For the Love of Reading

Indistinguishable chatter and car engines hummed throughout the busy streets of a city. In the center of the chaos, a young lady hastily weaved her way through clusters of people. The sun lit her auburn hair, which was carefully fixed into low buns. She swiftly raised a hand to brush away wisps of bangs that were covering her hazel eyes. As her destination neared, the girl’s pace only increased. She was not in any particular rush—there was at least fifteen minutes to spare until she would be officially late—but the grueling anticipation of the moment yet to come made her impatient. The crowds thinned as she reached a store’s porch. The walls were painted a creme color, with the many windows having a green frame. The storefront was decorated like a front porch, with chairs surrounding circular tables that were sheltered by a wooden awning. A forest-green sign hung outside the entrance. The words Frank’s Book Store were etched into the tinted wood. The girl caught her breath and fixed her glasses before checking her watch. Ten minutes to spare, she observed before pulling out a chair for herself. 

       On the other side of the community, a young man sprinted through crowds of people. He was nothing close to graceful, accidentally knocking into people and stumbling into oncoming traffic. Behind him, he left a trail of blaring car horns and shouting individuals. Sun lit his dark hair, which was styled in an overgrown mohawk. Sections were dyed a neon-purple color to match his combat boots and leather jacket’s spikes. He shoved tufts of hair out of his blue eyes as he tried to not stumble into groups of people. The boy was in a rush. He had only a minute to arrive until he was officially late. Luckily, the sidewalk and road traffic wasn’t as bad as usual, and he made his way through the city quickly. He arrived at the bookstore with only seconds to spare. He was so preoccupied with catching his breath, he almost missed the young lady sitting at a circular table,

       “Please watch where you’re going,” She shifted away from him to avoid being knocked into.

       “Oh, hey! What’s up?” The boy tried to high-five her. The girl skeptically eyed the raised hand, not quite sure what to do with it. It hung in the air for a painful moment before being taken down by the boy, though he did not sense any of the awkwardness.

       “Why are you trying to high-five me, I don’t know you,” she asked hesitantly, “And why are you here, if you don’t mind answering. This book store…it doesn’t seem like your thing.” She asked this hoping he wouldn’t be here for the job interview. The boy straightened his posture confidently before replying,

       “I’m Cameron, here for the job interview. It turns out, reading is my ‘thing.’” He stuck his tongue at her playfully. She stared at him with discomfort.

       “I’m Stacy. Pleasure to be working with you.” As dense as Cameron was, even he could sense the distaste in her words.

      “I’d hate to disrupt this lovely exchange, but are you two kids coming in or what?” The gravely, amused voice made both Stacy and Cameron jump. The two turned to the doorway and saw an old man. His white, ragged hair was almost transparent in the sun. He had rain-boots and a windbreaker jacket on, despite it being only the beginning of autumn. “Sorry, did I scare ‘ya?” he chuckled, “You can call me Stan. By the looks of it, you both should be hired!” 

       “What? No interview or anything? What if we aren’t suited for the job?” Stacy inquired with Cameron on her mind.

       “Hah!” Stan barked, “Don’t worry, as old as I am, I’m not a complete fool. I can show you the ropes, and you should be good. It’s not a complicated job.” Cameron and Stacy exchanged a glance before walking in with Stan.

       The inside of the bookstore looked as if it was out of a fantasy novel. It was decorated with plants, including flowerbeds and vines. Chandeliers covered with overgrown greenery lined each of the aisles. There were towers of bookshelves at the sides of each aisle. In the corner there was a small cafe. Cameron and Stacy gaped with awe. 

       “This bookstore is the largest and the most popular in the section of the city! Your job is to assist customers with finding the right book. You are encouraged to give them suggestions based on what they are looking for. The books are arranged in alphabetical order, in their respective aisles by genre. See those signs marking the aisles?” Stan pointed to a sign, “They each have genres written on them, which tell the shoppers what type of literature is in that aisle. Remember that, because you’ll also be stacking these books and sorting them when new shipments come in.” 

       “What about the cafe?” Cameron asked.

       “That’s another job,” Stan replied, “Well, what are you waiting for? Go! Explore before the store opens.” Stacy walked into the historical fiction section while Cameron explored the sci-fi area. 

       Cameron scanned the books, satisfyingly watching the dust come off of them. He gazed up to the wooden roof. Being seventeen, this job was his first one, and he was determined to not mess up. He wandered into the fantasy section—one of his favorite—and scanned the walls. He was so busy looking at the books, he bumped into Stacy and knocked her glasses down.

       “Oh shoot, sorry!” He hurriedly crouched down to retrieve her glasses, “I didn’t see you- wow you are blind.” His attention shifted to the thick frames. 

       “Tell me something I don’t know,” Stacy remarked as she tried to snatch the glasses back. Cameron put them on and grinned, 

“How do I look?” He didn’t get a response, and placed the glasses back in Stacy’s hands. 

      “So, you like fantasy?” he asked.

       “Its my favorite genre!” she exclaimed. Cameron pointed to a book titled The Watchman,

      “This one’s my favorite.”

      “Mine too! Nobody ever recognizes that book.” Stacy was excited to talk about it with someone. “I didn’t know you liked reading.”

      “What I like about it is the ability to be able to be transported to another universe without ever leaving your room.”

      “My parents are pretty strict and I’m not allowed to do a lot… I would love to be one of those characters who can just do whatever and not have to worry about parents.”

      “Trust me, you want your parents to worry about you, at least a little,” Cameron’s eyes were far away. They sat in a thoughtful silence for a moment before the shop bell rang. The store was open, and would receive customers very soon. 

       “I should go. Uh, see you around?” Stacy asked, pointing to the other side of the shop.

       “Yeah.” Cameron walked to the door to assist customers.

       The two managed the store with Stan as their guide. They worked separately and exchanged very few words until their lunch break.

       Stacy sat at a desk in the office and storage area of the library. Unopened boxes of books were littered around the floor. She hand packed herself a sandwich, and now was feasting upon it. She was just about to relax when the door swung open. Cameron walked through the door, nodded to her in greeting, and made his way to a vending machine. Stacy watched him silently and he inserted a dollar into its slot. He jabbed a few buttons and a bag of chips dispensed from its shelf.

       “It's nice to be able to spend our entire day here. Too bad it's only three times a week,” Cameron said while shoving a handful of chips in his mouth. He sat down and kicked his feet up on the table. Stacy eyed them, slightly offended by his slobbish behavior.

       “Yeah,” she sighed, “and school’s starting again soon.”

       “Where do you go to school?” Cameron asked.

       “Elmore High. I’m a Junior there,” Stacy responded.

       “Same!” Cameron lit up, then thought for a moment, Would she even talk to me there? Or would she be embarrassed to be caught interacting with me? For the first time in a while, he felt self-conscious. “How come I’ve never seen you around?” he asked as he shoved another handful of chips into his mouth.

       “Big school, I guess. I just transferred last year.  I’m going to be honest, I don’t have too many friends,” she answered sheepishly.

       “Really? I thought you would have been well-known.” Cameron was surprised. Maybe she would be comfortable talking to me at school? he thought.

       “Yeah. Besides, my parents don’t allow me to hang out much after school so I can’t really hang out with the friends I do happen to make. It’s always ‘focus on your academics’ or ‘get a job to sustain yourself.’” Stacy angrily took a bite of her sandwich.

       “What I wouldn’t give to be smarter. My old man’s always yelling at me that I won’t get anywhere with the peabrain I have.” Cameron reached in the bag for more chips, only to hit the bottom. Disappointed, he retracted his greasy hand.

       “Well,” Sarah paused for a moment, “you’re an avid reader, right? That’s got to count for something.” Cameron let himself smile as he nodded. Sarah noticed his pitiful, empty chip bag, “Do you have anything else to eat?”

       “No. Money is hard to come by when your dad is jobless.” Cameron delivered the sentence casually, but spat at the word dad.

       “Sorry to hear that,” Stacy said softly, “I can bring you something tomorrow.” 

      “Its fine, you get used to it,” Cameron shrugged, “And don’t worry about bringing food. Soon, I’ll be able to support the both of us. I’m working several jobs. Thanks though.” He gave Stacy a reassuring smile after noticing the concern on her face. Cameron decided to change the subject, “So, you like reading?” Stacy couldn’t help but laugh at his painful attempt to create small talk.

       “I thought you were charismatic.”

       “I am. Watch, after this break I’m going to test my skills on some unsuspecting costumers.”

      “Good luck with that.” Stacy rolled her eyes. 

      “Alright you two! Lunchtime Is over; get back to work,” Stan huffed. Cameron stood to leave, but Stacy held him back. He turned back to see her outstretched hand. A giddy grin spread across his face as he slapped it, leaving Stacy’s hand stinging and slightly red.

      “High-five!” he whooped as he exited the room. Stacy followed him. 

       For the rest of the shift, the two stocked shelves and helped customers. Time flew by quickly as they engaged in conversations. Before they knew it, the clock’s chimes could be heard all over the shop. Cameron and Stacy gathered at the entrance, waiting for Stan to relieve them of their work. 

       “Thanks for coming today! Your paycheck should come in the mail at the end of this week,” Stan’s gruff voice could be heard echoing through the bookstore, “Oh, I almost forgot something!” Cameron and Stacy watched as their employer reached into his windbreaker pocket, grabbing two large pins with the store’s logo on them. “Now that you are working here, you can wear these pins on your clothes to distinguish yourselves from customers!” He handed the pins to the two teenagers.

      “Thanks, sir!” Stacy and Cameron gratefully took the pins.

       “So we are hired?” Cameron asked.

        “Of course! You were hired the moment you walked through the door!” Stan laughed, “Also, don’t worry about school getting in the way—I know that’s coming up soon—you can work a later shift! Just be here your respective days of the week!” He winked as he walked away.

       “Oh, school. I almost forgot about that starting!” Stacy exclaimed, “It’s nice to already have another friend on campus.” Cameron nodded enthusiastically at her words.

       The tidy, young lady walked into the bookstore with an unruly, young man as strangers; two opposites who understood nothing about each other. Now, they walk out as friends that share a common ground: their love of reading.

       “I’ll see you next work day?” the unruly, young man asked his new friend.

      “Of course,” she replied, fixing her bangs.

       And the two parted ways.