A History of Europe

The King of Reading is back. He swung into the shop, out of the cold, a beacon of warm concentration, and reminded me that he already has The Lord of the Rings. He asked today for Lemony Snicket. He tracked past every shelf and every display, every room, every table, checking for treasure, scanning for stars. His dad followed behind, interested, supportive, pioneering the joy. The King came out of the back room with a heavy book of European history and asked me for the price. He carried it back to dad, and there was a discussion. He returned and told me it was 167 pages shorter than Lord of the Rings and so it would be ok to read. He said as they left, There’s no way I’m taking that to school, there’s no chance.” And then he leapt out the door, bouncing next to dad, tapping the book with his knuckles and talking, talking, talking…