish language.
PPS: Would you be open to a video chat?
PPPS: No is a perfectly acceptable answer. One I don’t use as often as I should.
Chapter6
From: Izzy Edgewood
