A Tale of Two
By Tan M. Nguyen
Ivan McPhearson walked through
Suddenly, a mass of people flowed into Ivan's direction. What the hell is going on? Ivan wondered. He looked up, and found himself on Ring Road. Apparently those street peddlers were back, ready to sell more unhealthy candy, funky shoes, and other useless items. Ivan looked around. How the hell could anyone buy this crap? Ah, what the hell. Let's just look around. Maybe I'll splurge on something useless just to make me feel better.
He wandered around the shops, looking for nothing in particular. The CD's didn't have the bands he liked. The posters shop only carried weird movie posters from the 80's. The other posters shop had weird Japanese anime. Ivan smiled. Maybe I'll go to the book section and buy myself organic chemistry cliff notes. Books were his passion. He used to read day in and day out in the library back home in
The books for sale were all used. Many of the pages were yellow, even torn. But Ivan didn't mind. It actually increased the appeal for him. There was just something timeless about the touch of an old book, and something special about the stories they contained. He closed his weary eyes, letting his hands slide over the books. The sensation soothed him. It had been a long day. Then, his hands went over something soft and delicate. It was smooth and warm to the touch. Ivan opened his eyes. He had felt the hands of another customer. A beautiful customer. Long dark hair, piercing green eyes, and tan skin. Oh, she was beautiful alright. She was also in Ivan's organic chemistry class. He noticed her everyday from across the lecture hall.
Ivan quickly looked away, grabbed a book, and murmured a vague apology as he felt the heat rising from his cheeks. Oh good job Ivan. REAAL smooth, he thought to himself. The one chance you have to talk to this girl, and you blow it. He smiled. Well, if it were the movies, dramatic music would have played, and we would have clicked instantly. Too bad real life doesn’t work that way. He looked at the book he picked up. It was Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. A really old copy of A Tale of Two Cities. Ivan opened up the front page and saw it was signed, "April Peterson. February 6, 1957." I wonder who April was. I hope she liked this book as much as I did. I bet she liked Sydney Carton's character. I wish I was Carton's character. Maybe I would have the eloquence to talk to that ochem girl. Well…Carton didn't end up getting that girl Lucie. Maybe I don't want to be Carton. Hahaha…
Little did Ivan know, a pair of piercing green eyes was watching him…
***
April always enjoyed the spring days. There was just something about the slight breeze in her hair, the warmth of the sun on her cheeks, and the chirping in her ears. It was a beautiful day. But most of all, the spring brought the annual book fair to her home in
It made her very ecstatic to see so many books at one time. Each one promised a new adventure, a new romance…anything to break the monotony of her home. Nothing made her feel so warm inside. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
"Howdy April! Happy New Year’s!" April turned around from the bookshelf…and faced Johnny Trenton, the school's hunky, funky star quarterback. Well, there was one other thing that made her feel warm…and she always felt warm when she saw him two rows ahead of her in English class.
"Oh! Hi Johnny. You're a little late for that. It's been 1957 for about two months now." April was never phased by beauty. Sure, she was infatuated with him since the 3rd grade, but it didn't mean she was going to bow down and kiss his feet. Unlike most girls, she refused to buy into that helpless, adore-my-hero stereotype. Maybe it was why she didn't have a date for this Saturday's prom yet. Ah well. Books are better anyways.
"Well you were the one who missed the New Year's bash at my dad's farm. So I owe you. Besides, I read the other day that the Orientals celebrated the New Year at this time. Something to do with the moon cycle. Isn't that cool?”
“Johnny, we live in
Johnny turned slightly red. A vague uncertainty lit his face as he squirmed ever so slightly in place. “Well…you know…I read too.”
“I don't believe you. You are asleep all the time in English class."
"Haha, that's because Mr. Jones insists on analyzing Carton all wrong! I mean, Carton's not simply just a loser, broken version of Darnay. He's deeper, more thought provoking. They aren't twins. And I'm not going to listen to that nonsense. I rather rest before my practice."
"My…I didn't know you thought so much about A Tale of Two Cities. It's my favorite book you know."
"Well then, you would know that Penguin Classics has released a new copy of that book, complete with gold lining and a new foreword by Joseph Murdock."
"Oh really? Well…I rather buy something else. I already have a copy of it."
"Well, if it's your favorite book, let me buy it for you…Mr. Alabaster, how much?”
Mr. Alabaster looked up from his desk. "Oh that one? 2 dollars."
“What?!?!" exclaimed April. "The sign there says $1. What are you trying to pull?" She didn't really want a second copy of A Tale of Two Cities. But it's not everyday the star quarterback pays this much attention to you and buys you something.
"Miss, that's a brand new book. Of course it's gonna cost more."
"April, don't worry about it, for you, I'll pay $2."
"Haha, that's sweet Johnny it really is. Tell me, are you hitting on me?"
Johnny looked into her piercing green eyes, and smiled. Damn, how'd you know? "Of course not. It's just the truth. I would pay $2 for you. You’re that cool. Besides, we’ve known each other since the 3rd grade." Heat was rising under his collar, and he knew it was not from the sun. He took a pen out, opened the new book to the front page, and wrote “April Peterson. February 6, 1957.” As he handed the book over to April, he sheepishly looked at her. "So….what are you doing this Saturday…?"
*****
Lana Nguyen's heart jumped. O.m.g., he finally said something to me! Too bad I don't know what he said…too bad I don't know his name! She looked at Ivan. He was so cute. It was something about his dark complexion, and his serious eyes. On the other hand, Lana had weird green ones inherited from someone on her mother's side. She idly fantasized about this boy every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in ochem lecture. It almost cost her the midterm, but luckily, she studied meticulously over the past 2 weeks.
Lana didn't think she was stalking him. Sure she knew absolutely nothing about him, and sure she hadn't read a book in years, but that was because she didn't have time. She used to have The Cat in the Hat memorized from start to finish. She drifted over to the science fiction section, pretending to be interested in William Shatner's books. She watched out of the corner of her eye how carefully Ivan handled that book that caused him to touch her hand. He took such an interest in it. What was that book?....A Tale of Two Cities! She once read that book too! Well, actually, she read sparknotes.com for that book. Ivan placed the book back down, and left.
Lana sensed that he was really sad. It only made her more attracted to him. She was one of those people who couldn't help but try to get involved with other people's problems, and then ended up falling in love with them when they got better. It was just something about the serious people. Sure, they smiled and laughed less, but when they did, the smile was more precious to Lana. And that book…it made him smile. Maybe she should read it, and then talk to him about it. Get a grip, Lana. You are fantasizing again. Just like that one time you dreamt you took him to the candy shop and… It was Lana’s turn to smile. Maybe I should read that book. After all, college was all about self-motivated learning right?
She gingerly picked up A Tale of Two Cities and walked to the cashier. The elderly lady at the register had watched the whole exchange. She had enough experience in her old body to know mutual attraction when she saw it. She also had enough experience to know the blindness of youth when she saw it. Perhaps one day for them… The elderly lady smiled. The girl has green eyes, like me. Maybe the green will bring her luck, like it did to me. The lady’s mind drifted back to fond memories from the distant past, when
Lana took out her wallet, "3 dollars right ma'am?"
The elderly lady came back to her senses. She saw the book Lana held. She could recognize the gold lining from anywhere. She thought for a moment, and smiled. “No, for you…$2.”
"Why thank you! Thank you …." Lana leaned in to look at the lady's name tag. "….April
"No, Thank you."