Bible Girl Goes West

The Borders by Penn Station was having a closing-business sale, and I walked in, hoping to pass the time before my train and to buy more books I have no room for. I picked up a couple Saramago books in Spanish and headed to the Bibles section of the second floor, in the northeast corner of the store.

The Bibles aisle in that bookstore is no more than a couple feet wide, the window to the street on one side and a few Bibles on the other. I made my way to the end of it, and looked up and down for the Hebrew letters of the Masoteric OT, passing in front of a girl while blurting an "excuse me."

"Are you looking for a Bible?" the girl said. "Yes, but I can't seem to find it," I responded, a little confused at first. We began to talk. We exchanged a few sentences about our churches and the ESV. I asked if she worked around there, and she said she had just left her job around Union Square today. I was encouraged when I found out she lived in Queens, not too far from me. After our exchange, she said "well, nice meeting you," to which I responded in like manner, and the she walked away.

I stood there, staring up and down the Bibles bookshelf. After regaining consciousness, I kept on looking for the old Bible, and then threw a quarter in the air, thinking tails would excuse my hesitation. It fell on heads, and I interpreted it as lots saying I should get her number.

I saw her browsing around while heading out. I timed my walking so we would be standing together at the escalators and have a minute to talk on our way to the first floor. I said "hello, again" and then noticed she was holding flowers. She said they were for her sister, and then I chit-chatted a little more.

We got down to the first floor. I said to her, "I'm leaving, but I'd like to get your number, and we can get some coffee." She said she was sorry, but she was moving to L.A. the following week. "Ah, so that's why you left your job..." I managed to say, feeling deflated.

She said "I'm Lydia," I gave her my name, and we shook hands. I walked away, confused about how to feel, and didn't look back.