Confessions of a Curious Bookseller(85)
Jack.
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Mon, Jul 15, 2019 at 10:30 AM
To: Jack Grisby
Re: Day off
Jack,
Yes, of course you can. I am sorry you have to go and get a tetanus shot. Let me know how everything goes.
The funeral was fine, thank you. Mother was a wreck and foolishly flung herself over his casket in the middle of church. Who does she think she is, Meryl Streep? The nicest thing my father ever did for her was tell her when she had food in her teeth. I am grateful to have been pulled out of there.
Fawn, Owner
P.S. You are doing a great job on the punctuation. Your emails no longer make me feel as if I’m on a roller coaster operated by Jake Barnes on a bender.
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<LOCATED IN WEST PHILADELPHIA>
From: Gregory Harris
Sent: Tue, Jul 16, 2019 at 8:00 AM
To: Fawn Windsor
Subject: Update
Dear Fawn,
That’s it; I’ve done it! I have purchased myself a ticket to Philly, and you better believe a visit to the emporium is on the books. I am very excited to see it and your American counterpart. How are you doing, my dear?
Regards,
Gregory
From: Fawn Windsor
Sent: Tue, Jul 16, 2019 at 11:13 AM
To: Gregory Harris
Re: Update
Gregory,
I am ever so excited that you will be in Philadelphia in August! Not that I will be there to greet you, but that you have solidified your plans. One mustn’t go through life never experiencing this city. And contrary to what I told you, Fawn’s store is doing so much better because, you see, a sinkhole has taken her nemesis’s store. It wasn’t a terrible sinkhole where everything was just gone—but it was almost that bad. The back of the store fell in first, causing the front of the store to topple back and out. Fawn and her first mate (as she likes to call him), Jack, ran in and rescued all the cats with expert speed—or so I’ve been told. The owner truly owes her a great debt of gratitude. And you should have seen him! The day after she rescued his cats, he paid a visit to her store, bringing with him a large bouquet of wildflowers. It was just about the kindest thing that has ever happened to her.
And since then, due to his store’s vanishing act, customer volume has gone up! It’s funny, when it comes right down to it, how tenuous loyalty can be.
In my news, life is dull. The mornings are hot and foggy, and most days it has rained. I may take a trip to the south of Spain just to get away from this dreadful British weather.
Much love,
Fawn Windsor
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BRING YOUR PET TO THE BOOKSTORE DAY!
Stop by the Curious Cat Book Emporium this Saturday, July 20, for our first annual Bring Your Pet to the Bookstore Day! Just because the Grumpy Mug Bookstop is no longer with us does not mean we can’t sit around some precious tomes and cuddle with our beloved pets! Every participant gets a free cup of coffee. Free dog treats will also be available.
Animals must be leashed or restrained at all times. They MUST be housebroken. The following animals will not be allowed in the store: snakes, rats, mice, squawking birds, monkeys, hamsters, horses (oversize animals of any kind), and ferrets.
From: Jack Grisby
Sent: Sat, Jul 20, 2019 at 6:45 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Subject: Animals
Hi Fawn,
I am really worried about today. Will the dogs be leashed? Will they be with their owners all the time? I am really worried about this. Can I stay in the basement.
Jack
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Sat, Jul 20, 2019 at 7:46 AM
To: Jack Grisby
Re: Animals
Jack,
There is nothing to worry about. If they “go” in the store, please be ready to clean it. I will, of course, then ask the guilty party to leave.
Fawn, Owner
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Sat, Jul 20, 2019 at 7:18 PM
To: Jack Grisby
Re: Animals
Jack,
Thank you for your help and your bravery today. I know being around that little poodle was hard for you. Even though we only had that one participant plus Mark who brought Scooch, it was still well worth it.
Fawn, Owner
From: Tabitha Birchill
Sent: Sun, Jul 21, 2019 at 11:01 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Subject: Will
Dear Fawn,
I hope you plan to attend the reading of your father’s will on the twenty-fourth. If you need it, Florence and I would be happy to pick you up at the train station before and drop you off there after.
Life has been so strange without him. Often when I lie in bed at night, I can still feel the weight of his body beside me, and I can still smell his Preferred Stock cologne. I know he wasn’t in bed with me the last few months, but he was at least alive. In my heart I think I hoped he would come home. But now it is clear he will not, so that missing weight beside me is all the more difficult. I hope that you are faring all right through this. Know that you can always talk to me. I know you had a complicated relationship with him, but he loved you very much—even though he showed it in funny ways.