i was so taken with the book that i bought a first edition in near mint condition.
i went to a party friday. one of the guests used to work in the rare book cage in a museum in Boston, so we were on the subject of books &, specifically, your book, the one, whatever that might be.
first edition did not make sense to me until i read this book, so this must be my book. the one.
someone asked me if it was the kind of book i would carry around with me. i hadn't really thought about that, but after a moment's consideration i decided yes. this is the kind of book i would carry around with me. or at the very least, i will keep it forever, unlike most everything else.
"Cousins," he said, "you married??"
"Naw," Cousins said. "Why the hell should I be married?"
"After the war I'm going to get married."
"Okay. Go ahead."
"Honest to God, if I had a wife now she'd be sending me things. Cookies, maybe. Maybe a sweater. I haven't got a package since I come overseas."
"I haven't got a package either," Cousins said. "What the hell good is it anyway? You open it and you got to give something to everybody you know. There's no percentage in that. I'm just as happy. If I was married I'd have to be sending money home all the time, too. And God knows what my wife might be doing. The hell with it."
