Shannon Garvey

It's pretty dead.

I'm studying for a chemistry exam, carbon structures.

And I got bored of this, and I put that away, and I took out the essay I had been reading earlier by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who at the time was my favorite author.

So I'm reading, I'm making notes in the margins, when an older gentleman walks in, and he's standing by the door, kind of flustered, muttering under his breath, and I'm sort of bracing myself for a negative interaction, when he looks up at me and he grins, and he takes these two bounding steps forward and says in this really dramatic way, never get old, miss.

What are you reading there?

And I said, Fitzgerald.

And I mentioned he was my favorite author.

And his eyes light up, and he says, Fitzgerald, yes.

But who was his wife?

And I say, Zelda.

And he says, yes, Zelda.

And they met at a dance.

So we went back and forth about Fitzgerald and writing for a little while.

And the whole experience was really wholesome.

And he mentioned that he had some pretty old books at home, and maybe he'd bring them by sometime for me to look at.

So I get him his green tea and his cookie.

He goes off to enjoy.

I didn't even really notice him leave.

But a couple hours later, I'm closing up the bookstore, mopping the counter.

And the door opens, and he's back.