Congrats to Amber Deitrich, winner of our Valentine’s Day Story Contest. Amber’s entry, which I can only guess is a true-life email/craigslist exchange between possible paramours, encapsulates the essence of being young and living in Austin in the 21st century. Plus, it mentions BookPeople, so we love it. Thanks to everyone who entered.
You Had Blond Hair (Book People) – w4m (26)
I saw you in nonfiction. You had crumpled hair, dirty jeans (with the right leg rolled up – cyclist?) and an equally abused paperback sticking out of your back pocket. I don’t usually send these things, but I felt myself watching you in this honest, curious, voyeuristic way and wanted to learn more. You held up each book as if it was a museum. It was if each one contained a menagerie of: thoughts, art, literature, and beauty to you. I like to think of myself that way; I want someone to look at me that way. I have a story to tell and a lot to give; I guess my cover isn’t so bad (Doc Martens, cut-off shorts, and black jacket), but I don’t find myself translating so well to most people. Perhaps I’m a foreign-language book. Perhaps I’m speaking the wrong language.
Connecting with you is a long-shot; I bet you won’t even read this (I never read these), but I want to know your story.
This is awkward… (Book People) – m4w (27)
I was wandering around trying to find some book on gardening for my roommate (we just got chickens and we are getting domestic as hell). I’m usually more of a fiction reader and I saw you kind looking at me from the art section. You had on fingerless gloves (cyclist?) and a black jacket.
I was too shy (read: stupid) to say anything. I can’t believe I’m posting this, but… I am. I read this book recently by Italo Calvino called ‘If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler’ and it’s about this guy and this girl and they meet in a bookshop and they buy this book and things go awry; I kind of hope that for once, things in my life go awry.
To: Matt
From: Kim
Subject: CL MC!!
Look at Missed Connections dude. You are seriously on there! I remember what you were wearing that day you got our gardening book!
To: Kim
From: Matt
Subject: Re: CL MC!!
No fucking way. That’s not me.
Okay, maybe it is but like… What if it’s a joke?
To: Amber
From: Chris
Subject: Busted.
I know you left a missed connection for that dude you saw before we had coffee. You are such a stalker.
To: Chris
From: Amber
Subject: Re: Busted.
Excuse me? Who’s the stalker here? Yeah. I can’t believe I did that. It’s not like this guy is going to see it and respond to me; he might even be lame. I am consoling myself with this: “Maybe he’s lame.”
To: [anonymous]
From: Matt
Subject: Re: You Had Blond Hair (Book People)
I dunno if this was for me or if this was a joke or whatever, but I think I know who you are and yeah. Cool. Thank you. Want to meet for coffee sometime?
From: Amber
To: Matt
Subject: Re: Re: You Had Blond Hair (Book People)
Yeah! That was totally weird of me, but let’s do it! Want to meet at Book People (again)?
p.s. that’s my favorite book.
BookPeople 