A quick read with a satisfying twist. Follow my account for more weekly shorts!
Elizabeth grabbed a book from the stack. “And who should I make this out to?” she asked, twirling her black Sharpie like a conductor’s baton.
The young woman just stood there wide-eyed. “Um, Kimmy, please,” she squeaked.
Elizabeth scribbled her signature on a blank page and added a quick note: Kimmy, thanks for being a fan. She shut the book and handed it across the table. The young woman accepted it graciously before turning on her heel and scurrying out of the bookstore.
“Next,” Elizabeth called out.
Another woman stepped forward. She was older, maybe mid-forties, with a slight frame and skinny waist. Her jeans were faded blue denim, and her dirty blonde hair was twisted into a ponytail that fell just above the small of her back.
“Hello, dear,” Elizabeth said, picking up another book. “So nice to meet you. Now, who should I make this out to?”
The woman stood unnaturally erect, and her face looked strained. She tried smiling but it appeared more like a grimace.
Elizabeth waited patiently.
“I don’t want a book,” the woman began. “I…I just wanted to talk to you.”
Elizabeth glanced over at her publicist, who shrugged indifferently.
“Okay,” Elizabeth said cautiously. “But it has to be quick; we have a lot of people waiting.”
The woman stepped towards the table.
“—I left him,” she said abruptly. “I left all of them.”
Elizabeth stared back, puzzled. “I’m not sure I understand…Left whom?”
“My family! I left them!” the woman shouted. “Just like Cassie did in Love is a Sunset Storm. After reading that book, I knew… I just knew! It was like you were speaking directly to me! So, the other day, I pawned my wedding ring and jewelry and withdrew as much money as the bank would allow. I even bought a one-way ticket to Istanbul! I’m going to find love and passion and purpose. I’m going to be just like Cassie!”
Wow, what do you say to a thing like that...
There have been films about this.