Confessions of a Curious Bookseller(7)
And yet, shouldn’t I see him? This man who never said a tender word to me in my whole life? Should I rise above by picking up the phone or jumping on the train? Frankly, at the moment, all I can think about is going back to sleep. I must stop drinking in bed.
Dear Fawn,
I found chicken parmesan in my refrigerator. Did you or my daughter leave it? I heated it in the microwave, and it was good.
—Jane, your tenant
From: Mark Nilsen
Sent: Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 8:02 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Subject: Introduction
Good morning, Fawn,
My name is Mark, and I’m the owner of the new bookstore down the street. I’m so sorry I haven’t stopped by in person yet, but things have been nonstop here since we moved in. I would love to sit down with you sometime for coffee and a talk. Do you have a free half hour in the coming weeks? Maybe we can discuss ways in which we can work together. At the very least, it would be great to sit down with a fellow bibliophile.
Sincerely,
Mark
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 8:17 AM
To: Mark Nilsen
Re: Introduction
Dear Mark,
How nice of you to reach out to me! Though it would be lovely to meet, I am so very busy with Black Friday approaching. Surely you understand (or maybe not?) that it is a very busy time for successful businesses like mine and so next to impossible to meet each and every local store owner that reaches out to me. As you may know, I have been in business for a very long time and have established quite a loyal following, so it is paramount that I meet the needs of my customers first and meet fellow business owners second.
I couldn’t help but notice that you are closed on Sundays. Is this for religious reasons, or do you close because you’d like to have a day off? It might be wiser to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as most people are working weekdays and shopping on the weekends. Food for thought!
Perhaps another time we can make introductions, and I can give you some advice on your new business. At the start, I would suggest doing a better job landscaping your small front lawn, as it is the outside of your store as much as the inside that will draw people in. I’m sure you’re simply hoping it will snow soon and cover the dead leaves, grass, and ever-present candy wrappers and soda cups; however, I hear this winter is supposed to have minimal snow, so I certainly wouldn’t rely on nature in this case!
Best of luck!
Fawn Birchill, Owner, The Curious Cat Book Emporium (a Mark Twain specialist store)
From: Jacob Whitney
Sent: Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 9:52 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Subject: Manifest
Greetings!
Attached please find the manifest. I’ll see what I can do about getting the books out to you before Black Friday. Since there are so many, this will be costly both in time and money. No promises, but I’ll do my best.
Regards,
Jacob
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 12:20 PM
To: Jacob Whitney
Re: Manifest
Dear Mr. Whitney,
Though it was somewhat helpful for volume’s sake, the manifest you sent me certainly wasn’t what I was hoping for, which was to receive the titles of these many books and not simply the number of books you will sell to me. Nevertheless, I will take them off your hands. I cannot spend my time arguing about the manifest since Black Friday is approaching. I have mailed you the check as requested, so you should see it in your mailbox soon. Perhaps this will drive the idea home that I am very serious about having these books before the most important selling day of the year. I will pay the extra delivery costs to ensure they arrive sooner than early December. Though I understand that life moves a bit slower out in Paoli, please remember that I am the owner of a retail store and as such it would be detrimental not to have this exciting inventory to incentivize customers to walk through my door. Please reconsider.
Many thanks,
Fawn Birchill, Owner, The Curious Cat Book Emporium (a Mark Twain specialist store)
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 11:30 PM
To: Tabitha Birchill
Subject: Thank you
Mother,
Thank you for the birthday card and the Starbucks gift card! I had never been in a Starbucks before to order a drink—I usually go just to buy their coffee beans—but the card inspired me to give it a try. I have never been so overwhelmed in all my life. There are code names for sizes and variants on how much flavor one pumps into the cup to determine the strength of the drink. The young woman in front of me ordered a two-pump nonfat no-whip venti white mocha (I wrote it down). Instead of decoding the menu and holding up the lengthening line, I just asked the cashier to duplicate her order. It was actually quite good. I don’t know how the young men and women keep it all together behind the counter. I have never done anything like it before, aside from that horrible job busing tables when I was sixteen. I kept confusing the regular with the decaf coffee. I hope those baristas are paid a hefty salary for their wizardry. I am fortunate to have such a slow-paced occupation.
I wish you would come visit the store. Your dust allergies can be regulated with medicine, and Butterscotch is declawed and therefore completely harmless. He’s a very interesting cat in that he is so uncatlike and reminds me more of a rabbit or a lamb. My staff consists of three young people, all in their twenties. Sometimes I think they are some of my closest friends. As you know, I never had many growing up (Father kept us too busy with his store), so it’s important to me that I have found camaraderie in them. Our tight-knit friendship would be apparent if you could see it yourself. I feel truly rich. Do visit soon; I am getting an embarrassment of Mark Twain books shortly, and I’d love for you to see it all shelved and alphabetized in its glory.