by Tamara Smith
For Under $10 I love to read. At the age of four, I proudly pronounced, ‚I wanted to learn‛ and was intent on doing just that. Growing up I was teased because I would rather read a book than play ‚red light, green light‛, ‚Red Rover‛, or other childhood games. I would stay up late at night, with a flashlight under the covers and read the remaining pages of a book I could not put down. My ‚unhealthy‛ interest in reading, as some would say, arises from my mother’s obsession with literature. She always tells me ‚a good book carries you into its world, but a great book keeps you there.‛ When my mother was single and free from the responsibility that comes with marriage (kids, taking care of the house, juggling between her work at home and on the job), she would plan an all day trip to visit the local Barnes and Noble Bookstore. She would order a cappuccino and hunt until she found the ‚perfect‛ spot, where there was enough sunlight to warm her arms as she sat in a corner almost enclosed by bookshelves on every side, but spacious enough to allow her to extend her legs. With her coffee in her left hand and a moderately sized book in her right, surrounded by the greatest and most influential writers of all time, she threw herself in the book of her choice and explored the realms of its world until reality set in and she had to attend to her various errands and tasks. She would indulge in this sweet guiltless pleasure as many times as she could, which was more often than not. To her reluctance, after acquiring a husband and a family, she has not had the time to feed the fire for her literary passion and relish in her favorite pastime. If I had ten dollars to plan a day’s escapade, I would take my mother to her beloved niche. She would not have to worry about what she would make for dinner or how many loads she needs to wash or if the dog has been fed. For once, it would be about what she would like to do, not what she has to do. I would order two cappuccinos at a $3.95 each for my mother and I and we would both hunt for the ‚perfect‛ spot. We would spend our day curled up beside one another with a good book in one hand and coffee in the other. We would peek over the covers of our novels with eyes brimming with the satisfaction that mouths can never speak, and then my mother would bare her entire face and wink while she mouths a ‚thank you‛. The value of the smile in her eyes and the expressions of ecstasy on her face would be worth much more than the ten dollars (with a little left to spare) I spend on ridiculously expensive coffee or the time spent in the bookstore. For her, it would be more than a trip to Barnes & Nobles; it would ignite her spark for reading and allow her time to, simply, relax. I know at times she gets tired, but she never complains about the tasks before her, but attacks them head on and finishes with a certain finesse that few ever master. I know how much something like that would mean to her. She deserves more than ten dollars could ever provide, but for her and me this small trip would be priceless.
36 SAeSense
“ The value of the smile in her eyes and the expressions of ecstasy on her face would be worth much more than the ten dollars (with a little left to spare) I spend on ridiculously expensive coffee or the time spent in the bookstore.”