a sexy surprise

I am a reader. I love biographies and memoirs, and the chance to learn and grow from someone elses story. I can dive into fantasy and close my eyes to the light of reality for days. I literally wrap my life around a great novel, often crying when it is over, not necessarily because it is sad (though often it is), but usually because it is over and there are no more words. Staying involved in the current situation of our World is important to me, so reading the news, in a paper or online, is a natural reaction to that need. I am usually reading some kind of nutrition book (though not always practicing the content of the book) alongside whatever else I am reading. I love history and the way it shows me that we are all the same, connected, repeating similar mistaking and learning similar life lessons, and then forgetting them, and learning them all over again...so I have been known to read a history book from time to time. I am also a woman who happens to be interested in men...so it would make wonderful sense that I pay special attention to the male readers that come into our store.

Carl reads the paper. Well, he mostly does the crossword puzzles, but I am sure he reads part of the paper too. He nearly always buys the Times and the Tulsa World, and then asks for a receipt, because he pays cash and I guess wants to be able to prove to us he has paid in case we ever get the urge to confront him about the papers in his lap. He is older and was probably a looker in his prime, but now he mostly rides his bike and spends the money he should have used to get a haircut on his daily duo of papers. Nice guy, but with the age thing and the hair thing, not really my type.

Drew reads the Bible. A lot. He is well dressed and always always very gracious and friendly. These are all very appealing qualities. He's just a super nice guy who clearly loves the Word. However, in the stereotypical world of men, he's the kind of guy "you marry and bring home to mom, but not the kind of guy you what to date." In this scenario, I am going to pretend that’s the world I live in, only a female version.

Mr. marketing company owner with large biceps reads before he comes in. He reads the Starbuck's nutrition information so that whatever he orders (which happens to be a quad venti sugar-free vanilla non-fat caramel macchiato - light on the caramel) won't pose any danger to his large biceps.

And then today, just a regular Thursday by all other standards, some man with facial scruff comes in and drives a wedge in my trusty list of readers. He was cute but not necessarily someone I would do a double take for. He did have a nice smile...that was probably accentuated by what he was reading. If you haven't guessed it by now he was reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I didn't know this until today, but there is nothing sexier to me than seeing a man sit down with his americano and read about my favorite boy wizard, by choice. He even paused for a minute to ask me who Dumbledore was because he was getting him confused with "the big guy", as he put it, and the scene wasn't making sense to him...the big guy being Hagrid. I tried to focus on coffee, but I couldn't. I really really couldn't. So I decided to refill the condoment bar...I mean condiment bar, while the love of my life sat in the corner and read. Making my future husband even more interesting and appealing is the story of why he was reading Harry Potter. He quit watching TV a while back, and he was getting a little bored but didn't want to start watching it again. His reaction to this dilemma was to go to the library, despite the fact that he "isn't much of a reader". He walked around for "like and hour" and eventually decided upon Harry. Of all the books in the library for sexy scruff to choose, he chose Harry. And then, as a sad ending to my story, he closed his book, said goodbye, and walked out of my life...I mean the store, and I was left alone, with only a stocky gray haired traveling businessman reading the latest John Grisham thriller to keep my attention. Needless to say, it was no longer difficult for me to focus on the coffee.