Getting Four Books and a Ballpoint Pen

The week following the Sunday that I don’t go to Abids for my weekly book hunt, I usually go around feeling as I’ve missed a major dose of something essential to my well-being. Feverishly, I begin to count the days to the next Sunday. I hadn’t been to Abids this Sunday but I am not feeling that way this week.

Due to a combination of reasons, I had to miss the visit to the Abids book bazaar on Sunday. I had to take my son to the doctor where it got late, there was a big political rally that made me nervous about the resultant traffic jams and besides, I wasn’t really feeling well. I was feeling a bit low all day on Sunday missing the familiar sight, sounds and even, smell of the books at Abids. The missus was glad that for once the Sunday had been book-free. I too felt the same, though grudgingly, since I had resolved to buy fewer books this year and missing the Abids trip meant fewer books on my table. But fate had other plans.

In the evening a friend who had sold his house arrived bearing a big shopping bag. There were about two dozen books inside. He told me to choose the books I wanted. This was weird. I was getting all these books for free. I felt like a dog being offered a tray of juicy bones to chew. Who said beggars cannot be choosers?

From the pile I picked up Somerset Maugham’s ‘Of Human Bondage’, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, Pearl S Buck’s ‘The Good Earth’ and Richard Carlson’s ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff; It Is All Small Stuff’. The books were a real treasure and I was absolutely delighted to get them. Thank God for such wonderful friends!

I guess this is true for those who love books: If they don’t go to the books, the books will come to them.

But that’s not the end of the delightful Sunday. Later in the evening, I met another old friend who presented me with a beautiful Parker ballpoint pen. It was all steel with a gold clip. A nice ballpoint was something I was looking forward to buy. Though I love to write with fountain pens, sometimes I feel it is a real chore to unscrew the cap and write, especially when you are in a hurry or in an awkward position. This Parker was heaven-sent for me.

I felt very happy getting four books and a pen on the first Sunday of the New Year. It was a perfect start to the new year for one who loves books and pens. Lucky me!