Here Comes Trouble

 

 

            I just finished a book called, “One more thing.”  It is a book of life stories by Peter Falk, A.K.A. Colombo.

 

            He has had an interesting life, but nothing I would care for.  By book’s end I had a pretty good idea what the man was like.

 

            Having just said that, it made me wonder what ideas and opinions are formed about me, based solely upon my writings.  My goodness, just thinking back over my ramblings and some of the topics I have selected, I’d tag me as someone walking about with lose bandages and frayed wires.

 

            Then again, with assessments based entirely upon literary blatherings, one could read Jabberwocky and demand Lewis Carol be shot and his widow charged for the ammunition. 

 

            My latest plunge is into a book called, The Other Shulman, by Alan Zweibel.  Too soon for any opinions, but I am sorry I read the Internet reviews first.  I’ll avoid doing that in the future.  It’s one thing to form an opinion about someone I’ve never met, but to color it with pedestrian assessments from the Internet…   How tacky is that?

 

            Cutting to the chase, the topic of this Sunday Morning, as you may have guessed, is impressions, first or otherwise.

 

            I walked into the Rochester Hills Public Library armed with the little note I had written to myself.  That note was the name of the book, The Other Shulman, and the correct spelling of the author’s name, Alan Zweibel.

 

            To get to the Reference Desk I had to walk through the main lobby to the stairs leading to the second level.  As I started to climb the stairs I noticed immediately to my right, a tall, well-dressed lady staring blankly into the window of the gift shop.    Yes, the library has a gift shop.  I don’t understand it either.

 

            Anyway, something told me that this lady was not checking out anything in the window but was just trying hard to look as if she was, but I could see her looking out of the corner of her eye at me ascending the steps.  A couple more stairs and the thought had left my mind.

 

 

            Once at the Reference Desk I held my note out and asked where I might find this book.  The Reference Librarian looked it up and then stood up.  She handed my note back to me and explained that the books were organized according to the author’s last name.  “Because his last name starts with a Z, she said, this book would be in the very last row, against the far back wall and would probably be along the bottom shelf.  If the carpet looks brand new you’re in the right spot.”

 

            Obviously not a well-traveled aisle.  I headed towards my destination, looking forward to finding The Other Shulman.  Much to my surprise, as I was scanning the bottom shelf, the tall lady from the gift shop window came walking around the far end of the same aisle.

 

            I was a bit startled thinking how strange is that?  I mean, what are the odds that someone else at the very same moment, someone who made sure I had seen her moments ago down stairs would also be going to the most remote corner of the library?   If she was some kind of nut-job, then getting away from her as fast as I could was in order.

 

            I found Mr. Shulman, grabbed his jacket and headed for the stairs, thinking now that just maybe I was the one being scrutinized and assessed.  It’s all together possible that I looked shifty, or suspicious, and if this lady was with the library police then keeping a close watch on me was the right thing to do.

 

            One more thing, when I finish this book I have to return it to the library.  In the event I am abducted, accused, placed in a line-up or simply disappear without a trace, I expect the readership of this blog to form a posse, raise funds and falling short of vouching for my character, simply assume my innocence. And remember; be generous when writing Internet reviews.

 

Note:  The above was written several years ago and I can’t remember what the book was all about, however, if you are looking for a great book, search for; Here Comes Trouble, by Michael Moore.