After Robbie’s class today
I was able to speak with him, and return the copy of “The Cartoonist” -- but it
didn’t go the way I had hoped.
When I handed him back the book, he thanked me politely and put it in his bag.
I thought that he’d ask what I thought, who my favourite secondary character
was, any of the usual fun ways he had of getting me to talk about a book I had
read. But that was it.
I wanted to talk more, to share the excitement about the book, and about the
interesting thing I’d found about the authors Costello and Leslie offering
praise for each other’s books. So I asked if he had another Costello book that
I could borrow.
He told me that he had loaned that book to another student.
He did say that he’d try to bring something else in to class the next day that
he thought I would like.
But I kept thinking about the fact that he’d loaned that Costello book to
another student. I guess I’d thought that I was the only student he did this
with -- loaned books to and chatted frankly with.
I’m trying not to get all bent out of shape about it.
And I am looking forward to finding out what book he’ll be bringing in
tomorrow.
