They both jumped when a hand
knocked on her mom’s closed window. She peered up, then rolled it down halfway.
“Jeez, man, you’re late. We don’t have much time—”
“What’s she doing here?” A
20-something Asian man in a grey hoodie leaned in the window, looking askance
at Jessie.
Her mom looked at Jessie, then
smiled nervously up to him. “She’s cool. She knows, and she wants to try it for
herself.”
“Aww, no way, you’re dragging
your kid into this?”
Her mom stiffened indignantly. “She’s
13. She found my stash. What can I do? Its better if she tries it with me than
on her own, don’t you think?”
He shook his head and stepped
back. “Whatever. Come on, let’s get you ladies
taken care of and back home for supper.” He sketched a bow as Jessie and her
mom got out of their car, and they followed him back to his car, parked facing
the other way about 100 yards behind them. Jessie wondered that they hadn’t
seen or heard him drive under the bridge. She took her mom’s hand, trying not
to show her jittery nerves.
They walked around to the back of
his car, and he must have used a remote to pop the trunk, as the lid majestically
lifted and the light glowed inside before they even reached the car. Jessie
peered in and her eyes widened. She’d never seen so many books at one time. She
reached forward, and her mom tugged her hand back, looking at the man.
“I don’t have much on me. Will
you cut us a deal this time?”
He narrowed his eyes, then shrugged
and barked a harsh laugh. “Sure, why not. Seeing as it’s her first time and
all. I’ll give her one on the house. You have to pay for yours. Five minutes.”
Jessie’s heart raced and she thought she might humiliate herself by crying. She only
got to see all those beautiful books for five minutes? Her mom protested. “Five
minutes? We can’t even read all the titles by then!”
He looked down his nose at her. “Seriously?
You’re going to be choosy now? Fine. What you want? They’re organized, more or
less. Top row, mysteries and true crime. 2nd row, your classic
literature, like they used to teach in school. 3rd row, science
fiction, fantasy, horror, anime. 4th row, romance, including the
really hot stuff.”
Jessie looked from him to her
mother in disbelief. “They used to use books
in school? No way!”
Her mom nodded with a quick
smile, then looked sad. “They did, in your grandma’s time. Books were outlawed
before I was born, but both of my parents were active in the underground
reading resistance.”
The guy rolled his eyes, then
looked out the far side of the bridge. “Come on, ladies, as fascinating as this
history lesson is, I ain’t got all night here. Customers are waiting. You know
how it is. Now, what are you going to take?”
Jessie stared again. “Take? You
mean…I get to have one? Of my very
own?”
He looked at her for a moment,
then smiled and turned to her mom. “Oh, she’s going to be a regular, I can
tell.”
He reached in and picked up a
book, handing it face up to Jessie. “Here, kid. I think you’ll like this one.
It’s a present from me. You come back and let me know what you think of it,
okay?”
Jessie hugged it to her chest and
nodded, too overcome to speak. Her mother quickly scanned the rows of books and
grabbed a mystery and a romance. She pulled out a roll of bills and handed it
to the dealer. He didn’t even count, just tucked the roll in his pocket and
closed the trunk lid. Jessie’s eyes stayed locked on the books until they
disappeared from view.
He sketched another bow as he
said, “Pleasure doing business with you ladies. Until next time.” He jumped
around the side of his car and slid into the driver’s seat. The car was an
old-style electric, which is why they hadn’t heard his approach. He didn’t turn
on any lights as he pulled out and up the bank.
Jessie and her mom walked back to
their car in silence. Her mom reached behind her seat and lifted the back seat up,
revealing a small space where she stowed her two books. Jessie’s eyes widened
at this sign of persistent contraband. Her mom motioned for her to hand over
her book, but she hugged it tighter against her chest and shook her head. Her
mom eyed her for a moment, then shrugged. “Hide it if any other car comes
close, and when we get to the streetlights, because they could pick it up on
the cameras.”
Jessie nodded, still speechless.
She lay the book in her lap and stared at the cover. She traced the letters
with her finger and ran it lightly over the art. It was the most beautiful
thing she had ever seen. She couldn’t wait to read it.
#
# #
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Dogs in house:
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Houdini
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Music:
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6 Hour of The Best Beethoven, Jabig on YouTube
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Time writing:
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35 minutes
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April word count:
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5658
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