I'm not quite sure when it crept up on me, but mid-summer, I started feeling the 6-month itch. Something was missing in our relationship. I had a need that wasn't being met. How many times did it honestly think I could read it? It got too comfortable...complacent. And so it began, as many affairs do, in the Adult Fiction Section at Borders. I wasn't going to buy anything....really. I was just looking. I mean, our vows didn't say anything about reading a simple synopsis or "appreciating" another book cover. But then, my eyes fell upon this:
It wasn't really cheating. I mean...it was the same author and everything. Right? It was more like kissing my husband's cousin after one glass too many of Pinot Grigio.Don't get me wrong, there were still trust issues. I was being watched carefully. Once, I found Eclipse on the back of the toilet seat and New Moon regularly perched itself on my nightstand. Still, I did my best to remain faithful.
Until, one day, I was feeling weak and vulnerable. The Twilight Saga had been my constant companion, but it was away visiting some friends and I was lonely. My daughter, who was unaware of my tenuous commitment, inadvertently left this:
in my car.
It was impossible not to stroke the cover...it was so shiny and colorful and "graphically gifted". It even had a movie...just like my beloved Twilight Saga. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, I was ten chapters deep. The Twilight Saga returned home, but it was too late. I had become a Master of deception. My new mistress and I stole moments in the laundry room, the garage, the walk-in closet...all while The Saga was tucked away, unsuspecting, on the bookshelf.
Unlike my previous affair, this one was deep, hungry and passionate. Like a flash fire to my eyes and heart, it lasted only a weekend and then it abandoned me, leaving my soul aching, desperate and alone. Needing more.
The void was unfathomably deep. And so I filled it with this:
which was by far, the most intellectually stimulating of my seedy exploits. The Saga started to get suspicious when it heard me using words like "hardscrabble" and "equivocal" in daily conversation. It hacked into my computer and checked my browsing history to find that I had Googled the author, Michael Palmer, and placed a few more of his works in my "Wish List" on Amazon.com.
The Saga confronted me and we had a huge blowout. There were raised voices, hurtful exchanges, tears...heck, I think there may have been a torn jacket cover. I'm not sure. It's all a blur now.
The Twilight Saga finally acquiesced that perhaps expecting me to be exclusive was unfair. It agreed that it had underestimated my literary needs. We parted amicably and thanks to a generous prenup, The Saga is living comfortably in a two-bedroom condo just a few miles from my house. We still see each other on occasion, and we share custody of the fruit of our loins....Fan Fiction.
And now, I'm at last at peace. Uninhibited and free to indulge my insatiable hunger for words and wit, plot twists and loveable characters. But alas, The Twilight Saga will forever have a special place in my heart as the lover that brought a passion for reading back into my life. Thank you Twilight Saga - I will always love you. Forever.
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