Just Osmose The Information Into Your Brain

When I was younger, around six or seven, there used to be a store that sold various knickknacks — small furniture pieces, decorations, gardening things, and books.

I used to be a huge bookworm as a child, so I used to walk into that section and peruse the books available. I’d occasionally take one book, open it up to read, and skim a few pages to see if I had any interest in buying the book — you know, the normal way to decide if you want to buy a book and not waste your money.

Usually, this wasn’t a problem. But for some reason, on this occasion, this “wonderful” woman decided that I was being a huge nuisance. I’d walked over to the book section as usual and picked up a book to read when this “wonderful” employee came barreling into the book section shouting at me.

Most of her tirade is lost to time, but one line I specifically remember from her long tantrum is:

Employee: “Don’t touch these books! You are going to get them dirty! These books are not for reading!”

What are they for, then, lady? Decoration?

I remember that my mother was livid and swiftly removed us from the store. We didn’t return to that store after that, and my mother has confirmed that this was on purpose.

That store has now been closed for almost twelve years. I guess that employee scared off everyone who had an interest in that store.