Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

As if I haven’t already received my fair share of whammies in life lately, I got another shocker. My beloved bookstore closed. Without warning.

BAM, indeed! It was just gone. It took its love away from me and left my heart in misery.

I was there on Tuesday. There was no mention of going out of business, nor was there any “thank you for your patronage over the years”. No hint at all that this would be the last time my favorite bookstore and I would cross paths.

When I went there yesterday to grab myself a new paperback, the store was empty and deserted. There is a sign on the door saying “thank you” and directing me to visit one of their other “convenient locations”, none of which are anywhere near my house.

I am now officially bookstoreless.

Yes, there’s a bookstore relatively nearby in the hoity toity mall. I hate going there, but I guess I have no choice now. After all these years of friendship, Books-A-Million went out for the proverbial pack of cigarettes and never returned. No note, no phone call...not even a text message. I don’t do libraries since I found a used Kleenex being used as a bookmark in a book there once. I’m not necessarily a germophobe, but if someone would brazenly do something like that, I can’t imagine what other book behaviors others might try to keep hidden. No thanks.

I still can’t believe it. Breaking up sure is hard to do.

I wonder what could have happened. People do still read books, don’t they?