Confessions of a Curious Bookseller(69)
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May 8
Dear Rainbow,
I noticed toward the back of the store that a certain person had made an impressive fort out of some of the books. If it was you, can you please put them back when you are done? I do not wish to get in the way of your creativity, but please be mindful that in my store, my customers do come first.
Many thanks,
Fawn, Landlord
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Sat, May 11, 2019 at 10:30 PM
To: Florence Eakins
Subject: Great time
Dear Florence,
I am not sure what to say regarding Little Joe’s play and performance this afternoon. It has taken me the train ride to gather my thoughts properly. Let me at least begin by saying that I always knew Little Joe was a talented young man, but I certainly hadn’t expected this. He has come a long way from his awkward screeching phase. Either you have found him an excellent teacher or he has come into his own naturally. The show was worth every penny they charged; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you had set aside an extra complimentary ticket in my name. I truly felt like the queen of England. What treatment!
I am so grateful for this but also grateful to have shared in a wonderful family moment. Even though I wasn’t able to stay long after the show, I am glad I was able to wish Little Joe congratulations. Perhaps he has a future on Broadway? It’s hard to get there, but he just might have what it takes!
If interested, I have a book in my inventory called How to Act & Eat at the Same Time by Tom Logan. If he’d like it, I can gift it to him. I’m not sure how one can write an entire book on acting while eating, but what do I know about it? Not much! I’ve oft watched actors such as Robert De Niro and Matt Damon sit down and eat a meal while delivering lines, and I hadn’t thought much about it until now. Surely there is an art to it that the layman like me doesn’t understand.
Many thanks,
Fawn
From: Florence Eakins
Sent: Sun, May 12, 2019 at 8:07 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Re: Great time
Hi Fawn,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Little Joe was thrilled you were able to make it, even if he was bouncing all over the place after the show. He gets so excited after curtain call.
I asked him if he wanted to read a book on acting and he said he did, so please feel free to send it over or stop by sometime. It’s very appreciated! Also, I wonder if the title instead suggests learning to keep yourself fed and bills paid while being a working actor? Either way, great stuff to learn!
Thanks again,
Flo
From: Mark Nilsen
Sent: Sun, May 12, 2019 at 11:21 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Subject: Regarding Ian McEwan
Hi Fawn,
Did your new employee actually stop by and harass my customer service manager about Ian McEwan’s visit? The price we are paying him is private; we won’t share it, so your strange tactics aren’t going to work.
Mark
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Sun, May 12, 2019 at 2:35 PM
To: Mark Nilsen
Re: Regarding Ian McEwan
Dear Mark,
My new volunteer worker, Jack, was merely asking your employee what they were paying Ian McEwan to come to their store. I’m sure you’ll be unhappy to find that Ian and I have been in contact, and he is considering visiting my bookshop as well as yours. This is not harassment but merely a business inquiry from one savvy businesswoman to another (though of course you are a man). I merely don’t want to short Ian or perhaps overpay him and embarrass you.
Since I walk by your store on a regular basis, I have in the past glanced in and seen Kyle Krazinsky at the counter or assisting customers; however, the last couple of times I failed to see him. Does he not work on Saturdays, or has he finally been fired? He worked for me for some time in the past and was a fairly competent employee but ended up being a little untrustworthy. I think he was the one who stole thousands of dollars’ worth of my books. I always found it a little suspicious that he quit shortly after I asked him to start keeping inventory. He is most likely running a nice racket online. If you haven’t fired him yet, keep an eye out.
Best,
Fawn
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Mon, May 13, 2019 at 10:09 AM
To: Jack Grisby
Subject: Books in the Basement
Dear Jack,
Please go down to the basement and identify which books do not have mold on them, bring them up, and shelve them in the former Mark Twain Room. It will become the Miscellaneous Room now. I think we have purged enough Tom Sawyer books to finally rid ourselves of the “specialist” status.
Fawn, Owner
May 15, 2019
I think the new person I hired is a bit slow. Either that or he doesn’t know what to think of me. Sometimes when I speak to him, his eyes become very wide and he just nods as if what I am saying to him is the word of God. As long as he does what he is told, I don’t really care what he thinks of me. I am finished trying to be friends with my employees.