It’s hair. You go bald for a couple of years and you’ll understand.
   I am a reader. In desperate times, I’ve been known to read the back of the cereal box. That’s a joke. I have no problem re-reading books I have enjoyed and I own enough of them that I have never been that desperate.
   I found it difficult to hold a book during chemo. They were either too heavy or too awkward with a needle in the back of my hand. I had looked at the e-readers, digital books, before I got sick and declined.
   With my difficulty holding books, I reconsidered and bought a Kindle.
   Now I wonder how I lived without it.
   Like many others I hate to see so many bookstores closed across the country due to the digital tomes. At the same time, I loved the ease of downloading a new book, at any hour, not being subject to set days and times.
   I can browse books at three a.m. if I choose.
   Although I read a lot of different genres my favorites are mysteries, the gentle kind, not the gory, explicit ones. I like to think it keeps my mind active figuring out who done it or why. I love the puzzles. Plus, some of my best friends are fictional, like Spenser and Hawk, or Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.
   They can get gritty but you know you’re safe when those guys are around.
   I admit to being nosy, whether it’s my preferred reading material or just genetics. I am that woman. You know, the one who watches the whole neighborhood.
   Okay, maybe not the whole neighborhood, just my two charges, the two houses that face mine. My aunt’s rules are simple: small pets are allowed with prior approval, visitors are asked to park on the street and not block the drive, and rents are due on the first. There is a ten day grace period, after which a late fee is added as a penalty.
   There are no exceptions.
   I consider it part of my job to keep an eye on the tenants, making sure they obey the rules and to watch over the grounds.
   My aunt has entrusted this property to me. I keep a close eye on both of my rental units and the neighborhood around us. I think it’s just a naturally inquisitive nature. Or like I said at first, I may just be nosy.
   I’m entitled. I’m a survivor.

 

Purchase Out of the Blue