Sometimes, not so much.<\/p>\n
Arriving home from work, SOBUMD and I hit on a plan \u2013 cook and eat dinner, then load the books we\u2019ve been planning on selling into the car and take them out to a somewhat local bookstore known for buying used books.\u00a0 Since most of the books we were considering selling had recently been offered in a yard sale (most of the kid\u2019s books sold), they were already loaded in handy carrying cases and boxes.\u00a0 We promptly cooked, ate, and set off.<\/p>\n
Driving from our house to Manassas is a treat unto itself, on Rt 66, just after dinner.\u00a0 We made our way to Richard McKay\u2019s Used Books<\/a>, which requires a moment to describe.\u00a0<\/p>\n No, yeah, I mean I<\/strong> need a moment.\u00a0 Hold on.\u00a0<\/p>\n OK, I\u2019m better.\u00a0 This place has what can only, reasonably, be described as a shitload of books.\u00a0 I\u2019ve probably been in more bookstores than you have \u2013 most of you, anyway, and John, that doesn\u2019t count \u2013 because I have a problem with books.\u00a0 Which, in turn, is why we\u2019re selling some of them: equal parts \u201cpick up some cash\u201d and \u201cclear some of the damn shelves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyway, McKay\u2019s is built like a football field, except with bookshelves instead of linebackers.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been in plenty of used bookstores that could be fit in a small corner of this place and you wouldn\u2019t notice it was there.\u00a0 It\u2019s huge, big enough that it reminded me of this brilliant comic <\/a>– which you should check out when you’re\u00a0done here –\u00a0and it\u2019s reasonably well organized, I assume in self defense so the staff doesn\u2019t get lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n And such staff!\u00a0 Bookstores tend to attract an eclectic crew, and I\u2019ve always loved that.\u00a0 The young gentleman helping me was sporting what I can only try to describe as a Leprechaun\u2019s DreadHawk.\u00a0\u00a0 Imagine if you will a Mohawk, left for dreads until fully dreadlocked, and then dyed NEON green.\u00a0 Needless to say, I loved him.\u00a0 It helped that he was delightfully friendly and professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n We brought in our allotment of books and I was given a ticket and told it would be around half an hour while they sorted and priced what they could and couldn\u2019t buy.\u00a0 (Oh noes, 30 minutes to kill in a bookstore?)\u00a0 I found several versions of books we were trying to sell to them, which gave me some hope.\u00a0 I also found a few books I\u2019d been looking for, including a great 12-step guide to getting past your book addiction (I bought two copies).\u00a0 When the buyers were ready for us, it turned out that they couldn\u2019t see buying most of our books \u2013 the total came to $11 in store credit and $9 in cash.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, we promptly spent all but $3 of that on books.<\/p>\n Total take so far, $3 and some books I\u2019d been looking for for years.\u00a0 I was feeling pretty good about this \u2013 and that\u2019s when the evening took a decidedly unexpected bent.\u00a0 SOBUMD and Number One Son (the girls being in Chicago with the Queen Mother of Pink) had contemplated a late-nite snack run before we went home.\u00a0 They waffled the idea about for a moment when I made up their minds for them, by virtue of (A) being the driver and (B) needing to pee.\u00a0 There being a Denny\u2019s in hailing distance, we loaded the unloved books back into the car and went.\u00a0<\/p>\n SOBUMD and Number One Son sat, I sat, we ordered drinks \u2013 decaf, I might add <\/a>\u2013 and I promptly excused myself to A Men\u2019s Room In A Denny\u2019s In Manassas.<\/p>\n \u201cSing it!\u00a0 Dun, Dun, Dun \u2013 Another One Bites The Dust!\u201d is playing in the Men\u2019s room.\u00a0 Very loudly.\u00a0 My new best friend, who followed me *quite* closely into this small men’s room, was singing along with Freddie Mercury at what I hope was the top of his voice.\u00a0 If he could have gotten any louder, I\u2019m sure he would have.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure, because MY Boyfriend Is Fabulous.\u00a0 What\u2019s a guy to do?\u00a0 I snapped my fingers and\u00a0sang along with him.\u00a0 Between me and boyfriend and Freddie, we OWNED that can.<\/a><\/p>\n I made as graceful an exit as I could while only washing my hands twice and returned to my seat.\u00a0 Another table was seated behind me, and the only snippet of conversation I heard was the following:\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s so far in the closet, he\u2019s finding Christmas presents.\u201d\u00a0 I had to resist the urge to spin around, do the headroll thing I learned from my friend Angie, and say \u201cI know ya\u2019ll ain\u2019t talkin\u2019 \u2018bout MY Fabulous Boyfriend?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When I say that I had to resist that urge, I mean I had to, because SOBUMD had reached across the table and was physically restraining me.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just to cap off an unexpected evening, Number One Son looked at SOBUMD\u2019s empty Coke Float (she\u2019s *still* awake!) and said, \u201cIf you just drank Coke, why don\u2019t you eat a Mento and see if you puke?\u201d<\/p>\n