while roaming about aimlessly, waiting for the dinner in the oven to finish, i stumbled upon a Reading by Tim O’Brien, it’s from his faboo book Tomcat in Love.

i discovered O’Brien long before i discovered the beauty that is “The Things They Carried”. i discovered O’Brien while wandering aimlessly around Barnes & Noble. it was the summer i was 26, or perhaps i was 27. i think it was 27. it was the summer i decided it would be a good idea to have an affair with a married man. a 6’5″ married man who was 20 or so years older than me.

so when i stumbled upon this book by O’Brien, this book about a late 40s, 6’6″ philanderer, i had to buy it. the book was screaming my name from the shelf.

i fell in love with that book while falling out of love with a man who was as old as my dad and wasn’t going to leave his wife of 20 years for me.

listening to Tim O’Brien read his words has left me musing about that girl, that girl from five years ago. she was so naive and brave and daring. and while i wait for the zucchini to bake i kind of miss her.