Best short story I've ever read that I wish I had written...
“What are you reading?”
standing in this labyrinth of bestsellers i try to convey a look of genuine interest. despite being truly interested i know i am failing miserably. i am completely lost in this moment, how many seconds have passed since i spoke? this is Einsteins theory at work. She was not pretty by any normal means, but she was an awkward cute that appealed to me. she appealed specifically to me and i had blown it. i used the “do you come here often” of bookstores. the moments that matter most are the easiest to completely fail at. Her head is shifting up to search for the source of my voice. then without hesitating she responds and without touching the subject of religion her tone makes me question god.
“A book i wish i had written.”
mentalist call it a pattern interrupt; something so unexpected it takes you out of auto pilot. i am now living and thinking in real time. instead of replying a standard response and coasting through a conversation, i find myself thinking, really trying to process her words. She shifts so slightly that some parts of her baggy sweatshirt are not affected. Suddenly the subject of my first question was dwarfed. i asked for a title and she gave me an aspiration.
“why, whats it about?”
Once in a movie it was said that people don’t really listen, they just wait for their turn to speak. If i could continue this without speaking i would. i feel that what she has to say; what she can really tell me, would only be hindered by my involvement in the conversation. This is the first time Ive been impatient to hear a response.
“I’m not really sure, i just started reading. So far nothing has happened.”
I consciously intensify the look of interest on my face, hoping she will continue without my words derailing her thoughts.
“but it makes me feel like i have walked into something epic, like i missed the beginning.”
” so you wished you wrote it so you’d know what you walked into?”
its called a pattern interrupt. for the first time she looks me in the eye. she has left autopilot.
“your right, but i don’t want to know. so i guess I’m glad i didn’t write it. That’s the best part you know, when the tone is set but the story still has infinite possibilities”
She stirs slightly then closes the book and pulls her legs out from under her to plant them on the ground. it only takes her a few seconds to find exactly where she found the book, and she returns it. Walking back over to where I am, she seems nervous for the first time.
“for the rest of my life that will be the best book i ever almost read.”
I love her. She has set the tone and given us infinite possibility. No girl I ever meet could compare to how I see her at this moment, not even her. As I turn to walk away I can see a hint of hurt on her face. Someday she will understand.
by my really talented friend, Jason Berger
