Yesterday's find

 

It was an old book, but it wasn’t in a bookstore or library.  I spotted it in an antique shop.  It caught my attention simply because of the way it looked.  I moved on a little down the aisle but found myself coming back to it to check it out again.  It was a deep, rich-looking leather, with rustic-looking lettering, sort of a scroll style font.

Not all that thick, yet it seemed substantial.  It was heavy for its size.  The pages were thin, almost transparent but not.  They looked frail but didn’t feel that way.  Just holding it made me feel good.  Not sure why.  A great deal went into the appearance of this book and I was curious to see if the contents lived up to the hype.

I was hoping the first sentence would give me a clue.  I opened it carefully and turned to the dedication page. 

To Nora – After the Storm

Now I was very curious.  What did that mean?  I turned the book over to see what price had been put on this.  A small white tag showed $140.00

I was going to have to think long and hard on this.  Never have I paid that much for a book before.  Maybe this was a first-edition or signed by the author.  Hopefully there was a hundred-dollar bill tucked between the pages.  I slipped my cell phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture of the cover.  I was thinking - this is going to be one of those things that I'll always wonder about.  Should I have bought it?  Was it really worth the price?

For now, I'd be content to walk away with a picture of it.  I'd never have to worry about it getting damaged, or a page getting torn.  My picture and memory of it would always be in perfect condition.