Pages of Magic

“Trick or Treat!” the swarm of children shouted as they approached Betty’s festive front porch.

Audrey welcomed the group, “Look at you, such fabulous costumes!”

All eyes were on the big treat bowl Audrey held. “You can each choose two of your favorites. Then huddle in close and look at Betty so she can get a picture of you on her phone. Is that ok?”

Proudly displaying their hauls, they posed briefly in front of the slight, elderly woman beaming at them from her chair. With their “Thank You’s” shouted behind them and exchanges of “Happy Halloween,” the kids vanished in a whirlwind.

Audrey arranged another blanket on Betty’s lap. “Are you warm enough, Betty? Should we go inside? The kids can ring the bell.”

“No, no, dear, I’m fine. It’s a nice evening to sit on the porch, I don’t have many of these left.”

“Oh, Betty.”

“I meant because I’m moving, not because I’m dying.” Betty snorted jokingly, “But that too.”

“Oh Betty. I know that. It’s just that we are going to miss you very much. And you aren’t going to die for another 15 years or so!”

“What, are you clairvoyant now?”

“No, of course not, but you said your mother lived to be one hundred. Why wouldn’t you live at least that long?”

“Humph,” Betty became contemplative, “So many years… lifetimes, objects, memories, collected within these walls. Decades of accumulation to downsize. Miniaturizing everything would probably be easier. Not really sensible to ship it all thousands of miles.”

Betty continued, determined, “The books go with me, of course, I can’t imagine not having them. I expect to be buried with a book or two.”

She turned to Audrey with feigned alarm, “You know I could die tomorrow because shelves fall on top of me.” Her tone shifted again, much lighter, “I have some special boxes for you to deliver to your charming son.” Betty handed Audrey a little black notebook.

Audrey smiled assurance, “Let us take care of the shelves. Josh and I can come by tomorrow afternoon.” She took the book from Betty, “What’s this?”

Betty waved away Audrey’s concern, “Thank you, but no need. The movers will come next week to pack everything that’s going. I just have to put post it notes on what I want moved.” She gestured at the notebook, “That, my dear, contains information and notes on the 200 books I have selected for Josh.”

Audrey opened the notebook and glanced at its contents. “Oh, Betty, how wonderful, you don’t have to do that. He will love these! Around the World in 80 days, The Sword in the Stone, The Hobbit, Gulliver’s Travels, Edgar Allen Poe!”

“I know I don’t have to! Some of those are books we’ve read together, some are titles he borrowed from me earlier. But that’s not all. Bring out that small box on the table next to the couch, would you, dear?”

Audrey carried a small box of books onto the porch, setting it between them on the wicker couch.

More choruses of “Trick or Treat!” had Audrey jumping up. Several clusters of children materialized in quick succession, disappearing just as boisterously.

Audrey cheerfully turned to Betty, “That’s more like it. It seemed our trick or treat numbers were going to be low this year. Now, where were we with these amazing books?”

“Yes, for your delightful son.”

“Betty, are you sure? Look at these! They could be quite valuable with their age and excellent condition.”

“Of course I’m sure. Books belong in a home where they will be appreciated.”

“This is extremely kind of you, he will be so excited to see these!” Audrey picked up a book and opened it. It contained a $100 bill. “Betty, there is money here!”

“Yes, Audrey, I put it there.”

“Oh, Betty, you are too generous.”

“Please stop with the ‘Oh, Betty’!” With a sly grin Betty continued, “I am not too generous. I am generous to the proper degree.”

Audrey smiled back, “You are very generous and he will be very appreciative. He loves reading with you. You are a Fairy Godmother!”

“We all need a little magic. And people to believe in us. It’s good we have each other.” Betty straightened and affected brightness, “Books are their own adventures, aren’t they?”

“Yes! This is quite special, getting some of your personal library. Look at this! It was published in 1926! These are incredible! We are very fortunate you were here to encourage and share his love of books!” Audrey became slightly glum, “It’s terribly disappointing to him though, that he feels like he has to hide it from several of his friends.”

Betty agreed, “It is a shame. They’re all so preoccupied with their silly screens and video games.” Nodding at the box, she teasingly warned, “Not many of those are older than I am!” Then more straightforwardly, “There are several sets, Agatha Christie, The Hardy Boys.”

“He loves those!” Audrey picked up another book. “Betty! There is money in this one too!

“Yes, dear.”

“In all of them? All 200? But that’s …”

“Yes, dear.”

“Oh, Betty, that is a lot.”

“Yes. Well. He will need money for college.”

“That’s quite the windfall for a 14-year-old.” Audrey diplomatically explored, “Would you consider giving him the books and the money separately? Because the books are what’s important, right?”

“That’s true.”

“What if you gave him 5 books now and I set aside the others to give him at Christmas and his birthday?”

“Five? How could I choose?”

“You can choose.”

“Five?! Ridiculous! I couldn’t omit David Copperfield, Black Beauty, Sherlock Holmes, The Little Prince, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court? Every library should have those titles!”

“OK. You are absolutely right. How about 10 to start, but maybe not with money in all of them?”

Betty granted, “I do want him to love the books for what they are. Fine, 10 for now. And yes, I agree. I don’t want him to start tossing the books aside in the excitement of searching for money.”

“Spreading the gift over several years gives him the opportunity to savor each book before he gets a new set,” Audrey suggested.

Betty enthusiastically approved, “Yes! Plus, that maintains an element of fun.”

“And you could have the money build too, extending your gift over various events. $500 at a time from you would give him additional opportunities to check in with you. Maybe you would like a larger gift at high school graduation? But, really, Betty are you sure? These are marvelous books; wouldn’t your family like them? It’s a large sum of money for a kid who mowed your lawn a few times.”

“Pish posh! You wouldn’t let me pay him for mowing or shoveling!” Smiling, she pointed inside and calmly directed, “Please get the box that is behind the green chair, there are a couple of others I will want him to have right away then.”

Audrey brought out the box. “I appreciate that you didn’t insist on paying him when he came over. You know I wanted him to feel good about helping out, not to always expect a reward. It’s more neighborly.”

Betty retrieved a few books from the boxes while making notes. “Of course. And it was nice of you to bake cookies all those times.”

Wishing to ignore the wave of sadness at losing her long-term neighbor and knowing Betty wouldn’t discuss it, Audrey ventured, “Do you recall a couple of years ago when you asked him about his love of reading?”

“Yes, he had clearly thought about it and had such a wonderful response. I wrote it down, remember? She picked up the black book and read from a page, ‘Books are like magic keys, and also like time machines. But when I read, it isn’t just that I can unlock whole other worlds or travel through time, but that I become a time bridge. Not just because of what is in the story or a connection with the author or when the story was written, but to people like you and all of the others who have read the same book. Stories that you and I read together connect me to what you and your mom shared when you were a kid. I think that’s pretty special.’ ” Betty put the notebook down and smiled fondly. “So do I, Audrey.”

Audrey got up and hugged Betty. “We are going to miss you, you know that, don’t you?” Betty resumed working, pretending not to hear. Audrey sighed and continued to look through the books. After a few minutes, she asked, “When should he know that your gift includes $20,000?”

Without looking up from the notebook Betty quickly replied, “Sixteen seems right, don’t you think? It should be clear that it is for college and not for a car or video games or any such frivolity.”

“Of course. It’s very kind of you.”

“Yes, you said that.”

“It’s true! You are wonderful.” Audrey hesitated but then plowed ahead, “I don’t mean to be a bother but would it be ok to give the first $2,000 to him directly and then keep the rest in a college account for him? The reason I mention it is that a friend at work was saying that colleges treat the student’s money differently than other funds for financial aid. Money that is his reduces the aid package he can get but other money doesn’t impact aid in the same way. I apologize, I don’t mean to dictate how your gift should look, it’s just that it could mean a big difference in the financial aid he gets.”

“Institutions and their rules can be so arbitrary. If it works more in his favor to arrange my gift differently, then yes, go ahead.”

“Thank you. We won’t ever be able to repay you for all that you have done for us.”

“Don’t be silly. He is a sweet young man, you should be proud of him.”

“I am glad to hear that he is still nice with you. This past year has been somewhat challenging. He is often quite surly.”

“That’s because you are his mother. And hormones.”

Thumbing through the pages and resuming her business-like tone Betty continued, “So, probably 10 books per holiday, and $500 each round until he is 18? I will make a note by the titles with the number for his age and a ‘b’ for birthday and a ‘c’ for Christmas, how does that sound? Then you just have to gather those books for each holiday.”

“That sounds like a lot of work for you, sorting through all of the titles. Wouldn’t it be easier if I just randomly pick a pile of books each time?”

“I’ll see what kind of progress I make on this list. Faust seems more like something for a 17-year-old than a 14-year-old.”

Audrey scanned the sidewalk. “The kids are mostly done, I think. We can go inside. I’ll make tea. Let me take these in and then we’ll get you settled in the living room.” She grabbed the stack Betty had assembled, ‘You have made such great choices for him, are you sure you won’t want to take any of these with you?”

“These barely make a dent in what I have.” Betty looked up at Audrey, sparkling, “It will be exciting when my books get delivered, reuniting and rediscovering them again.” She paused. “But it is time. It is a bit like passing the torch isn’t it?”

Audrey noticed the title of the next book in the box. “Three Men in a Boat!”

Both smiling, they said in unison, “To say nothing of the dog!”

Laughing, Audrey added, “We are such geeks. We will have to set up long-distance book chats.”

Audrey gathered the pile Betty had selected for Josh’s first gift. “Josh will be so excited to find these. Oh, Betty, you are a gem!”

“Just don’t ‘Oh, Betty’ me again.”

“Oh, Betty.”