I just have to tell this one and the dialogue occurred almost precisely
as I have written it...
After spending a delightful morning
at the show, looking at the exhibits and visiting the dealers, I
left to go to New York state for a commitment there. Naturally
I was running late.
As I drove up the New Jersey Turnpike, I needed to stop for gas,
and was a bit annoyed that I couldn't find a "self" operated pump.
Finally I stopped at a fueling area and a smiling man proceeded
to service the car. As he peered in the window as time to pay
came, he spotted something on the front seat: A copy of
"Shells of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies".
The cover has a colorful photograph of a femorale.
I had brought this along to help with any final IDing of the shells
for my own exhibit at the show, just in case it was needed).
" Please give me that book!" he said. " Shells ! Beautiful !".
"Must have !"
"What ?" I said. " Well, I would, but it's an autographed copy".
" Please give it to me ! Junonia ! Sanibel ! Love shells ! Beautiful."
I picked up the book and riffed through the pages. Sure enough, as I went
by the well-thumbed scaphella photograph page, his eye caught it and he
smiled excitedly "Junonia ! There !" I agreed.
"Please give me - rip out page and give me! Will wash car !"
Well, what was a person to do ? So, indeed, I tore off the covers,
and kept them and the autographed front page, rationalizing too that I
have another shell book autographed by that very special author we all
knew.
And I told myself that I could frame the covers and the signed page.
It would be easy enough as well to buy myself another copy of the book.
Before I handed it through to him I signed it "from one shell lover
to another, (which I knew this interaction had now become) . Then
something occurred to me. "Oh, would you like a
junonia ? " "Oh, yes, yes !". "I'll get you one if you give me
your address". He scrawled it on the back of a Mobil receipt, now
totally beaming with pleasure. (and I do have one for him which I'll
mail when I can get to the post office).
Declining the offer of the car wash, I said I had to be getting on.
I smiled all the way to Poughkeepsie.
- Karen
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