Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or anything, but I always see you reading in this park.
I was wondering if you would mind if I just kind of sat down right with you? Yeah? You
don't mind? Thank you, thank you. Yeah, I know, reading is a bit of a solo activity generally
but I don't know, sometimes it's nice to have company with it. What am I reading? I'm reading
this book. It's my favorite. Yeah, you ever read it? No? You gotta, you gotta read this,
I swear. It's, I love it so much. I never, I've never heard or read anything that really,
I don't know, puts to words an experience I had growing up. Yeah, I've never read anything
so it just brings me back there and I don't know, it kind of, it helps me re-formulate
it in my mind and it kind of lets me have a better experience than the one I have. Yeah,
I really like it. Do you want it? Like I said, I'm just re-reading it. I've read it like
five times. I can let you borrow it and meet you back here in a week or so. You can tell
me what you think of this. Maybe bring something that you think I'll like. We can make this
a sort of reoccurring thing. I would like it too. I really would like it. Like a sort
of stranger reading buddy, like our own personal book club. Yeah, this time works. Okay, cool.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. I get it. You gotta go. It's okay. We'll, we'll, I'll see you.
I'll see you next week. Oh, oh, take the book. Take the book, please. Yeah. Okay. Bye.
Oh, hi, you again. Did you like it? Please tell me you liked it. Yeah. Oh, I'm so happy.
Did you, did you get the same feeling I did? Did you, did you get that sort of like, yeah,
I know it's kind of like a sci-fi-y sort of thing. And it's not like, it's a little different,
but it really, it tells the story of like, growing up and kind of being surrounded by
other adolescents that are just growing up and, and figuring out this place in the world
that they might have or the place that they don't have. And yeah, you know, you read it.
You read it. I know. What's that? Oh, is this for me? You read this? I really want to read
something you read. Yeah, I'd really, it'd make me very happy. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I love,
I love memoirs. I do. I do. I really like, I really like memoirs just about ordinary
people too. Yeah. Oh, yeah. This looks, this looks great. I love the cover. Where'd you
get this? Ooh, oh, heck yeah. I love those little like free library things. You get the
best books out of there. Some things you just really wouldn't, wouldn't pick up, but that
somebody liked enough to keep around and bring it to a special little place. I will, I will,
I will really, really like this. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, I like our little
book club. Little book duo. I'm just going to start right now, if you don't mind. But
my, my back is a little sore. What do you think? We go back to back and be each other's
chairs. Good. Okay. Let's do it. Pictures. Oh my God. I love the pictures. Yeah, it is
a family portrait, I guess. So I'm in thank with pictures. I love that name. I love that
name too. Okay, prologue.
Is that the time? I'm sorry, I gotta go. I gotta go. But I'll bring something for you
next time. Okay. Next week. All right. Bye. Bye. Talk to you next week.
Hi. Come here. Give me a hug. Yeah, I know. Oh, I missed you. Bye.
It's been a week but and I had your book to keep me company. Yes, I did. It was so good. I loved
it. I love it was so like I said, just work to your people and the struggles and difficulties
that come along with just living your life. I loved it. Thank you. Thank you. Really. It was great.
It's my turn again, right? I got one for you. This is sci fi. I know the first one I gave you was
technically a little sci fi but this is sci fi. But it's got it's got a love story. It's good.
I like it. I like it. I hope you like it. I think you like it. You like sci fi, right? Good. Okay,
as long as it's a romance. Okay. You romantic? No, I didn't know. I didn't know that about you. I
don't know if I consider myself a romantic. I don't know. It's hard to think about sometimes.
All about what the protagonist will do just to get back to the life they have. It's good.
Okay. If the first book I gave you was sort of a
evaluation of my past, I guess this one's sort of an evaluation of my future
and how I might wrap my head around it. What I might look like 10 years from now
instead of 10 years ago. I don't know. It's good. Why are my life stories falling into sci fi?
That's weird. That's weird, right? You like it? Here you go.
Oh, I really, I really enjoy the book club that we kind of built together. It's really special.
It's just getting to know you and having you getting to know me through these books.
I don't know. It's kind of like, I feel like I know you even though we really haven't
had many conversations. I don't know. It's a weird way to get to know somebody, but I like it.
Dates. Have these been dates?
Dates.
Sure. Yeah, these have been dates. Okay. Okay.
Okay. What is this? Date number three now?
Does that, does that mean we should finally kiss?
Yes. I'd, I'd really like that. I'd like to kiss you.
Okay. Yeah.
So, what do you say I take you to a cafe or something and we can,
we can do an actual date or something. I don't know, like an actual date, date. Would you,
do you want to go on a date with me? No books. Apart from, I guess, the ones we
always have in our bags, but no pretense of a book club, no exchange of books, no reason to meet,
other than just wanting to get to know each other. Maybe see if this relationship has legs.
See if we have something more than strangers exchanging books on a picnic blanket in a park.
I think there might be a little something more to us, and I think you might too.
Yeah?
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.