Jim apparently noticed me looking behind us and saw David spewing words and snorted. “He never shuts up, especially when he’s been doing somethinghe likes to do or is about to do. I’d be more worried about your dad handling it.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t talk much,” nervously laughing. This was so out of the ordinary for my dad. Not only socializing but just being in an environment like this. I mean, it was for me too. But not without trying. There just wasn’t much to do or see where we lived in West Virginia. It was so secluded, with only wildlife around us. It would take hours to get to civilization that would be considered a blip compared to this.
After Jim started to slow his crawl again through the shelves of books, looking closely at some and picking up others only to put them back down, I finally asked, “What book are you looking for?”
“It is a book that was recommended to me last time I was here by a clerk that works here, when I came to pick up a different novel. We like to talk about books together when I have time to come down. She said this one is a controversial coming-of-age story called ‘The Catcher in the Rye’,” Jim said quietly as he continued looking at the shelves, avoiding looking at me.
“Controversial?”
“Apparently it gets pretty vulgar,” he said, peeking over at me studying him and quickly went back to the books as we made our way to the next aisle.
“Do you read a lot? I wish I could, but getting access to books is hard for us,” fidgeting with my hands. “It probably would have helped me more when we lived at our old place being as remote as we were.”
Jim looked over and saw my hand and reached out and touched them to hold my fingers still. The familiarity of his touch shot my senses through the roof. His rough fingers were holding mine steady by squeezing. Then just as fast he pulled his hand away like I burned him. “Sorry,” he mumbled as helooked around, realizing we were in public and he was touching another man.
When his look came back to me his eyes softened, “I like to collect the books I read which is why I am here. I normally don’t let others borrow them but,” he paused looking back at the shelves. “um… you can come look and see if you want to read any of them,” he side-eyed me, clearly trying not to make it a big deal that he offered me something he wouldn’t normally offer anyone else.
I couldn’t hold back though. I beamed a smile at him that I’m sure made me look deranged. I touched his shoulder which got his attention and he looked taken back. “Thank you,” I excitedly said, not being able to contain myself.
“What’s happening?”
Jim quickly stepped away from me with a startle, breaking our contact, and we turned around to see Dad and David standing there. The look on Dad’s face was nothing short of suspect. Like he caught us but didn’t know what he caught us doing.
“Dad,” giving him a smile hoping it will distract or put him at ease. “Jim just said I could borrow from his collection of books,” trying to spread the excitement to him.
“That’s very–” he took a pause and squinted, “generous,” he finished with a clip.
“Umm,” Jim said looking from dad to me again, “we also have a library on top of the mountain that I could take you to. It’s actually not far from the mine. They would have a bigger selection than me. And I’m friendly with the librarian.”
I felt as bright as the sun with this suggestion. “What! Our old town didn’t have one, only our school and it wasn’t that big!”
“I hate to interrupt this very exciting moment for you, kid,” David stated, “but I’m fucking hungry.” David had piss poor timing because right as he said that, an elderly woman and a little girl were passing us. The woman gasped, very loudly, acting like it was the worst thing she had ever heard in her life. She grabbed the little girl’s hand and rushed off, mumbling something about‘this despicable generation and their crass mouths’.
We all had a different reaction. I grimaced, not used to having eyes on me and being the center of the public’s attention, David laughed, unmannerly, Jim rolled his eyes at his best friend like this was nothing new, and my dad just stood there like nothing happened, still staring at Jim.
This is going to be a problem later when we get home.
I just know it.
After David calmed down, he shooed his hands at Jim begging, “Can you please go get your book now?” Then pointing next to him at Mike with his thumb, adding, “plus, I don’t think he wants to listen to me babble anymore.”
This made me laugh in surprise that David would be so forward about it. More surprising was my dad’s lips quirked so subtly, I almost did catch it. At least David’s aware of his talent of making people’s ear bleed from constant talk.
“Okay, let me go ask where it is and then we can get going,” Jim said, running off toward a pretty brunette woman with her hair pinned up moving books around in the next aisle over. She smiled really big when he approached.
I wonder if there is a thing there.
While Jim was talking with the clerk, the three of us headed back to the front of the book section towait for him to return. When he appeared he had a paper bag neatly folded over at the top that looked like it was containing some weight. He had the slightest smile on his face that caught my attention more than it should have.
He was such a good-looking man, even with the years of working in the mine bearing down upon him. He had this abrasiveness about him, like a white pumice rock, but when his smile comes out, even when it's faint, it smooths him out like a polished milky quartz.
Back outside in the bustle of the city, David led the way, us blindly following him until Jim finally asked, “Where are we going?”
“To eat,” looking at Jim like he’s a dumbass.
“I’m going to hit you,” Jim said back, pretending he was over his shit, forcing a laugh out of me. I caught dad looking at me with a soft look that was hard to read. I continued to smile at him and followed along going up Fifth Avenue, away from the old clock I had been admiring before seeing Jim and David, and The Warner Theatre down the street a bit, with its red marquee that had also caught my eye, having never seen a movie before in an actual theatre.
After two blocks, we came to the intersection of Grant Street that had a big castle-looking building in front of us. “Wow,” I said, staring up at it.
