The fact that American culture isn’t such a big deal in this part of Europe strikes me as a boon as I feel the freedom anonymity grants me; the rare ability to be a normal fucking person who can walk down a street without someone looking twice, unless it’s to smile and saybuna diminea?a(good morning). It’s refreshing.
I take in a deep breath through my nose, enjoying the comforting warmth of the air, much less humid than the Georgia summers I’m used to.
It’s gonna be a good day.
Because for the first time in nearly two months, I foresee having my best friend back.
And after I orchestrate a little photo shoot for her and post it to my stories, I draft a text to send her before I go to bed tonight, once she’s had time to see today’s story.
Me
Save the latest episode to watch with me?
And when I wake up the next morning to a reply, I know it’s going to be okay.
Gem
You got it, kid.
I can get through these next three weeks. Because my Gem is waiting for me when I get home.
SEVENTEEN
GEMMA
“There was lots of sex in it.”
“The heroine was wearing a corset.”
“The guy on the cover had his shirt ripped open.”
“They shared one bed.”
I thought my knowledge of romance books was pretty decent, but let me tell you: it has beentestedsince my initiative to get a group for romance readers going here at the library.
Somehow, the idea has gotten some traction, both on our social media presence and at the branch itself, with the cheesy signs I whipped up using my (almost adequate) design skills. Apparently it’s given me a bit of a reputation as a romance whiz and made me the go-to gal for questions, recommendations, and more. The campaign has pulled spicy readers out of the woodworks, with women of all ages approaching me at the desk to inquire about the meetings, activities we do, and even ask for my help to track down that one book they loved so much once upon a time.
Do youknowhow many romance books have a girl with a corset on the cover? I’m starting to think that’s the only thing cover artists designed for a couple decades there. Regardless, I’ve becomeveryfamiliar with the genre, beyond my own classicfaves and what BookTok and Bookstagram have introduced me to.
Turns out, Brenda was a bit of an avid reader of romance back in the 80s and 90s, so she’s been able to help a lot of patrons whom I wasn’t able to. Luckily, my recommendations have been a stronger suit for me, going over like two-for-one pitchers of margaritas at ladies’ night almost every single time I’ve steered readers in a certain direction.
A pat on the back might be in order, but who’s to say for sure? Okay, it’s me. I say it.
At our second meeting, just last week, one of the girls who’d simply beendevouringmy recs since I introduced her to something beyond YA around a month ago gave me a heartfeltthank youfor all of my suggestions and input, as well as for forming this budding group of avid readers. Since so many of us are introverts by nature, it gave us a place we feel comfortable to connect with other ladies who share similar passions and interests to our own, and allowed for connection and interaction when, as introverts, that’s something that can be quite hard to come by. I might have gotten teary eyed.
All in all, the test run has been going better than expected and Brenda is thrilled with my initiative on it. She’s mentioned getting a few different volunteers to do similar groups for other genres, like a non-fiction group, and Ken offered to lead a sci-fi and fantasy group aimed at male readers. (Side note: I’dloveto be a fly on the wall in that group.) She’s asked me to help with setting up the logistics and doing some marketing for each of them, just like I did on the romance one, and my insides felt a little sparkly when I got a little vision of the friendships and bonds we could help create in the community through a mutual love of books.
“You can go now, I got the front covered, darlin’.” Brenda’s kind voice breaks through my thoughts and I turn to faceher where she stands above me, my hands still resting on the keyboard and mouse of the computer I’ve been working on at the front desk.
“Oooh, is that the design for the next poster?” She sounds genuinely impressed with my mediocre skills on a free design site, and it makes me smile. That smile and my nod are enough of a response for her and shetsksproudly. “I’ll never know how you manage to do that. It looks so good!”
There are so many people from older generations who just don’t know what is possible with the technology most of us take for granted, and how easy it really is, so it kinda feels like cheating to impress them with so little effort. Brenda isdefinitelyone of these folks.
“It’s easier than you’d think, I promise,” I tell her, deflecting her praise.
She waves me off with a “Pish posh, you’ve got real talent, darlin’,” which makes me blush, and she sends me on my way to my lunch break.
Saturdays are our longest day, being open from ten to seven, so she gives me an extra long lunch break while we have the help of several volunteers, just in case she can’t let me go home at five or six if we’re slammed. I’m taking the chance to sneak in a lunch with my parents, who I feel guilty for not spending more time with despite my lighter schedule of late. I almost laugh that six days a week islighterfor me, but it is. And still, I’ve only managed to see them a handful of times this whole summer.
