This Is Paradise (part two)

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Continued from part one...

I wasn't sure how to respond to seeing a picture of my immediate boss's images of her naked. Since she thought of me as an aesthete, I mentioned to her I like how the shadows played on her torso. She nodded her head slowly and told me that was a good point. She overlooked that, and I also mention that her hair looks healthy and vibrant in the photo. I put my hand on my chin, stroked it a few times, and asked if I can say something personal about the image she is showing me. She said, "yes."

"It's obvious that your boyfriend, who took these photos of you, must love you greatly." She looked at me and smiled at me. "You really think so?"

"Oh yes, without a doubt." I took the phone out of her hands to study the image more closely. "This is an image taken by a man of his loved one, who must have been together for quite a while now."

She nodded her head to say "no." We have only been together for two weeks." I remember thinking of having a surprise look on my face and said, "You are joking with me, right?" At this point, I started to have feelings for her. Not in an "I love you" manner, but more of a time spent in a heated series of moments right after she tells me that she is disappointed in my shelving books at work.

It seems like the boyfriend who took these photos is a customer of the store. She didn't give out that information right away, but she let it slip out that he is a long-term visitor to Paradise and has purchased many books from her. I remember her spending time with an older gentleman, a very handsome man. He stood out because although much older than her, he had a full head of hair, wore strip shirts all the time (I never seen him here without a striped shirt), and blue 501 straight-legged levis, with converse high-top tennis shoes. He dresses young but somewhat comfortable in his skin and presents himself as someone confident. When he is in the store, I often thought of him that I wish I were more like him. And now, knowing that he takes intimate images of his girlfriend who works at the bookstore, he must be a smooth operator as well. However, I have to keep in mind not to jump to conclusions because she is telling very little about him so far.

Of course, now I'm inquisitive about him. "He wrote a book, right?" She said, "Yes." She took the phone away from my hands and placed it in her back hip pocket. "He's the guy who wrote a memoir about his childhood and being raised by his boho parents. I didn't read the whole book yet, but it's in small chapters, and it's easy to read during break time." She then looked at me seriously and said, "I never want to catch you reading while you're on the floor or behind the register. I shook my head no and said, "You can rest assured that will never happen with me." She then pulled me aside closer to her and said, "Although I do like to know your opinion about his book. Will you read it and give me your thoughts about him...I mean on his book?" I told her, "of course."

May I tell you more?

End of Part Two, Part three ... to be continued.