“I cannot live
without books.”
~Thomas Jefferson
Like most of you, I suspect, I read constantly. My
parents used to tell me I’d ruin my eyes if I kept reading so much. I’d say
they were right, except that my brother, who doesn’t read much, has the same
vision problems I do.
Anyway, my days are framed in books, morning to night,
24/7/365. I’ll read anytime, anyplace, but there is something special about
summer reading. Those long, golden evenings call to me. Even more, I especially
love the clear cool mornings, when I can sneak out of bed and spend an hour in
my current alternative world before I have to face the demands of the day.
Which brings to mind an adventure. When I was a kid, I
not only snuck out of bed, I snuck out of the house. I had a private little
nook just out of sight from the house, and I’d wake at first light, tiptoe
outside, and read until the neighbor let his dog out. That was my signal to
slip back into bed before my household roused. To this day, I don’t believe
anyone ever suspected. The memory is very sweet.
A couple years later, in a new home, I tried the same
trick. It was a bit harder, because my dad had installed heavier locks after a
rash of burglaries in the neighborhood. Still, the call of the early summer morning
couldn’t be denied, and I hid in the dense shrubs at the back of the yard,
engrossed in a book. Was it still The
Black Stallion, or had I graduated to Ray Bradbury? I don’t remember.
I do, however, remember the uproar when my dad got up
early and discovered the unlocked door. Alarums and excursions! Roust my siblings,
scream and shout, call the cops! I stuck my finger in my book and ambled
inside. Sheesh, I was right outside the door. Can’t a gal get some privacy?
Dad grounded me for a week. At thirteen, I welcomed the
extra time to read, even if I had to do it in my bedroom instead of out on the
grass. Oh, and I had to wash the dishes every night. Fortunately, I’d grown
tall enough to prop a book on the windowsill above the sink. As I said, I’ll
read anytime, anyplace. Especially in the summer.
