Regifted

I ordered a copy of The Zanzibar Chest by Aidan Hartley recently. The book came highly recommended by a friend. That said, since it's not typical Valerie reading material, I opted to order a used copy from Amazon.

On the inside jacket was a message that read:

"To Ralph & Lucy.
Christmas 2005.
Wishing you much happiness in your new era and thanks for 'putting me up' and 'putting up' with me.
Thanks. Love Sue."

I don't know Ralph, Lucy, or Sue. I don't know how (or if) Ralph is related to Lucy. I don't know if Sue is related to either of them. I can't tell if either Ralph or Lucy bothered to read the book, and I suppose I'll never know if Sue gave them a copy because she had read and loved it, or because she thought one or both of them would like it.

In any case, I guess the book was destined to find its way into my hands. After reading tons of fiction (most recently The Time Traveler's Wife, but only because Pajiba told me to), I needed something a little grittier, a little more real. Maybe it wasn't what Ralph and Lucy were looking for, but I think it'll do the trick for me.

Smells like serendipity.