Nameless Stranger - A Good Book

When I was 9 years old I read at least one book a day. I quickly went through the entire young adults section of the library in my small town. My parents took me to bookstores and book exchanges. I sold old books to keep myself in new ones. However, my parents had very little money at the time and often I had to re-read old books for a week or two while I waited for there to be funds available for new books.

During this time I was in a bookstore trying to maximize my selection. How many books? Should I choose fewer lengthier books? Should I choose marked down books I might not like? A woman in the aisle noticed my conundrum right as my mom came to hurry me to the cash register. Regretfully, I put one book back knowing I didn’t have enough books to last me to the next week.  I checked out and we walked out into the cold autumn evening to go to my parents’ night jobs.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the woman from the aisle holding the book I had put back on the shelf. Handing it to me she said, “This one was a good choice, I know I liked it.”

Then she hurried off before thank you ever had a chance to escape my mouth. It was a random act of kindness that I think of daily and try to emulate at all times.